Livonia is a city located in the western suburbs of Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan. With a population of over 94,000 residents, Livonia is Michigan’s ninth-largest city. Known for its family-friendly neighbourhoods, Livonia offers visitors plenty of things to see and do during their stay.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Greenmead Historical Park | Explore historical buildings and gardens. |
| Bowling at Vision Lanes | Enjoy bowling with family or friends. |
| Livonia Public Library | Access a vast collection of books and resources. |
| Golf at Fox Creek | Play golf on a well-maintained course. |
| Shopping at Laurel Park Place | Shop at various retail outlets. |
| Trinity House Theater | Attend live performances in an intimate setting. |
| Kirksey Recreation Center | Participate in recreational activities and fitness. |
| Disc Golf at Rotary Park | Play disc golf in a scenic park setting. |
| Local Cuisine | Try local restaurants and eateries. |
| Livonia Arts Gallery | Explore local art and exhibitions. |
| Hiking at Botsford Nature Preserve | Enjoy nature trails and wildlife viewing. |
| Fishing at Hines Park | Engage in fishing activities in a serene environment. |
Whether you’re into indoor recreation like bowling and skating or want to experience outdoor activities like hiking and fishing, Livonia has something fun for visitors of all ages. Families especially love visiting Livonia’s many public parks, and cultural attractions like the library and art gallery, and participating in youth sports leagues and city events. Livonia’s dining scene features everything from fast casual to fine dining at both national chains and mom-and-pop eateries.
Conveniently located near freeways and both Detroit Metro and Willow Run airports, Livonia provides easy access to explore more of what southeast Michigan has to offer. Read on to discover 12 of the top things to do during your visit to Livonia, Michigan.
1. Stroll Through Greenmead Historical Park
Name and Location: Greenmead Historical Park is located at 20501 Newburgh Road in Livonia, Michigan.
History and Significance: Established in 1979 on the site of a former farmstead, Greenmead preserves eight historic 19th century homes and buildings that showcase Livonia’s early rural heritage and architecture. Structures were saved and transported here for restoration.
What to Expect: Visitors can take guided or self-guided tours to see the historic homes moved here from around Livonia, furnished with period artifacts. Seasonal events and educational programs also take place on the grounds.
Visitor Information: Open year-round Tuesday through Sunday. An admission fee is charged for tours.
Covering 142 acres just northwest of downtown Livonia, Greenmead Historical Park allows visitors to take a peaceful walk back in time. The park grounds and building interiors replicate a rural Livonia farming community from the late 1800’s. meandering along the wood chip trails, you’ll see heritage flower and vegetable gardens, a white chapel, country church, log cabins, barns, and other antique buildings preserved from around Livonia and Michigan.
Inside the structures are historical collections related to local schools, businesses, churches, and family life during Livonia’s early settlement. Special events held at Greenmead Historical Park range from old-fashioned country fairs to Civil War reenactments where you can interact with performers in period costumes.
2. Go Bowling at Vision Lanes
Name and Location: Vision Lanes bowling alley facility is at 38250 West Five Mile Road in Livonia, Michigan.
History and Significance: Serving the area since the 1960’s, this local landmark has maintained Livonia’s cherished tradition of gathering for bowling fun across generations. Recently renovated while retaining mid-century charm and friendly appeal.
What to Expect: Well maintained lanes and equipment provide hours enjoying the timeless bowling competition and camaraderie plus rental shoes, score keeping, food and drinks in retro-styled setting convenient for all ages.
Visitor Information: Every day open bowling by the game or hour. Call for public hours or group/party reservations.
For some old-fashioned family fun indoors, spend an evening bowling at Vision Lanes. This bowling center has been popular with Livonia locals and visitors for over 50 years. With 40 lanes featuring computerized scoring systems, bumpers for little ones, bowling ramps, and ball weights for all ages and abilities, everyone can join in. You can keep everyone fueled up by ordering bar food and drinks for delivery right to your lane.
