I recently had the chance to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum is a great balance…read morebetween being expansive and still manageable. You can easily spend a few hours here without feeling overwhelmed. What stood out most was the diversity of the collection. From classic European paintings to modern and contemporary works, there's something for every kind of art lover. The layout of the museum is intuitive, and I appreciated how easy it was to move between galleries without getting lost. Staff were friendly and helpful without being intrusive, and the overall atmosphere felt relaxed rather than stuffy. Overall, I'd highly recommend the Detroit Institute of Arts to anyone visiting Detroit or even locals who haven't been in a while. It's a thoughtfully curated, enriching experience that feels both accessible and inspiring.

I wished I paid attention to the KIND of museum it was. I grew up with a father who was a professor…read morewho taught art history. I know my way around art and their time periods. Needless to say I have some periods I detest. This museum filled that RAGE BAITING once again. Do not get me wrong, I appreciate these time periods and why they exist, the influences we have today are a result FROM these movements. I was hoping for some more recent movements of the 1920's to the 1950's. Detroit is a beautiful city, if you know where to look and where to see. A huge amount of art deco and mid century designs galore. Too bad this city needs to move it around/away to make room for the new wave of living in Detroit. I'm just glad there was an outfit of art in this city. Not my to liking but I did feel my dad surrounding me again was a nice memory...

I knew the Detroit Historical Museum was going to be good because I had already cried in the…read moreparking lot. The lot itself was convenient and not overpriced, which put it solidly in the top tier of my day's experiences. I sat there long enough to have an existential crisis, which briefly escalated into a nervous breakdown, before resolving itself in a ten-minute cry followed by a fifteen-minute makeup repair. By the time I opened the car door, I was technically functional. My beloved nonagenarian Gram is in failing health. My personal life is a façade at best and a derelict shambles at worst. Mental health? Eh, not great, but I've had worse. The drugs are still doing what they're paid to do. When this happens, I tend to end up at museums. This is 100% God's honest truth. My family did museums the way other families went to Tiger games and had ski trips. They have been our natural habitat for at least four generations. When life feels unstable, I go somewhere that has survived longer than me. And here I was, in a city I had spent years of my life in close proximity to, sitting in the convenient parking lot of a museum I had somehow never visited. Despite grabbing my fair share of brochures from the "Things to Do in Metro Detroit" rack at the Michigan Welcome Center, I had nearly forgotten this place existed. Thankfully, the Red Wings reminded me. Repeatedly. More on that later. The front desk staff were especially kind and helpful, and there was a reassuring number of people waiting to get in. I started my tour in chronological order with "Origins: Life Where the River Bends" until I realized I was talking to myself and essentially reenacting Pee Wee's tour of the Alamo."Inez is holding a clay pot, which she seems very proud of, and Pedro is working on an adobe. Can you say that with me? Ah-doh-bee." I decided it was time to go downstairs. If you like narrow hallways and secret turns, this is your place. Imagine a mini version of Greenfield Village except you don't have to go outside, smell any horse crap, or narrowly avoid death as a Model T nearly takes you out. You can linger in quaint shops and cozy parlors, the kind of spaces that slow you down without asking permission. I almost grabbed a table to start writing this entry in my journal, but I knew I had more ground to cover, so I kept moving. There were charming model trains with plenty of interactive buttons to press, a new exhibit called "Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit's Comic Book Story", and even a small theatre. This was just the basement, and my nerdery was officially piqued. Back on the main floor, I skipped a few exhibits because I had a feeling the Red Wings centennial exhibit deserved my full attention. Boy was I right. Here's the thing. In the world of Red Wings and hockey knowledge in general, I am like a second grader at best. I am eager to learn, but I still don't know shit about fuck. This exhibit was neither over my head nor boring in the slightest. I stayed for ages learning about everything from the red wooden seats at Olympia Stadium, to Darren McCarty's impressively chaotic ratio of goals to fights over the years, to how Justin Abdelkader proposed to his wife at center ice at The Joe. When I finally left, I believe I had been promoted to at least fourth grade at Stephen G. Yzerman Elementary School. But I never leave a museum without visiting the gift shop. After a two-hour cranial workout, I felt I deserved some retail therapy. There was a great selection of Detroit sports shirts, books, stickers, knick knacks, and of course Better Made chips. Armed with facts and snacks, I walked back into the same parking lot I had cried in earlier, noticeably steadier than when I arrived. Detroit's motto kept echoing in my head as I walked out: Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus. We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes. It's a line that makes perfect sense for a city like this, and it turns out it works pretty well for a person who just cried in a parking lot and then wandered through history until she felt steadier again. I briefly considered getting it tattooed somewhere deeply regrettable before deciding to simply take the win and go home. It fixed me for the afternoon, which is all I ask of a museum.

