Hotel at a Glance: Henderson Castle

Henderson Castle has overlooked downtown Kalamazoo since 1895, when successful Michigan businessman Frank Henderson first built the Queen Anne-style mansion. The palatial estate has 25 rooms, seven bathrooms, a third-floor ballroom, and a rooftop hot tub. Today, it’s an elegant B&B, with guest rooms that feature individual furnishings, such as a hand-painted tile mural in the Tibetan Room and a green-marble heated floor imported from Italy in the Italian Suite.

Guests can use a complimentary $20 dining credit at the on-site restaurant, where French chef François Moyet crafts three-, seven-, and 11-course gourmet dinners, with entrees including chicken marsala and roasted pork loin. Guests can also venture into the dining room for an American-style breakfast in the morning.

Guests can schedule a massage in the on-site day spa, or take a dip in the rooftop hot tub overlooking downtown Kalamazoo. The inn is located on Kalamazoo’s Main Street, less than a mile from Western Michigan University and a half-mile from Kalamazoo College.

• Peace and quiet: You’ll stay in a queen room; each features a private bathroom, and many include heated marble floors and whirlpool tubs.
• Greet the day with a complimentary continental breakfast.
• Optional romance package: Sip wine and champagne and nibble chocolate-covered strawberries with rose petals scattered on your bed. You’ll also be served breakfast in bed.

Kalamazoo, Michigan: Riverside City Big on Beer

Though it’s the original home of the Gibson guitar company, Kalamazoo is now best known for producing beer. There are several breweries and lots of brewpubs in town, and U.S. News & World Report named it one of eight underrated beer cities in 2014. Head downtown for a tour of the biggest local outfit, Bell’s Brewery. Its neighboring café has 30–40 beers on tap, including some you can’t find anywhere else.

If you’re not into suds (or have had your fill), explore the outdoors and the arts. Warm weather brings bikers and joggers to the paved Kalamazoo River Valley Trail and kayakers to the rivers and lakes dotting the city. The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts showcases American artists, and the free Kalamazoo Valley Museum features a planetarium and more than 55,000 historical artifacts.

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