Vision Lanes has weekly afternoon glow bowling sessions featuring colorful neon lights and music videos on their flat screens for the younger crowd. Late evenings bring lively cosmopolitan bowling complete with a DJ, dance floor, and full service bar for adults. The bowling alley also hosts private birthday parties and corporate events in their multi-room banquet facility.
3. Tour the Livonia Public Library
Name and Location: The Livonia Civic Center Library occupies a modern civic campus at 32777 Five Mile Road accessible to residents across the suburban city.
History and Significance: After outgrowing previous facilities since district establishment in 1963, a expansive new building opened in 2003 continues evolving a vision to adapt informational resources supporting Livonia community growth through leading technology spaces and extensive multimedia collections.
What to Expect: Visitors will discover renovated interior spaces, books in various formats, hundreds of public computers, 3D printing, technology training rooms, study areas, children’s section and cultural event venue rented by community groups when not hosting dynamic in-house programming.
Visitor Information: Free access and borrowing privileges extended to all with state ID or proof of address in district. Open daily, check for current hours.
Those looking to relax or work while in Livonia should spend some time at the Livonia Public Library. More than just a place to check out books and access computers, Livonia’s libraries offer cultural and educational programs, art displays, cozy reading nooks, study rooms, a makerspace lab, and more.
The Civic Center Library branch is part of an expansive civic complex with free parking. This location has over 169,000 items for borrowing, banks of public use computers, charging stations, free WiFi, newspapers, classrooms and theaters for events like craft workshops or traveling museum exhibits.
Visitors can relax at the Civic Center Library’s fireplace lounge, outdoor rose garden, or Books & Bytes Cafe before heading out to explore more of Livonia. A library card is free if you work or reside in Michigan.
4. Play a Round at Fox Creek Golf Course
Name and Location: Fox Creek Golf Course spans 180 acres at 36000 Seven Mile Road in the center of Livonia, Michigan
History and Significance: Operational since 1959 as part of the Livonia public parks system, this 18-hole regulation course underwent complete redesign in the 1980s and further upgrades in recent years while retaining affordability and playability for all skill levels.
What to Expect: Golfers face scenic holes, undulating terrain, bunkers and water hazards along fairways suitable for walking or riding carts. Additional practice areas and a full bar/grille provide amenities facilitating an enjoyable day on the greens.
Visitor Information: Season runs April through October, weather permitting. Reservations advised. Resident discounts plus annual passes available.
For leisurely recreation surrounded by natural scenery, tee off at the championship Fox Creek Golf Course. This 18-hole public course mixes challenging play with beautiful views as holes wrap around spring-fed lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands. Seasoned and novice golfers alike appreciate Fox Creek’s driving range, putting greens, pro shop, and full-service bar and grille.
Fox Creek has hosted top-tier amateur tournaments but also offers beginner-friendly forward tees for seniors, juniors, and women golfers to enjoy. After working up an appetite from all that walking and swinging, golfers can sit down for a tasty meal or cold drink at the Fox and Hounds Tavern’s outdoor patio overlooking the course.
5. Shop ‘Til You Drop at Laurel Park Place
Name and Location: Laurel Park Place outdoor shopping mall is conveniently accessed from 6 Mile Road along Newburgh Road in Livonia, Michigan.
History and Significance: Developed in 1989, this vibrant retail center contains over 60 name brand stores from apparel to home goods conveniently gathered in an open-air setting with dining and entertainment options that has made it an essential community venue for shopping and gathering.
What to Expect: Popular department stores anchor the spacious site allowing visitors to find perfect fashion pieces before relaxing in one of numerous restaurants with a cocktail or coffee while taking in regular events like ladies’ nights, holiday celebrations and seasonal children’s activities.
Visitor Information: Open daily, extended weekday and weekend hours accommodate convenient access to stores and eateries. Check website for sales.
