Length of stay: 4 days
Visited: July 2024
Detroit is located across the border from Windsor, Ontario along the shore of the Detroit River that connects Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. It’s known as Motor City as it was once the heart of the automotive industry in the United States, thanks in large part to Henry Ford. The city contains a number of attractions to appreciate art, architecture, and automobiles.
Day 1: Art
We’ve driven through Detroit a few times over the years, but have never stopped to see the sights. It doesn’t have the greatest reputation and it’s listed as one of the most violent and dangerous cities in the United States. But, we were willing to give it a chance. With some careful planning of course.
It’s about a three and half hour drive to get to Detroit from where we live in southern Ontario. We left early Friday morning to avoid traffic and arrived at the border around lunch time. This was our first time crossing the border by land with baby M and it went rather smoothly.
We headed to the Detroit Institute of Arts and found a shaded spot along the road to park. We figured this was as good a spot as any to eat some lunch we brought with us. We got the picnic blanket out and freed the baby from her car seat.
The Detroit Institute of Arts is reputed to contain one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. It features over 65,000 pieces of art from all over the world, including American, Native American, European, Asian and African art, as well as modern and contemporary art. There’s not just paintings here, there’s also pottery, ceramics, furniture, and other items.
After a couple of hours wandering around the museum we headed to our accommodations for the evening.
Day 2: Architecture
We planned to start the day at the Smith House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous American architect. We got there a bit early and decided to first check out the Cranbrook House and Gardens since it’s located nearby. It’s part of the Cranbrook Education Community which was established by philanthropists George and Ellen Scripps Booth.
George and Ellen had roots in the newspaper business. Her family owned and operated The Detroit News and he eventually became the company president of it. They were huge advocates of the arts. They constructed a series of educational institutions, including private middle schools, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Cranbrook Institute of Science on their estate. They later established the Cranbrook Foundation to maintain the schools, institutions as well as their house and surrounding property.
The Cranbrook House is now used for administrative purposes, but it also hosts weddings and offers guided tours of the first floor. The gardens and grounds are free to the public to enjoy. Since we had some time to kill, we wandered around the gardens.
We then made our way over to the Smith House where we had reserved tickets for the morning tour. Sara and Melvyn Smith were schoolteachers with a passion for art and architecture. They traveled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio in Taliesin, Wisconsin and asked if he could design a house for them on a modest budget. Wright agreed to the idea, on the condition that they purchase a property with a decent bit of land and some sort of topographic feature such as a hill or pond. The Smiths found something that fit the bill. Wright came down to scope it out and drew up the blueprints for a house. The Smiths didn’t have much money after purchasing the property. So Melvyn took on the role as general contractor and used the help of friends to construct the house.
As part of the tour we learned more about the history of the house and got to see inside it. It contains some furniture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as an impressive collection of art, most of which was created by students at the nearby Cranbrook.
We returned to our hotel for a late lunch and to put the baby down for an afternoon nap. Except baby M was having none of it. So we decided to go for a walk. We returned to Cranbrook to explore the grounds more fully. We drove through the campus, stopping to admire some of the buildings and sculptures.
We then went for a stroll through the Cranbrook Japanese Garden and Bog Garden.
Spending time outside was just what everyone needed. Except trying to put an overtired baby to bed afterwards was pretty rough.
Day 3: Henry Ford
We planned to spend the day at Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to learn more about Henry Ford and his legacy. He was an American industrialist and innovator. Born and raised in Michigan, Ford is best known for revolutionizing factory production for automobiles and making cars more affordable with the introduction of the Model T in the early 1900s.
Greenfield Village is an outdoor living history museum that contains over a hundred historic structures spread across 80 acres. It was actually the first outdoor museum of its kind in the United States. Ford bought historic buildings and had them moved to Greenfield Village as a way to preserve the past of early life in the United States. Some examples include a church, a school, shops, industrial buildings, a covered bridge, a railroad station and several houses.
