On the cultural side, the nearby campus of Michigan State University is a must-see for the Kresge Museum and for the beautiful campus itself. Children and families will enjoy taking a camel ride at the Potter Park Zoo or spending the day biking through Sleepy Hollow State Park. The Michigan Historical Museum, which boasts a great collection of items from Michigan's past, including a recreated copper mine, will please history buffs.

On the political side, there's the award-winning State Capitol Building, completely restored in 1992, where tourists are wowed by the glass-floor rotunda and acres of decorative handpainted surfaces.

The birthplace of the Oldsmobile and Michigan's automotive center, Lansing offers visitors a number of car-related sites like plant tours and automobile museums, but there are other forces driving this capital city.