I have regularly fought with where I should take visitors that come in from out of the town. Detroit isn’t Chicago, Manhattan, or Boston. if you look in the right places, there are many great sites to be seen.
To be truthful, Detroit saw better times. Being raised in the town, I remember many good things about the town that do not exist anymore today. I suspect the town is rising and there’s a great future ahead. Downtown Detroit has improved and there are plenty of more enhancements in the works. For those with the entrepreneurial spirit, I suspect this is an excellent place to be.
I will give you my top ten things which you should do on your visit to Detroit.
- The cultural minded should spend a day at the Detroit Institute of humanities. The museum has over sixty thousand artistic endeavors in their collection. The collection includes paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Warhol.
- Visit Belle Isle. An island park, found in the Detroit Brook , initially designed in 1883 by Frederick Law Olmstead. He was the designer of Central Park in NY Town . At the top of the island, you will find an excellent vista of downtown Detroit.
- A “Coney” in Detroit is a hot dog covered in chili, mustard and onions. Make efforts to include chili fries and a coke.
- On any given Saturday, visit Eastern Market. This is the farmer’s market for neighborhood. After perusing the impressive fruits, veggies, meats and other food products, head over to the Russell Street Deli.
- For those pet lovers, visit the Detroit Zoo. It is found a 2 miles outside of the town in Royal Oak.
- Now the Detroit Tigers are contenders, take in a baseball game at the new stadium. After the game, make a journey down to the old Tigers stadium at Michigan and Trumbull. Marvel at the place where Ty Cobb once played.
- For what I call the ruins of Detroit, visit the old Michigan Central Station. It was built in 1913 and deserted in 1987. It’s the largest train station I’ve ever come across. You can get an impressive view of the building if you’re coming over the envoy Bridge from Canada.
- Take a trip over to Windsor, Canada. It is merely a short drive thru the tunnel or across the envoy Bridge. The best Italian restaurants are located on Erie Street.
- Take a trip to the suburbs. Just outside the city, visit Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Birmingham. They’re all off of the Woodward Avenue corridor. Each of these cities have a little downtown with unique shops and cafes. Each one is good for a day of scanning.
- Further up the Woodward corridor, visit Cranbrook. An instructional community started in the early 1900’s. It features design by Eliel Saarinen, Albert Kahn, Steven Holl, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien and Rafael Moneo.
It’s been called “the most fascinated and fascinating setting in America”. I’m hoping my tips will give you some ideas of things to do on your trip to Detroit. I am sure I have missed some great places. The key when visiting anywhere, get out and explore.
Tags: visit detroit, visiting detroit