The village is organized in seven historic districts. Many of the buildings are furnished and are open to the public to explore. There are also people in period costumes that provide more information about Ford, the buildings and larger village. Some of them even provide demonstrations.
A few of the buildings in the village are associated with Ford and his past. This includes the farmhouse where he was born, which was restored to look how he remembered it, and a barn that was built by his father. There’s also a building of the Ford Motor Company, a smaller replica that was modelled after the company’s first factory.
There are other buildings associated with some big names such as the Wright family house (where Wilbur and Orville Wright lived while they developed their first successful powered airplane), Heinz House (where H.J Heinz first developed products, which was in the basement of his parents’ house), Thomas Edison’s laboratories (including where Edison developed the incandescent lightbulb), Robert Frost Home (he lived in this house while he was the University of Michigan’s first poet-in-residence in the mid-1920s) and Noah Webster Home (he published the American Dictionary of the English Language while living in this house).
Once we finished touring through the village, we found a quiet spot in the shade to eat our lunch. Afterwards we walked over to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation which showcases some of the major innovations in the United States. Ford was a huge collector of historic objects related to the Industrial Revolution which formed the basis of the museum.
The museum’s collection includes automobiles, including Ford’s first Model T and presidential vehicles used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. It also includes the car John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated.
There are also exhibits on railroads (including one of the largest steam-engined locomotives ever built), aviation (including a replica plane from the Wright brothers’ first flight), artifacts from American manufacturing, and memorabilia and furniture from different generations.
Day 4: Belle Isle
We got an early start to the day as the forecast was calling for another scorcher. After eating breakfast at the hotel, we packed our bags and checked out. On the drive back to Canada, we made a detour to Belle Isle Park, an island in the Detroit River. The park contains several walking trails, a beach, monuments, as well as a conservatory, aquarium and museum about the Great Lakes.
We parked by the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, which was unfortunately closed for the year for major renovations. Instead we walked around the perimeter of the botanical gardens and could sneak a peek inside from some of the gates.
There was a smaller garden located nearby that we could walk through to admire the summer blossoms.
After wandering around for a bit, we drove to the eastern tip of the island to check out the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse, which requires hiking a section of the Driker Trail. We continued a bit further and walked down to the river. There was a nice breeze rolling in off the water and it was tough to leave.
We then drove to the western tip of the island to check out Sunset Point, which is reputed to provide a great view of the Detroit skyline. We walked along the shoreline, but it was getting a bit too hot and humid for our liking. This was our cue to leave.
It was a rather uneventful drive back home, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
L
An interesting visit to Detroit. It would be great to learn more about Henry Ford. Baby seems to be enjoying the nature. xo
Detroit wasn’t high on our list of places to visit, but it’s reasonably close to home, so we decided to give it a whirl. While there are some dodgy parts, there’s also some really nice areas as well. The Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Village were a lot of fun to explore. You could easily spend the whole day there (which is exactly what we did). And yes, baby M really enjoys being outside, especially in nature. She loves looking and holding onto leaves at the moment.
Enchanting.
Detroit exceeded our expectations. I was surprised at how much there was to do in the city. I just made sure to do a lot of research in advance to avoid the dodgy neighbourhoods.
WoW. Thank you so much for taking us on this wonderful Journey to D City. What wonderful photos and love the story .,
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. We had a wonderful time exploring the sights in Detroit. It was a nice balance of visiting museums and spending some time in nature.
This is an exceptionally fascinating post! I appreciate how you really do Detroit justice… there is so much to see and experience there, despite the bad reputation. I particularly liked the part about the Smith house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a gem, as is the history behind its construction. And your kiddo is so lucky to be immersed in your travels… travel is one of life’s greatest experiences, an opportunity to learn and grow. Your child will soak up so much, even though they may not be aware of it just yet!
