Getting to the Museum

Palmer Drive Parking Structure

The Palmer Drive Parking Structure (200 Washtenaw Ave.) is the closest parking structure to the museum. It is located north of the museum off Washtenaw Avenue on Palmer Drive. Visitor parking is $2.60 per hour (card only), 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here is how to get to the museum from inside the parking structure:

1. Take the south elevator to the Plaza Level (P)
2. Exit the elevator and make a right, following the signs to go outdoors
3. Follow the signs across the plaza to the back door of the museum in the Biological Sciences Building

Availability and rates subject to change. Visit the U-M Campus Visitor Parking webpage for the most up-to-date information.

Forest Avenue Parking Structure

The Forest Avenue Parking Structure (650 S. Forest Ave.) is located 0.3 miles south of the museum on the corner of S. Forest Avenue and Willard Street. Parking is $1.80 per hour and free on Sundays. Visitors should walk north along S. Forest Avenue to Washtenaw Avenue and continue north on Washtenaw Avenue until they reach the museum on their left. The golden dome of the planetarium will be visible.

Availability and rates subject to change. Visit the PCI Municipal Services webpage for the most up-to-date information.

Accessibility

In the Palmer Drive Parking Structure, the doors to the south elevator lobby are mechanized on the Lower Level (LL) and Plaza Level (P). The path from the Plaza Level to the museum is level. The museum entry doors are mechanized. There are ramps and an elevator inside the museum, as well as accessible restrooms.

Drop-off is available in front of the museum on the west side of Washtenaw Avenue. From this location, visitors may use the intercom to request accessible entry or walk up the stairs to the museum’s main entrance.

TheRide

TheRide, Ann Arbor’s bus system, provides easy, affordable transportation to the museum. Many routes stop at the Central Campus Transit Center, which is conveniently located just steps away from the museum’s main entrance.

Use TheRide’s Plan My Trip feature to map the best route for your visit. A day pass is $3 per person and can be purchased upon boarding. TheRide is free to all U-M students, faculty, and staff with a valid MCard.

Routes and fares subject to change. Visit TheRide’s website for the most up-to-date information.

University buses

U-M operates bus routes within and between its campuses. Many routes stop at the Central Campus Transit Center, which is conveniently located just steps away from the museum’s main entrance.

Visit the Campus Transit webpage to map the best route for your visit. These buses are free to everyone.

Routes subject to change. Visit the Campus Transit webpage for the most up-to-date information.

The museum is conveniently located in the heart of U-M’s Central Campus and within 15 minutes’ walking distance of most of downtown Ann Arbor. Public bicycle racks are located in several places around the museum.