#1
The winding River Trail
#2
The Stober's wizard, who watches over us
#5
South Lansing Farmers Market and Meridian Farmers Market, and Farmers Market at the Capitol
#6
Pinball Pete’s and retro game nights
#8
Olympic Broil's Classic Car Cruise-In on Tuesdays
#9
MSU's iconic Midnight Scream during finals
#10
Rock climbing at the Ledges, the only outdoor rock climbing spot in the Lower Peninsula
#11
The giraffe at West Side Meijer gas station
#12
East Lansing Art Festival, JazzFest, literally all of the
festivalsall the time
#13
Big Gretch, an East Lansing native and Spartan alum
#15
Ratchet's mysterious disappearance from the Lugnuts
#16
Everyone having their "own" Quality Dairy that carries a personal and emotional connection
#18
The whole Olive Burger thing
#19
Magic Johnson is from Lansing
#20
The last time it was 100 degrees in Lansing was 2012
#22
An airport with the fastest security line ever
#23
The sasquatches mural in REO Town that people dress up seasonally
#24
Curwood Castle and its enchanting charm
#26
The greatest mountain biker ever, John Tomac, grew up in Owosso
#27
Apologies peanut allergy folks, but The Peanut Barrel in East Lansing and The Peanut Shop Downtown are giving peanut love
#28
The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at MSU, which can literally create the same rare isotopes that are created in the cosmos
#29
We illuminate a giant cow statue with Christmas lights in the Silver Bells parade
#30
Stevie Wonder went to the School for the Blind in Lansing
#31
Lansing Common Football Club, and their aesthetically pleasing logo
#32
Shigematsu garden at LCC
#33
Yelling "Go Green!" to strangers on gameday at MSU
#34
The Turner Dodge building
#36
The Fledge, and the Fledge subculture
#37
Listening to the Spartan Marching Band on the way to a football game
#38
The accessible playground at the Adado Riverfront Park
#39
Having access to a top-tier community college, LCC
#40
Being within a couple hours' drive of a Great Lake in either direction
#41
Standing at the confluence of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers
#42
Trucks running into the Pennsylvania Ave. railroad bridge (a.k.a. Big Penny)
#43
Making homemade masterpieces at Playing Picasso
#44
The polar bear in the Natural Science building at MSU
#45
Fitzgerald Park and its miles of trails
#48
Sanctuary Spirits, a distillery in a former church
#49
A healthy amount of classic rock radio stations
#50
A robust local coffee scene, with die-hard loyalists
#51
Basking in the sun at a minor league baseball game eating $2 tacos
#52
Horseback riding at Northfork Farms
#53
Being a hub for State of Michigan government jobs
#54
Thrift stores with authentic Vintage Stuff™
#55
Lansing Public Media Center
#56
Boutique shops dedicated to incredibly niche interests, like Deadtime Stories and Thrift Witch
#57
An undying dedication to high school sports
#58
Watching the sunset atop the massive hill at Granger Meadows Park
#59
Soaking in classic small-town joy at the DeWitt Ox Roast
#60
An excess of summer festivals and, therefore, an excess of elephant ears
#61
The Otto E. Eckert Power Plant's iconic three stacks: Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. No matter which direction you're coming from, you know you're home when you see them on the horizon
#62
A fabled
taco placethat was only open when it posted on Facebook that it was open
#64
Finding weird stuff at the MSU Surplus Store
#65
The Farm Lane walk sign, especially when it is on
#66
Dennis at Crunchy's karaoke
#69
Joey Chestnut ate 18 olive burgers at a Lugnuts game
#70
Moore's Park Pool, the oldest surviving and longest operating Bintz pool in the nation, and the people who love it
#71
When DeWitt basically becomes Whoville at the Christmas Market
#72
Quality Dairy french onion dip
#73
Naing Myanmar Family Restaurant on the South Side
#74
The Cleats patio at the Hope Sports Complex
#75
A city that's literally an island, Eaton Rapids
#77
Bougie dinners at the English Inn
#78
Pretending you're in a Hallmark movie in quaint downtowns
#79
The Ingham County Fair
#81
A women-founded hospital and healthcare system, Sparrow
#82
Murals! So many murals.
#83
Salus Center and their inclusive community events
#84
Mason literally being known as "Hometown U.S.A."