You are too kind. I was actually surprised at how much there is to do in Detroit and that there are some really nice areas there. I’m glad we decided to give it a chance and check it out. We’ve seen a few houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and every time we travel to the US we see if there are any available tours. He had really expensive taste, so it was neat to hear how he designed this custom house to be more affordable for the Smiths. I wonder how much it would cost to build something like that nowadays. Probably not so affordable anymore!
We’re so lucky our little one has been such a good little traveller so far. She’s so curious. She is starting to resent her car seat though so we may have to put off road trips for awhile and try to minimize the amount of time on the road.
When you have a little one, an uneventful drive is definitely a good thing! Baby M is adorable. What a lovely picture. Detroit is always overlooked in favour of Chicago and of course, it has had a bad reputation, too. You’ve shown what an interesting and eclectic city it really is. All cities have their drawbacks or shady areas, but that never applies to the whole place.
Oh totally! And it’s even better when she can get a nap in on the drive! She looooves looking and holding onto leaves. It’s one of her favourite things at the moment. We’ve never really had much interest in visiting Detroit given its reputation, but I’m glad we decided to give it a whirl. You’re absolutely right about how many cities, even some of the smaller ones, can have sketchy areas. With a bit of research we were able to avoid the dodgy parts and never really felt unsafe.
Wow, you guys hit the best places! Being from lower Michigan, I have seen this wonderful places before. I’m glad that you guys had a good time in the Motor City! The city has struggled with crime for as long as I can remember but many big cities do sadly. Henry Ford was an amazing man!
Crime and homelessness seems to be an issue in many cities now, even here in Canada. I’m glad we decided to give Detroit a whirl as we had a wonderful time seeing the sights, especially the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. It certainly sounds like Ford had such a great impact in Michigan and helped make life more affordable for many Americans. We could sure use more of those types of people today!
I agree! We could use another Ronald Reagan too. He was a great president.
We could use someone like Ronald Reagan as prime minister here in Canada too! It’s a bit sad to see our current state of politicians and politics.
Yes, on either side of the border. The Britons despise their government too it that all of the English speaking countries have had enough of the rotten politicians.
I hope things will change, but I’m not too optimistic. Politicians just seems to be getting more negative and toxic. Rather than name calling and blaming each other, why can’t we just focus more on the real issues? There’s certainly no shortage of them!
Hatred. Spite. Vindictiveness. It wasn’t like this in the past. The world is more hateful every year, very sad and not necessary.
Agreed. It’s very sad. No wonder so many people are disengaged from politics. And the other issue is that there seems to be zero accountability.
No there isn’t, maybe a slap on the wrist…
If that. And yet somehow these clowns keep getting elected. I don’t get it.
Rigged elections. Clueless people.
Sigh. I guess you’ll be voting soon. We’ve been following the US presidential election on the news.
I already voted just yesterday. Early voting is nice.
Oh nice! And agreed. It sure beats having to stand in a line the day of!
Absolutely! I had to drive a little way to get to a location that collects completed ballots. For what it’s worth! I’ve never seen a presidential election like this, Linda, it is incredibly heated. I’m so tired of the lies either side is spitting at each other.
That’s not bad. And it’s kind of nice to get it out of the way. According to many of the polls it’s looking like a tight race. It’s crazy. I’ll be interesting to see what the results are.
I saw that it’s a tight race too, but I just can’t imagine why, Linda. I am a Conservative but also a registered Republican. I can’t understand why anyone could possibly believe the outright lies that woman is spewing about President Trump. He’s still president to me… She supports illegals coming into America and the new results have been innocent Americans being murdered by illegals from the countries south of us. President Trump has got to be elected again or America is going towards Socialism in my opinion.
We seem to be having similar issues here in Canada. Income inequality is at its highest level ever, we’ve had a significant rise in crime and our immigration system which was once one the best in the world is broken. But hey, we cast our ballot anyway and hope for the best.
