Detroit Attractions

Rosa Parks Bus © www.thehenryford.com

The Henry Ford

Henry Ford, son of a farmer, built his first car in Detroit in 1896. There was nothing too amazing about this feat, because cars had been around for some time. What was unique to Ford's invention was the moving assembly line, which enabled him to literally put the world on wheels. Henry Ford's legacy is found at every turn in his hometown, Detroit, which is why the city's most popular and prominent tourist attraction was founded by him in 1929. The Henry Ford is spread over more than 36 hectares (90 acres) in Dearborn just outside of metro-Detroit and encompasses five different venues. Together they bring the whole American experience to life, using exhibits, demonstrations, programmes and re-enactments to showcase American life and its people. Ford amassed most of the exhibit collection, including tens of thousands of ordinary objects, items associated with illustrious Americans, and numerous inventions documenting technological advances. Among the exhibits is the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Edgar Allan Poe's writing desk, and George Washington's camp bed. It is located in Dearborn, Michigan just west of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and south of Michigan Avenue (US-12).

Address: 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn; Telephone: (313) 982 6001; Website: www.thehenryford.com; Opening time: Museum open daily 9.30am to 5pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Different opening hours apply for other attractions; Admission: Museum, Ford Rouge Factory Tour: $14 (adults), $10 (children). Imax Theatre: $10 (adults), $8.50 (children). Greenfield Village: $20 (adults), $14 (children)

Automotive Hall of Fame

Automotive Hall of Fame

Car buffs from the world over are drawn to Detroit’s Automotive Hall of Fame, close to the Henry Ford Museum in Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, which is the public program and exhibition centre for the worldwide motor vehicle industry. The venue features entertaining and enlightening exhibits about the people who drive the industry. Visitors can indulge in interactive events like designing their own car and taking part in safety demonstrations.

Address: 21400 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn; Telephone: (313) 240 4000; Website: www.automotivehalloffame.org; Opening time: Daily 9am to 5pm (closed for some holidays); Admission: $6 (adults), $3 (children 5-18)

Henry Ford House and Garden © www.henryfordestate.org

Henry Ford Estate

Visitors to Detroit can tour the family home of renowned automotive pioneer Henry Ford and his wife, Clara, in Dearborn. The estate is a National Historic Landmark that is now part of the campus of the University of Michigan. The Fords lived on the estate, designed by Jens Jensen, from 1915 until they died in 1947 and 1950 respectively. The 56-room stone mansion features elaborately carved woodwork and contains many personal artefacts. Also on site is Ford's personal garage and car collection and magnificent gardens featuring waterscapes.

Address: 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn; Telephone: (313) 593 5590; Website: www.henryfordestate.com; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm (tours run at different times according to season, consult website for more details); Admission: Guided tours: $10 (adults), $6 (children 5-12)

Historical Museum

Detroit Historical Museum

The Detroit Historical Museum in Downtown allows visitors the chance to tour the scope of the city’s history, from Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac’s landing on the banks of the Detroit River through the city’s emergence as an industrial capital. In the museum it is possible to walk through the streets of Old Detroit and explore 19th-century shops. Visitors can also find out about Detroit’s role in the ‘underground railroad’ that helped slaves escape from the South. The interactive Glancy Trains toy train exhibit delights young and old.

Address: Detroit's Cultural Center, 5401 Woodward Avenue; Telephone: (313) 833 1805; Website: www.detroithistorical.org; Opening time: Wednesday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm; Admission: $6 (adults), $4 (concessions); children under 4 years free

DIA Great Hall © The Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Institute of Arts

America's fifth-largest fine arts museum boasts more than 100 galleries displaying a collection of 65,000 works, ranging from mummies to Matisse, and Asian antiquities to American Impressionists. The Museum is situated in Downtown Detroit. The highlights include the masterpieces of Rembrandt, Rubens, Bureghel the Elder, Botticelli, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso and Caravaggio. From January till May the Film Theatre screens an impressive selection of international films and shorts.

Address: 5200 Woodward Avenue; Telephone: (313) 833 7900; Website: www.dia.org; Opening time: Wednesday and Thursday 10am to 5pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am to 6pm. On Fridays the museum stays open until 10pm and offers music recitals, free tours, artist demonstrations and workshops; Admission: $8 (adults), $5 (children). Concessions available

Motown Historical Museum

Detroit’s Motown sound originated in two simple buildings on West Grand Boulevard, Downtown, at Hitsville U.S.A. Visitors can see the original control room and recording studio where stars like the Jackson Five, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder made hit records between 1959 and 1972. The Museum also contains some costumes worn by the stars and Motown founder Berry Gordy’s apartment, still as it was in the 1960s.

Address: 2648 W. Grand Boulevard; Telephone: (313) 875 2264; E-mail: info@motownmuseum.com; Website: www.motownmuseum.com; Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm. Open Mondays in July and August; Admission: $10 (adults), $8 (children). Concessions available