Perhaps Detroit wouldn’t be your first (or second, or third) choice for a weekend trip, but it’s worth giving the city a chance. Here are six reasons — six places to visit — in Detroit.

Detroit Institute of Arts

This museum is a must-see place if you are into art and history. Here you can have a look at hundreds of thousands of objects from Europe, North, Central, and South America, Oceania, Asia, and Africa; from ancient times to modern history. Among the most famous ones: works made by European artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt. 

If you are not a fan of art, visit a performing arts exhibition. Find out more about the theater and film industry in a short tour. You can visit every day, except on Monday; it is a traditional weekend day for museums and galleries. 

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

If you are a fan of autos, this museum should be your number one destination. 

In this factory, Henry Ford created his legendary Model T, which revolutionized the world of transportation. After his big success, Piquette Avenue Plant has become a central station to produce Ford cars for the next few years. 

Here you can walk through the plant and get familiar with the whole process of Model T’s creation and production. You can also take a look at the cars from Ford’s personal collection, as well as automobiles manufactured by his competitors. The plant itself hasn’t changed much since the 20th century, so you will be able to feel the special vibes of old car manufacture. 

Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History

This museum is a great place to get familiar with the history of the African-American population of Detroit and Michigan state. Here you can visit exhibitions on famous African-American scientists, politicians, and activists. You can also visit Detroit’s Underground Railroad, which helped black people move into Canada in the 19h century, before and after The Fugitive Slave Act was enacted in 1850.

If you are not into exhibitions, check the list of events happening there. This museum hosts different lectures, showcases movies, and facilitates discussions. Also, there are workshops for adults and children that navigate them towards exploration, studying, and appreciation of African culture and the lives of the African Diaspora. 

You can also find out more about Doctor Charles H. Wright, the founder of this museum. Recently — in September of 2021 — the museum celebrated Doctor Wright’s 103rd birthday. Doctor Wright studied African culture all his life, traveled there as a doctor and an amateur anthropologist, was a Civil Rights activist, and founded a museum after four years of relentless organizing, negotiating, and creative work in 1965.

Detroit Zoo

The zoo is a perfect place to spend time with your family or friends. Located in downtown Detroit, it’s a 125-acres zone, in which visitors get familiar with various animals. All animals are divided into separate sections according to their continent of origin. Visit the African zone to get a look at lions, giraffes, or zebras. In the Asian forest zone, you’ll meet tigers, red pandas, and camels. The Australian zone has, of course, kangaroos. You can also find out more about North American fauna and animals from the Arctic region. Some of the animals you can feed. 

There are also a lot of activities for children: playgrounds, a 4D theater, rides on miniature trains, and picnic zones to have a nice lunch together. 

Historic Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne is a must-see if you are interested in the Civil War period. This building was used as a garrison by the army, as well as a strategy center. Rumors say that this Fort was one of the final stops of the Detroit Underground Railroad. Fort Wayne is also built on lands that have been — and are — important to Native Americans; burial mounds have been sacred for hundreds of years before settler-colonialism reached the shores of America, and some Native Americans still visit the place to pay respects to their dead. 

Historic Fort Wayne hosts lots of events in summer — they include special tours (f.i., you can get a tour at night), lectures, exhibitions, and so on. 

The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village

Greenfield Village is an open-air museum, where visitors can see over 100 old buildings, including a school and railroad station, several old factory buildings, and the Henry Ford Museum. This is the building where Henry Ford was born and raised. 

This museum complex dedicated to innovations is perfect for people interested in 18th-19th centuries architecture, technological advancements, and history. There’s also a bus where Miss Rosa Parks took a seat and triggered a process for successful abolition of racial segregation in transport and other objects and items, so important for our current history.  

Detroit has a reputation of being… not the most inviting city — that’s mostly because, when the automotive industry crumbled within its borders, the city turned, for some, to a ghost of its former glory. But, there are lots of things to see there, significant to American history, so — the weekend doesn’t sound bad, does it?