All eventsConcerts, festivals and markets, tonight and this weekend
Annual festivalsJazz, techno, cars and parades: Michigan’s year, festival by festival
Holidays & seasonsPumpkin season, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth
Sports: games & scoresLions, Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers: live scores and trophies
ItinerariesReady-made day plans, stop by stop
Places to exploreMuseums, parks, neighborhoods and icons
Metro Detroit mapWhat Metro Detroit is, and what every town is about
The Henry FordRosa Parks’ bus, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory
RenCen: live trackerThe Renaissance Center’s past, present and future, up to the minute
Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
ToursBy boat, by bike or on foot, with a local guide
Escape roomsOne hour, one lock and your crew
Plan a meetingVenues, hotels and what’s on in town on your dates
Detroit A–ZFrom limos to chambers of commerce: every business and service in one place
ShoppingDetroit-made brands, markets and shopping streets
Detroit with kidsZoo, science center and rainy-day ideas
Motor City cultureFactories, museums and car events
Wellness & rechargeA riverside sauna, spas, yoga and running trails
Classic · Weekend
The Model T's birthplace, a ballpark, whiskey, barbecue, bowling and The Henry Ford: two days Dad will be talking about for years.
Does Dad love cars, a good plate of meat, a local whiskey and a little action? Then Detroit's got him covered. Saturday runs from the Model T's birthplace to a bowling alley that's been rolling since 1913, and Sunday brings The Henry Ford in Dearborn and an evening downtown at the casino. Bonus: the Model T story has a couple of Hungarian heroes too.
10:00
Detroit – Milwaukee Junction
The Model T was born in this 1904 brick factory, and the first production car rolled out on September 27, 1908. Two Hungarian engineers, József Galamb and Eugene Farkas, worked in the secret experimental room on the top floor, which has been recreated, and early Fords fill the wood-floored workrooms. Kick off the day with the 10 a.m. guided tour.
A few minutes' walk down Piquette Avenue.
12:15
Milwaukee Junction
A quick, filling lunch right by the plant: shawarma and big, loaded wraps. The brand has several locations; this is the Piquette Avenue one in Milwaukee Junction.
About a nine-minute walk to the Amsterdam Street QLINE stop, then south to Montcalm Street; or a short drive.
14:00
Downtown
Home of the Detroit Tigers since 2000: tiger sculptures, team history displays and downtown skyline views from the stands. On a game day, get there early and look around; otherwise check for ballpark tour times.
A short drive or rideshare to Michigan Avenue in Corktown.
16:30
Corktown
Here the house-made spirits turn into cocktails and tasting flights: the perfect place for Dad to find his new favorite local pour. This is the Michigan Avenue tasting room, not the brand's other locations.
A few minutes' walk along Michigan Avenue.
18:30
Corktown
Dinner at a Corktown icon: barbecue and craft beer on this Michigan Avenue corner since 2005. Come hungry.
A short drive up to the Majestic complex on Woodward Avenue in Midtown.
21:00
Midtown (Majestic Theatre complex)
Balls have been rolling here since August 1, 1913, and it bills itself as America's oldest operating bowling alley. On Rock-N-Bowl nights the lights go down: glow-in-the-dark lanes, mirror balls, smoke and a live DJ. Age rules vary by night, so check ahead.
09:30
Dearborn
Under one roof: Rosa Parks' bus (you can step aboard), the limousine Kennedy was riding in when he was shot, and Lincoln's rocking chair. Take Dad to the Agriculture and the Environment area too: József Galamb's circa-1907 experimental tractor stands there, near a Fordson whose development was led by Eugene Farkas.
Right next door to The Henry Ford, a few minutes on foot.
14:00
Dearborn
It has honored auto pioneers since 1939, nearly 300 of them, from the founders of Ford and General Motors to engineers and racers. The visit is self-guided through interactive exhibits; per our listing it's open Thursday through Sunday.
Drive back downtown, about twenty minutes.
18:00
Downtown
Wrap it up at a big downtown hotel and casino complex with restaurants and evening entertainment under one address. Dining, rooms and the casino each have their own rules, so check the casino's age and ID policy ahead of time.
14 stops
Detroit in 48 hours: the classics and the brand-new citySaturday market, the riverfront, Art Deco lobbies and the newest Detroit: a two-day plan you can mostly do on foot.
9 stops
Hop on, hop off: a whole day riding the QLINEFrom the riverfront to New Center along Woodward: a statue, public squares, a movie palace, modern art, city history, Art Deco and Motown.
12 stops
What can't you miss in Detroit? The icons in two daysArt Deco tile, the Fist, the RenCen, the free People Mover and QLINE, Rivera's murals, the reborn train station and Belle Isle: Detroit's big classics in a weekend.We built these plans from our own checked place pages. Hours and prices change, so check each place’s page before you go.