I came here on a group tour and it was so wonderful! Jayden was our tour guide and did such a great…read morejob. I couldn't believe how much I learned about Detroit! It's so much more than just car manufacturing here! The museum was informative and curated well. I would recommend a visit if curious about Detroit!

MOCAD is a great little spot located off Woodward in Detroit…read more It is quaint & the time to get through the museum is quicker than most museums. The set up is perfect for the featured artists. There are discounts for veterans also. There is a cafe located at the end of the tour. This is also an event space!

Here's another gem in the city. I've visited this museum on several occasions as well. The first…read moretime was to see the artwork on display. They were featuring a local artist from Detroit at the time. The museum is big on the outside but inside there isn't many pieces of art. It's contemporary which I enjoy. The other portion of the museum is used for shows/events. I went a few weeks ago to see Terri Lyne Carrington and Mickalene Thomas do a collaboration. It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I would definitely recommend visiting when there's an event taking place.

I brought my almost 4 year old granddaughter here recently. They have a toddler area and a Kids…read moreTown area. The Kids Town area was her favorite with water activities and some interactive exhibits. The toddler area was ok, with some large building blocks and a few other things that she enjoyed. The motion gallery and several exhibits were non-functioning, but for a 4 year old it didn't matter, but it would to older kids. The colorful escalator, the numbers hopscotch and even the small scale Mackinac Bridge were a hit. She LOVED the science show with the gases, fire and exploding balloons although she covered her ears for the 'booms'. Pricing is outrageous I think - $69 for 2 adults and a toddler. What?! I can go to the Outdoor Adventure Center for $5 a head (senior price), and $5 for her. The Nature Center on Belle Isle is FREE. Parking is free but limited, I got the last spot, my bf who met me there had to find street parking. The gift shop was nice and of course on the way out so we ended up with a stuffed animal and some mystery sand adding another $20 to my bill, so $89 for a 2.5 hour visit. OUCH.

What an awesome museum for kids to explore and learn! We had free tickets to come visit and check…read morethis place out and we were not disappointed. The kids were free because they are 2 as well. The parking in the lot next to it was $8 and its gated so it felt really safe. They have a ramp if you have a stroller. They offer stroller parking too. We walked around the main floor and checked out the exhibits. Then we went to the lower level and played in the kids area. The kids loved it. They do clean 12:30pm to 1:00pm. We were able to play for an hour. They loved the water section. There was dancing fruit in one of the rooms and my son was dancing a lot. Another room had soccer balls that he was throwing. They had a pretend kitchen area and a seated area with magnetic blocks. My kids did not want to leave. When we walked out they had a demonstration at the science stage at 12:30pm about fire. That was really cool. They also have IMAX theatre shows. We did not want to participate in that because our kids would just scream. We did go to the dinosaur exhibit on the third floor as well. Overall, it is a nice, clean, and fun museum for kids. We will definitely be back!

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is truly one of Detroit's crown jewels…read more This museum represents history, resilience, excellence, and Black culture in a way that few places in the country can. Every time you walk through its doors, you feel the weight, pride, and importance of African American history -- not just for Detroit, but for the world. This is a place every Detroiter should experience at least once, and honestly, more than once. The exhibits are powerful, emotional, and educational. The slave ship exhibit in particular is incredibly moving and immersive. It's the kind of experience that makes you stop, reflect, and really sit with history. That final walkthrough is something you don't rush -- it's heavy, important, and deeply impactful. This museum does an amazing job telling our stories, honoring our ancestors, and preserving truth. Detroit should be extremely proud to have an institution like this. That said, my visit was unfortunately severely tainted by a completely unacceptable interaction with an employee that should never happen in a place of this caliber. On a Sunday near the end of the day, when there were barely any visitors left, I was doing a final walkthrough of the slave ship exhibit. The audio from the exhibit was playing, and because of that, I genuinely did not hear anyone saying the museum was closing. Suddenly, a female employee began yelling at me from the balcony, aggressively shouting for me to "Get the fk out**." I was shocked. When I explained that I didn't hear her and would never intentionally ignore staff, she continued to be disrespectful, hostile, and used excessive profanity with a nasty attitude. There was no professionalism, no empathy, and no understanding -- just anger and disrespect. That moment was jarring and deeply disappointing, especially given the sacred nature of the space I was standing in. An employee behaving that way in such a historically significant exhibit is completely unacceptable. It took what should have been a reflective, emotional ending to my visit and turned it into something upsetting and uncomfortable. I love, love, love this museum, and I believe it is vital to Detroit and our culture. That's exactly why this situation hurts so much. Employees like that are not a good representation of the Charles H. Wright Museum, its mission, or the city of Detroit. A place that stands for dignity, history, and respect deserves staff who embody those same values. This museum is incredible, powerful, and necessary -- Detroit pride all day. But management seriously needs to address behavior like this, because one employee should never be allowed to overshadow the greatness of such an important institution. Detroit deserves better, and this museum is too important to be disrespected from the inside.

