Monroe Street in Detroit’s Greektown is packed with authentic Greek, American and ethnic restaurants, boutiques, nightclubs and more, with historic sites and casino gaming added to the mix.
Photo courtesy of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau

There’s no one word to describe southeast Michigan. It’s got all the excitement of Detroit, with its world-class museums, big-name musicians, family attractions and sporting venues. Plus, it’s filled with outlying cities and towns filled with parks, bustling main streets and great entertainment, shopping and dining. With so much to do and explore, there’s reason to visit the area again and again.

Fun for kids of all ages
With more than 250 interactive science and math exhibits to explore at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, it’s never been so much fun to learn something new. A visit will definitely keep the kids’ attention, and parents are likely to enjoy this fascinating museum too. Click on www.aahom.org for visitor information.

The Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak has 125 acres of natural exhibits, including the popular “Arctic Ring of Life” exhibit. This state-of-the-art, $14.9 million, interactive facility encompasses over four acres of outdoor and indoor exhibits. The most unique feature of the exhibit is a spectacular 70-foot-long clear tunnel that winds through a vast underwater marine environment. Visit www.detroitzoo.org for zoo hours.

“Like a kid in a candy store,” you’ll enjoy a free candy-making tour (and tasty samples) at Michigan’s own Morley Candy Makers in Clinton Township. This legendary chocolate factory, dating back to 1919, is not only the largest producer of chocolates and confections in Michigan, but is among the largest in the United States. Register for your tour at www.shopsandersmorley.com.

When summer ends, take the family to Miller’s Big Red Apple Orchard in Romeo, with loads of activities to enjoy on a fall weekend. Take a tour, pick your own apples, visit the petting farm, find your way through a corn maze, and sip some cider. Visit www.millers-bigred.com for a schedule of events.

The home of the Detroit Tigers is truly an original. Filled with one-of-a-kind attractions, Comerica Park is a combination ballpark, theme park and baseball museum. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau Who’s your Tiger? A day at the ballpark is fun for baseball fans of all ages.Photo courtesy of Dave Reed

Get out and play
Detroit may be known as “Hockeytown,” but the Red Wings aren’t the only game in town. Be sure to take in a game at Comerica Park to watch the city’s beloved Tigers. Watch a fast-paced Pistons basketball game in the suburbs at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Join thousands of diehard fans cheer on the Lions at the new Ford Field.

The park system in this region makes it easy to get out and enjoy nature. Kensington Metropark is the area’s premier outdoor recreation area, with picnic areas, beaches, boat rental, boat launch, fishing piers and golf courses. An 8-mile paved biking/hiking trail around Kent Lake offers walkers and cyclists a challenging trek and great views. Visit www.metroparks.com for information about the Metroparks in southeast Michigan.

Tour the beautiful Blue Water area by boat! Climb aboard the Huron Lady II in Port Huron and enjoy a 3-hour Sunday afternoon cruise departing from the Black River in Port Huron to St. Clair and back. Dinner and sunset cruises are also available. Visit www.huronlady.com for reservations.

Nearly 100,000 people come to the Black River in Port Huron each year for “Boat Night,” the traditional celebration the Friday before the start of the “Port Huron to Mackinac” sailboat race.
Photo courtesy of Cheryl Russell

Let us entertain you
You’ll find great music throughout southeast Michigan … from symphonies and rock concerts to small jazz clubs and local bands. Hungry? Try our casual “coneys,” quaint bistros, friendly pubs and elegant dining—you’ll find a variety of atmospheres and menus to whet your appetite.

This region is a shopper’s paradise. Visit the upscale Somerset Collection in Troy, or shop for deals at the Great Lakes Crossing mall in Auburn Hills, or the Tanger Outlet in Howell. Unique downtown shopping districts are plentiful; most notable destinations are Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ann Arbor and Rochester. But, don’t overlook the unpretentious charm of the area’s small towns and villages for quaint specialty shops and antiques.

Start your engines! Thousands of race fans drive to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn each weekend—MIS is home to some of the nation’s most exciting NASCAR racing, with three major events each summer.

Greektown has been called Detroit’s entertainment center. It’s the liveliest place downtown, and filled with legendary Greek cuisine. Not sure where to start? Order the Saganaki (“flaming cheese”) at the Pegasus Taverna Restaurant. “Opa!”

Culture shock
Southeast Michigan is alive with art, science and history. The Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the most respected fine arts collections in the country, and recently finished a six-year renovation and expansion project. The “DIA” will celebrate a grand reopening in late 2007. Love science?

Visit the “Automobile in American Life” exhibit at The Henry Ford museum and learn how the automobile has refashioned our nation’s way of life more than any other invention in history. Photo courtesy of The Henry Ford

Visit the New Detroit Science Center with traveling exhibits, hands-on labs and an IMAX theatre. Just outside Detroit, in Dearborn, you’ll find The Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village. A must-see exhibit is the “Automobile in American Life,” a collection that illustrates the automobile’s influence on American life throughout the 20th century. For information on these attractions and more, click on www.visitdetroit.com.

Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester is the fourth largest historic house museum in the United States. Photo courtesy of Travel Michigan

Visit historical mansions, including the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores and the Henry Ford Estate in Dearborn. Don’t miss the fourth largest historic house museum in the country, Meadow Brook Hall, the former home of Matilda Dodge Wilson. The 110-room mansion is part of Oakland University in Rochester.

In Port Huron, you’ll find Michigan’s oldest working lighthouse, built in 1829, it watches over one of the busiest waterways in the world. While in the area, stop under the Blue Water Bridges and visit the Thomas Edison Depot Museum. The museum portrays Edison as the greatest inventor of our times with recreated period environments and hands-on exhibits.

Have a blast this winter
Winter in this region is filled with sports, skiing and skating activities, but three big events are not to be missed.
The oldest and largest ice-carving event in the United States is right in downtown Plymouth at the Plymouth Ice Festival. This annual small town festival features teams of ice sculptors, plus food, shopping and restaurants to make it a fun family outing.

On Thanksgiving Day, you can join more than one million spectators curbside on Woodward Avenue to watch Detroit’s most cherished holiday tradition, America’s Thanksgiving Parade. One of the country’s most celebrated parades (watched by more than 102 million TV households), it includes floats, inflatables, marching bands, clowns, specialty acts and celebrities.

The Detroit Winter Blast, held each February, features cool winter events around Campus Martius Park, Greektown and throughout Detroit. Activities include ice skating at Campus Martius, professional skating demonstrations, a 200 ft. snow slide, spectacular ice sculptures, a kid’s tent and more. Visit www.motownwinterblast.com for a schedule of events and dates for 2008.