Those seeking some retail therapy in Livonia will want to browse the stores at Laurel Park Place. This sprawling indoor shopping mall features over 80 brand name stores, boutiques, restaurants, and a movie theater complex. Department store anchors like Macy’s, Von Maur, and Dick’s Sporting Goods ensure you can find something stylish for the whole family.
Trendy clothing, accessory, and cosmetic shops at Laurel Park cater to teens and young professionals while toy stores entertain the little ones. The open-air food pavilion provides plenty of meal and snack options from chains like Panda Express, Panera Bread, and Which Wich Superior Sandwiches. After getting your fill of shopping and eating, catch a new flick on one of the 20 screens at AMC Livonia 20 movie theater inside Laurel Park Place.
6. See a Show at the Trinity House Theater
Name and Location: Trinity House Theater occupies a converted church space at 38840 West Six Mile Road in Livonia, Michigan hosting performing arts and entertainment.
History and Significance: After the former church stood vacant for years, it underwent restoration to become a unique venue focused on supporting local and national talents since opening in 2015 while providing enriched arts access to visiting audiences.
What to Expect: The calendar offers varied schedule of comedy, musical and theatrical productions from alumni showcases to special engagements as patrons admire the soaring chapel architecture now accentuated by modern stagecraft equipment and cafe serving snacks beverages before curtain calls.
Visitor Information: Tickets and showtimes available online for upcoming season. Venue also hosts community meetings and private events when no public performances.
For nightlife and entertainment options in Livonia, head over to the Trinity House Theater. Housed in a century-old church building near downtown Livonia, Trinity House presents musical performances across genres like rock, folk, jazz, and blues. Comedy shows and theatrical productions also regularly appear on the calendar at this intimate, acclaimed performing arts venue.
National touring artists make stops at Trinity House Theater to play live in front of audiences holding just 400 people max. Up-and-coming regional bands also frequently rock the stage here alongside seasoned local Livonia acts. Performance tickets can be purchased right at the door or online through their website featuring show schedules and pre-sale access.
7. Explore the Kirksey Recreation Center
Name and Location: Named after late mayor, the Jack E. Kirksey Recreation Center is located downtown at 15100 Hubbard Street surrounded by Livonia’s principal parks.
History and Significance: Dedicated in 1977, the unique complex originally combined indoor recreation facilities for community wide use with municipal offices until a recent renovation updatedpopular pools and gymnasiums through an iconic sloped roof structure by internationally recognized architects.
What to Expect: Patrons can exercise in state-of-the-art fitness rooms, swim for exercise or fun including water slides, enrollin sports leagues, summer camps utilizing baseball diamonds outside and flexible auditorium hosting events plus art exhibits in the lobby.
Visitor Information: Resident discounts on programs open to the wider public through purchased day passes or monthly memberships. Hours adjust seasonally.
Families and adventurous travelers will want to spend half a day exploring indoor attractions at the Kirksey Recreation Center. As Livonia’s largest public recreation complex, Kirksey features an NHL regulation-size indoor ice arena hosting hockey games and open skating times. Their competitive pool provides lap lanes and a twisting water slide for public swimming and aquatics programs.
Active visitors searching for more thrills can register to climb the High Velocity Rock Climbing Wall towering overhead. If you worked up a sweat swimming and climbing, hit the men’s and women’s saunas or steam rooms before heading home. Kirksey Recreation Center also offers fitness classes, summer camps, rooms for birthday party rentals, and concession stands to refuel between activities.
8. Play Disc Golf at Rotary Park
Name and Location: Rotary Park located at 28550 W Seven Mile Road spans 80 acres in Livonia, Michigan containing one of metro Detroit’s premier disc golf courses.
History and Significance: Established in the 1970s around a former 1930s-era dam site, scenic wooded grounds have grown into an beloved community recreation locale made unique by addition of an 18 “hole” disc golf course winding through open and forested terrain alongside restrooms, trails and playgrounds.
