Absolutely amazing trip to the Henry Ford museum! I thought it might be all about cars, but it…read moreisn't -- it's SO much more! The docents are friendly and knowledgeable. Every part of the museum is well-curated, clean, and fascinating. I wanted to try the little old-school diner car inside the museum, but it closed right before we went to eat (that was my fault, but note it closes at 3pm.) However the other cafe was nice for a cookie and coffee break! The special exhibit on fabrics was OUTSTANDING. I love how it was approached through a historical lens of both fabric innovation and fashion together. The variety of time periods and examples blew my mind. Seriously well done and I've been to a lot of museums around the world. This exhibit alone is one of the best I've seen. We spent the better part of a day just inside the museum. We will be making another trip for the outdoor historic village because it looks awesome, too. Can't believe it took me my whole life to visit. Shame on me. Don't be like me. Go visit this amazing place!

Ignoring the price - this is a pretty good museum. I do wish we have more time so that we could…read moreexplore the outdoor village area (additional $$$). We should've bought the ticket online to save $8. One thing I did not expect was having to pay for parking. They don't charge at the parking lot. Instead, they ask you if you got dropped off or if you parked. If you drove, that's an additional $10. The indoor museum was about $40. If we wanted the outdoor portion, that's another $40...so yeah; this is probably more worth if you have 5 hours to spend here. We had 2 hours, and we rushed through the indoor museum - did not get many chances to read through/watch the video at each exhibit. 2.5 hrs would prob be enough. I did really enjoy the short bit of history I learned from the Rosa park bus exhibition. The lady there was really good at telling the history/sequence of event. The trains, president cars, airplanes, race car, etc were all very cool to admire - and I'm not much of a car person.

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)

Write Impressions is a must in Downtown Royal Oak when you need little gifts and greeting cards,…read moreliterally for any event or holiday you can think of! They have a great variety of items ranging from mugs and socks to humorous trinkets and the softest stuffies you've ever felt. Don't forget if you need custom invites or cards, Write Impressions produces the highest quality chic options that give a sense of elegance. The owner, Lori, is also quite the gem and has been a champion for local shopping and a progressive voice to the community.

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.

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.

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.

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've been going to the DIA for years and it truly never lets me down. So beyond beautiful and it…read morereally reminds me of the spirit, culture, and love this city holds. I ended up going to the Kresge Court for the first time and got the chicken parm sandwich! Surprisingly it was really good, but definitely wished it was warm. While the space was gorgeous, I must say the vibes were slightly off-putting. When we sat down, multiple employees immediately came up to us asking if we were going to dine in and, if not, let us know that we'd have to sit elsewhere. I understand that that's how the space operates, but even after one employee came up to us, more just kept coming! We really didn't have a chance to settle in with our stuff as we felt a bit pressured to get our food before anyone else could say something to us. I think instead of having reserved signage on the tables, it should say "Dine-in customers only" to reduce any confusion. I was already confused on it saying "reserved" in the first place, but luckily a friend who'd been there before explained it to me.