Detroit, Michigan
Come and visit the Motor City Capital of the World and the Home of Motown, all in the city of Detroit. Headquarters to one of the most famous automobile makers, General Motors, this is the place to visit for living history as the past comes alive in Detroit.
Take a walk down memory lane at the Henry Ford Museum and Spirit of Ford. Reflections on the past come alive for the whole family, as you reminisce about the first car your family had.
For a glimpse into the world of science check out Cranbrook Institute of Science and the Detroit Science Center; here you can experiment with the laws of motion and experience life in a rainforest.
Are there any sports fans out there? Remember that Detroit is home to the NFL's Detroit Lions, the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, baseball's Detroit Tigers and the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Call before you go to see if tickets are available.
Belle Isle Park
Jefferson Ave. and Grand Blvd.
Deroit, 48215
313-852-4078
This famous floating park in the middle of the Detroit River was designed by the same architect who created Central Park in New York City. Visiting the park's freshwater aquarium, Belle Isle Zoo, and Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, your family can spend a whole day just in this park.
Cranbrook Institute of Science
1221 N. Woodward Ave.
Bloomfield Hills, 48304
800-GO-CRANBrook
Parents and children alike can hands-on experiments to learn about physics, the laws of motion, and how life works. If dinosaurs excite your family, come face to face with the only Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in Michigan. Call before you visit to learn what attractions will be offered that day.
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The Detroit Historical Museum
5401 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48202
313-833-1805
All of the history of Detroit is all presented here. Come and see what made Detroit famous. The exhibit on The Motor City allows you to travel from the assembly line to current graphic design technology.
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The Detroit Institute of Arts- DIA
5200 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48202
313-833-7900
This fifth largest art museum in the country holds collections including American Art, Ancient Art, and European Art, to name just a few. Especially for the kids, the museum holds specials activities on the weekends including storytelling, making your own puppets, and much more.
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Detroit Science Center
5020 John R. St.
Detroit 48202
313-577-8400
Small kids with a lot to do -- what could be more perfect? With more than 50 hands-on displays for them, your kids can't complain that they are bored. Take in several experiments, and then watch a movie in the IMAX Theatre about Egypt or the Rainforest. Just have fun!
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Detroit Zoo
8450 W. 10 Miles Road
Royal Oak 48067
248-398-0900
Debuting in 1928 as the first zoo with roam-free areas, the Detroit Zoo is still going strong. Always looking ahead, the Zoo is planning an Arctic Ring of Life to open in the summer/fall of 2000. Some other exhibits include the domestic farm animals, the Rackham Memorial Fountain, and the Elephant House. If you become a little tired from all the walking, there is a miniature railroad that can take your family from one part of the zoo to another for a nominal fee.
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Hart Plaza
Jefferson Ave at Woodward Ave
Detroit
313-877-8077
Named after the late Senator from Michigan Philip A. Hart, Hart Plaza is a wonderful place to take to your family for a break on your busy vacation. Sit back, relax and watch the water from the fountain -- you can't miss it -- it's the centerpiece of the plaza known as Isamu Noguchi. If you are lucky enough to visit Detroit on Labor Day weekend, take in the world's largest jazz festival, Ford Montreux Detroit Jazz. Other outdoor events at the plaza include the African World Festival and the Budweiser Downtown Hoedown.
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
20900 Oakwood Blvd.
Detroit 48121
313-271-1620
There are two separate parts to this museum, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. On display in the Henry Ford Museum are kitchens from past, jewelry, things made in America from the 18th to the 20th century and, of course, automobiles in America (and these are just a few of the displays). Greenfield Village offers the family tours of different lifestyles from around the country. You can stop in the Phoenixville Post Office, or visit Henry Ford's birthplace. It's a great history lesson for the whole family.
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Motor Sports Hall of Fame
Novi Expo Center
43700 Expo Center Drive
Novi, MI 48050
810-349-7223
Car lovers, this place is for you! Designed for all ages, from newcomers to the sport to veterans, the Sports Hall includes everything from Indy cars to open-wheelers, from driving simulations to mind-boggling automotive displays.
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Motown Museum
2648 West Grand Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48208
313-875-2264
Take a tour of the original place where Motown music was founded back the 1960's. See the recording studio where The Supremes and many other Motown superstars recorded. Find out why this is called "Hitsville, USA"!
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Museum of African American History
315 E. Warren Ave.
Detroit, MI 48201
313-494-5800
The largest black museum in the world completed extensive renovations in 1997. Of particular interest is the exhibit entitled Of the People: The African American People. Feel the history and culture of the African American experience come alive.
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Pewabic Pottery
10125 East Jefferson Ave.
Detroit, MI 48214
313-822-0954
This National Historic Landmark is home to one of the last operating Arts and Crafts potteries. Some samples of the work completed are on display in the gallery. They also offer one-day workshops that your family might want to attend but call ahead to confirm.
Spirit of Ford
1151 Village Road
Dearborn, MI 48124
313-317-7474
Located just outside of Detroit, visitors will discover the Spirit of Ford. This place embodies learning and fun together. The hands-on exhibits allow you to build a car, make a commercial, learn about recycling to make a car, and much more. The museum was designed to foster the knowledge of how cars are designed, tested, engineered and manufactured.
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University of Michigan is a great resource to take the family. UM offers a few options to take the family.
Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
219 E. Hurron St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-995-5439
Not far from Detroit, on the University of Michigan's campus in Ann Arbor, is the newly expanded Hands-On Museum. On the four floors of the building, there are 250 hands-on exhibits ranging including watching optical illusions, making the Bernoulli Ball stay afloat, and making your own laser show. Part of the expansion includes a section solely for preschoolers, the Kids at Work Preschool Gallery.
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Henry Ford Estate Fair Lane
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn 48128
313-593-5590
A few miles outside of Detroit rests the home of Henry Ford and his wife Clara. This 56-room mansion on 72 acres is a National Historic Landmark. The hydropower powerhouse, built in 1915 with the help of Thomas Edison, currently supplies electricity throughout the mansion. Public tours show the many fascinating features of the mansion including Ford Discovery Trail, vegetable garden, pony barn, skating house and much more. This is an attraction that the whole family will find is definitely worth seeing.
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Matthaei Botanical Gardens
1800 N. Dixboro Road
Ann Arbor
734-998-7067
Discover natural wonders from around the world across the 350 acres of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Well-marked signs along the five-mile trails will educate you and your family about the thousands of plants at the Garden.
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University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History
1109 Geddes Avenue
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
734-764-0478
Throughout the many floors of the museum there are numerous displays including evolution, the fossils and skeletons of dinosaurs, the environment of Michigan and the Great Lakes, anthropology, biology, and of course the planetarium. To keep your kids busy, have them go on a scavenger hunt and then afterwards treat them to a visit to the planetarium to see the stars.
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