Things to Do in Ypsilanti

Nestled within the University of Michigan's central campus, Dance Theatre Studio has built an excellent reputation over the 30 years it's been in business. Adults can check out ballet, hip-hop, and dance classes or strengthen their bodies in Zumba or body-sculpting, while kids make the most of their summers in camps that focus on art, tech, video, and acing the obstacle-course portion of college applications. All lessons take place in three large dance rooms that feature mirror-lined walls, a sprung sub-floor, and a marley surface floor, and nearby rooms also contain portable ballet barres. The studio's high level of comfort extends even before and after class, when dancers dress in men's and women's changing rooms.

Jump City's indoor play land works hard to live up to its name. The vibrantly colored metropolis surrounds visitors with enough inflated slides, obstacle courses, and bounce houses to make any balloon animal regret its decision to move to the suburbs.

Once upon a time, the grounds surrounding the Mill Lake Outdoor Recreation Center was filled with the gleeful laughter of children, but today only screams can be heard cutting through the darkness. First opened in the 1930s, the camp's cabins have sunk into disrepair since their closure in the ‘90s, but that doesn't mean they've remained empty. The festering site now serves as home to a whole host of ghouls, foul creatures, and lingering campers still struggling to master the square knot.

If they make it through the sinister paths, guests can calm their chattering teeth while warming up by a bonfire or embrace a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing a portion of the haunt's profits goes toward restoring the historic Mill Lake Cabins.

The team at Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality and Healing dedicates itself to helping clients achieve spiritual fulfillment through the Himalayan Institute yoga tradition and soothing holistic treatments. Instructors foster harmony of body, mind, and spirit in yoga and tai chi classes and massage therapists lull clients into tranquility with therapeutic massages, acupuncture, and aromatherapy.

Lotus Garden Meditation Center's two-acre grounds calm nervous systems even before guests ease into their first meditative pose. A koi pond rests beside a gazebo, plants sprout from the organic garden, and waterfalls and bamboo gardens surround swimmers in the pool. Inside a barn-turned-yoga-studio, teachers walk students through muscle-strengthening Hatha yoga series, a rare 64-posture style of tai chi, and free stress-relieving meditation classes. Transcendence continues at free weekly Kirtan sessions, a form of group meditation rooted in singing and chanting ancient mantras. Free vegetarian dinners follow weekly Bhakti yoga classes, and weekend events such as vegetarian cooking classes teach students how to take holistic methods off the mat. For more sustained quietude, one- and three-day retreats combine extended meditation, philosophical talks, and vegetarian meals.

Unity Woods Yoga's founder and chief instructor, John Schumacher, studied in India with B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the world's foremost yoga teachers. His team of friendly, enthusiastic instructors is fully certified and knows how to help students sweat and stretch until they're calmer, more energized, and more revitalized than the 217 rechargeable AA batteries that power greater America. With four passes, body benders can drop-in for any class in level I, level I/II, gentle I or II, seniors, or stop by for the four-week introductory yoga course. Classes take place several times a day, seven days a week at the clean, accommodating downward-dog dens. Level I and I/II classes introduce students to the Iyengar approach, which emphasizes proper alignment and incorporates props to aid in postures that might otherwise be unachievable.