Though diehard fans might beg to differ, there's a lot of life in this town outside of football season. After Wolverines devotees head home, Ann Arbor gets back to the business of being Michigan's cultural capital, home to a world-class university, a thriving music scene, farmers markets, the famously gourmet Zingerman's Deli, and excellent museums and galleries.

One of the city's artistic gems is the University of Michigan Museum of Art, considered one of the finest university collections in the country. The museum frequently holds performance series and curators' talks, putting on such varied and thought-provoking exhibits as the recent "Georgia O'Keeffe and the Sublime Landscape" and the current "Art of the Written Word in the Middle East," on view until June 5. The museum's holdings encompass more than 17,000 works, including masterpieces by Whistler, Monet, and Picasso, and the plans for its upcoming expansion and renovation recently won a project design award from the American Institute of Architects.

A few blocks around the corner from the museum, you'll find the Michigan Theater, an old-fashioned movie palace that's now a venue for "serious movie lovers" and home to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. "They show good movies, and it's a classy joint," said August Gugelmann, a university law student.

Patrons of the theater's Historic Auditorium get to hear one of the only theater organs still in existence and played in its original location, much as the theater's first silent-film audiences experienced it. An organist plays the 1927 Barton Theater Pipe Organ before evening shows Wednesdays through Sundays.

Plush seats, glittery chandeliers, and gold leaf complete the feel of a bygone era. In addition to films and symphony performances are other live events; the acoustics are especially good for live, natural sound. The smaller, modern Screening Room is reserved for movies, but call ahead to see what's showing in the Historic if you want film with a side of nostalgia.

For a sizable helping of blues and folk, head to the Ark, a venerable acoustic music spot that celebrates its 40th birthday this year. Stroll by the downtown venue on any weekend night around 8 and chances are you'll find a jumping crowd and high-quality acts about to go on. Recent and upcoming performances include the Blind Boys of Alabama's fiery gospel and the bluegrass of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. Happily, tickets are in the affordable range ($11-$30), and the Ark holds a free concert series at the end of each month, called Take a Chance Tuesdays, that is dedicated to showcasing new talent.

Ann Arbor visitors will be happy to find that the city's culinary highlights have as much local color and history as its other cultural offerings. For every old-school greasy spoon (look for students satisfying late-night french fry cravings at the Fleetwood Diner) and fancy mile-high sandwich at Zingerman's Deli, there's a story to be told. In 1982, Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig opened a specialty foods deli near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market in the Kerrytown District, serving classic Jewish dishes and a sandwich menu.

Today, Zingerman's makes thousands of sandwiches each year (you can choose from a mind-blowing selection of more than 70 suggestions) and has its own restaurant (Zingerman's Roadhouse), dairy (Zingerman's Creamery), catering service (Zingerman's Catering), bakery (Zingerman's Bakery), and management consulting service (Zingerman's Training).

It's an impressive enterprise that's fastidiously run—despite long lines snaking out the door Saturday and Sunday mornings, service is invariably friendly and efficient. In late spring, the staff fires up the outdoor barbecue grill on weekends, offering tantalizing samples of beef brisket and pork shoulder (all sauces are made in house, of course).

Zingerman's is the ideal place to pack a gourmet picnic for a lazy afternoon spent at Nichols Arboretum, a 123-acre swath of green adjacent to the central campus. Free concerts are often held in the band shell, and the unusual plant displays and greenhouses at the Arboretum's sister site, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, are also worth a look.

Walking is the best way to see this town—it has 150 parks, inviting the moniker "Tree City, USA"—and inevitably you'll work up a thirst. Satisfy it with a cold brew at Leopold Bros. of Ann Arbor, an "eco-brewery" using organic hops and barley designed to reduce wastewater in the beer-making process.

The Farmers Market is held every Saturday year-round from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Wednesdays, too, from May through December. It features locally grown (and made) everything, including flowers, plants, fruits, vegetables, jams, honey, baked goods, and dairy products, as well as crafts. The Kerrytown District is a neighborhood that was part of the original village of Ann Arbor. Adjoining the open-air marketplace are historic buildings dating to 1874 that were renovated for upscale shops and restaurants.

Finally, if you're looking for a sweet end to your stroll, Stucchi's Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt makes a pretty good terminus. There are several locations in town of this locally owned independent shop; what keeps Stucchi's popular are homemade flavors and "smush-ins," in which customers can choose any number of toppings to, well, smush into their ice cream. Ann Arborites stay true to their small-town roots; a Ben & Jerry's franchise next door to the Stucchi's State Street location sees little business.

A little more out of the way—but no less a neighborhood institution—is Washtenaw Dairy, an ice cream counter and small corner grocery located on South Ashley Street on the Old West Side. The dairy has been filling cones for a loyal clientele for decades. As ever, servers are generous with the scoops, and you don't have to be a child to enjoy the $1.75 kiddie cone. In the mornings, Washtenaw sees plenty of business for its fresh doughnuts and coffee.

The university's athletic traditions may hog the spotlight, but if you make it to Ann Arbor in the off-season, you'll find its long cultural history, outdoor offerings, and food finds are all at the head of the class.

TRAVELER'S TASTE
At the upscale Gandy Dancer, fresh seafood meets fresh flavors.

Ask a local where to get the freshest seafood in town and out floats the name "Gandy Dancer." A 30-year-old restaurant located in the handsomely restored 1870 Michigan Central Train Depot here, the Gandy Dancer prides itself on serving top-of-the-catch fish. It goes through a half-million pounds of seafood per year, everything from blue crab and Alaskan halibut to jumbo shrimp and Maine lobster.

We never thought we would find high-quality seafood in the Midwest (though I've heard good things about Lake Michigan whitefish), but with those statistics and the recommendations of friends, the Gandy Dancer draws us in. On a recent visit, we arrive at the restaurant at sunset and admire the light as it slants across the Huron River and into the four elegant dining rooms. We are seated in the rearmost one, which is the quietest. Lighted by the amber glow of overhead hanging lanterns, the rustic stone walls, exposed beams, vintage etchings, and black-and-white photographs from the station's early days seem especially charming. The long, narrow railroad-style dining room second from the back is livelier but sits in the thick of server traffic streaming from the kitchen.

The clientele is upscale, with quite a few older couples dining and university students out with visiting parents, and the service is appropriately expert. Our waitress shows admirable honesty; when asked about the mahi-mahi, she admits she thinks it's a bit dry. We trust her even more after her recommendation—the stuffed heirloom tomato with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, and basil vinaigrette—arrives and knocks our socks off with its combination of fresh flavors.

From the raw bar we choose Fanny Bay oysters flown in from Washington state. Large, meaty, and not too briny, they have a pleasantly smooth body and no fishy aftertaste. We follow them up with delicate, flaky white halibut, broiled and served with the house's signature dynamite sauce (sriracha gives it a kick). The fish retains its plumpness and is served with an aromatic ginger baked rice. Next comes the seared rare tuna, served with rice pilaf and lightly grilled asparagus that, happily, still has a substantial crunch.

The restaurant has an extensive wine list—the 2003 Placido Pinot Grigio is wonderfully crisp and subtly fruity—and the desserts are certainly worth sampling. The flavored creme brulee of the day is a rich vanilla bean, and we also order a layered chocolate truffle cake crumbled with caramel and chocolate bits and topped with vanilla ice cream.

Take your time with this meal: The portions are generous, and there are a lot of flavors you won't want to miss.

The Gandy Dancer, 401 Depot St., Ann Arbor, Mich., 734-769-0592. Dinner for two $85. Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; dinner Monday-Thursday 4:30-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30-11 p.m., Sunday 3:30-9 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m.