Detroit Travel Guide, Michigan

Founded in 1701, as a trading post for the French to do business with the Chippewa, Detroit began to flourish when Ford Olds, the Chevrolets and the Dodge brothers began to build their automobile empires, thus DETROIT is considered the birthplace of the mass-production car industry and the Motown sound.

Though it had serious problems in the past: the July 1967 riot, crimes (so the media considered even if Detroiters claim that the press has magnified the city's problems), now Detroit shows signs of improvement. New businesses and theaters have already opened downtown, there are ultramodern motor-manufacturing plants, some excellent museums and one of the nation's biggest art galleries, big-time casinos opened and suburban residents have started to return to its festivals, theaters, clubs and restaurants. While these developments won't wipe out the city's problems in an instant, they're an exciting start.

The one thing that characterizes the city the best is its connection to cars and you will find plenty of evidence of this city's love affair with the motor vehicle: auto-barons' historic homes, the newly opened Ford plant tours, annual festivals, and car shows and if you want to reminisce about the first car your family had take a walk down memory lane at the Henry Ford Museum and Spirit of Ford.

But there's more to Detroit than just cars. The city's downtown stadiums draw sports enthusiasts as Detroit is home to the NFL's Detroit Lions, the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, baseball's Detroit Tigers and the NBA's Detroit Pistons.

Casinos attract those looking to court Lady Luck and museums and theaters attract culture and history lovers. Detroit's rich history comes alive in the Cultural Center where you can visit the Detroit Institute of Arts (for the kids, the museum holds specials activities on the weekends including storytelling and making your own puppets), the Detroit Historical Museum (where the exhibit on The Motor City allows you to travel from the assembly line to current graphic design technology), the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Detroit Science Center. The Detroit Public Library and Wayne State University also call the area home.

At the Cranbrook Institute of Science and at the Detroit Science Center parents and children alike can experiment with the laws of motion, experience life in a rainforest and how life works. If dinosaurs excite your family, come face to face with the only Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in Michigan. A different attraction is offered every day, so it would be better to call to learn what attractions will be offered that day.

If you plan on taking your children with you they won’t complain that they are bored if you stop at Detroit Science Center. There are more than 50 hands-on displays for them, they can take in several experiments, and then watch a movie in the IMAX Theatre about Egypt or the Rainforest. Just have fun!

For those who like being outdoors, the Detroit Zoo offers an Arctic Ring of Life, exhibits with domestic farm animals, the Elephant House and if you get tired there is a miniature railroad that can take your family from one part of the zoo to another. And there’s also Matthaei Botanical Gardens where you can discover natural wonders from around the world with the help of well-marked signs that will educate you and your family about the thousands of plants at the Garden.

Come and visit the Motor City Capital of the World, the home of Motown, and many museums and parks; this is the place to visit for living history as the past comes alive in Detroit.

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• The short story of Detroit
  review by mohds2 posted more then 30 days ago
  Detroit is a large city in the state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. It is a main port city on Detroit River, in the Midwest area of the United States. Situated north of Windsor, Detroit is the main U.S. city that appears south ofCanada. Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded...

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Read our members' travel tips about Detroit

• A fountain on Belle Isle
  travel tip by stef posted more then 30 days ago
  As a big island on the Detroit River, Belle Isle has been a heavenly getaway for people who are in the middle of the city’s busy everyday life. Many see it like an oasis in the middle of a metropolitan area and are happy to finish...
• Knightsbridge Antique Mall
  travel tip by Wazling posted more then 30 days ago
  This store is one of the best places to buy antiques, souvenirs or collectibles. The staff is really friendly, they are willing to help in any way they can, and you don’t have that bad felling that you’re annoying them. For those who...
• Greektown - A Bit of Europe in Detroit
  travel tip by Sayuri87 posted more then 30 days ago
  I was so amazed when I went to see the famous Greektown district in downtown Detroit last summer. I would have never thought a district such as this could survive for so long. It is said that there were Germans who first established the...

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