Train stuff do in Kalamazoo, MI area (need suggestions)

The Kalamazoo Amtrak station is very nice to see. Not train stuff,but One Well Brewing is my favorite place to visit in Kalamazoo. They have a dozen or so pinball machines there.

Not quite train related, but the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is a great time if you have an interest in historic and monumental aviation: https://www.airzoo.org/ They have a great display of the SR-71 Black Bird there!

The Gilmaur car museum is just a little northeast of K'zoo, about 20 minutes.   It has a very large, nice collection of antique vehicles in multiple buildings.    The last time I was there, they had just completed a building dedicated to Fords, I think Model A's.     

My Grand-daughter may be participating in this event.

I was wrong on the spelling.    It is the Gilmore Museum.    And the website says it is open all year around.     The Air Zoo is also a great place.

www.gilmorecarmuseum.org

Thanks for the suggestions...keep them coming they sound fun...

*I would like to see an SR71 Black Bird.

*I love pinball

*The Gilmore museum would be cool.  Gilmore used to sponsor AJ Foyt for years.  On a side note...what dance school is does your grand daughter take from?  

Good ideas

My grand=daughter is in the Mosaic studio.    Her competition this weekend is in Battle Creek, which is Kalamazoo area - about 15-20 miles east.     

prrjim posted:

I was wrong on the spelling.    It is the Gilmore Museum.    And the website says it is open all year around.     The Air Zoo is also a great place.

www.gilmorecarmuseum.org

This is a fantastic site to visit! Even more when the clubs that have their own buildings are meeting on site and bringing cars.

This is a photo of my grandchildren at the Jackson Station, east of Kalamazoo Station.  You can check the Amtrak Schedule for Kalamazoo by using these train numbers. On the Amtrak app.

Departing • 351   353   355

Arriving • 350    352    354

I took this photo last winter: Gary

The Gilmore Car Museum is absolutely fantastic.

The Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical society is just north of Kalamazoo in Cooper township. I’m not sure if they are open this weekend.

http://www.kmrhs.org/

One highlight of Battle Creek, trainwise, is Clara's on the River, a restaurant that has occupied the interior of Battle Creek's Michigan Central Station since 1989.  Nary a track to be seen in any direction when you're there, because they were all ripped up in an Amtrak re-alignment years ago, but the station is still standing proud.  The food is good too, and mid-priced.

The building is a fine example of the upscale stations that were built all along the Michigan Central between Detroit and Chicago in the late 1800's.  Most of them are grand in spite of being small town stations or small city depots -- solid stone in the Richardsonian Romanesque-style, as opposed to wood frame with siding.  This one is no exception.

Check out Kalamazoo's station as well.

Mike

You can look at the Grand Elk Rail Yard from the edge of the road near the Kalamazoo River. 

Use a telephoto zoom camera or a camera on a quad-copter.

Andrew

Look for the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company. They were one of the premier handcar manufacturers in the country. A new iteration of the company makes handcars out in CA now.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.  Unfortunately, the event was cancelled :-/  We may go back to MI for soon and check out some of the fun spots that everyone suggested.  Thanks for your help.

The AMTRAK station and the Grand Elk Railroad yard next to the Kalamazoo river are the easiest to reach and safest viewing spots of railroad activity. 

Andrew

You will have to park your automobile in the parking lot near the playing field and stands on one side of the Kalamazoo River, then walk across the bridge to view the Grand Elk railyard.

Andrew