While visiting Detroit, I stopped by The Wright Museum of African American History. I visited on a…read moreSaturday and surprisingly, it was not crowded! Admission was $15. I like that the main exhibit begins with African and leads into the history of enslavement, civil rights, into present times. As with most museums that provide such a wealth of history, you'll have to visit multiple times to get the full scope! I recommend if you are in Detroit to visit this museum!

We paid $20 admission & started with a short film about the factory, Ford & this plant. Tom, a…read moreretired engineer led us through a :75 tour including time for questions. The Model-T Automotive Heritage Complex, Inc., aka the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, was organized in 2000 as a nonprofit to preserve the Plant & keep it from being demolished. It's a museum & education center offering special programs & events. There are weddings here on weekends. In 1996 it was dedicated & was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. We spent about 2 hrs here & looked out the window at how part of this factory was converted to apartments. Over 1,600 men worked here over 100 years ago manufacturing Fords. There are over 65 rare automobiles including Henry Ford's "Letter Cars," unique Model T conversion vehicles, and other antique cars manufactured in Milwaukee Junction. We visited Henry Ford's office and Secret Experimental Room where the Model T was created in 1908. We experienced one of the world's oldest surviving automotive plants through a guided tour led by museum docents.

As a native Detroiter who loved Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum and enjoys automotive…read morehistory, a tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue plant was a joy. This museum has the largest collection of model Ts on display. Fun fact: there were actually two model As, and no model P for, well, I think obvious reasons. Not only is every model Ford built at the plant on display, but also competitor's vehicles of the time, including an electric car that Mrs. Ford is reported to have loved driving. There are many surprises I will not spoil. If you love cars, history, old architecture, and friendly knowledgeable tour guides, this is a must see place on a visit to Detroit. Or for folks who live in Detroit who want to know more about its rich history.

We love the Outdoor Adventure Center! We visit once a week when they open, which keeps my…read more2.5-year-old entertained and active. It can get busy with school field trips, so we prefer going early. There's a cafeteria, so you can pack a lunch and eat there, though they only sell a few snacks in the gift shop. We have a membership, and it's definitely worth it! Highly recommend this place!

I see the staff say good morning every morning on the news and finally got to visit on a field…read moretrip. I was with the littles, young elementary school aged kids, and they absolutely had the best time. This place was adorable, packed with so much for young kids to touch, see, experience, play with and play on and we were able to get through and do most of it. They loved the tree, the camp site, the plane, the kitchen, the waterfall area, the bunk beds, the fish, and fishing simulation, the driving simulations, this was a magical place for them. Since we had limited time and a big group, I did not get a chance to try the driving experiences, but it is only $5 admission. The only thing I wish they would have as a parent, and maybe this feasible for them would be to have a cafeteria where they actually sold food and drinks. You have to bring your own food and if you have a water bottle, they put it away for you since nothing is allowed on the attractions.

This is one of the must see buildings on the historical detriot tourist list! The Guardian Building…read moreis one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. It was completed in 1929 during the city's automotive boom. It is also often referred to as the Cathedral of Finance. It's a breathtaking Art Deco design inside and out. Make sure to take time to appreciate the detail, that makes it so special. The bold colors, the amazing tile work, and vaulted lobby are stunning. It history and beauty makes it so much more than "office building". We lucked out and found street parking but would have paid for a garage. It is absolutely worth stepping inside to look around. Website: www.guardianbuilding.com

It opened in 1929 as the world's tallest masonry structure. It was a cathedral of finance, a 40…read morestory red brick building with green & white accents. The interior is a colorful explosion of marble, mosaic & murals that draws from the Aztec, Art Deco & local influences.