1. Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts was founded in 1885 and moved to its current site in 1927. The museum has rapidly expanded since then with additional wings being added and a major renovation happening in the early 2000s. The building takes up 658,000 square feet and has over 100 different galleries, a 380-seat recital and lecture hall, an auditorium that seats 1,150, a state-of-the-art conservation services lab, and an art reference library.
There are over 65,000 different works of art, so you could easily spend multiple days here if you truly wanted to see everything. Some of these include "Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait," the first U.S. museum collection of Van Gogh, and Diego Rivera's piece "Detroit Industry Fresco Cycle." There are also many European, Modern, American, Contemporary, and Graphic pieces of art in addition to notable works of Asian, Oceanic, Ancient, African, Islamic, and Native American art.
2. Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a fun experience for car lovers. This is the oldest auto plant that's open to the public in the world and is virtually the same as it was when Henry Ford was around. There are three floors to this mill building, which are divided into sections by the same metal fire doors from when it was built. You can also see the famous "Positively NO Smoking" stencils around. There were over 12,000 Model T cars built in this factory and you can see how worn out the plank floors are from this.
The plant is a designated National Historical Landmark, on the National Register of Historic Places, and a Michigan State Historic Site. You can walk on the same floors that Henry Ford's team developed the now infamous car that started a social and automotive revolution. His office has been left the same as it was in 1908 when he was about to become famous. There is also a small number of rare cars just built in Detroit available for viewing.
3. Motown Museum
Motown began in a small house in Detroit, which is now known as the Motown Museum. Also known as Hitsville, USA, this was the house where Motown hits were recorded by Berry Gordy. While Motown Records was established in 1959, the museum wasn't founded until 1985. You can see artwork, costumes, music, photos, and more memorabilia to get a glimpse of what life was like back then.
People come from all over the world just to step inside Studio A, where some of the most popular and best-loved Motown artists and groups recorded their songs. You can also see the upper flat where Berry Gordy lived with his family when the company was just beginning.
There are plenty of museums to visit in Detroit. You can see famous art, check out an old car factory, and even see where Motown started when you're in the city.
Image via Flickr by stevendepolo used under CC BY 2.0