I didn’t know that, Linda and it’s terrible. I hope our southern border issue doesn’t affect Canada. Our government is a joke! A country without borders is not a country.
Canada is actually to blame for part of that. There’s been a huge increase in the number of migrants who have been crossing into the northern borders of the US from Canada. It’s becoming particularly problematic as our screening process for letting people in isn’t very effective or efficient.
I didn’t know this, Linda. Wow. How sad that Ottawa isn’t doing a better job. Just like us in some way maybe. Who the heck do these people think they are? There are zero entitlements.
Oh I know. Immigration has become such a heated topic here, especially given all the concerns about housing and jobs. Our infrastructure, hospitals, schools and other services are already stretched so thin. Canada’s open door policy really isn’t working anymore. Something has to change. And agreed, there seems to be no accountability. There’s been more of an emphasis on helping businesses than actual people.
I think both our countries need to start tightening our border controls. This is ridiculous!
You’re so lucky to live close to a lot of great historical sites just by driving a few hours. For me, living in Southern California, it would take many, many hours and sometimes days. I’m envious but I enjoy reading about your travels. I live vicariously through you.
Thanks for your lovely comment. Living in southern Ontario certainly gives us a lot of options. And it’s nice to have a good balance between city adventures and spending time in nature. Traffic can be awful though, so we try to work around that by leaving early in the morning or a day before or after the weekend.
I love that the three of you are always game for adventure and exploration. Detroit is certainly not on my list to check out, as you said, it doesn’t have the best reputation.
I loved seeing the gardens, museums and old homes that you visited. Not what I had pictured in my head. How nice to see Lyold Wright influences and to see the history and innovation of Ford paid tribute to. And the skyline view is fantastic.
So how did you find the safety aspect? Was it even an issue?
To be honest, Detroit wasn’t high up on our list of places to visit either, largely because of its bad reputation for being super sketchy. But we decided to give it a whirl since it’s actually not too far of a drive. And the reality is that unfortunately many of our cities are becoming a bit dodgy with crime, homelessness and drugs. We paid extra to stay somewhere nice, did our research on what areas to avoid, and we never felt unsafe while wandering around. I was honestly surprised at how much there is to do in Detroit and that there are some really beautiful areas.
Have a wonderful weekend and happy Thanksgiving!
I’m glad you had a good time. And yes, I see issues creeping up in our own city too, especially the downtown areas.
Happy first Thanksgiving to you, K and M!
Thanks!! M’s front teeth are just starting to come in, so the past couple of days have been a bit rough. But she’s been such a trooper at all our family gatherings this weekend. We’re hoping to take things easy today. Maybe go for a walk if the weather cooperates. Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend.
Time does fly! Teething stage can be rough but also so exciting. Hope you can enjoy a walk on this sunny day!
Thanks! We might as well enjoy the nice-ish weather and fall colours while we can!
Kudos to you for having an open mind and seeing the bright side of this city and its rich history.
I’m glad we decided to give Detroit a chance and check it out. I was surprised and impressed with how much there is to do there. It certainly has an interesting history and it was neat to learn more about Henry Ford. I especially enjoyed wandering around Greenfield Village.
Thanks for showing us that Detroit is not all the bad things everyone says about it. I only drove through here once with an American family in 1973 not long after a white shop owner shot a black kid for toughing his car. It was chaos and we kept driving right through. It has had its troubles, but you showed that the city mottos “We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes” is still alive and well. Loved the FLW house. I saw this one on the PBS series. Now I understand your reference to Greenfield Village. It looks worth a visit for sure. Baby M is growing fast. I have a similar shot of Baby F reaching out to touch tree leaves. Thanks for sharing Linda. Allan
Detroit has come a long way, especially over the past decade. With any major city it’s always good to be aware of your surroundings and to avoid the sketchy areas. We’ve been to a few houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and typically now look for tours whenever we’re travelling somewhere in the United States. He had such expensive taste so it was super interesting to hear how he designed this custom house on a budget that was meant to be more affordable to the typical American. I wonder how much it would cost to build the Smith House today.