#85
Stargazing at Fox Park Public Observatory
#88
Getting lost in antique stores at the Mega Mall or Williamston Antique Mall
#89
The river in a shoe store at Playmakers
#90
The other river in a store at Preuss Pets
#91
The bus in a store at Preuss Pets
#92
Gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Okemos
#93
Everything Izzo — Coach, Lupe, and don't forget the Izzone
#94
Woldumar Nature Center
#95
Oreo Ice Cream was "invented" at Coral Gables in East Lansing
#96
Miles the two-legged otter at Potter Park Zoo
#99
Tea Parties at the MSU Children's Garden
#101
All of the Above Hip Hop Academy
#102
East Lansing Art Fair
#103
Capital City Film Festival
#104
Sparty: The man, the myth, the legend
#105
Mort's, B & I and Dagwood's — and all the dive bars really
#106
Sundance and the icon known as Terry Hanks
#110
The smell of Paramount Coffee roasting in the morning Downtown
#111
All things WKAR: Curious Crew, Off the Record with Tim Skubick, and having an HD Spanish-language channel
#114
Jacob Moran, local American Idol contestant
#115
Muralmatics and Dustin Hunt
#118
Music in the Park at Lake Lansing South
#119
Tyler Oakley, who is from Okemos
#121
Apartments with a baseball field in your backyard
#123
A Batman movie was filmed at the Broad museum
#125
Numerous chili cookoffs
#126
Being one of the only places in the U.S. where the Anthrax vaccine is made
#127
Diederich Produce Farm
#128
Petting the horses and goats at MSU
#130
The bike park at Birchfield
#132
Old Town, Lansing's original downtown that's always reinventing itself
#133
Tavern 109 in Williamston
#134
Laying on the floor of the Capitol to look at the dome
#136
Capital City Market (aka "Downton Meijer" or "Bougie Meijer")
#137
Grace Boutique in Old Town
#138
Fiber optics were invented by Lansing-born physicist Donald B. Keck
#139
Artisan popcorn at Cravings
#140
Picking strawberries at Felzke's
#141
An amazing collection of Cuban restaurants
#144
The rose garden at Frances Park
#145
Our complicated relationship with Frandor which, at the end of the day, we love
#146
Another brewery in a church: Looking Glass Brewing
#147
The Michigan Flower Barn in Perry
#148
Mind-altering experiences at the Abrams Planetarium
#149
Peacock Road Family Farm and its Christmas train
#150
The Robin Theatre, its bookstore, and its legendary holiday show
#151
The Super Secret Cult Band
#154
Karaoke at the Avenue
#155
Larry Page is from East Lansing
#158
Devoted Car People™ with strong union roots
#159
Billy Strings is from Lansing
#161
Deacon Earl, the blues musician
#163
We take cheesecake seriously – Everything Is Cheesecake and Mr. Leslie's
#166
Cristo Rey Community Center
#168
Petals & Pinecones, a local mentorship nonprofit
#169
LCC Connect, the LCC radio station segment
#170
Impression 5's giant mouth
#171
The giant head sculpture downtown, designed and built by Ivan Iler
#172
Capital City River Run
#173
Urban gardens, specifically on the Eastside, like Tender Heart Gardens
#176
The energy in East Lansing when thousands of Spartans return to campus for Homecoming
#177
The Costume Shop at The Riverwalk
#179
Multiple places of worship for any faith
#180
The Everett High School's Dance Team and its arts programs
#181
The surprisingly large vinyl selection at Westlund's Apple Market
#183
Renting snowshoes at Lake Lansing North
#184
Community theatre like Riverwalk, Ixion, and Grand Ledge
#185
Gregory's Soul Food and the community
#186
Foodie Friday spotlights on WLNSdo
#187
Local jingles for car dealers
#189
REACH Studio Art Center
#190
The Habibi Dancers, a belly dancing troupe
#191
Taking roller derby very, very seriously
#192
Inclusive hair salons like Hair United
#193
The Women's Center of Greater Lansing
#194
The iconic clock on Boji Tower
#195
The whole process that is choosing and lighting the Capitol Christmas tree
#196
Kooky Eastside culture, in general
#197
The fact that you can go to LeRoy's at 7am
#199
Westphalia Cruise-in car show
#202
Live poetry readings from The Poetry Room
#203
Chalk of the Town in Old Town
#204
So. Many. Barbecue. Options.
