Throughout the year, the Plymouth Historical Museum puts on some amazing events. My kids' favorites…read moreare their Christmas events. All the volunteers are so invested in their characters! The museum itself is quaint but we'll thought out. They have a large exhibit and information on Abraham Lincoln as well as the Daisy Air Rifle Factor. When we visited during the holidays, the exhibit was all about old toys. The staff is friendly and kind. They also have an archive section that you're able to set up a time to peruse. We live in an older home in the area and I'll be back one of these days to set up a time to look into my house and it's former inhabitants. Additionally, there is a strain caboose in the back the museum purchased not long ago. You can explore it with museum admission and during the holidays, Santa takes visitors there. It's a wonderful place to support and learn about Plymouth's history.

Wonderful way to spend an hour or so. Large enough to cover all aspects of their current decade but…read moresmall enough to make your tour feel intimate. Enjoyed it with two of our grandchildren.

A few minor downsides first: The museum's website isn't terribly informative about when the museum…read moreor the general complex of buildings is open. I spoke to a park employee when I was there and still wasn't able to get a straight answer. I did find out that if you want to set up a program for kids where they learn about pioneer life, including churning their own butter, then you have to make arrangements ahead of time, and that makes sense. It seems you can wander the grounds and look at the barn and the gardens and the outside of the various buildings from dawn to dusk in good weather. I'm still not clear on whether the museum has regular hours or if you have to call ahead to arrange a tour, though. The nice park employee I spoke to, though, did give me a full tour of one of the auxiliary buildings, between the museum and the barn. They have a really nice hall here that's often rented for weddings and wedding receptions, and they have a whole album of photos you can look at to see people who have used it before. The reception hall is up a flight of stairs, but they have an elevator for handicapped access. I loved this place and plan to go back to explore some more. I may have to borrow a friend's kid for a day and take him or her to one of the programs because they sound like a lot of fun.

Great place to have a wedding or a big family get toghter. Plenty of space and very pretty landscaperead more

****They moved locations to 3261 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor, MI. ****…read more Yesterday, we visited The African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM). My husband found it and what a gem it is! They are currently showcasing art by sophomores in a local high school (Huron HS). Their project was to showcase African American history and they did it through art themes of Unity, Peace amidst Chaos, Community, Adversity, Music, Adinkra symbols, Struggle, and Honor. I was amazed at their artistic skills and depth of interpretation of their feelings. The most exciting part is this Museum offers a tour of part of the Ann Arbor Underground Railroad Sites and Black History! We can't wait to do this! I love and am always so encouraged to see the resilience African Americans have shown in calamity and the hope they showcase that can only be found in God's strength. The employee was very nice and helpful! I highly recommend coming here to learn!!

Excuse me, but how is it that no one has reviewed this yet??? It is one of AA's gems…read more The foundational exhibit of this organization is actually not a place, or a thing, but an experince. They do a Journey to Freedom bus tour where you visit undergroud railroad spots (complete with crawling into hidden rooms) includng the building where Michigan abolishionists oporated a hidden press to publish anti-slavery newspapers. The tour includes spots Yspi and Pittsfield Township where the stationmasters are buried as well. They have tours of the historic home where the musuem is located as well, though this is decidedly less dynamic. I heard from a student that when she was in high school the musuem did a whole program for them at the school for AA history month, this seems to the musuem's main baliwick, other than the bus tours. Recently the musuem has been hosting jazz dinners, I think as a fundraiser. I haven't been but a friend went and said it was "lovely."

I pulled up here with high hopes of exploring this local attraction which is set in an attractive…read morewooded park on the edge of Northville just outside of Detroit. The village is pretty and somewhat interesting for what's there but it is very, very small. Its 12.5 acres houses a dozen points of interest. It's a quick and easy walk through and back as I took it all in within maybe 15 - 20 minutes. I would have spent more time there but unfortunately the buildings are only open on Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm when they have docents in attendance. I wouldn't tell you to go too to far out of your way here but if you happen to be driving nearby and you have a little spare time, by all means, stop in and take a look around. In a nutshell, Mill Race Historical Village is quaint but don't come here expecting a Greenfield Village experience. Admission is free to all by the way.

FALL TIME @ Mill Race Park is …read more The small well kept historical park is a photographers dream. The fall leaves + beautifully kept buildings with so much character are a must see. If you have littles just over the bridge is what we call The Castle Playground.

What a cool experience! I like these small yet interesting museums and the Michigan Firehouse…read moreMuseum fit in my wheelhouse. This one was recommended by a firemen in the City I work and I'm glad he suggested it. If you are intrigued by loud and screaming mostly red but sometimes yellow fire trucks like I am coming here was pretty good. The building is a mix of new and old. The new part of the building is a modern looking building and contains most of the apparatus. The older portion is an old fire house that has everything from the pole the firemen came down on to the horse drawn carriages used in the beginning. There are quite a few apparatuses to look at as well as badges and patches of Michigan fire departments. Back in the corner there is a portion of the wall dedicated to the manufacturers of fire trucks (name plates) that I thought took some time and effort. Definitely worth a visit, cost was cheap.

