A Local Reveals: The 10 Most Fun Things to Do in Downtown Plymouth Michigan [2024]

01. Plymouth Coffee Bean

Downtown Plymouth has three major streets: Penniman, Main St, and Ann Arbor Trail.

The Plymouth Coffee Bean, colloquially "The Bean", is a locally owned cafe located off Penniman. This establishment has been a cultural staple of downtown Plymouth since opening its door in 1993.

On the first Monday night of every month, starting at 7:00 p.m, The Bean hosts a popular open-mic event. Several years ago, I myself was a frequent performer where I play and sang guitar!

Like many cafes during the morning and afternoon hours, The Bean is a popular hub for remote workers and college students. There are several spacious tables with outlets nearby for charging laptops and smartphones. Nowadays, I often come to "the Bean" to write articles just like this one!

One of the funniest bumper sticks on their wall near the register is "FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRINK STARBUCKS". Even funnier considering there is a Starbucks in downtown located off Ann Arbor Trail!

During the warmer months of the year, customers can choose to sit outdoors on the patio. There are even some tables and chairs on the sidewalk bordering the cafe as well!

Address: 884 Penniman Ave, Plymouth, MI 48170

02. Plymouth Historical Museum

Easily one of the most overlooked things to do in downtown Plymouth is the Plymouth Historical Museum. I myself didn't step inside this museum until after I first posted this article back in late 2022!

Although the Plymouth Historical Museum has been around since the early 70's, the museum obtained an actual caboose from an old train company in late 2019 which visitors are allowed to walk inside! Due to the lockdowns happening shortly after, not many people are even aware the museum has this!

The inside of the train car has been faithfully preserved. It was really cool seeing the mattresses, seats, icebox, bathroom, and imagining how travelers could spend weeks in this little space!

In back of the museum, you'll see a local residence whose garage is painted and designed like a train station! I heard whoever lives there has free access to the museum for life because of this!

Switching focus to the inside of the museum, there are two floors. The upper floor contains a dazzling and spacious reconstruction of Main Street from several decades ago. To the left, you'll see exhibits of home life in historic Plymouth.

What's also notable about the upper floor is the Abraham Lincoln Exhibit. In fact, it is the largest museum space dedicated to the life of our nation's arguably greatest president in the state of Michigan. The Lincoln family tree was really neat to see!

The lower level of the museum is dedicated to the timeline of Plymouth, showing what the city looked like through various decades. A standout attraction on this floor is an old car from a defunct car company called Alter. There are only a handful of these cars even still in existence.

What confused me was the entrance to the museum. For whatever reason, the front doors of the museum were not open. You have to enter the museum through the right side of the building, which faces the police station and library.

Admission to the museum is only $7.

Address: 155 S Main Street, Plymouth, MI 48170

03. Kellogg Park

Kellogg Park is the epicenter of downtown Plymouth.

Some of most popular downtown Plymouth events, like weekly Friday night summer concerts, the Plymouth Ice Festival, and Scarecrows in the Park, are hosted right in Kellogg Park.

Kellogg Park-- the city's oldest attraction in this list-- is enclosed between Main Street, Penniman Ave, S Union St, and Ann Arbor Trail.

Undoubtedly, the object that captures most people's attention in Kellogg Park is the fountain. While the fountain is captivating during the daytime, it is downright dreamy at night. The picture I took for this item is hands down my favorite photo in this entire article!

The rest of Kellogg park has plenty of grassy areas to throw a beach towel down and relax. Great spot for outdoor activities. The tall trees offer plenty of shade which is a big relief on hot summer days.

Address: 298 S Main Street, Plymouth, MI 48170

04. Hunt for all five murals

Here's a recommendation I've seen no other blogger cover about downtown Plymouth: looking for the five murals!

It's a creative idea that will take you all over downtown and into Old Village as well! This minature scavenger is self-guided. Take a friend, your significant other, or your kid(s)!

Once you've exhausted looking for all of downtown Plymouth's murals, there is another art-related scavenger hunt you can embark on, and that is...

05. Plymouth ArtWalk

The Plymouth ArtWalk is a free self-guided scavenger hunt where visitors to downtown Plymouth explore various alleyways to find framed paintings.

At of the time of this writing, there are 12 artworks included in the Plymouth ArtWalk.

To get started, head over to Pizza e Vino at 849 Penniman Ave and enter the alleyway. You'll see a sign to scan a QR code which can serve as an aid in finding all the paintings!

This Plymouth ArtWalk is provided to visitors courtesy of Art Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit in partnership with Community Financial Credit Union.

There is one more fun and easy-to-miss art related activity in downtown Plymouth, that being...

Address: (starting place) 849 Penniman Ave, Plymouth, MI 48170

06. Free Little Art Gallery DTP

This article was the first article that was posted to Michael Visits All in October 2022. A lady named Jan Myers was the first person to email me after reading my blog which I'll always remember! In that email, she informed me of this next item:

Located on Penniman-- across the street from the Plymouth Coffee Bean and Westborn Market-- is a community outreach project called the Free Little Art Gallery DTP. Inside a structure resembling a mailbox are miniature pieces of artwork, including but not limited to drawings and figurines.

The art showcased in the Free Little Art Gallery DTP changes often so what you see captured in my image above isn't what you'll see when you check it out for yourself!