#205
Capital City Dragon Boat Race
#206
Picnics in the park at Patriarche Park
#207
Lansing Citizens Academy
#208
Farmers Market at the Capitol
#209
The frenzy that is Arctic Corner on a hot summer day
#211
Rudy Wilson, a legend and the first salaried Black employee at Oldsmobile in Lansing
#212
Art collectives, like Briarwood and Cedar Street Art Collective
#214
The fact that MSUFCU's "got your best interest at heart." (RIP to the old jingle)
#216
Brunch at Soup Spoon Cafe
#217
Festival of Oddities at Turner Dodge
#218
Halloween in neighborhoods that go hard
#219
Eastside Fish Fry's chicken and eclectic interior
#220
The Michigan's: Meijer's, Kroger's, Aldi's
#221
Michigan Wildlife Conservancy
#222
The vintage Pillsbury mural at REACH
#223
Lansing Urban Farm Project
#226
LEAP's PROTO Accelerator
#228
emPOWer Lansing kickboxing
#231
The eclectic mugs at Blue Owl and Good Truckin' Diner
#232
ALT Printing Co.'s Lansing manhole cover screenprints
#234
Steak for sale in the mall parking lot
#236
Dependable public transportation from Okemos to the capitol even on holidays, game days, and at night
#239
Gold-medal-winning Jordyn Wieber is from DeWitt
#240
Lots of materials accepted at recycling centers
#242
Vegan Doughnuts from Strange Matter
#243
American Fifth Spirits, Lansing's first distillery
#244
Drag dinners at The People's Kitchen
#245
Dam Jam at Brenke Fish Ladder
#246
Ranney Park, Lansing's century-old ballpark
#247
The corn cake from Saddleback BBQ
#248
Trivia at Harry's Place
#250
Catching a performance at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center
#251
Capital City Bird Sanctuary
#252
Sweetie-licious and the life-changing pie they make
#253
Grand Ledge Opera House
#255
Sansu Sushi and their Spicy Spartan Roll
#256
Wagon rides at Clearview Orchards
#258
The dog parks in Soldan, Meridan, and East Lansing
#259
Dirt School and mountain bike trails at Burchfield Park
#260
Local concerts hosted by Ten Pound Fiddle
#262
Gardens at MSU Radiology
#263
Maple Syrup Festival at Fenner Nature Center
#264
Horseback riding at Sundance Riding Stables
#265
Heritage Hall at the Capitol Building
#267
The Polar Express in Owosso
#268
Watching the sunlight reflect of Lake Lansing from the roof of Mayfair Bar
#269
The Mint Festival in St. Johns
#270
Fishing in Kalamink Creek
#271
East Lansing Pump House concerts
#272
The peaceful quiet in the neighborhood after the first snowfall
#273
Finding hidden treasures in the REO Town Marketplace
#274
Melting Moments ice cream sandwiches
#275
Making your own soda flavor at Sleepwalker
#276
The Knapp's Building, a decades old staple of downtown
#277
People watching on the Grand River
#278
Sandwiches from Jose's Cuban Sandwiches
#279
The Martini Glass fountain in the Capitol complex
#280
Bad Annie's Sweary Goods
#281
Ellison Brewery & Distillery
#282
Brunch at Midtown Brewing Company
#283
The sound of Beaumont Tower in the distance on MSU campus
#284
Neighborhood cats in Moore's Park
#285
People throwing birthday parties in the park
#287
The Bloody Marys at the Watershed Tavern & Grill
#288
The city's many dispos
#289
The double-decker McDonald's on MSU's campus
#290
The Planet Walk on the Riverwalk
#293
Yoga at Firefly Hot Yoga Barre
#294
The landscaping on LCC's campus
#297
The Meridian Historical Village
#298
Portland party store and their great doughnuts
#299
Friday fish frys at the Portland VFW
#300
The Michigan Women's Historical Center
#301
Little Red Schoolhouse and its antique flea market
#302
LLB Asian Market on Saginaw Highway
#304
Kona Ice and the people's devoted love for Kona Ice
#305
R.E. Olds Transportation Museum
#306
The vegetarian plate from Altu's (and all of their food, TBH)
#307
Snow! Despite being a big city, winter isn't miserable in Lansing
#308
A very devoted Facebook group for local foodies
#309
Jamie Schriner and her Elvis mural
#311
Habana Delights, the bright pink food truck
#312
Disc golf at Burchfield
#313
Launch Trampoline Park
#315
The African World Museum and Resource Center
#317
Dog Trick or Treating in Old Town
#318
Being one of the nation's insurance capitals, with six insurance companies headquartered in Mid-Michigan
#319
The Accident Fund building
#321
The red Christmas balls downtown
#324
Laurén Gerig Brady's art
#325
Scene Metrospace showcasing the undergrad art students of MSU every year
#327
The gay frog doughnuts Strange Matter made for Pride
#328
The famous corpse flower that bloomed at MSU
#329
W.J. Beal Botanical Garden at MSU
#330
Warm chips from Fiesta Charra
#331
Winding trails at Padgett Park in DeWitt
#332
With Celebration, NCG, Regal, and many independent theaters, you've got your pick when it comes to movie theaters
#333
Doug and Laura DeLind's art
#334
Phillips Orchard & Cider Bar
#335
The Halloween Rocky Horror live shadow cast performance at the Sun Theatre in Williamston
#337
Multiple incubators and accelerators like Middle Village that give local small businesses a place to start out
#338
Bruce Campbell wears an MSU jacket in Evil Dead
#339
Quinn XCII went to MSU
#340
The Avocado bagel at Chateau Coffee Co.