What to Expect: Both casual and experienced disc golf participants can bring their own discs or rent from onsite shop to traverse diverse skill-building positions while enjoying abundant natural beauty as they aim for chain-link fairway targets and collecting lowest score wins.
Visitor Information: Free park access daily, dawn to dusk. Disc golf course open year round except extreme weather when closed.
In the mood for taking in fresh air and scenic views while active? Head over to Rotary Park spanning 122 acres between 7 and 8 Mile Roads. Here you’ll find a professionally designed 18 hole disc golf course winding through woodlands, open fields, and landscaped park grounds. Beginners can start with easier holes while seasoned disc golf players navigate trickier wooded holes and skill shots over water.
After finishing all 18 disc golf baskets, take a leisurely stroll over pedestrian bridges to see Rotary Park’s marble veterans memorials, baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, playgrounds, and pavilions available to rent for family gatherings. The park also contains public restrooms and drinking fountains spread throughout the grounds for visitor convenience.
9. Try Local Eats and Treats
Name and Location: Livonia offers an array of beloved eateries, bakeries and food shops serving signature local treats across neighborhoods.
History and Significance: Family owned for generations, these cherished institutions showcase Livonia’s ethnic diversity through traditional cuisines fused with American flavors – such as the Detroit-style pizzas, pasta dishes, savory pirogis, fresh paczki and hearty barbecue seamlessly woven into community life events.
What to Expect: Sampling tastes can mean joining long lines at Altin’s Bakery for apple strudel, catching Detroit Lions games at Senate Coney Island or meeting friends to swap life updates over rich Sanders bumpy cake ice cream cones – part of Livonia’s culinary nostalgia binding relationships.
Visitor Information: Times and contact details for each business found on respective websites and community directories. Cash or card payments accepted based on location.
Foodies visiting Livonia can tantalize their taste buds by sampling eats and treats from beloved local eateries around town. National franchises have an big presence, but be sure to visit hometown establishments as well.
For over 50 years, Mrs. Kozak’s Pastry Shop has been baking European-style cookies, pastries, cakes, and artisan breads using old family recipes. Everything is made from scratch in their small bakery also serving soups, sandwiches, and coffee. Locals line up daily to get their fix of the popular pecan rolls and cream puffs at this cozy, old-fashioned shop.
Since 1968, Terry’s Terrace has been a go-to for Livonia residents craving fresh deli subs, cheese steaks, burgers, soups, salads, and ice cream. Dining at this casual restaurant feels like eating in someone’s rec room thanks to the wood-paneled walls covered in sports memorabilia. Popular menu items include their homemade onion rings, olive burgers, buffalo chicken wraps, thick shakes, and of course, delicious deli subs.
10. Visit the Livonia Arts Gallery
Name and Location: The Livonia Arts Gallery managed by the Livonia Arts Commission is housed inside Livonia City Hall at 33000 Civic Center Drive.
History and Significance: Founded in 1978, the gallery provides exposure for hundreds of regional artists across southeast Michigan through monthly themed fine arts exhibits viewable free by the public to champion creative culture while adding aesthetic enrichment to municipal space.
What to Expect: Rotating displays feature diverse media from photography, painting, textiles to ceramics conveying interpretations on selected topics by talent mainly from greater metro Detroit juried competitively for limited space resulting in dynamic presentations around community issues and values.
Visitor Information: Open weekdays normal city business hours year-round. Select show receptions occur monthly – see city site for arts commission details.
Those wanting to admire fine art should spend an afternoon perusing exhibits inside the Livonia Arts Gallery at the Livonia Civic Center Library branch. Displays in the gallery change monthly to feature diverse mediums from painters, photographers, fiber artists, sculptors, and more. Artists showing work here include both student pieces and professional collections curated by the Livonia Arts Commission.
