Detroit Vicinity Activities

21400 Oakwood Blvd. adjacent to the Henry Ford Museum

(313) 240-4000

This attraction recognizes the achievement of men and women in the automotive and related industries. More than 200 individuals have been inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, including Benz, Bosch, Bugatti, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroen, Daimler, Dodge, Durant, Duryea, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Maybach, Olds, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Sloan and Toyoda.

8450 W. Ten Mile Road

(248) 398-0900

This zoo features open, exhibits that are designed to simulate natural environments. The zoo covers 125 acres and includes a great ape complex, a snow monkey area with hot spring, a reptile house, a free-flight aviary, and penguin and polar bear exhibits. A miniature railroad carries visitors around the grounds of the zoo.

 

20900 Oakwood Blvd.

(313) 982-6001

The museum and village cover 93 acres and highlight not only the life and contribution of Henry Ford, but also American innovation and enterprise. The museum’s collections include communications, transportation, industry, agriculture and domestic life. Its exhibits feature the Rosa Parks bus, the chair that Abraham Lincoln sat in when he was assassinated, the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Edgar Allan Poe’s writing desk.

 

Greenfield Village’s 81 acres cover more than 300 years in exhibits, including steam locomotives, a steamboat, and a Model T. There is an IMAX theater in the vistors’ center.

 

University of Michigan – Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen St.

(313) 593-5590

Tours are available of this estate, which sits on a 1,300-acre site. The 56-room estate was built in 1914 as Clara and Henry Ford’s final home. Visitors are invited to explore the home, as well as the six-level Powerhouse, including Ford’s personal garage and cars. This Powerhouse, created by Ford and Thomas Edison, gave the estate the independence to produce its own power, heat and light – and in fact, still produces electricity today.