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Journeys of Discovery: Exploring Ann Arbor’s inclusive vegan diner and trendsetting Hands on Museum

Thomas Wilmer

An Exploration of Ann Arbor, Michigan's culture, cuisine and art

The Detroit Street Filling Station is a vegan eatery where the owners build community in a safe space and host Ann Arbor’s monthly Lesbo-Bingo game that always packs the house. Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Phillis Engelbert,owner of the Detroit Street Filling Station, followed by a conversation with Mel Drumm, executive director at the Hands on Museum offering kids of all ages interactive 'hands-on' learning experiences. 

The Ark—where live music thrives

The Ark started back in 1965 as an Ann Arbor, Michigan coffee house that morphed into a legendary live-music venue. The Ark consistently attracts big name acts such as Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie in addition to regional performers. The art of story telling is a specialty at the Ark, hosting local performers and the Moth’s annual Grand Slam Championship. Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Barb Chaffer Authier, marketing director at the Ark. 

Credit Thomas Wilmer
The Ark in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan

Connecting with the past at the University of Michigan Museum of Archeology

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Dr. Catherine Person, director of education at the University of Michigan’s Kelsey Museum of Archeology in Ann Arbor. The Kelsey specializes in Classical, Egyptian, and Near Eastern archeology and sponsors ongoing field research. 

University of Michigan Museum of Natural History & Museum of Art

A conversation with Amy Harris, Director of the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History. Next up is a visit with Christina Olsen, Director of the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art. Both museums share a common mission to propel community engagement, providing fun and relevant experiences for the public while offering a dynamic environment for undergrad and grad students alike. 

Credit Thomas Wilmer
University of Michigan Museum of Art

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Robert Grese, professor of landscape architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor talks about the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.

Credit Thomas Wilmer
Matthaei Botanical Gardens at Ann Arbor.

Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run

Join Correspondent, Tom Wilmer at Willow Run for a conversation with Kevin Walsh, Executive Director of the Yankee Air Museum in Yipsilanti, Michigan. In the depths of WWII, Ford Motor Corporation opened the Willow Run Bomber plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1942 on the outskirts of Detroit. The Willow Run plant is revered as a critical factor in the effort to win the war. In 1981, a group of military aviation enthusiasts formed the Yankee Air Museum at the Willow Run property to pay homage the Greatest Generation. Today the Yankee Air Museum Collections and Exhibits building contains 47,000 square-feet of permanent exhibits, in addition to flyable WWII aircraft, including a B-25, C-47, and the B-17 “Yankee Lady” housed in one of the vintage Willow Run maintenance structures, mammoth Hanger One. 

Credit Thomas Wilmer
Yankee Air Museum

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple PodcastiHeartRadio, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative and the Society of St. Vincent De Paul.

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.