Whether you’re new to a town or want to rediscover your home of many years, a nice list of low-cost activities is always welcome. And that’s what we have for you today! We’re in Royal Oak, Michigan, and we’re looking at some of the best the town has to offer that doesn’t hurt your pocket.
1. Head to the Detroit Zoo
C’mon, you know we had to start our list with this one! The Detroit Zoo has hundreds of exhibits and over two thousand creatures from all over the world. There are arctic animals, wolves, apes, reptiles, otters, beavers, dozens of species of birds and much much more. If you get tired of exploring, there’s lots of places to put your feet up – from cafes to pizzerias to play pens for the children and even multiple picnic spots right by lakes. And of course, you can take hom,e a souvenir or two.
2. Admire some art at the Habatat Galleries
The most famous art destination in Royal Oak is the Habatat Galleries. The massive space features dozens of stunning sculptures, pieces and artworks made of glass.The habitat features an artist every now and then – you can go to their website to see who’s on currently – so you can view their complete collection. You can even take some of the art home with you via their auctions or their resales. It’s an incredible experience just to walk through the space and observe the art, even if you choose not to buy any.
3. Make Some Art
Well, we watched some – so now, why not make some?! There are many places in Royal Oak that hold art classes for people of all ages and experience levels. These include pottery, ceramics, water colors, canvas painting and more. Creative Arts Studio, Atelier School of Art, Articipate and Painting with a Twist are only a few of the options available. Painting with a Twist even holds art parties, in which a host guides groups through fun activities for special occasions. And finally there’s Ewe-Nique Knit, which sells everything you need to knit and crochet the perfect arts and crafts for your family!
4. Watch a Live Show
Like any good American city, Royal Oak has a ton of options for watching live performances – whether it’s comedy shows, plays or music. One of our favorites is Stagecrafters, a community theater. Incredibly, it’s more than a hundred years old, and can seat over a thousand people! It holds evergreen musicals such as Matilda and has a youth theater group that regularly puts up shows. It even holds onstage games like Clue.On the other hand Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castleis all about improv comedy and open mics. They host some of the best comedians around for nightly shows, and there’s an inhouse bar and cafe. And finally for some melodic mingling, head over to the Royal Oak Music Theatre, which is now a popular spot for concerts.
5. Enjoy some great food
One of our favourite Royal Oak activities is to stop by a winery, brewery or distillery. There are many of them in the city, and many specialize in different spirits. So you could head to
Motor City Gas for the whiskey, Royal Oak Brewery for beer on tap, Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room for the wine and loads of others! The multicultural city has eateries for lost of different cuisines, from Lebanese food like Anita’s Kithcen, to Japanese food such as Ronin Sushi. There’s also accommodations for special diets, such as kosher food at Inn Season Cafe, and vegan food at Vinsetta Garage.
6. Head for some exercise
Speaking of kids at heart… Royal Oaks has lots of options to rediscover the inner child in you at a low low price! We love the Sport-N-Fun and Zap Zone, where you can play laser tag or mini golf, go bowling, bounce away on a trampoline or crash into each other in bumper cars. There’s also the Modern Skate & Surf, where you can buy everything you need to indulge the skaterboy or girl in you, and parks to try out your skills in. Many of these places have hosted experiences and in-house cafes.
7. Test Your Skills at Room Breakout Escape Room
We’re staying on theme with the games here – but this one takes it up a notch! Room Breakout escape rooms in Royal Oak are a smashing low-cost option for a very fun time. If you’re wondering what an escape room is – it’s a puzzle-based locked-room game. You will be locked into a supervised room – whether physical or virtual – in which you have to find clues, solve riddles and complete challenges to ‘break out’ or ‘escape’.
Our venue has 8 different rooms you can choose from, with their own themes, hosts, puzzles, clues and time limits. These include Zombie Roadhouse, Heart Of A Pirate, Ringmaster’s Den, Chamber Of Illusions, Elf Myself and Villain takeover – so there’s choices aplenty! The games are fully Immersive and a host will guide you through them.
It’s the perfect activity for the whole family. You can book your slots here.
8. Shop for Unique Souvenirs
And finally, we’ve got some inexpensive options for you to get something to remember your time in this town! You could try Lost and Found Vintage for thrifted vintage clothes, from dresses to accessories. For fresh, locally-sourced and sustainable produce, the community-based Royal Oak Farmers Market is perfect. It also hosts lots of events, from food truck rallies to art fairs. And finally there’s Made in the Mitten, which is a shop specifically made to curate gift baskets! They sell a huge variety of goodies, from food to bath and skincare to decor, clothing and accessories.
And there you have it – a neat list of lovely, cheap activities you can have lots of fun trying your hand at in Royal Oak! Why not tell us which one was your favorite? And we hope we see you at Room Breakout very soon!
