21 Things to do in the D

Getting Sporty
Metro Detroit is still considered to be the bowling capital of the world. You can get funky with the sport at Lucky Strike in Novi, where bowling gets a chic attitude adjustment. Bowling usually costs $5 to $7 per person per game except for Friday and Saturday after 6 p.m., when it’s $40 per hour. But wait, there’s more. Lucky, with its 75,000 square feet of entertainment on two levels, also includes billiards, seven bars, a dance club and a video arcade.

If chasing people thrills you more than chasing pins, you might want to give laser tag a shot. The best place to indoctrinate yourself is Laser Quest in Madison Heights,
where, for $8, you can enjoy this amped up game of hide-and-seek that takes you through a multilevel arena with lighting, fog and music designed to get your adrenaline pumping.

Another guaranteed rush is a Tigers game – always a smart bet on a summer or fall day. This year, Comerica Park is once again offering $5 tickets, $5 meal combos and $5 parking, so you can root for Detroit’s home team for next to nothing.

The Mall at Partridge Creek may sound like an odd choice to get your sport on, but trust us, it’s not. In addition to offering nearly 90 stores and restaurants, it also has free bocce ball on two courts. It’s just one of the many unique aspects of this outdoor mall, which also has heated sidewalks, a large stone fireplace, flat-screen TVs and amenities for the dog in your life.

But sometimes it’s great to just get away from it all. The best places to do that are metro Detroit’s Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Kensington Metropark in Milford ($5) sports nearly 5,000 acres of land, including trails for biking and skiing. Inside the park, Kent Lake is a perfect place to peep a sunset or check out Astronomy at the Beach September 10-11 so you can get a rural glimpse of the night sky. Metro Beach and Stony Creek parks are also other good choices.

Inside and Out
Speaking of the great outdoors, here’s a winning game plan for a warm, sunny day on the Detroit riverfront: Start out by taking a leisurely stroll along the Detroit International RiverWalk and then rent a bike from Wheelhouse Detroit ($15 for two hours) and peddle through downtown, stopping at Hart Plaza to see if you can catch sight of a freighter. Don’t forget to bring your camera.

Or, stay inland and take the city’s most famous mode of transportation, the Detroit People Mover (50 cents). Nosh on a Coney dog at American Coney Island or Lafayette Coney Island, and visit Campus Martius Park to cool off by the fountain. November through March you can also strap on a pair of ice skates at this park and enjoy a traditional big-city wintertime activity ($7 plus skate rental).

While you’re soaking up the winter wonderland that is metro Detroit, mark the city’s Noel Night on your calendar for December 4, when you can get free admission to the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Science Center and the Detroit Historical Museum. A free shuttle takes you throughout Midtown (the cultural center area), and the night is capped off with a community singalong on Woodward Avenue. It doesn’t get any better than free.

Stepping back to fall, drive out to one of metro Detroit’s many cider mills for a hot donut and fresh-squeezed cider. Apple Charlie’s Orchards sells apples fresh off the tree and donuts made before your eyes. Grab a jug of juice and a few plastic cups, sit outside, and admire the fall colors.

Going Medieval
Gather up your spirit of adventure and hit some of the area’s best-loved museums and attractions, in addition to the Noel Night venues already mentioned.

The Detroit Zoo is one of the most well known local attractions, and you can relive your childhood zoo memories for just $11 a ticket. Besides the standard cuteness of polar bears, penguins, giraffes and kangaroos, check out the zoo’s Wild Adventure 3-D/4-D Theater, which adds 4-D effects such as scents, mists, back pokers and leg ticklers to enhance your movie experience. Make sure you’re up for this wild ride.

Plan a cerebral adventure at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills. Start out with a walk through the more than 40 acres of gardens and grounds surrounding the Cranbrook House. A $6 self-guided tour includes the formal gardens, bog garden, herb garden, wildflower garden and Oriental garden. Then hit up the Cranbrook Institute of Science next door ($9.50) to browse the exhibits and take in a planetarium show ($4) or a live bat program ($4).

Feelin’ a little funky? For vintage arcade fun and oddities such as an electric chair allegedly from Sing Sing Prison, go to Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, the historical attraction in Farmington Hills featured on The History Channel’s Modern Marvels.

Or abandon your current time and place altogether and go back to an era when women wore frilly frocks, men told bawdy jokes and the turkey drumstick was an everyday meal of choice. Huzzah! It’s none other than the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly ($18.95), which is held during several weekends in August and September. Go in costume if you’re feeling truly medieval.

Dining with a Twist
Hungry? Lucky for you, your stomach and your wallet, there are so many ways to eat really well for cheap in and around The D.

For starters, Francophiles won’t want to miss Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes, a downtown crêperie featuring 20 sweet and savory crêpes ($5 to $7) all inspired by owner Torya Blanchard’s European travels and named after her friends.

For a food a little closer to home in origin, metro Detroit takes a bite out of Chicago pizza with PizzaPapalis, a local chain serving up deep-dish pizza pies packed with fillings ($14-$30 for two to five people). You’ll wish for larger pants before you’re done.

If you want a side of entertainment with your meal, check out Dave & Buster’s, which offers an Eat & Play Combo for $15.99 per person, including an entrée and a $10 game card. That card can be used for classics such as billiards, as well as the latest interactive and video games.

And if you’re up for a serious challenge, you might want to try your chops on the Super Burrito ($14.95) at Pancho Villa’s in Sterling Heights. This giant monstrosity is loaded with beef or chicken, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, beans and rice. Wanna know the best part? If you can eat it all, it’s free.

But don’t expect to get off too easy. “It’s eight pounds of burrito,” says General Manager Nick Hartig. Only about 15 customers have achieved the feat – and their photos are displayed on a wall of fame in the restaurant. “There’s different strategies people use,” Hartig adds. “Usually if you can eat most of it within the first 20 to 30 minutes, you’re good.”

Out on the Town
You don’t want anyone accusing you of being a cheap date, but if you play your cards right, you can have an amazing night out for a lot less than your typical bar tab.

Make it a night to remember with a concert under the stars at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Bring a blanket and enjoy lawn seats for about $20 for many shows this summer.

Or hit downtown Hamtramck and cruise the bar scene to hear local bands and slam a few cheap brewskis (Small’s and Painted Lady are among the local faves). Cap off your night with a game at Garden Bowl, Detroit’s original Rock ‘n’ Bowl, a place to knock pins since 1913 ($4-$22/hour, depending on the day and time, plus shoe rental).

Got that country feelin’? Try out your Boot Scootin’ Boogie at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Auburn Hills. Or take your dancing self to Slingers Bar and Grill in Livonia, where, according to the establishment, “just about anything goes.” You might find yourself dancing on bar stools or being entertained by cool bartender tricks.

Life on the Cheap
Sure, times are tight – and people in The D aren’t immune. But we’re a resourceful bunch and know how to get more for less. So get out and enjoy a cheaper side of life.

Cynthia J. Drake is a Mount Pleasant writer and recovering coupon clipper.

Getting to the 21 things