Best things to do in Detroit

The Henry Ford Museum

Henry Ford, the son of a farmer, built his first car in Detroit in 1896. There was nothing too amazing about this feat, as cars had been around for some time. What was unique to Ford's invention was the moving assembly line, which enabled him to literally put the world on wheels. Henry Ford's legacy is found at every turn in his hometown, Detroit, so it's unsurprising that the city's most popular and prominent tourist attraction was founded by him in 1929. The Henry Ford Museum is spread over more than 36 hectares (90 acres) in Dearborn, just outside of metro-Detroit, and encompasses five different venues. Together they bring the whole American experience to life, using exhibits, demonstrations, programmes, and re-enactments to showcase American life and its people. Ford amassed most of the exhibit collection, including tens of thousands of ordinary objects, items associated with illustrious Americans, and numerous inventions documenting technological advances. Among the exhibits is the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Edgar Allan Poe's writing desk, and George Washington's camp bed. For lovers of Americana this attraction is a joy.

Website www.thehenryford.org

Automotive Hall of Fame

Car buffs the world over are drawn to Detroit's Automotive Hall of Fame, close to the Henry Ford Museum in Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, which is the public programme and exhibition centre for the worldwide motor vehicle industry. The venue features entertaining and enlightening exhibits about the people who drive the industry. Visitors can indulge in interactive events such as designing their own car and taking part in safety demonstrations. Even those who do not consider themselves petrol heads should enjoy a visit to this attraction; one can hardly explore Detroit without gaining some insight into the car manufacturing industry upon which the city was built.

Website www.automotivehalloffame.org

Detroit Historical Museum

The Detroit Historical Museum, in downtown Detroit, allows visitors the chance to tour the scope of the city's history, from Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac's landing on the banks of the Detroit River through to the city's emergence as an industrial capital. In the museum it's possible to walk through the streets of Old Detroit and explore 19th-century shops. Visitors can also find out about Detroit's role in the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape from the South. The interactive Glancy Trains toy train exhibit delights young and old. The museum is an interesting time travel exercise and provides a good general overview of the city's history through some fascinating exhibits.

Website www.detroithistorical.org

Detroit Institute of Arts

One of America's largest fine arts museums, the Detroit Institute of Art boasts more than 100 galleries, displaying a collection of about 65,000 works, ranging from mummies to Matisse, and Asian antiquities to American Impressionists. The Institute of Arts is conveniently situated in downtown Detroit, along with many of the city's top attractions. The highlights of the permanent exhibition include masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Bureghel the Elder, Botticelli, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, and Caravaggio. From January till May the Film Theatre screens an impressive selection of international films and shorts, and the museum hosts regular temporary exhibitions and special events.

Website www.dia.org

Motown Historical Museum

Detroit's famous Motown sound originated in two simple buildings on West Grand Boulevard, downtown, at Hitsville U.S.A. Visitors can see the original control room and recording studio where stars such as the Jackson Five, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder made hit records between 1959 and 1972. The museum also contains some costumes worn by the stars and Motown founder Berry Gordy's apartment, still as it was in the 1960s. This attraction is great fun for music fanatics, particularly lovers of this particular genre, and captures the spirit of the period in Detroit very well.

Website www.motownmuseum.com

Ludington

Michigan boasts some wonderful sandy beaches on its western coastline, winding along Lake Michigan. Some of the best of these, with miles of sand and wild dunes, are near the ferry port town of Ludington. The Ludington State Park offers 14 miles (23km) of hiking and biking trails in beautiful virgin forests and dunes, miles of sandy beach, and three campgrounds. There are several other popular beach resort towns along Michigan's west coast, within easy reach of Detroit, which are known collectively as 'The Riviera of the Midwest'. Silver Lake resort boasts its world-renowned living sand-dunes and what is known fondly as the world's smallest newspaper. Grand Haven has a magnificent boardwalk along its spectacular beaches lined with restaurants, marina facilities and shops. Holland, as one might expect, has a Dutch flavour inherited from its founder, a Dutch clergyman. St Joseph, in the south, has a famous lighthouse and a French fort to explore.

Ann Arbor

The city of Ann Arbor lies 45 miles (72km) west of Detroit and just north of the Ohio border, and is home to the University of Michigan, which is one of the best in the country. The city and surroundings have a great deal to offer visitors in the form of historic and cultural attractions.

Ann Arbor's downtown area is extremely vibrant with never a dull moment, from live music shows to a plethora of libraries, galleries and museums, restaurants offering everything from romantic dinners to cafe society, some of the country's best bookstores, and often a street party. Among the many museums of interest is the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. It's housed in a 100-year-old firehouse, which features more than 250 interactive science and technology exhibits.

There are numerous restored 19th-century houses and farms to visit for a taste of life in days of yore, and even an original old main street blacksmith shop still operating in the satellite town of Manchester. Museums in the area cover everything from geology to classic cars, early American manuscripts, dentistry, and old fire-fighting equipment. On the university campus, the Natural History Museum contains the state's largest collection of dinosaur fossils and a planetarium features a 360-degree domed screen offering weekend stargazing shows.

Website www.annarbor.org

Saugatuck-Douglas

The small resort towns of Saugatuck and Douglas are close enough together to be considered one holiday destination. Popular for weekend getaways from Detroit and Chicago, the towns are located along the shore of Lake Michigan, in the southwest of the state. The area is known for its eclectic and artistic feel, and has dozens of art galleries and plenty of good restaurants and bars. Saugatuck-Douglas offers a number of activities for visitors, including fishing, hiking, sailing, golf, bowling, horseback riding, kayaking, dune buggy outings and lake cruises. There are also some small sandy beaches that offer scenic spots for swimming and sunbathing.

Website www.saugatuck.com

Detroit

Things to do in Detroit

The Henry Ford Museum

Automotive Hall of Fame

Detroit Historical Museum

Detroit Institute of Arts

Motown Historical Museum

Ludington

Ann Arbor

Saugatuck-Douglas

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The Henry Ford Museum

Automotive Hall of Fame

Detroit Historical Museum

Detroit Institute of Arts

Motown Historical Museum

Ludington

Ann Arbor

Saugatuck-Douglas