For a lot of people, Michigan isn’t high on their travel list. However, I hope I can convince you otherwise as Detroit ended up being a clean, pretty city with so much history. We had about 48 hours in Detroit and ended up being able to fit a lot in in a short amount of time. The buildings here have so much history and amazing art deco architecture. If this is something you are in to, then you will love Detroit.
Quick Detroit history lesson
Detroit was settled by French colonists in the early 1700’s. In the 20th century, Detroit was put on the map with Henry Ford and the auto industry. This may be what you think of when you think of Detroit.
How to get to Detroit
Detroit has a metro airport and is only a few miles from the city center. Our flight from Seattle took roughly 4.5 hours nonstop.
How to get around
It depends on if you are staying in downtown Detroit. If you are, it is a very walkable city. If you plan to visit all the places in this blog post, then I would recommend renting a car to save time getting around.
Visit these buildings for amazing architecture and history
- Fisher Building: An art deco skyscraper from 1928, featuring marble from all over the world & a live theater venue. There are three floors that you can explore. The first floor has some businesses.
- Cadillac Place: You can explore the first floor of this building. Be warned, if you visit the Fisher building first, you will be disappointed by Cadillac Place.
- Masonic Temple: An iconic, luxurious 1920s-era space boasts 1,037 rooms & hosts live entertainment plus film shoots. Unless you are going to the Masonic Temple for a performance, then you probably won’t be able to go inside the building. However, the outside is impressive!
- Michigan Building: is an office building and the former Michigan Theater. It was constructed in 1925 and stands at 13 floors in height. This was my favorite spot of the historical sites we visited. We went after the baseball game, so we lucked out in being able to get in. They use the Michigan Building for football and baseball parking. Luckily, people were still hanging out in their cars after the game. Walk up the 2 floors to the top of the parking garage where you will be met with the most beautiful and haunting sites of the old theater.
- Ally Detroit Center: The building is famous for its postmodern architectural design topped with Flemish-inspired neo-gothic spires which blend architecturally with the city’s historic skyline
- Guardian Building: Built in 1928 and finished in 1929, the building was originally called the Union Trust Building and is considered one of the boldest examples of art-deco architecture.
- Wayne County Building: It is a masterpiece of marble, mahogany and mosaics, bas reliefs, sculptures and columns. It is a stately building that looks as old as the city itself, one of the few survivors of the years before Detroit became the auto capital of the world. With its pink granite base, ornamental 247-foot tower and classic bronze sculptures, the Old Wayne County Building is one of the last survivors downtown of early 1900s Detroit. Work started in October 1897 and was completed in 1902.
Get Detroit style pizza at Buddy’s Pizza
I definitely didn’t know that Detroit had their own style of pizza! Buddy’s ended up being one of the recommended spots and just a half block from our hotel. Detroit style pizza is cut into squares and is a semi-deep dish style.
Get amazing breakfast at Avalon Cafe and Bakery
Avalon Cafe is a counter service spot. We ordered really good croissant breakfast sandwiches and had really good coffee! Overall, solid spot. We stopped here on our walk to the riverfront.
For amazing Detroit city views go to the top floor of the Opera House Parking Garage
My brother (who is a photographer) actually suggested this one. If you head to the top of the Opera House Parking garage, you will get 360 views of the city. The parking garage is only 6 floors high so most of the buildings are still taller, which makes for some great pictures.
Catch a game at Comerica Park or Ford Field
Comerica Park, home to the Detroit Tigers and Ford Field, home to the Detroit Lions are two stadiums that are right next to each other! If you can time it right, you can catch a baseball game one day and a football game the next. We visited in September so the two teams were actually playing at the same time the day we were there.
Grab a drink on the roof of Tin Roof
We stopped here before going to the Tigers game to get a drink on the roof. There are some amazing views of Detroit and the two stadiums!
Walk along the Detroit Riverfront
The riverfront gives you some amazing views of Canada – which is directly across the river!
Visit Belle Isle
Belle Isle is a river island and park with a bunch of things to check out. We unfortunately were there on a day where a decent amount of things were closed.
However, here are some spots you have to check out when you are there:
- Sunset point: Skyline views of Detroit
- Belle Isle casino: This 1908 building can be rented for events
- Oudolf Garden and Carillon Tower
- Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
- Belle Isle Golf Range
Spend a few hours at the Henry Ford Museum
Since Detroit was really shaped by automobiles, this is one museum you have to check out. I am not a museum person, but this was a really cool spot to visit. They took you through the evolution of farming equipment, furniture, cars, trains and more with real examples of everything. It took us about 3.5 hours to get through the museum.
Eat lunch at Ford’s Garage
After visiting the Henry Ford Museum, head less than 5 minutes over to Ford’s Garage. It is a super cool restaurant that looks like a mechanic garage. Be sure to go to the bathroom while you are there. The bathroom has a gas handle on the bathroom door and tires holding the sinks! They definitely thought of the small details.
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