Don’t remind me of how quickly Baby M is growing! The time just seems to fly by. She’s still obsessed with leaves and loves being outside. Thanks for reading. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Looks it is so a beautiful place, wonderful experience and that
bridge is lovely, so nice. Thank’s for share Linda.
Have a wonderful week full of blessings.
Thanks for your kind words. It was a nice balance between visiting museums and spending time outside. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend. Linda
I have never been to Detroit, nor even thought of visiting, but you showed me a few good spots that make it worth a stop if I’m ever in that area. Baby M is adorable 😊 Maggie
Detroit has never really been on our radar. But we had a free weekend and were looking to do some city exploring to avoid the mosquitoes and landed on Detroit since it’s not too far of a drive. It definitely exceeded our expectations. I guess Baby M was really into it too as she was resisting her naps pretty hard. Have a happy Thanksgiving. Linda
I’m really interested in transport museums so would enjoy an opportunity of visiting Greenford and the Henry Ford museum. We once changed planes in Detroit but have not stopped off there but reading this post makes it sound a good plan for a short city break sometime. It’s a lovely photo of baby M and your husband Linda. She looks a little sweetie.
It felt like we had stepped back in time in Greenfield Village. It’s such a fascinating place to explore and try to imagine what life was once like. It was neat to learn more about Henry Ford and his legacy. And yes, baby M sure is charming! She’s very curious and absolutely loves being outside.
All I knew about Detroit was its connection to Ford and that it was classified as a dangerous city. But you’ve now shown me so much more – lovely architecture and pretty gardens. And of course, Henry Ford’s Museum and the other buildings are just as interesting … I was particularly surprised at how many famous people (and products) originated in this area. And I agree with Marion, what a beautiful photo of your husband and baby – you guys are make beautiful memories with her.
Detroit doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but it’s made some pretty big strides over the past decade. Like many major cities, there’s always some sketchy areas. With some careful planning we managed to avoid them. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do and that there are some really nice neighbourhoods. It was a good balance of visiting museums and spending some time in nature. Baby M might have been a bit too overstimulated, but she seemed to enjoy it, especially when we were outside.
So many big names with illustrious histories in one city! And that’s without mentioning Tamla Motown…. Sounds like there’s a lot to see and do in Detroit.
Detroit’s history is fascinating. There is a Motown Museum in the city, but we regrettably didn’t have enough time to visit. Same with the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, which was the birthplace of the Model T. Sounds like we should have stayed an extra day.
Detroit has really come a long way in recent years. It’s becoming quite the food scene too. I grew up about thirty minutes from Detroit so we went to the DIA and Greenfield Village/Hengry Ford Museum on our school field trips. I’d love seeing Cranbrook House and Gardens, that’s a really nice area in Metro Detroit. My parents love biking on Belle Isle, but I’ve never been! Baby M sure is growing fast, what a cutie!
Detroit is definitely experiencing a revival. Good to know it has a decent food scene. We ended up bringing most of our meals from home or going to the grocery store as we’re not yet at the stage of eating out with our little one. Sounds like you went on some fun field trips while in school! We only stumbled upon Cranbrook as it was close to FLW’s Smith House. If we had more time I would have loved to go on a tour of the Cranbrook House. Agreed, it’s such a lovely area. It’s crazy how quickly Baby M has grown, something you’ll soon discover with your little one.
I had absolutely no idea that Detroit has so much to offer. Your photos offer glimpses into so many beautiful spaces; what a surprise. Thanks for sharing!
We’ve largely avoided Detroit given it’s bad reputation. But it’s come a long way over the past decade with major efforts to revitalize downtown. It was neat to learn more about its history, especially the impact Henry Ford had, and to also enjoy some of the green spaces in the city. Thanks for reading. Linda
I would not have thought Detroit would have so much cool stuff, given its reputation. But then, for some folks good news isn’t news, ’cause it doesn’t sell as well as bad news.