Can I gush, just a little bit, about how well my adopted hometown does with its historical museums?…read moreIn the last few weeks, I have been bowled over by first the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection, followed by the Ypsilanti Historical Museum in the Asa Dow house, and now the Firehouse Museum. All three are fan-freaking-tastic, at least if you're geeky in that way, which I am. The Michigan Firehouse Museum is housed partially in what was once an Ypsilanti Firehouse, though there's a larger expansion attached to it now. The main showroom contains fire trucks from a variety of eras from all over Michigan. Most of the examples are from southeast Michigan, but I was also enchanted to find an example of a 1950s or 1960s-era firetruck that was originally used in the Upper Peninsula town of Escanaba where I was born and raised. In addition to the firetrucks, there are displays of fire men's caps, badges, and other paraphernalia. The main room also contains a collection of firehouse bells, both full sized and smaller salesmen models. You or your kids can ring them with a wooden mallet so you can hear the different tones. This brings me to the coolest aspect of the museum- there are a variety of hands-on displays. Most museums have a "Look but don't touch" policy, and while that's understandable, it's really fun to be able to touch at least some of the exhibits. The Firehouse Museum has at least four exhibits that I noticed with a hands-on component. In addition to the bells, there are a couple of places where adults or kids can try on firemen's gear, and in the basement, there's an area where kids are invited to learn to tie knots. In addition, the basement also houses one firetruck that's available for touching. You can climb right into the driver's seat if you like. Upstairs in the larger building, there are several auxiliary displays featuring firefighter kitsch, a tribute to firehouse dogs, and a small Smokey the Bear display. There's also a video on a loop and chairs if you want to see a guy explaining the various parts of the fire engines and how they work. The part of the museum that was once an old firehouse holds really old gear, including horse-drawn hose carts. Upstairs, you can see how the firefighters of old lived. There's a restored kitchen and a sleeping quarters, in addition to the firepole. Almost the entire museum is handicapped accessible. The sleeping quarters at the very top of the museum is up a short flight of stairs, but the rest of the building is accessible by elevator. As if all that wasn't enough, there's an extensive collection of firefighter and Dalmatian merchandise that can be purchased, and there's even a Brave Fireman videogame and a firefighter-themed pinball machine in the lobby. This place would be absolutely fabulous for kids. The next time I have my nieces and nephews for a day, I plan to suggest an outing here.

The Canton Historical Museum has a lot of potential. It is located in a one room school house on…read morethe grounds of the Canton Charter Township government complex. The materials they have displayed are few. Many of the items are from the later part of the time period that the schoolhouse served. The interpretive items are interesting but the materials associated with them are very short or non-existent. There didn't seem to be too many programs associated with the schoolhouse either. I had waited some time to be able to get into the venue because the hours are limited. I was rather disappointed by the offering and I will visit again in the future to see what has been added and changed. The area has a very rich historical perspective to draw from and I hope to see more that incorporated in the future.

Being the history buffs my son and I are, we decided to make a visit to the Canton Historical…read moreMuseum. It is situated right in front of Canton's Municipal Buildings, in an old one room schoolhouse. It is small, so we expected to spend 15-20 minutes tops, but it was very interesting, we spent close to an hour there! The volunteer was very welcoming, explaining the history and exhibits to us, even letting my little ones ring the old school bell, which they really enjoyed. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The exhibits change every few months to my understanding, so we'll definitely be back!

Our tour guide, Cheryl gave us a lot of interesting information. We enjoyed our time with her.read more

I have lived in Ypsilanti since January of 1999 and just now got around to exploring the Historical…read moreMuseum. These can be very dry and educational (in the bad, boring way), but Ypsi's museum does a great job. Part of it, I think, was the enthusiasm of our tour guide. She told us something cool about each room and pointed out a few nifty artifacts in each as well. However, the home, which was originally built by Asa Dow in the 1860s, would probably be fun to explore without a guide as well. Downstairs, you can view the formal parlor or the less formal family parlor, the dining room, and the kitchen. Upstairs, rooms are dedicated to a variety of displays, from musical instruments, to the tool room, to the children's room, full of porcelain-headed dolls and toys. Some of my favorite bits of the museum included the elaborately built and tricked out traveling carpenter's kit and a huge stainglass window that actually originally was at the city's "Ladies Library." The tour guide told us they had trouble protecting the stained glass from vandals and so moved it into the Dow house. The best thing about the museum is that it's free, though donations are accepted. I spent an hour there getting the tour, but would love to go back with a friend and explore it for another hour or two some time.

As of our visit in December of 2024, the guard at front desk told us this has been permanently…read moreclosed for a few years and they have no plans to reopen to the public. Too bad! Go blue!

Schembechler Hall is a must visit for a Michigan Wolverines Football history and information. Very…read moreinformative. Great artifacts of Michigan Football and is video and audio interactive. Plan on spending about an hour here unless you plan on viewing all video and audio highlights then could take maybe 2-3 hours. It's best to actually go on a weekday when it isn't busy. It is free parking and admissions.