Just make sure to look at the football schedule so you won't be there on a game day!

A2 is a great area. They have great metroparks if you are nature oriented. Great shopping and restaurants, and cultural activities. I recommend the farmer's market and the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. https://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/ Haehlnle sanctuary if you are into birding and can make it to see the sandhill cranes migrating. Also some nice state parks in the Irish Hills area to the south and slightly west. Good canoeing if you like that kind of thing. I'm not much of a shopper so I can't advise on that. Plenty of mega malls in the nearby Detroit suburbs. I think IKEA is about maybe a half hour away give or take . . .

Very good point, sushipup. I'll check the football schedule!

Thanks, I pink for all the recommendations. We are definitely nature oriented, so your suggestions are helpful.

http://www.metroparks.com/parks/dexter-huron-metropark/

That would be on my list, canoeing the Huron river. Great way to view the fall foliage.

And then def. hit up Matthaei Botanical Garden.

There's some great antiquing in the area but I am not very good at that so can't give you good advice. I would also check the cultural calendar and attend something artsy. There are several community calendars listed online. U of M has great concert venues and there are some famous clubs around for jazz and folk if you like that . . . I haven't really ever found a favorite restaurant yet in A2, but most of them are good. I used to hit up Seva and Taste of India in my younger days but neither of those would appeal to my husband. Seva is vegetarian and I haven't been in about 25 years so I'm sure it's changed as has Taste of India. Back then Seva used to be unique in that it was all vegetarian but there are so many other vegetarian options now it's nothing special. I have gotten deli lunches at Zingerman's and eaten dinner but the last time I was there it was nothing special. The deli is nice but expensive/overpriced IMHO. The bread is great, but now great bread abounds! That's why I recommended hitting up the farm market if you are there when it is open. It's just a foodie cornucopia. It's right near Zingerman's and several other shopping areas.

Thanks, I pink. I looked at the link you provided and maybe I'm misreading something, but it looks like the canoe and kayak rentals are available only through Labor Day. Darn!

Zingerman's has a deli, but also a restaurant called Zingerman's Roadhouse (and a coffeehouse attached to the deli). I recommend any/all of them. Nice shops in the area by the deli and coffeehouse.

September/October is a great time of year to visit an apple orchard. There are many within an hour of Jackson and Ann Arbor. It's also a great time of year for bonfires in the evening. Think hot chocolate and s'mores!

Spicer apple orchard is my personal favorite: http://www.spicerorchards.com/

Brighton Michigan is about 20 minutes north of Ann Arbor and has a few riding stables/horse rentals for beginnes and beyond with miles of beautiful trails. There are several nice little towns around but this one actually has some desent restaurants. This would be a fun and different type of group outing. Take a stroll downtown.

I can't believe they would stop the rentals after Labor Day. Maybe the folks I saw canoeing there were using their own canoes or put in at a different spot . . . that's a shame. Fall is a great time for canoeing. An apple orchard I am familiar with that is about 45 min. from A2 and very near Jackson, isMeckley's Flavor Fruit Farm. Have not been since the pandemic, but they used to have lots of kiddie activities in the fall and an evening hard cider bar . . . great bakery but I think they tend to sell out early . . .

Fall is a great time to see Greenfield Village. When I was a kid we used to go sometimes in the summer and those historical homes and shops did not have air conditioning!

Another nice distance side trip might be theCranbrook mansion and garden and art museum. It should be about 55 min. away but could be longer depending on traffic and where you are coming from. It's suburban traffic so rough around rush hour.

The Detroit Institute of Art is fantastic of course, but farther away and right in the heart of the city. Detroit has a lot of sights but I haven't really mentioned them because I don't know if you want to go in that direction and also, I am not too familiar with the Detroit area. I have only gone to the DIA, Fisher theater and concerts at the symphony hall, all in the heart of the city so we just scooted in and out for the events. Detroit is so huge it is really hard to describe the highlights because there are so many areas to explore in and around the city. That's why I mentioned the metroparks ringing the city, one of the things that is of positive distinction in Detroit, and also Cleveland and Toledo, the foresight to create a metropark system.

So many great suggestions! It will be difficult to narrow it down. Thanks everyone!!!

Be sure to check for construction too…every time I’ve gone there it’s been a nightmare in the downtown area. I hope you come across a couple of the fresh farmer markets that spring up this time of year. The fruits and veggies are so fresh and amazing.