Explore, learn and play

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum invites you to explore nine unique galleries containing more than 250 interactive exhibits. Subjects range from physics to health to nature to mathematics and beyond. Kids, especially preschool to sixth grade age, will have a blast (while they are learning) in the informal, hands-on setting (www.aahom.org).

The Arctic Ring of Life at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak is the world’s largest polar bear exhibit, and includes a 70-foot-long clear tunnel that winds through a vast underwater marine environment.
Photo credit: Steve and Pattie Constable

The Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak offers large open spaces and wonderful outdoor animal environments. Don’t miss the Arctic Ring of Life—the world’s largest polar bear exhibit. The zoo is also home to the National Amphibian Conservation Center, Wild Adventure Simulator and the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery that includes a butterfly/hummingbird garden (www.detroitzoo.org).

Comerica Park in downtown Detroit is home to the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team. Fans can walk down memory lane each time they visit Comerica Park’s “Walking Hall of Fame,” stretching around the park’s lower concourse with a larger-than-life collection of memorabilia, photos, and great Tiger baseball moments.

America’s “greatest history attraction” is located in Dearborn. The Henry Ford includes the 90-acre Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum and the new Ford Rouge Factory Tour. Brand new in January 2006 is the “With Liberty and Justice for All” exhibit that will explore the quest for freedom in America. This exhibit will delve into four pivotal periods of history, from the American Revolution through the African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s (www.thehenryford.org).

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded this Montgomery City bus to go home from work and initiated a new era in the American quest for freedom and equality. See the actual city bus in the new “With Liberty and Justice for All” exhibit at The Henry Ford in Dearborn.

Photo credit: The Henry Ford

Get moving!

Inline skaters, walkers, bikers and joggers love the variety of hills and scenery as they jog, skate or cycle around Kent Lake on the eight-mile paved hike/bike trail in Kensington Metropark. One of the area’s 13 parks in the Huron-Clinton Metropark system, Kensington, in Milford, features an 18-hole regulation golf course, a disc golf course, a nature center, a farm learning center, picnic areas, ball diamonds, beaches and boat rentals (www.metroparks.com).

The Paint Creek Trail is approximately 8.5 miles long and runs from the City of Rochester to Lake Orion. The trail follows the old Penn Central Railroad up the Paint Creek Valley through highlands, pastures and wetlands. The compacted limestone surface is ideal for walking, running and bicycling (www.paintcreektrail.org).

Since its opening in 1968, the success of the speedway and the growth of motorsports has made Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (near Jackson) the largest sports arena in Michigan. Photo credit: Carrie Nolan

Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is considered one of the country’s premier racing facilities, with a seating capacity of 137,243. MIS boasts a 37-year history of hosting America’s best racing action on 1,400-plus acres in the scenic Irish Hills near Jackson. (www.mispeedway.com)

Take a scenic cruise on the Huron Lady II from historic downtown Port Huron on an informative narrated tour of the beautiful Blue Water Area. View Great Lake freighters, the two International Blue Water Bridges, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Lake Huron and more during an afternoon, evening or dinner cruise (www.huronlady.com).

Ship watching is the Blue Water Area’s top, unique attraction for visitors and residents alike. Large ocean-going freighters pass through the narrow channel where Lake Huron flows into the St. Clair River. These majestic giants measure up to 1,003 feet in length.


Photo credit: Tim Russell

Cold-weather activities

Campus Martius Park, Detroit’s new “Town Square,” includes beautiful plantings, open lawn areas, a lively fountain, outdoor eating areas, water walls, and a unique flexible staging system for concerts and other events. A lively area year-round, this park draws crowds in the winter with a refrigerated ice skating rink.

Just because it’s cold outside in the middle of January, doesn’t mean visitors to the Detroit area have to stay inside. Mingle through Kellogg Park in Plymouth to see the most beautiful ice sculptures in the world. For decades, people of all ages have come out to carve cold blocks of ice into pieces of art in the hopes of making festival goers ‘‘ooh’’ and ‘‘ahh” at the Plymouth Ice Sculpture Spectacular.

Snowmobilers and skiers don’t have to head up north to enjoy their favorite winter sports. Downhill skiers have great options including Alpine Valley in White Lake, Mt. Brighton in Brighton and Pine Knob in Clarkston. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources opens up the trails in its many recreation areas to snowmobilers each winter, so there’s plenty of room to ride.

Overwhelmed with shopping options

Power shoppers will be busy in this region. Metro Detroit has some of the best shopping in the Midwest. Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills is Michigan’s #1 shopping destination, blending entertainment and dining with more than 200 value-oriented stores, including Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World and the Neiman Marcus Last Call clearance center (www.shopgreatlakescrossing.com).

The Somerset Collection in Troy is a world-class shopping destination, featuring more than 180 stores—from Gucci to Gap, Cartier to Crate & Barrel, and four prominent department stores. Somerset also features fine dining including P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and The Capital Grille (www.thesomersetcollection.com).

Looking for local flavor? Downtown Royal Oak brings it all together creating an enjoyable place to mingle, dine and shop. Tree-lined streets lead to a contemporary, eclectic mix of one-of-a kind shops, restaurants, theatres, art galleries and entertainment venues (www.downtownroyaloak.org).

A 201-year old farmer’s market takes place between Russell and Riopelle streets, north of Gratiot Avenue in Detroit. Known as the Eastern Market, you’ll find 43-acres of wholesalers and retailers selling farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, spices and flowers. A refreshing change from the predictable trip to the supermarket, go on a Saturday morning to enjoy the busy atmosphere.

The “world’s foremost outfitter” Cabela’s has a store in Dundee. In addition to offering outdoor merchandise, the massive 225,000 square foot showroom is an educational and entertainment attraction, featuring museum-quality animal displays and huge aquariums.

Right in the heart of the city, and named for the late U.S. Sen. Philip A. Hart, this Isamu Noguchi-designed plaza is the site of Detroit’s summer-long riverfront festivals and the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival.

Small town flavor, big city festivals

The success of the first International Freedom Festival, themed “Partners in Freedom,” in 1959, paved the way for the Detroit-Windsor celebration that continues to develop and grow in popularity on both sides of the Detroit River. Activities include concerts, dances and other family activities, plus a spectacular fireworks display (www.theparade.org).

This region loves the arts, and a summer art fair is the perfect opportunity to see the area’s best artists. The Ann Arbor Art Fairs are held each July in downtown Ann Arbor. Comprised of four, juried art fairs, this renowned event transforms Ann Arbor into an impressive outdoor art gallery showcasing the best in fine art and fine crafts. Over 500,000 visitors come to the event each year (www.annarbor.org).

Looking for a more intimate event? The St. Clair Art Fair is a two-day celebration of the visual and musical arts. It takes place near the end of June along the beautiful St. Clair River (www.stclairart.org).

Hungry for local flavor? The Comerica TasteFest is a five-day outdoor food and entertainment festival in Detroit’s New Center area during the Fourth of July weekend. The event is a family affair which offers free, national and local talent on four stages, over 40 Michigan restaurants selling “tastes” of their specialties, free stage shows, activities for children, and a marketplace of unique Detroit products and memorabilia (www.tastefest.com).