During art fairs or anytime, it's easy to enjoy Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR - Even lifelong Buckeye fans probably wouldn't deny that this small city some 45 miles up the road from Toledo is one of the most charming jewels of the Midwest, packed with culture and fun.

Of course, in the next week or so, it will also be packed with 1,000 artists and half a million visitors for the annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs.

But you know what? There's plenty to do here on a summer weekend, even when there's no art fair in town. During a recent visit, my wife and I sampled a tiny bit of what the town had to offer. Here's some of what we found:

At Motawi Tileworks, visitors can take a tour and even try their hand at decorating a handmade clay tile, which is sent to them at home after it's glazed and fired.

Hollander's is a scrapbooker's nirvana, with the largest collection of decorative papers in the U.S. We took a 90-minute mini-class on bookbinding and produced a little notebook I can use on my next assignment.

Some souvenirs aren't all that pretty, but they're edible. During a two-hour class at Zingerman's Creamery, visitors learn to make mozzarella cheese, plus the Holy Grail of mozz decadence, the "burrata," a pouch of mozzarella filled with shredded cheese and heavy cream. Yum. Zingerman's also offers classes in bread- and pastry-making.

Known internationally for its acoustic music, The Ark spotlights artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Leon Redbone, and Nanci Griffith, as well as hundreds of up-and-coming singer-songwriters each year in its intimate, 400-seat venue.

Performance Network Theatre provides a taste of Broadway in Michigan, with year-round professional productions. We saw a darkly humorous Irish play called The Seafarer, which is still playing.

Another venue for professional theater in nearby Chelsea is the Purple Rose, founded by actor, director, and native son Jeff Daniels. Through August, the comedy Boeing-Boeing will be playing, with a new play written by Daniels opening in the fall.

Maybe it's because it's a college town, or maybe there's just something in the water here, but for whatever reason, the area has a vast assortment of microbreweries and brewpubs, all of which use their own recipes to create fresh craft beers and ales.

Among those serving moderately priced samplers of robust and flavorful local brews: Grizzly Peak Brewery, Arbor Brewing Company, the Jolly Pumpkin, and, in nearby Milan, Original Gravity Brewing Company.

And for those who favor grapes over hops, there's Vinology, a wine bar offering 50 wines by the glass and 100 by the bottle. While you're there, check out the Bubble Room, a dining area with 400 hand-blown glass balls hanging from the ceiling.

Eat, Eat, Eat

With nearly 300 restaurants within a 20-mile radius, there's no reason to go hungry.

Among the most popular eateries is Zingerman's Roadhouse, the newest member of the local Zingerman empire (which also includes the legendary Zingerman's Deli). At the Roadhouse, chef Alex Young, one of the James Beard Foundation's "Best Chefs in America," uses local ingredients - some from his own garden - to create down-home menu items like Uncle Joe's Southern Fried Whole Catfish Platter.

At the other end of the dining spectrum is Mercy's, which features an intriguing blend of Asian and classic French dishes, such as Burmese coconut chicken soup, while Caf Habana's menu is rich with Cuban-influenced entrees, like the Churasco Chimichurri.

At Conor O'Neill's, a traditional Irish pub and restaurant, diners are surrounded by Irish bric-a-brac - and a wait staff from Ireland - as they dig into such fare as shepherd's pie and boxty.

In Chelsea, the success of the Purple Rose has led to the opening of Common Grill, a surprisingly sophisticated restaurant that serves everything from paella to chicken saltimbocca.

Whether there's an art fair in town or not, there's plenty to do in Ann Arbor - even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool Buckeye fan.

More info: Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 734-995-7281 or visitannarbor.org

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The Ark in Ann Arbor spotlights hundreds of singers and songwriters each year. NOT BLADE PHOTO Enlarge

Even lifelong Buckeye fans probably wouldn't deny that this small city some 45 miles up the road from Toledo is one of the most charming jewels of the Midwest, packed with culture and fun.