Other artists are encouraged to submit art in a slot located on the mailbox's right side.

This attraction will probably take you less than a minute to see but plays a role in giving downtown Plymouth its personality. Follow them on Instagram and support the art!

07. Wilcox House

The Wilcox House is a historical landmark of downtown Plymouth, having been built in 1901.

Today, the Wilcox House is used for commercial purposes and the surrounding yard is well-maintained. While you can't enter the home, you can freely explore the yard and admire the architecture of the house, as the gates and driveway are not closed off.

A real fun fact: this Queen Ann Style home was originally built for the original homeowner's mistress!

Address: 676 Penniman Ave, Plymouth, MI 48170

08. The Penn Theatre

The Penn Theatre is a cozy single-screen movie theatre known for playing indie films, classic films, and select new releases. It seats up to 402 people.

On the left side of the theatre, you'll see posters of four renowned classic movies painted on the wall. Which films? I won't spoil the fun! See for yourself!

Address: 760 Penniman Avenue, Plymouth, MI 48170

09. Old Village

I feel Old Village gets overlooked by a lot of people. Once people hit the train tracks on Main St, people think there is nothing more to see. They are mistaken!

Old Village is home to other terrific restaurants, small businesses, and bars. And... remember the murals I mentioned?

In the picture above is Hermann's, a very popular bar in downtown Plymouth.

Address: 195 W Liberty St, Plymouth, MI 48170

10. Zack's of Plymouth

I've been coming to Zack's of Plymouth ever since I was in high school!

There are several stellar restaurants in downtown, and in fact, I devoted a whole article to covering the city's best restaurants, but Zack's gets a special mention in my article simply for being open 24/7.

One thing I love about American diners is they're never forced to innovate. Diners offer a feeling of consistency in a rapidly changing world.

Zack's of Plymouth serves breakfast all day. Like many diners, they offer a wide variety of sandwiches and burgers. Zack's also serves some Greek dishes and some one-off dishes like lasagna and steak.

In the front of the restaurant, by the cash registers, Zack serves a lot of amazing sweets, like large cookies, brownies, and pies.

If you're just in the mood for a quick bite, get the Awesome Fries. They are french fries with melted cheese on top, bacon bits, and a side of ranch.

Address: 9458 S Main St, Plymouth, MI 48170

Downtown Plymouth Events

The small yet vibrant downtown hosts over 130 events per year. This article would be far too long to list them all so here are paragraphs dedicated to the town's most popular events:

Music in the Air: Every Friday evening during the summer months, Kellogg Park erects a stage and hosts live music. Listeners often bring lawn chairs to sit down. Most of the musicians and bands who perform are cover bands and the genres of music most commonly played are blues, folk, pop, and soft rock.

All of the summer concerts are free to attend. It's common for the park to be fully packed with people during the concerts. Even if you don't sit down to listen, the music functions as a soundtrack when exploring the town.

Art in the Park: Art in the Park is an art-focused event held every summer showcasing the creative works of many of Michigan's finest artists. Artists set up tents for attendees to browse. You'll see a wide range of artistic work, such as paintings, photography, jewelry, ceramics, sculptures, apparel, and more!

There is no admission fee to the event.

Plymouth Fall Festival: I probably don't need to tell you which time of year this event takes place! Springtime! Okay, I'm kidding... it's the fall.

The Plymouth Fall Festival hosts a car show, craft show, and even... a pet show! There's plenty of barbeque, performing arts, and carnival rides.

Plymouth Ice Festival: Similar to how artists at Art in the Park feature their work, some of Michigan's most unique sculptors create mesmerizing works of art out of ice and put them on display at the Plymouth Ice Festival!

What's cool (literally and figuratively!) about this event is one could argue it's a 24/7 event-- weather permitting, of course!

If you feel like exploring the streets of downtown at 3am in the winter, you can still admire the ice sculptures. The event is free.

Plymouth Farmers Market: The Plymouth Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning outside The Gathering-- by the Penn Theatre and Kellogg Park-- during the spring to fall months.

At the Plymouth Farmers Market, you'll find plenty of fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables, and even some tents selling some cool artwork.

Where to park in downtown Plymouth

Downtown Plymouth is a very popular spot so parking most times of the day can be difficult to come by. Every street has spaces to park up to two hours. In my opinion, downtown Plymouth isn't strict on enforcing time limits and first time violators just receive a warning.

If you aren't lucky enough to find parking off the street, there is a two-story parking structure off S Harvey St, as well as parking near the Plymouth District Library.

Is Plymouth Michigan safe?

Yes! According to one source, the crime rate for Plymouth, MI (including its downtown) is 73% below the national average.

I have never felt unsafe walking in downtown late at night.

Conclusion

Seven days a week, thousands of people in metro Detroit come to this wonderful place. This area is seriously one of my favorite spots in southeast Michigan. I hope you have enjoyed my list of the most fun things to do in downtown Plymouth!

Since I visit this spot often, who knows... maybe I'll bump into you! If you see me working on my laptop at "the Bean" or just walking about, feel free to say "hi"!


Thank you for reading! Like... seriously. So many people just skim sh*t and don't read anything past the headline. You're one of the good ones!

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