The Henry Ford Museum is truly massive with so much to see and explore. I was there for an Author…read moreTalk with Victoria Christopher Murray. Unfortunately her flight cancellation, prevented her arrival. The Henry Ford Museum was gracious to pivot and offer everyone FREE admission to the museum for our inconvenience. I thank my Yelp Bestie for an annual membership pass that she won for two people. I am truly grateful. This was a prime time to turn lemons into lemonade! We decided to check out the DaVinci special exhibition, shop the Museum Store and have lunch at the Plum Market Kitchen, too. The DaVinci exhibit was amazing. I had no idea of how many inventions Leonardo DaVinci made. I was only familiar with the Mona Lisa painting and the Safety Bridge. The Room of Mirrors was pretty cool. Check out their FREE APP for upcoming events and movie offerings - THF.org/ConnectApp. I plan to experience the curator-led audio tours on my next visit.

This is a huge museum with so many items. Cars, trains, planes, buses, steam engines, furniture &…read moremore. My favorite thing to see in this museum was the ACTUAL bus that Rosa Parks rode in & was able to sit on the bus. I saw some cars that the presidents drove in. So many different innovations and different vehicles too.

My visit to PuppetArt was the first in a series of circumstantial events that made me learn to love…read moreDetroit. A Chi-town friend asked me if I'd like to go to see a Russian puppet show. It's not like there are Russian puppet theatres in every city, so we had to go all the way to Detroit. I said yes, of course. This was back in 2009, some ten Detroit vacations ago. Honestly I'm really not that into puppets, even Russian ones, but I can attest that the show I saw was remarkable in its ability to captivate and soothe a house full of hyperactive children. This is a low-key spot, and they have sort of a puppet museum in the lobby. It really seems like the perfect place to bring kids. I had less luck paying attention from my seat, sandwiched between a four year old in front and his mother in back. "I GOT A EYE VIEW," the mother whispered through her teeth and at her child. "KEEP QUIET OR I'LL HIT YOU WITH MY STICK!" For the next 45 minutes, all I could think about was how I'd better behave.

Have you seen the show "Dream Tigers" at the PuppetArt Theater??? We have! It has AWESOME…read morepuppets. They teach you about the 4 puppet families before the show starts. We were shocked that real people were in the puppet show. We thought it would be ONLY puppets. We really liked the character Nino. He was so funny, like an "animal trapped in a boy body"! The show was funny, but a little bit scary sometimes. It was EPIC. The witch scared us but we were okay. You need to go see it too! - Detroit 1st Graders (who went there on a field trip)

The front part of the store is basically a tchotchke shop. It's fine if you need a last minute…read moregreeting card or small gag gift. If you're looking for actual good personal stationery (not invitations), forget it. The only notebooks in here are the same low-end rebranded Chinese stuff you find at big box stores like Barnes & Noble or overrated Moleskine crap that's everywhere. If you want "the good stuff" like Tomoe River, Rhodia, Midori, Mnemosyne, Clairefontaine, etc. paper and notebooks you'll have to just buy it online because they don't carry it.

I did some last minute shopping Fantastic selection and…read moreservice. A fun place to shop. Stop by and check it out soon

Most Detroiters have heard of Pewabic Pottery, but few know it's still going strong in its…read morebeautiful location on E. Jefferson. In addition to an active workshop, the building houses a gift shop with lots of wonderful ceramic pieces and a small museum, which details the history of Pewabic Pottery. It's a unique piece of Detroit history and a great place to buy gifts for yourself and others. It's well worth a visit to this hidden gem.

Nate and I were in the area recently so we stopped in to this historic store/workshop…read more Unfortunately we weren't able to do a tour, but I would love to in the future (book online ahead of time). The upstairs gallery was closed when we were there, so we just browsed the shop, which is full of all sorts of beautiful ceramic items like tiles, vases, art, and more. I liked seeing all the different pieces but nothing really shouted out to me. The animal tiles were probably my favorite. I also liked the house number tiles. They also had other non-ceramic items for sale, like earrings, puzzles, calendars, cards, etc. It is a nice place to find gifts! They also do classes and workshops, which sound fun! This isn't a spot that I need to visit every time I'm in the area, but it was fun to finally check out.

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...