#341
Capital Hippie making high fashion tie dye fits
#342
Lansing Brewing Company's winter patio parties
#344
The Michigan Library and Historical Center
#346
The Jamando at Chapelure Fine Pastry & Espresso
#347
Buying locally made artisan bread at Breadsmith
#348
Brenke Fish Ladder and the Fish Ladder Music Park
#349
Grand River Connection networking events
#350
The Albert El Fresco in East Lansing
#351
The old-school and somewhat liminal vibe of seeing Santa at the Lansing Mall
#352
Basement Salad (IYKYK)
#353
East Lansing's hamster cage parking garage
#354
Fire and Rice Food Truck
#355
Red Haven and it's reclaimed wood fixtures
#356
The ducks outside Olympic Broil
#358
Deer sightings on the area's nature trails
#360
Old Town's Krampusnacht festival
#361
Gritty Industrial Vibes
#362
The fact that you can get ice cream at a fireworks store
#363
The Fourth of July fireworks show, and congregating with your neighborhood to watch
#365
Finding crafts at Maple Street Mall
#366
The wood play structures at Rayner Park
#367
Finding treasures at the Free, Cheap, and Antiques Store
#368
The fact that there's a Michigan Steam Engine and Threshers Club
#369
The "Pet of the Day" segment on WLNS
#370
The bins-style Goodwill in Charlotte
#371
The somewhat hidden gem that is Hunters Orchard Park
#372
Pickleball at the MAC
#374
Impressive local news coverage across mediums
#375
Being a hub for healthcare, with employment opportunities across the region
#376
Eating ice cream out of a tiny plastic trash can at Twister's
#377
Being the only U.S. state capital that is not also a county seat
#378
El Azteco’s signature Topopo salad
#379
Fierce school pride across all of Lansing's school districts
#380
The Dark Arts of Michigan and Tater Tot Noxious
#381
Professional wrestling at The Fledge
#382
The thriving punk scene on the Eastside
#383
Goat yoga at Hilltop Views Farm
#385
The Lansing Promise Scholarship
#387
Fly fishing in the Grand River
#389
Charlotte Frontier Days
#390
Guy Fieri visited a bunch of local restaurants on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
#392
CADL's house history workshops, where you can research the history of your house
#394
"At Liberty Coins, we're right on the moneyyyyy"
#395
Ice skating at Munn Arena
#396
Old Mill Antiques Mall
#397
The giant sledding hills at Hawk Island and Granger Meadows
#398
Retailers with a super-long history like Rehmann's in St. Johns
#400
MSU grads that leave after graduation, but then
come back because they realize how awesome Lansing is
#401
The city's general love for REO Speedwagon
#402
Fall colors at Moore's Park
#403
Getting fries delivered carside at Nip 'n' Sip
#404
Asia’s Finest on Cedar St.
