Top 7 tips for the Ann Arbor Art Fair!

1. Get your bearings.

The fair is super fun, but it's huge. About 500,000 people visit in total. Best to get yourself situated. The following things will help you figure out where you are, where you want to go, and what you want to see.

• Grab yourself an Art Fair Guide, which has tons of info about the art, artists and activities.
• Download just the Art Fair Map. From this link, you can download the map. 
• And here's the general Ann Arbor Visitor's Guide.

2. Bring umbrellas but skip the ice packs.

Art Fair Week is usually the hottest of the year—and this year is no exception! Bonus this year: two days of showers if the forecast is right.

These predictions (which of course may change because: Michigan) are courtesy of Wunderground, a great weather site that started in and is based in Ann Arbor).

3. Take a bus or shuttle into the fair.

Hey, it's Ann Arbor. There's always an "alt." Instead of your car, take the bus or a shuttle into the fair. They're better for you, the city, the traffic, and the environment. They're cheaper, too. Here's a rundown of many alternatives to driving your car into town. But if you decide to do it anyway, here's an interactive parking map.

The absolute best way for out-of-towners to do Art Fair is to befriend Ann Arborites who live within walking distance of the fair and beg them—or pay them—to let you park at their house.

To get around the fair itself—literally around the perimeter—take an air-conditioned ride on the Art Go Round shuttle. It's free and shows up every 15 minutes. Look for these icons on the Art Fair map.

4. The best day and time to visit the Art Fair is...

If you're a gung-ho art-buyer, the best day is traditionally opening day, Thursday. That's when the serious collectors / buyers hit the booths. And looks like it's the best-weather day, too: partly cloudy with a high of only {gasp} 91 degrees. 

For the record, here are the fair's times:

• Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Sunday: Noon – 6 p.m.

5. Preview each of the four fair.

The AAAF is really four separate fairs, each with its own personality (and website): 

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original

• Meet the artists and see their booth numbers.
• Visit its Art Activity Zone. Six art projects for kids and grownups at Ingalls Mall.
• See an Art Demo. Several every day.
• Pick your fave musical group performing at Ingalls Mall.
• Watch this year's street artist, Tess Mahofer
• Enjoy the street performers.
• Here's its street map.

Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair

• This fair's 375 artists are listed individually with a summary of their art.
• Get the list of performers for the AASAF Stage .
• Demos, featured artist and activities also are listed on the homepage.

State Street Art Fair

• Artists' links on the site are sneak peeks of their work.

South University Art Fair

• Meet the artists and get a taste of their styles.

6. Check out the new and old this year.

• Check out Vintage photos of the Ann Arbor art fairs.

7. Of course we have a real estate angle, too.

Of course we have real estate in mind, too. For home sellers, the Art Fair is the perfect place to buy art.

We will see you on the streets!