Detroit has come a long way in recent years. It definitely exceeded our expectations. Like any major city, there are dodgy areas, but we made sure to avoid them.
Wow, I had no idea there was so much to see in Detroit. My only experience in the city involves a layover in the airport. Clearly I need to make an actual visit to see all the museums and architecture. Thanks for the tour!
I’m not going to lie, I had pretty low expectations for Detroit. I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do and that there are some really beautiful neighbourhoods and green spaces. We could have easily stayed for another day.
This is a very interesting post with a lot of good facts. I didn’t realize the influence Ford had on the city. Greenfield Village sounds like a place I would like to visit. I was also intrigued by the photos of the house built by Frank Lloyd Wright. In 2012 we visited his home in Scottsdale, Arizona called Taliesin West. I could definitely see a similarity between the two homes.
Thanks for your kind words. It was fascinating to learn more about Henry Ford and the impact he had. Greenfield Village was such a highlight and one of the main reasons we visited the city. It’s amazing that Ford saved many of these buildings and had them moved here to better preserve their history and stories. We’ve seen a few houses designed by FLW and now look for tours whenever we travel somewhere in the US. We haven’t been to Taliesin West yet, but I’ll keep it in mind for the next time we’re in Arizona.
Such a wonderful place and photos all I nicely enjoyed to view 😍👍🏻🙏super nature and specialty your child so nicely enjoying the beautiful world with loving father , so gorgeous photography 👌🥰 thank you so much for sharing and
graceful wishes to you and your loving family my sweet friend 💞💐
Thanks for your lovely comment. Despite being in the city, it was nice to find so many beautiful green spaces. Our little one just loves being outside and in nature. Have a wonderful weekend. Linda
You are most welcome 🙏 and thank you so much for my comment likes 👍🏻 ❤️ life is a series of seasons , and your travels photos and explanations
for me so interested 👏 graceful wishes with lots of love my friend 💞🌷
That it is. And it’s always lovely to experience the change in the seasons. Hope you had a wonderful weekend.
🙏💞🙏
This is great look at this city. Sadly, the only thing I’ve ever known of Detroit was its sketchy reputation. So it was so great to see that this city is full of interesting and beautiful places.
Detroit has fallen victim to having a bad reputation and has really struggled with crime and poverty. It has come a long way in recent years though with major efforts to revitalize its downtown. As with any major city, there are some dodgy areas, but there are also some really lovely neighbourhoods as well. I’m glad we decided to give Detroit a chance and visit some of its main attractions.
Detroit looks such an interesting city, it’s a shame about its reputation. Cranbrook House and Gardens and Smith House are beautiful! I love an outdoor history museum and Greenfield Village looks a fascinating place to visit. Baby M is adorable, that’s a lovely photo 🙂
Detroit’s history is super interesting but also a bit sad. It went from being one of the wealthiest cities to the poorest. But it’s been trying to reinvent and revitalize itself in recent years. There’s quite a bit to do in the city and we were pleasantly surprised at how many beautiful green spaces there are. I’m glad we decided to give it a chance.
It’s great to see a bit of Detroit, a city I’m not at all familiar with other than Eminem and the Detroit Lions. I had no idea there were such interesting museums, galleries and open green spaces to explore. I’d particularly love the Ford museum – and I’d no idea so many inventors came from the city. It made me chuckle that Baby M was having none of her nap – how could she when the alternative was a Bog Garden?! 🙂
Detroit doesn’t have the greatest reputation and there are definitely some dodgy areas within the city. But there are also some lovely neighbourhoods and quite a bit of green spaces too. We had a nice balance of visiting museums and spending some time outdoors, which is baby M’s favourite. She’s becoming quite curious and isn’t the greatest at napping on the go anymore, but we can’t really blame her can we? I’d pick a Bog Garden over a nap any day!
