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.
In addition to the sites listed below, 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.
Special Events
The Motor City displays her best and newest at the annual North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in mid-January. Classics rule in mid-August at the annual Woodward Dream Cruise (www.woodwarddreamcruise.com), a 16-mile parade of 30,000 cars winding along Woodward Avenue in the largest single-day car event in the world. The weeklong Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival celebrates Canada Day (July 1) and American Independence Day, ending with fireworks over the Ambassador Bridge.
For a complete listing of what to see and do in Detroit, visit the online attractions index at Frommers.com.
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