In addition to visual arts displays, the gallery hosts free public events like musical performances, poetry readings, artist receptions, and creative workshops.zekiel While admission to view gallery exhibits is always free, visitors should check the Livonia Arts website for dates and times as displays rotate frequently. Before heading out, enjoy a hot or cold drink from the on-site Books & Bytes Cafe inside the library.
11. Hike Around Botsford Nature Preserve
Name and Location: Botsford Nature Preserve at 29800 W. Eight Mile Road is a 64 acre natural habitat recreation area in Livonia managed by the recreation department.
History and Significance: Once site of the legendary Botsford Inn known for scenic wooded gardens, remaining grounds now serve hikers, joggers and nature enthusiasts as protected preserve since the 1990s – allowing public to reflect on 19th century history while admiring restored native landscapes.
What to Expect: Guests traverse gravel and mowed grass pathways spotting seasonal fauna and flora accented by historic foundations, flower beds, meditation shelter and newly planted groves perfect for refreshing soul without leaving Livonia through free self-guided exploration and special programs.
Visitor Information: Open daily dawn until dusk across weather seasons. Leashed pets allowed. Scheduled walks, talks plus rental spaces available.
Nature lovers visiting Livonia can take a peaceful hike around wooded wetland trails inside Botsford Nature Preserve. Just a quick drive from downtown, you may feel worlds away when surrounded by the sights and sounds of this vibrant, natural oasis covering 22 acres. Visitors combing the accessible paved paths and rustic dirt trails may spot turtles, frogs, ducks, herons, deer, foxes, hawks, and other wildlife native to southeast Michigan wetlands.
In addition to native flora and fauna, Botsford Nature Preserve contains manmade elements for visitors like elevated boardwalks, observation decks, picnic tables, grills, and portable restrooms. The Interpretive Center features natural history exhibits and also hosts seasonal educational events like birdwatching meetups or native plant identification walks open to nature lovers of all ages.
12. Fish the Waters of Hines Park
Name and Location: Flowing through Hines Park in Plymouth, the Middle Rouge River provides angling opportunities minutes from Livonia by Seven Mile Road.
History and Significance: As one of Wayne County’s oldest parks, the riverside landscape has transitioned across uses from sawmill industry, to CCC recreation developments to present mix of preserved ecosystems supporting encounters with nature without extensive travel from population centers.
What to Expect: The river winds over 18 miles through Hines scenery offering trout, bass, walleye and panfish prospects to casual weekend anglers around Newton Road bridge along with family picnicking sites to pass lazy days connected to regional heritage.
Visitor Information: Park open daily, catch and release rules apply. Michigan fishing license required for ages 17 and up. Additional area river access points nearby.
Animals are present in Livonia’s Hines Park system that extends along the Middle and Lower Rouge Rivers for recreation opportunities in scenic riverfront parkland. The peaceful paths and waterways attract community members and out-of-town visitors who enjoy fishing, hiking, biking, and picnicking along the river.
Those ages 17 and older wanting to cast a line can fish Hines Park waters for species like bluegill, sunfish, crappie, catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, carp, and more. Be sure to follow posted Michigan Department of Natural Resources fishing regulations for keeping or releasing your catch. Anglers will need to acquire the required fishing license and understand size minimums, creel limits, and open-season dates that vary based on fish species.
About the City of Livonia, Michigan
Located about 20 minutes west of Detroit, Livonia provides the convenience and attractions of a large suburb with a small-town feel thanks to friendly residents, good schools, and active community groups. In addition to the 12 activities above, Livonia visitors enjoy year-round events like summer concerts at Greenmead Historical Park, the Fall Family Days festival, the nationally-ranked Livonia Spree carnival, and Wayne County Lightfest illuminating Hines Park at Christmas time.
Whether you’re seeking recreation, arts and culture, dining variety, nightlife entertainment, or retail therapy, the city of Livonia makes a great home base while exploring Southeast Michigan. Livonia’s proximity via highways and surface roads makes it easy for visitors to access nearby cities like Plymouth, Northville, Novi, and of course, Detroit.