Hosting guests for a weekend visit should be fun for you, as well as for your guest. Make the visit easy on yourself by planning things to do ahead of time, so you don’t end up sitting at home watching TV.

On your way home from work Friday, stop by one of the great sushi restaurants in Ann Arbor for some quick take-out to have on hand when your guests arrive later that night. Welcome your guests into your Ann Arbor home that evening and make them feel at home with a basket of goodies in the guest room. Include fruit, granola bars, and brochures highlighting some of Ann Arbor’s attractions.

On Saturday, work up an appetite with a stroll through Nichol’s Arboretum, then enjoy brunch at Café Zola in downtown Ann Arbor. Post-brunch, show your guests around the unique shops downtown. Stop into Ten Thousand Villages to pick up some free-trade coffee for tomorrow’s breakfast, and visit Acme Mercantile to start your Christmas shopping early. Toad purses, anyone?

Spend your afternoon exploring the University of Michigan’s campus, and finish out the day with dinner and a show at one of Ann Arbor’s many downtown performing arts venues. Seva’s Restaurant showcases vegetarian fare, and is a great restaurant for veggie-lovers as well as those who love vegetables, but just don’t know it yet. The Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, housed in the same building as Seva’s Restaurant, is a fun place to take in an after-dinner show.

Sunday calls for sleeping in late, followed by a stroll through Gallup Park. If the sun is shining, pile onto a paddleboat for a leisurely jaunt down the HuronRiver. Take in a matinee at the State Theatre before bidding your guests adieu.

Don’t be surprised if your guests have such a great time in Ann Arbor that they start dropping hints about wanting to start shopping for an Ann Arbor condominium or house. Pat yourself on the back for being a great host, then scroll through your phonebook to see who you can invite to visit next weekend!