The Down River Youth Performing Arts Center is a very nice venue. The lobby is well appointed and…read morepleasant to be in. The theater is a perfect size. It provides the theatrical experience as well as enabling a close connection between the audience and the performers. The equipment is in good condition and the theater itself is attractive and interesting. I enjoyed the masks that were contained in wall cabinets around the theater. When going to this theatre take some consideration for parking. It is in a mixed residential and commercial area. There is some parking in the commercial area but you may find it more convenient to park in the neighborhood. It is an easy walk to the theater from throughout the area. I enjoyed a performance of Willy Wonka. The sound system was very good. The lighting was a pleasure. All in all it was an enjoyable evening and I am looking forward to the next event at the Down River Youth Performing Arts Center.

Just signed up for our first run at youth performing theatre. So far, the instructors are very…read morepatient, the front desk is organized, and the classes are not overfilled. I was very happy to see that the bathrooms are very well kept, especially with so many children running around. This theatre offers children's performing arts classes starting at 8/9 am until 4pm with a lunch break. The price is a little bit more then I expected, but the course runs for 6 weeks. I paid $185 for two 45 minute classes. At the end, the children perform their play on stage. Check out their website for both children's and adult performances and audition dates. It is a really cool environment for kids.

A friend of mine snagged the lead role in The Full Monty as part of the Downriver Actors Guild's…read moreseries "Theatre on the Edge". Edgy it was! There is a nice open lobby where you can hang out before the show, grab some refreshments (at super-reasonable prices) and meet the actors after the performance. I purchased my tickets online a couple weeks before the show. It was simple and the processing fee was only $1.25 in addition to the ticket price. A small fee to reserve tickets for what ended up being a sold-out show! Ushers directed us to our seats, which were plush and had an excellent view (row 4). The problem with seeing The Full Monty is that the audience was 90% women, which resulted in a very long line for the restroom at intermission. Besides that, no complaints about the theatre. There's plenty of nearby parking. The sound, lighting and sets were excellent. And so was the play! I'm looking for the next DAG production so I can catch it here.

We went to see Shrek the Musical this afternoon. It was a fantastic production. The cast was…read moreawesome and the music was fantastic. The singing was spot on.

The parking spots in this neighbourhood say "Citizens and Permanent Residents Only." So where…read moreshould an illegal "Alien Park." Hmm. Wouldn't be surprised (in this part of town) if that was actually true. This Center for the Arts is shiny and new and is attached to the high school here. It looks gorgeous from the outside and perfectly acceptable from the inside. Very new. It's a great addition to one of my favorite neighbourhoods in Detroit and just around the corner from some of the best pizza places in town. Try Primo's and BC's.

Last night we attended a beautiful wedding and reception at the Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club…read more Grosse Ile ("Large Island" in French) is actually a small suburb of Detroit located 15 miles south of the City on an ISLAND in the middle of the Detroit River. It is located just west of the Canada-United States border and has a residential population of about 10,000, The flags of France, England and finally the United States have all flown on this unique island since its early exploration by the French in the 17th century. The Country Club has a beautiful 18-hole golf course designed by Donald Ross that opened in 1919. Our event at the club was outstanding in every way with some of the very best service we've experienced since the pandemic. Five nautical stars!

Attended a dry wedding event here. We walked over to the bar outside the venue area, where we asked…read morethe hostesses whether we could grab a drink at the bar and bring it back to the event. They said yes but confirmed we could not bring the drink back to the event. Ok, no problem, we'd enjoy the golf course view with a drink & go back. As we were about to order, we were told by someone else we needed to leave immediately because we weren't members. No apology for miscommunication, just very accusatory tone as though we were trying to intentionally break rules. The bartender had already served a couple of other guests from the wedding, who were then told to leave immediately even though they had paid and been served drinks. They asked where they could finish their drinks, and since they couldn't take their drinks with them, they had to chug & leave. Service is seriously lacking with an unnecessarily rude attitude from who I assume is the manager

I have taken my kids to the Gross Ile Campus for the better part of their entire lives thus far and…read moreit's been a positive experience for us (almost) all around. The facility, though this is shared with a church, is very clean and secure. A proxy card is provided to get you and your kids inside the building. There are four rooms that vary by age and quite a few workers to make sure there is a good ratio. The teachers sweat, cry, and bleed for these kids. As far as I can tell, they care as much for the kids they watch over as much as we do as parents - and THAT is a big deal. These people are incredible teachers, mentors, and friends to our kids. At 2 years old, my kids know the alphabet, their colors, and how to count to 20-ish (they mumble and skip sometimes, but the knowledge is in there!) and I believe they will be supremely prepared for school (whether it's public, private, or home): and it's the teachers' doing. I love these ladies and we feel so blessed to have them in or lives - I can't say enough good things about them. So: clean, safe, and a wonderfully loving and educational environment - what's the catch? Communication issues aren't constant, but every organization has them, and some of the times we are the culprit, but it's obviously not a dealbreaker. I would highly recommend this place for any kids. I can't wait to see what their education will look like because of Montessori's head start.

Our 3 year daughter was enrolled at this Montessori school for a total of 35 minutes (yes, 35…read moreminutes), as we received a phone call on her 1st day to pick her up within 25 minutes of her arriving because she was throwing blocks. When my husband quickly arrived 10 minutes later (at that time our daughter was sitting in the circle next to the teacher), the assistant director handed her belongings to my husband and said she could not come back. We tried SEVERAL times throughout the day to contact the school to speak to Marie, the owner, to simply have a conversation, with NO response. Later in the day, our neighbor came to our front door with a letter in their mailbox stating it had our name on it. The owner dropped off a letter, including our daughter's medical records they had collected (ummm HIPPA?), and our returned deposit/tuition......TO THE WRONG ADDRESS. Marie was unable to have a simple and professional conversation, return our phone calls and decided on her own it was acceptable to just leave a letter/medical records/check in the WRONG mailbox with no phone call. This is completely unprofessional and un-excusable. My brother and I both went to a Montessori school growing up and had an amazing experience, which is even more reason to be thrilled to have one close by after our 4th child was born. This has COMPLETELY destroyed my (and my entire family's) taste of Montessori and everything they stand for. If they can give a 3 year old 25 minutes of their time to tell the parents their child can't come back, just think of the lack of patience, disrespect and judgement they will give your own child. And then to not return phone calls from a concerned parent? This is NOT acceptable behavior from an establishment that is to care for YOUR CHILD. My husband and I were both raised Downriver, we currently have 4 children (our 3 year old being our youngest), and know many generations of families here, particularly families with children. We will be giving our honest opinion to every single friend or acquaintance who asks us about our experience, because every parent and EVERY CHILD DESERVES BETTER. To every other parent reading this, please use our mistake to choose better for your child.....do your research and read these reviews. We need to be advocates for our children, and establishments like this NEED to be held accountable for their complete lack of care, communication, patience and compassion. Lastly, if Marie comments on this "negative" (but 100% honest and true) review, it will prove that she cares more about her image than contacting a parent directly to have a conversation about their child. Do better parents!