Visits to cities almost always include side stops for shopping and PiperвЂ™s вЂњbucket-kickingвЂќ book includes some delights that out-of-towners or long-timers may overlook, like FabianoвЂ™s Candies and the chocolate at Oh Mi Organics. You can punctuate that trip by visiting the nearby hidden Shigematsu Memorial Garden and Koi Pond. Another is the Lansing Community College Sculpture Walk, which takes you on a self-guided tour of the scores of sculptures across the downtown campus. One choice that fits the bill is the Michigan State University 4-H ChildrenвЂ™s Garden, where parents can take children for a few hours of fun and educational play. The author also said she wanted to make sure most choices were вЂњrelatively inexpensive.вЂќ

She said she is already collecting recommendations for a second edition, which will contain locations and events she may have missed or couldnвЂ™t include in the first edition.ДЄs is any author, Piper is somewhat reticent to name her personal favorites, but I was able to squeeze out a few like the Broad Art Museum, Lugnuts games and the Lansing River Trail - along with the Peanut Shop, which seems to be on everyoneвЂ™s list. вЂњI chose more outdoor locations and places I was familiar with, coupled with recommendations from people in the community,вЂќ Piper said. Piper is a seasoned travel writer who has visited 41 countries and 45 states, but she said that writing the book during the pandemic pushed her choices close to home. Pot shops, however, are not covered in the book. Of course, any guidebook to Lansing would come up short if it didnвЂ™t include a few mentions of the barbeque joints and brewpubs, which in the last few years have popped up like pot shops across the city. PiperвЂ™s list has recommendations ranging from a romantic night at the English Inn - the former Eaton Rapids estate of an automotive executive, to takeout from Eastside Fish Fry and Grill. Making recommendations of where to go for food and drink is always the most difficult thing to tell visitors because of the subjectivity of our individual palates, but Piper has put together an admirable list of choices. Under sports and recreation, Piper lists nearly 20 locations to get moving - including the always popular Impression 5 Science Center, Potter Park Zoo, Sleepy Hollow State Park, MSU Children Garden, the Woldumar and Fenner nature reserves and Lake Lansing.Д¬learly, the book leans toward family-centric activities and events - especially areas that will keep the kiddies engaged, like a trip to Uncle JohnвЂ™s Cider Mill, which I can tell you from personal experience has an amusement park atmosphere skewed toward families with younger children. Categories found in вЂњ100 ThingsвЂќ include food and drink, music and entertainment, sports and recreation, history and culture and shopping and fashion.ДЄ quick look at the history and culture section shows local attractions like the Broad Art Museum, REO Transportation Museum, the Michigan History Center, the Capitol Building, Turner-Dodge House and another 15 sites that will help visitors and residents alike raise their Lansing culture quotient. The book is divided into five categories, enabling the reader - and ultimately the traveler - to quickly navigate the areas that interest them. вЂњ100 Things to Do in Lansing Before You DieвЂќ is a fun and bright compendium of diversions in Greater Lansing that you may have overlooked or not even known about.

вЂњThereвЂ™s nothing to do in LansingвЂќ is a common refrain, but local author Amy Piper disagrees and has written a book to prove her point.

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