Detroit Information
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:22 am Post subject: DETROIT TOURISM GUIDE / TOURISM IN DETROIT |
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DETROIT TOURISM GUIDE
Detroit's rich non-automotive history comes alive in the Cultural Center, an area flanking Woodward Avenue 3 blocks south of I-94. Here you'll find a celebration of history, culture, and music at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Detroit Science Center. The Detroit Public Library and Wayne State University also call the area home.
Several of Detroit's historic homes make enjoyable day trips. Nearby Dearborn is home to the Henry Ford Estate-Fair Lane, 4901 Evergreen Rd. (tel. 313/593-5590; www.henryfordestate.com), the automaker's 1914 home. Cranbrook, 39221 N. Woodward Ave., in nearby Bloomfield Hills (tel. 877/GO-CRANBROOK; www.cranbrook.edu), includes a stunning 1904 manor, exquisite formal gardens, and a superb museum of science and art. The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Rd., Grosse Pointe Shores (tel. 313/884-4222; www.fordhouse.org), completed in 1929, was designed to resemble the stone buildings of the English Cotswolds.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
In the mid-1800s, Detroit was a key stop on the Underground Railroad, through which thousands of slaves escaped to Canada. This and other aspects of African-American heritage, from African roots through slavery and civil rights struggles, are celebrated at the world's largest museum of African and African-American history and culture. Allow 1 hour.
Detroit Historical Museum
Begin your exploration of Detroit with this repository of the city's history. You can walk a re-created cobblestone and brick street lined with 19th-century shops, and check out the two-story assembly line in the Motor City exhibit. Interactive displays entertain children of all ages. Allow 1 to 2 hours.
Detroit Institute of Arts
America's sixth largest art museum is undergoing a massive expansion that will leave portions of its collection off-limits until 2006. Brave the sawdust anyway to see some of the world's great masters, including Rembrandt, Rubens, Caravaggio, van Gogh, Cézanne, Whistler, and Rothko. There are also impressive ancient Egyptian, African, Asian, and Native American collections, and Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals are must-sees. First Fridays of every month feature free music, tours, artists' demonstrations, and workshops for all ages. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoo is one of the finest in the nation, with all of the expected animals -- elephants, giraffes, bears, lions, and more. The Arctic Ring of Life features the world's largest polar bear display. Visitors watch frolicking bears and seals from outside or through a 70-foot-long underwater Polar Passage. Other highlights include a butterfly and hummingbird garden, a free-flight aviary, and a great apes exhibit. Allow 3 hours.
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
The Henry Ford Museum, a 12-acre repository of Americana, holds something of interest for everyone. "Heroes of the Sky" is the museum's newest permanent exhibit, featuring dozens of historic airplanes: Byrd's Arctic Fokker, a Sikorsky helicopter, and early commercial and barnstorming planes. But the museum's highlight is, not surprisingly, "The Automobile in American Life," exploring USA's infatuation with cars. Look for Ford's 1901 Model-T, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, Rosa Parks's bus, and a parade of presidential vehicles, including the limousine in which Kennedy was shot. Allow 3 hours.
Greenfield Village encapsulates Ford's infatuation with history and the world's innovators. 100 genuine 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century homes were transported from throughout the U.S. and Europe to bring history to Detroit. The Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, Edison's laboratory, and a collection of slave quarters are highlights.
Note: The village is closed January through March. Allow 2 hours.
New to the mix in 2004, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour depicts the production of Ford's most popular truck, the F-150, through the magic of virtual reality and an assembly plant walking tour. Tours begin in front of the Henry Ford Museum; reservations are strongly recommended. Allow 2 hours.
Motown Historical Museum
The Motown sound was born in two simple houses under the sign HITSVILLE U.S.A., and American music has never been the same. See the original control room and studio (with linoleum worn through by tapping feet) where the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, and many others made gold records from 1959 to 1972. Also on display are costumes worn by the famous performers; and Berry Gordy's apartment, left just the way it was in the 1960s when artists packed their records for shipment throughout the country. Allow 1 hour. |
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