Activities in Lansing that Will Improve Your Mood
There is a skill in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy called the ABC Skill. The “A” in this skill stands for “Accumulate Positive Emotions.” Listed below are activities you can do in the Lansing and Mid-Michigan area that will improve your mood.
Engaging in pleasant activities is known to increase emotional resilience over time by intentionally creating and increasing positive emotional experiences.
This skill encourages you to do things each day that make you feel good — even small things — to boost your mood in the moment and shift attention away from distressing emotions.
This helps counterbalance negativity, even if just for a moment.
Over time, these moments build emotional strength, like reps at a gym for your mood.
The goal is to engage in pleasant activities that bring you joy, relaxation, or a sense of connection.
It can be very simple or brief — what's important is that you find them positive.
The list below includes activities in the Lansing area that you can do in the short term to increase emotional resilience, bring you joy, and help you navigate distressing moments.
Go to one of Lansing’s beautiful parks.
Lansing is home to many beautiful parks, often accompanied by the sound of water.
Some of my favorite parks in the Lansing and mid-Michigan area:
Hawk Island Park
A 100‑acre gem with a beach, splash pad, playground, picnic areas, walking/biking trails, and seasonal snow tubing. Features a 1.5‑mile paved loop, a dog park (Soldan), and connects to the Lansing River Trail. Hawk Island was voted Best Beach, Best Public Park, and Best Dog Park in 2023
Frances Park
A scenic riverside destination with a formal rose garden (over 150 varieties), two playgrounds, and a mile‑long paved loop around a lake. Hidden yet close to downtown, with benches, birdwatching, and great picnic spots
Granger Meadows Park
A 76‑acre hub with a massive hill for sledding, an ice‑skating pond, playground, paved & mulched trails, sports courts, and picnic pavilions. Ideal for all seasons—skiing, sledding, disc golf, family outings
Lake Lansing Park North & South
Lake Lansing North has woodland trails, disc golf, sports courts, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and a boat launch.
Lake Lansing South has a sandy beach, a swim area, pavilions, horseshoe pits, and a playground.
Woldumar Nature Center
Has over 180 acres of forests, prairies, and river views along the Grand River, filled with five-plus miles of trails suitable for hiking, cross‑country skiing, and wildlife viewing.
The Ledges in Grand Ledge and Fitzgerald Park
300-million-year-old rock formations that jut from the shore of the Grand River for walkers and hikers to view. The 76-acre park offers a frisbee golf course, picnicking, fishing, canoeing (rentals not available), and pavilion rentals.
Go to a local coffee shop.
Blue Owl Coffee
1034 Trowbridge Rd, in East Lansing
1149 S Washington Ave, in Reotown
1236 Turner Rd Ste B, in Old Town
I remember being freshly post-partum, and my mom offered to watch our newborn daughter so my husband and I could go on a date to reconnect as husband and wife. We went to one of our favorite coffee shops, Blue Owl Coffee in East Lansing. Blue Owl has a fun, chill atmosphere where you can go to write that long research paper or catch up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
Foster Coffee Company
196 Albert St, in East Lansing
115 S Washington St, in Owosso
120 W Hamlin St, in Eaton Rapids
As the name suggests, Foster Coffee Company is a great coffee shop with 3 locations that helps foster community with tasty treats and a caffeine boost.
Strange Matter Coffee
Strange Matter not only offers cool, fun drink options but also tasty doughnuts and a chill atmosphere to cultivate great community and relationships.
Go to the Library
Capital Area District Libraries are a great place to promote hobbies like reading, Euchre, or Chess, and Storytime for Kids when you’re looking for a way to get out of the house.
Beal Botanical Garden
The Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum at MSU illuminates the interconnectedness of people, plants, and place through learning, research, and stewardship.
Impression 5 Science Center
If you have children, Impression 5 is a great interactive museum that engages all five senses in exploring and understanding the wonders of physical science. Getting out and doing something fun may not only boost your mood, but this one will also boost your kid’s mood - as long as it doesn’t interfere with naps.
Potter Park Zoo
Since having kids, this is one of our favorite things to do for fun as a family. However, my husband and I also went to a zoo on our first date. Getting outside, whether in the heat of summer or cold temps of winter, boosts your mood through fresh air, vitamin D, and seeing cute animals. Potter Park is reasonably affordable, and you can get through the whole zoo in half a day! Pack yourself a lunch and head on over to Potter Park.
