Midland

Midland is a city in Central Michigan northwest of Saginaw.

Understand

The Dow Chemical Company was founded in Midland in 1897. Its world headquarters are still here. Many residents of Midland are employees of Dow, although it is not necessarily a company town.

Get in

By plane

• 1 MBS International Airport (MBS  ^IATA), 8500 Garfield Road, Freeland (located midway between Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw), ☏ +1 989 695-5555. The airport is served by United Express flights from Chicago-O'Hare, plus Delta Connection flights from Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul, plus seasonal flights from Atlanta.  

By car

Off US Highway 10 west of I-75.

By foot

• Pere Marquette Rail-Trail. 28 mile walking and cycling trail from Midland to Loomis. Ends at the "Tridge" (three-path bridge) where it connects to the Chippewa Trail. (updated Feb 2020)

Get around

The downtown and the area near the Dow headquarters are quite walkable, as are the two universities if you're not in a hurry. It's also possible to use the trial system to get to nature center. There are taxis and a few ride-hailing services (Uber, etc.) available, which are needed to get to the airport. Car rentals are available at the airport.

• Chippewa Trail. Seven-mile trail that connects the Chippewa Nature Center to downtown Midland at the "Tridge", where it joins the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail. (updated Feb 2020)

See

• 1 Midland Center For The Arts (MCFTA), 1801 Saint Andrews Street, ☏ +1 989 631-8250. Contains the three-level Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art as well as a performing arts theatre. Includes exhibits on media (record your own TV weather and news reports) and local politicians, as well as a kids maker space. (updated Feb 2020)
• 2 The Tridge. A three spoked footbridge over the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers  
• 3 Dow Gardens (Whiting Forest), 1809 Eastman Avenue, ☏ +1 989 631-2677. landscaped botanical garden. Includes the longest canopy walk in North America, opened in 2018. $5. (updated Feb 2020)
• 4 Alden Dow House and Studio, 315 Post Street, ☏ +1 989 839-2744. One of many buildings in the town designed by the architect Alden B. Dow.  

Do

• 1 Currie Municipal Golf Course, 1300 Currie Parkway, ☏ +1 989 839-9600. This course is intermittently unavailable while they perform maintenance. 

• 2 Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S Badour Rd, ☏ +1 989 631-0830. A large visitors' center featuring (all indoors) a lookout over the river, exhibits, and hands-on nature-related toys. Outside there is a naturalistic play area for the kids and 19 miles of trails ranging from paved to rustic, and several restored historic buildings on site as well. Guided snowshoe hikes and maple syrup tapping in the winter. (updated Feb 2020)

Buy

• 1 Midland Mall, 6800 Eastman Avenue, ☏ +1 989 832-9060.  

Eat

• 1 Pis Chinese Restaurant, 1815 S. Saginaw Rd., ☏ +1 989 832-5848. Nice local restaurant. 
• 2 Villa D'Alessandro (Tuscany Banquet Hall), 801 E Wackerly St, ☏ +1 989 631-3821. 11:00-14:00, 16:00-22:00. Villa D'Alessandro is a very nice Italian fine dining restaurant with amazing food. In the summer, sit outside near the fountain surrounded by vine wrapped walls. about $25 per person. 
• 3 Cafe Zinc, 111 West Main Street, ☏ +1 989 837-6030. 

Drink

• 1 WhichCraft Taproom, 124 Ashman St., ☏ +1 989 832-3395, WhichCraftTaproom@gmail.com. Forty taps of exclusively Michigan-made beers and ciders, plus dozens of options in bottles, including locally-distilled whiskies. Small food menu. (updated Feb 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Hampton Inn, 6701 Eastman Avenue, ☏ +1 989 837-4000. 
• 2 The H Hotel, 111 West Main Street, ☏ +1 989 839-0500. 
• 3 Holiday Inn Midland, 810 Cinema Drive, ☏ +1 989 794-8500. 

Connect

Free wifi at the nature centre and museum.

Go next

See the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeweays (and the Soaring Eagle Casino) in Mount Pleasant.

Routes through Midland

Ludington ← Clare ←	W  E	→ Bay City → END
Jct ← Mount Pleasant ←	W  E	→ END
END ←	N  S	→ Saginaw → END