Things to do in Detroit

Detroit is best known for its links to motor vehicles. Dubbed the Motor City, Detroit has numeroous tourist attractions connected to this aspect of its legacy, most notably the Henry Ford Museum, but the city also offers plenty of cultural, historical and entertainment attractions as well as sports stadiums, casinos and ethnic districts.

Renaissance Center

Detroit’s most prominent and outstanding landmark is a multi-cylindrical architectural achievement made of lustrous black glass. Built as part of the effort to spark new interest in the aging downtown city area, this unique structure features a remarkable, multiple-cylindrical design that is home to the General Motors world headquarters as well as an abundance of shops, movie theatres, banks and restaurants. This is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and is a must for all devoted shoppers and fans of architecture. The Renaissance Centre is also worth visiting for the panoramic views that it offers over the Great Lakes and Michigan’s prairies.

Henry Ford Estate

Visitors can explore the family home of celebrated automotive pioneer Henry Ford and his wife, Clara, in Dearborn. The estate has been declared a National Historic Landmark and is now part of the campus of the University of Michigan. The Fords lived on the estate from 1915 until they died in 1947 and 1950, respectively. The 56-room stone mansion features elaborately carved woodwork and holds many personal objects. Also on-site are Ford’s private garage and car collection as well as magnificent gardens featuring waterscapes. Phone: +1 313 593 5590; website: www.henryfordestate.com.

Automotive Hall of Fame

Brimming with history, educational information and transportation paraphernalia, the Automotive Hall of Fame has a fitting location in the same suburb where Henry Ford was born. Within easy reach of Detroit, the centre features a wealth of interesting displays connected to motor cars and the great names in their development and production. Interactive exhibits add extra excitement to a tour of the centre, with fun features allowing visitors to design their own cars and much more. Phone: +1 313 240 4000; website: www.automotivehalloffame.org/.

MGM Grand Detroit Casino

This temporary casino was opened by MGM Grand, the Las Vegas-based casino operator that won one of the licences for a permanent casino in Detroit. On the outer reaches of downtown, it is housed in a former Internal Revenue Service building, a nice touch of irony for those who beat the odds at the 2,400 slot machines and 80 gaming tables. The casino has 75,000 square feet of floor space and Art Deco motifs, two themed restaurants, a gigantic buffet and three bars at which to spend your last change. A nine-deck parking structure is attached. Phone: +1 313 393 7777; website: http://detroit.mgmgrand.com/.

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory

This aging, wonderful small conservatory is located near the aquarium on Belle Isle. Designed by celebrated architect Albert Kahn, as are many other buildings in Detroit, the conservatory offers permanent displays of rare flora including one of the world’s largest collections of orchids. Most Detroiters know it as the ‘flower house’.  Children and adults alike will enjoy the exotic species such as cacti and banana trees, especially on a cold winter day. Outside the conservatory are beautiful formal gardens where many weddings take place in the summer months. Phone: +1 313 852 4065; website: www.bibsociety.org/sys-tmpl/door/.

Detroit Zoo

The Detroit Zoo is one of the country’s best, with all of the usual attractions including elephants, giraffes, bears, lions and more. Renovations of many of the zoo’s older buildings and new exhibits have modernised the zoo. The Arctic Ring of Life features the world’s largest polar bear display. Visitors can watch cavorting bears and seals from outside or through a 70-foot long underwater Polar Passage. Among the highlights are a butterfly and hummingbird garden, a free-flight aviary and a great apes exhibit. The grounds are large and the free train is often crowded in summer.
Phone: +1 248 398 0903; website: www.detroitzoo.org.

Belle Isle

Belle Isle is the highlight of Detroit’s public park system. Once on the island, visitors can get around by car or take a relaxed stroll along the many miles of trails, paths and roadways that connect all of Belle Isle’s points of interest. The island is located on America’s busiest inland watercourse and offers spectacular views of Detroit, Canada, freighter traffic and the Ambassador Bridge. Detroit’s city fathers purchased the 983-acre island in 1879 for US$200,000, against the opposition of those who thought the price was too high. They chose to keep the name Belle Isle (beautiful island), by which the property was popularly known.

Historic Fort Wayne

Historic Fort Wayne is in the southeast corner of Detroit, right on the Detroit River.  It dates back to the 1840s, but it never saw battle, even though soldiers were stationed here as late as the 1970s. Most of the original buildings are in very bad condition and some are open for the public including the restored Commandant’s House. The original 1848 Limestone Barracks is very impressive, as it looms five storeys over the brick walls of the fort. The fort itself is open to the public only on special occasions. On the premises are the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum, the Medicine Bear Indian Academy and the Mosaic Youth Theatre. Phone: +1 313 833 1800.

Hart Plaza
This enormous concrete area at the foot of Woodward Avenue extends from Jefferson Avenue to the Detroit River. Designed, by Isamu Noguchi, in the 1960s as a public space it includes his curious twisted spire and fountain. The plaza has a stage and amphitheatre and is host to ethnic riverfront festivals on summer weekends, the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival in September and ice skating in winter. Hart Plaza provides access to a riverfront walkway, a favourite spot for fishing and an unusual view of Canada to the south. Phone: +1 313 877 8077.