The North Wall of the Detroit Industry Murals, a series of frescoes by Mexican artist Diego Rivera at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, October 1988. (Photo by Barbara Alper/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Detroit Institute of Arts

Top choice in Detroit

LoginSave

The DIA holds one of the world's finest art collections. The centerpiece is Diego Rivera's mural Detroit Industry, which fills an entire room and reflects the city's blue-collar labor history. Beyond it are Picassos, Caravaggios, suits of armor, modern African American paintings, puppets and troves more spread through 100-plus galleries.

Try out the Lumin augmented reality tour that takes you to 18 museum highlights; the devices are free, available first come, first served from desks near the entrance.

It's hard to believe the museum's collection was about to be sold to pay off the city's debt back in 2013. Luckily, donors saved the day.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The exhibits at the Henry Ford Museum feature all makes of automobiles and tell the reader how they affected American culture.

    Henry Ford Museum

    9.46 MILES

    The Henry Ford Museum contains a fascinating wealth of American culture. It’s comprised of two parts: the indoor Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation,…

  • Eastern Market entrance in Detroit.

    Eastern Market

    1.57 MILES

    One of the oldest and largest year-round bazaars in the United States, Eastern Market draws Detroiters of all types to its six-block spread of wares…

  • A ceiling painting in the Fisher Building in Detroit.

    Fisher Building

    0.92 MILES

    This 1928 masterpiece from the man who built Detroit, Albert Kahn, has an imposing art deco exterior made from Minnesota granite and Maryland marble, and…

  • Chimczuk Museum

    Chimczuk Museum

    3 MILES

    Sharing the building with the Art Gallery of Windsor, this remarkable museum unfolds the region's history in an inclusive and in-depth way, integrating…

  • Greenfield Village, part of the Henry Ford Museum, was constructed to save and house historic farm buildings, houses, and other structures, recreating a time in the United States that recalled Mr. Ford's childhood.

    Greenfield Village

    9.29 MILES

    Adjacent to the Henry Ford Museum (and part of its complex), outdoor Greenfield Village spreads across 80 acres and features historic buildings shipped in…

  • Guardian Building

    Guardian Building

    2.24 MILES

    Commissioned as a 'cathedral of finance,' this distinctive, 40-story, redbrick building with green and white accents was the world's tallest masonry…

  • The abandoned Packard plant in Detroit.

    Packard Plant

    2.37 MILES

    Renowned architect Albert Kahn designed this 3.5-million-sq-ft factory, which opened in 1905, but after years of neglect it became one of Detroit's most…

  • JUNE 30, 2019: Pedestrians walking around Campus Martius park.

    Campus Martius Park

    2.13 MILES

    This public space in the heart of Detroit's downtown is the perfect spot to while away a sunny afternoon. A fountain dots the middle, surrounded by…

View more attractions

Nearby Detroit attractions

1. Scarab Club

0.12 MILES

The Scarab Club transports you back a century to a gilded age of arts appreciation when costumed balls and visits by Diego Rivera and Norman Rockwell were…

2. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

0.42 MILES

MOCAD is set in an abandoned, graffiti-slathered auto dealership. Heat lamps hang from the ceiling over peculiar exhibits that change every few months…

3. Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

0.65 MILES

Henry Ford cranked out the first Model T in this landmark factory. Admission includes a detailed tour by enthusiastic docents, plus loads of shiny…

4. City Sculpture Park

0.84 MILES

Local artist Robert Sestok bought a forlorn lot by the freeway where cars whizz by, and plunked down his hulking abstract sculptures welded from scrap…

5. Lincoln Street Art Park

0.91 MILES

Vivid graffiti, murals and sculptures made from found objects adorn this stark industrial site that abuts a recycling facility. It’s a quintessential…

6. Fisher Building

0.92 MILES

This 1928 masterpiece from the man who built Detroit, Albert Kahn, has an imposing art deco exterior made from Minnesota granite and Maryland marble, and…

7. Motown Historical Museum

1.24 MILES

In this row of modest houses Berry Gordy launched Motown Records – and the careers of Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson – with an…

8. Eastern Market

1.57 MILES

One of the oldest and largest year-round bazaars in the United States, Eastern Market draws Detroiters of all types to its six-block spread of wares…