#405
Watching people lose their minds over landscaping displays at the MSU Home and Garden Show
#406
The patio at Twilliger's
#407
Knowing your mail carrier by name
#408
Small-town hardware stores, in general
#409
The Champion Rocks commercials
#410
The Masonic Temple building downtown
#411
The unyielding neighborhood energy on snow days
#413
Ice fishing on Muskrat Lake in St. Johns
#414
The faint sound of trains in the distance
#416
City Pulse's "Eye Candy & Eyesore of the Week"
#417
Messy college vibes at Rick's
#418
The League of Michigan Bicyclists
#419
The General Tso's chicken at Chen's
#420
There's a pool at the WLNS studio
#421
A plethora of pet rescues like New Hope, Happy Feet, and Saved by Zade
#422
A wonderfully large amount of Thai food options
#423
Babe's Corner's delicious vegan ice cream
#424
The vintage store inside an auto repair shop at the corner of MLK and Grand River
#425
The authentic West African-Caribbean fare at Jollof Afro Caribbean Lounge
#426
Throwing stones with the Lansing Curling Club
#427
Skateboarding at Ranney Skate Park
#428
Tater tots in wraps at Conrad's
#430
Power 96.5 hip hop station
#434
MSU's yearly Farmworker Appreciation Commemorative Celebration
#435
Coyote Wisdom Bookstore and its literal gems
#436
Seeing people dressed up for Capital City Comic Con
#437
Supermercado La Estrellita and particularly their tacos
#438
The fine folks at EagleMonk
#440
Socialight Society and Nyshell Lawrence, in general
#441
The glowy lights and Brian Whitfield's mural under the 127 bridge at Michigan Ave
#443
Spending Small Business Saturday at all the local shops
#444
Niowave, TechSmith, and Lectronix, our home-grown tech and science sector
#445
The huge wrap-around industry that grew up around GM here, like Demmer Manufacturing, Capital Steel & Wire, and Altec Lansing
#446
Being home to a lion's share of associations and advocacy groups who help form policy in our state
#447
James Madison College at MSU, and its always-devoted JMC students
#448
Old Nation Brewing Co. and M-43 IPA
#449
Lugnuts theme nights, including Magnum P.I. Night
#450
Our homegrown foundations like Dart Foundation and the Community Foundation
#451
MSU Butterfly and Children's Garden
#452
The Chinese New Year Celebration at Meridian Mall
#453
Triple Goddess Bookstore
#454
Sipping wine with a new book at Hooked
#458
Sushi Moto and their local love with a Lansing Roll, a Delta Roll, an MSU Roll, a Michigan Roll (and a boatload of other delicious rolls)
#460
Sapporo Ramen in East Lansing
#461
Chris Swope always wearing a bow tie
#462
Terror on 27, the area's most notorious Halloween attraction
#463
Living in a state with four seasons
#465
Being the center of America's High Five
#466
Friedland Industries and their off-the-wall metal stuff
#467
Andrew Sandstedt, artist, sculptor, and man about town
#468
Our creative and communications industry, with AAF Lansing and CMPRSA
#470
Sarah Pulver's murals
#471
Let's be honest: Legalized weed makes Michigan a pretty good spot for the over-21 crowd
#472
Steph Joy Hogan art and all of the bus shelter art
#473
Dimondale is a pickleball, art, and culture bubble. Who knew.
#474
Zoobie's truffle oil popcorn
#476
The Old Town Sir Pizza, which has its own stage and live performances
#478
Live Music Thursdays at Nelson Gallery
#480
Lansing City Rescue Mission
#481
Wine tasting at Burgdorf's
#483
MSU's student-made marketplace
#484
Constellation Cat Cafe
#485
The farmer's market at Allen Neighborhood Center
#486
Squinting at the Horrock's sign to see what produce is on sale
#487
The term "Lanstronaut"
#489
Silver Bells and our dedication to region-wide holiday festivities
#490
Asio Aviance, Lansing drag legend
#491
Our highways confusingly being 69, 96, and 496
#492
The sunflower field at Uncle John's Cider Mill
#493
The CADL local history digital archives, with gems such as this
1914 postcard#494
Roads named after social justice leaders like MLK, Malcolm X, and Cesar Chavez
#495
Winnie the dog at Clean Refillery
#496
Deadtime Stories and the owner Jenn Carpenter's podcast, "Michigan Monsters"
#497
5/17 is now a local holiday called 517 Day
#498
Star gazing at Sleepy Hollow State Park
#500
The community-painted underpass mural near Potter Park Zoo
#501
Red Haven's themed dinners
#502
Fantastic up and coming foundations like
For Good#503
The Hawk Island Triathlon
#505
The historic (and potentially haunted?) Eaton County Courthouse
#506
Olympic Broil chicken tenders
#508
Joe's Gizzard City in Potterville
#509
Scotcharoos at the Frandor Deli
#510
The Lansing Symphony Orchestra — what a gem!
#511
A disproportionate amount of really good florists
#512
Golden Harvest's late night pop-ups
#513
East Lansing Aquatic Center
#515
The ranch served at Cugino's in Grand Ledge
#516
The Downtown Lansing Zombie Walk
#517
The general vibe of helping a neighbor out
