Top Sites in Detroit

ChesDetroit

Photo Credit: www.michigan.org

The top MUST SEE sites in Detroit! If you are here for a quick trip or a couple of days these are our recommendations! Detroit boasts wonderful history, architecture, music, art, a vibrant biking scene and of course some awesome food! Taste your way through the city and experience the culture, places and people that make Detroit so special! There’s never been a better time to visit!

PLAN YOUR WEEKEND TRIP TO DETROIT:

  1. Visit Eastern Market (00:38)
  • Located at the heart of Detroit, Eastern Market is our favorite place in the city with more than 150 food and specialty businesses. It’s also one of the oldest and largest year-round markets in the United States.

Operating hours:
Saturday 7am-4pm (year-round)
Tuesday 9am-3pm (June-Sept.)
Sunday 10am-4pm (June-Sept.)

  • Hungry? Grab a bite at two of our favorite places in the market:

Supino’s Pizza (03:49)
Store hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-10pm

Germack Coffee (04:20)
Store hours:
Monday-Friday 730am-430pm
Saturday 700am-430pm

  1. Feel the Detroit Vibe with Amazing Street Art (02:33)
  1. Cruise Through Dequindre Cut (03:11)
  • Formerly a Grand Trunk Railroad Line, the Dequindre Cut is now an exclusive subterranean greenway for pedestrians, bike and roller riders, or tourists who just want to chill out on a beautiful afternoon by the river.
  1. A Trip to Downtown Detroit: Art Deco Buildings
  • Downtown Detroit is home to amazing art deco buildings that never fail to turn heads like the Guardian Building (04:43) located at 500 Griswold St, Suite 160. You can sign up for a free tour from Pure Detroit Tours or you can choose to relax and enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the Café in the middle of the hall to admire the building’s crazy interior of colorful marble, mosaic, and murals. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can walk over to the Grand Trunk Pub, a 2-story high-ceilinged space, that features a vast beer selection and a full bar menu or go upstairs to a whiskey bar with live music on Saturdays.
  • There’s the Fisher Building (06:58) at 3011 W Grand Blvd., designed by architect Albert Kahn, which was supposed to have 3 towers but the Great Depression nixed those plans. At the time, the now defunct Detroit Times wrote, “The tower will be to Detroit what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.” If you’re into broadway shows, there’s the Fisher Theatre that seats more than 2,000 people or drop by and grab a bite at the building’s first floor restaurants and cafés.
  • The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) (09:12) at 5200 Woodward Avenue is the city’s crown jewel that holds one of the world’s finest art collections. Visit DIA every Friday to experience a free concert during their extended operating hours.
  • Craving great pizza & sour beer? Check out Jolly Pumpkin, one of our favorite restaurants located nearby.

Operating hours:
Sunday-Thursday 1130am-11pm
Friday-Saturday 1130am-1am

  1. Head Down to Belle Isle (12:01)
  • Detroit bought Belle Isle in the late 1800s and commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted, a chief architect of New York City’s Central Park, to oversee the landscaping. Features include a beach, zoo, conservatory, botanical garden, golf course, a huge playground area, and many different walking and fitness trails. We highly recommend that you bring stuff for a picnic and soak in the spectacular sunset views featuring the Detroit skyline.
  • A small fee will be collected for those who are bringing their cars but bikes & pedestrians are free
  2. Famous Sites on the Mend
  • The Michigan Central Station (16:09) was the tallest train stain in the world when it was built. Through the years, it has become a popular backdrop for numerous Hollywood films including Transformers and Four Brothers.
  • Despite being a symbol of the economic downfall of the city, the Packard Plant (18:10) was the most modern factory in the world and the first factory ever to be built with reinforced concrete. Currently, the plant is owned by Spanish developer, Fernando Palazuelo, who is looking to revitalize the Packard Plant and develop the vast space into multi-use offices, commercial spaces, restaurants, and a gallery/event space.
  • One truly unique attraction in Detroit is the Heidelberg Project (22:09) built by street artist Tyree Guyton who wanted to beautify his run-down community through recycled materials and found objects. Tyree’s materials were mostly salvaged from the streets of Detroit and is meant to tell a story about current issues plaguing society. There’s the polka-dotted streets, houses covered in technicolor paint blobs, strange doll sculptures in the yards – some love it, some hate it, but it’s certainly inspired debate and discussion.
  1. Slow Roll Detroit: A Community Bike Ride (24:47)
  • A uniquely Detroit experience would be Slow Roll – a must-do if you are here in the warmer season on a Monday. Slow Roll started as a casual group of friends taking their bikes out but quickly grew as more and more people joined over time. Today, thousands of people participate. Every week, a different neighborhood is featured and the riders get creative with their bikes. Many riders hook up lights and music that adds a fun and festive vibe to the ride and there is always somehting new and exciting going on. During one ride we even bought icecream sandwhiches from a bike-riding entrepreneour who brought her business along.
  • Join Slow Roll and get to know the city and its people more.
  1. The Motown Museum
  • From the outside, the Motown Museum (27:57) looks like a normal house – it’s tiny but packed full of history and interesting stories. This museum is where Berry Gordy Jr. launched Motown Records and started the careers of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson with just an $800 loan back in 1959.
  • Immerse yourself in the Detroit music scene right with their 1-hour on-site tour
  1. Ford Museum & Rouge Factory Tour
  • Your trip to Detroit isn’t complete without a visit to the Ford Museum and Rouge Factory Tour (29:32). Through the years, the auto industry has been pivotal to Detroit’s economic and cultural identity. Visiting the Ford Museum, you’ll get to see the Ford F-150 truck assembly line as well as classics like the 1965 Ford Mustang and the original Model-A that helped launch Henry Ford into the halls of history.
  • If you get hungry around the area, head over to Ford’s Garage for a tasty burger and see some original Ford vehicles on display.

Detroit has a lot to offer and we think the above items are a great place to start your exploration of the city! Please let us know if you have any other favorites and we’ll keep this list updated for other travelers!

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