Thank you for this visit of Detroit. Travelling with little ones is always a challenge but so nice to have them seeing new things.
Oh yes. We’re still trying to figure out the best way to squeeze in nap times while travelling. It’s a bit hit or miss at this point now that baby M is getting older. She’s just so curious!
Love that display of the disassembled Model T.
I’m not much of a car person, but I found the Henry Ford Museum pretty interesting. Agreed, it’s pretty neat how they displayed the Model T to show all the various different parts. Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment.
When I was in Detroit, I visited the city centre, which is benefiting from a number of improvement programmes, although it feels like the recent past has been difficult. I haven’t had the opportunity to see what’s around the city yet.
It was interesting to learn more about Detroit’s rise from being one of the wealthiest cities to its fall. But it’s come a long way in recent years to clean up and revitalize the downtown. There’s quite a bit to do in and around the city. I’m glad we decided to check it out.
It’s always a pleasure visit your blog Linda and thank’s for your kindness.
Have a wonderful weekend as well.
Take care. Elvira
You are too kind. We had a lovely weekend with family and friends as we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Enjoy the rest of the day.
Beautifully presented the “Motor City”
Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m not really into cars, but I really enjoyed learning more about Henry Ford and the impact he had on the city.
I read this with much interest Linda, as Detroit has long been a city that’s interested me. Despite its reputation for crime, poverty and unemployment I’ve always been drawn to it for its lively music sene, art deco architecture and automobile history. I am a huge fan of Rodriguez too, and loved how the city was depicted in the documentary ‘Searching for Sugarman’. Your post does even more to fuel my wanderlust and serves as a reminder of how much Detroit has been revitalised in recent decades. To be honest everything you’ve highlighted appeals, especially the Frank Lloyd Wright house, Greenfield Village and the Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse.
Detroit definitely has some sketchy areas, but there are also some very lovely neighbourhoods. And its history is fascinating. It went from being one of the wealthiest cities, in large part thanks to Henry Ford, to the poorest. But who doesn’t love a good underdog story? It’s come a long way in recent years to reinvent itself. It’s actually quite cool. I’m now curious to see Searching for Sugarman. Thanks for putting that on my radar.
Thank you so much for your post about Detroit. It completely changed my perception of the city. I had passed by it several times when I lived in the US, but I never felt the urge to explore it properly. After reading your post, I would definitely react differently.
I wish you a glorious autumn
Klausbernd 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment. Detroit is such an underrated city. It’s come a long way in recent years and has taken great strides to reinvent and revitalize its downtown. I was pleasantly surprised at much there is to do there and that there are some really lovely areas. We had the same attitude towards the city, but I’m glad we decided to dig a bit deeper and check it out.
Hope you’re enjoying the fall as well. It’s my favourite time of the year. Cheers. Linda
Thank you very much, dear Linda.
We love autumn and winter really much as well.
Have a happy week
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks! You as well! We just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend and I’m still full from all the food!
Sounds like a wonderful time in balance and it’s great you enjoy it.
Thank’s for your kindness it’s was so good weekend hope yours too.
Amazing new week!
You bet! Thanks!
You’ve found such interesting spots in Detroit. I didn’t know about them. I’d love to spend time in the Smith House. And the fountain sculpture with the figures at Cranbook is great – was there some information about what it represents?
We’ve seen a few houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and now look for tours whenever we travel somewhere in the United States. One of the reasons why we visited Detroit was actually to see the Smith House. I’m glad we did as we also stumbled upon Cranbrook.
The fountain sculpture is called the Orpheus Fountain and was created by Carl Milles. It’s based on the story of Orpheus and his wife Eurydice in Greek mythology. After she was killed by a snake bite, he descended into the underworld in search of her. The circle of the eight figures in the fountain is thought to represent shades or souls from the underworld.
Detroit looks very cool, and an interesting spot to learn more about automobiles! I love that your baby went out, this is inspiring me to go on a longer trip with my little one too 🙂
I didn’t have high expectations for Detroit given it’s bad reputation, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do and that there are some really lovely areas.
Baby M has been such a good little traveller. The first overnight trip was a bit stressful, but it went much better than expected. Every time we go somewhere it’s a bit different, but you figure out what works and what doesn’t in terms of packing and planning. We just try to work around her nap schedule. It was actually much easier when she was younger because she slept really well in the car or in her baby carrier while we were hiking. Now it’s a bit more challenging as she’s crawling and is so curious and gets easily overstimulated!
Baby M is so adorable! Travelling with a baby is a challenge, but the reward is amazing. I have some funny stories of travellign with 13 month old twins that would curl your toes, BUT the reward? Everything after that was so easy 🙂
I love the Frank Lloyd Wright home, and that he would design something on a budget. Sometimes, less is more. This house and interior is stunning.
Thanks for sharing,
Alisen
Thanks! She’s growing so quickly! She’s been such a good little traveller so far and just loves being outside. Oh gosh, I couldn’t imagine travelling with twins though!! Whenever we visit the US we always look for Frank Lloyd Wright tours. I’m glad the timing worked out and we were able to visit the Smith House. It was neat to see how he was able to design a more affordable type of house. Thanks so much for reading. Hope all is well. Linda
It’s a good idea to have visited the U.S. before this Nov. I’m so glad I made several trips to visit good American friends who were more relaxed back then.
Oh I know!! I’m still in shock. We don’t have any immediate plans to visit the US anytime soon.
HappyHolidays to my like minded Canadian travelers.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours as well. Here’s hoping for many more adventures in 2025!
Oh my gosh baby m is sooooo cute !!! Awww that Smith house is really pretty. I love touring houses with history like that .
Thanks!! It’s crazy how much she’s grown since then! She’s now almost walking. And same, I’m such a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. We often look to see if there are any of his buildings that we can tour whenever we travel somewhere in the US.
Aw she’s almost walking ?! That’s awesome. Time goes by so fast. She’s going to have a travel itch just like you. I know it. That’s so cool
Oh I know! She loves being outside, so we’re off to a great start. She’s done reasonable well on all of our trips so far,m. We’ll be heading to New Zealand in the spring though and I’m a bit nervous as to how she’ll do on a 14 hour flight. Wish us luck!
Aww New Zealand!!! That’s so exciting !!! I can’t wait to read that blog !!!! I will definitely wish you guys luck. I’m sure she’ll do great as long as you bring things to occupy her like her favorite toys and such. The first time I was on a plane, I was 7 and had such a fear of flying. My mom had to reassure me a million times that we were safe on the plane. Then, we flew through a hurricane lol 😆 😂 . My mom was smart and gave me my allergy medicine early to help me sleep on the plane and it worked. My poor mom. I am still fearful of flying but I did surprisingly well . We took a plane to Miami to board the cruise ship ( our Curcao trip). The flight wasn’t too bad for that one but we did get some heavy turbulence, which scared me but other than that, it went well.
Thanks! And yes, it’s all about finding things to keep her entertained and distracted without screen time. It’s funny because I used to be terrified of flying as well. I’ve gotten used it though. I’ve used Melatonin to help me sleep on the flight. I don’t think I’ll take it when we go to New Zealand though as I might have to hold the baby the whole time! Aren’t moms the best!? I have so much more of an appreciation for my mom now that I’m a mom myself.
I know what you mean !!!!! Working with kids, makes me appreciate all the time she put in with me. I can’t imagine how much more I’ll appreciate her once I am a mom !!! You’re on point . I want to keep my kiddos occupied without screen time, too, now and once I have kids. I want them to enjoy outdoors and active play or drawing or coloring. I don’t want them to be addicted to technology