Must-see attractions in Michigan

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

    Henry Ford Museum

    Michigan

    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

    Detroit

    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…

  • 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)

    Detroit Institute of Arts

    Detroit

    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…

  • A ceiling painting in the Fisher Building in Detroit.

    Fisher Building

    Detroit

    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…

  • 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

    Michigan

    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

    Detroit

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

  • Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

    Fort Mackinac

    Michigan

    Fort Mackinac sits atop limestone cliffs near downtown. Built by the British in 1780, it's one of the best-preserved military forts in the country…

  • South Manitou Island Lighthouse, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

    Manitou Islands

    Gold Coast

    The forest-cloaked Manitou Islands provide an off-the-beaten-path adventure. They’re part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, hence the entrance…

  • The abandoned Packard plant in Detroit.

    Packard Plant

    Detroit

    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…

  • Big Sable Point Lighthouse on the Lake Michigan shore in Ludington State Park.

    Ludington State Park

    Gold Coast

    The lakeside park is one of Michigan's largest and most popular playlots. Once inside, people simply pull over on the roadside and make a break for the…

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

    Campus Martius Park

    Detroit

    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…

  • Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse

    Grand Island

    Upper Peninsula

    Rugged Grand Island floats a half-mile offshore from Munising and is part of Hiawatha National Forest. Visitors can day trip over to hike and mountain…

  • The Soo Locks Visitor Center in Sault Ste Marie.

    Soo Locks Visitor Center

    Upper Peninsula

    Sault Ste Marie is best known for its locks that raise and lower 1000ft-long freighters between the different lake levels. The downtown visitor center…

  • Arch Rock, Mackinac Island, MI

    Arch Rock

    Michigan

    This huge limestone arch curves 150ft above Lake Huron and provides dramatic photo opportunities. You can get here two ways: from stairs that lead up from…

  • Sunset over Detroit as seen from Belle Isle in the Detroit River.

    Belle Isle Park

    Detroit

    Pretty Belle Isle floats in the Detroit River. The entire expanse is parkland where kayaking, walking trails and a glass-domed conservatory await. There's…

  • Entrance of Ford Rouge Factory Tour in Dearborn.

    Ford Rouge Factory Tour

    Michigan

    See F-150 trucks roll off the assembly line where Henry Ford first perfected his self-sufficient, mass-production techniques. The self-guided tours start…

  • Holland State Park

    Gold Coast

    One of the state’s most visited parks, Holland offers a lovely huge beach on Lake Michigan that’s stellar for sunset gaping and lighthouse views. A cafe,…

  • Au Sable Point Light Station

    Upper Peninsula

    Stroll for 1.5 easy miles (one way) along a shore dotted with shipwreck skeletons to reach the 1874 lighthouse. In summer, ranger-guided tours ($3; 11am…

  • Lake of the Clouds

    Upper Peninsula

    The lake, in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, is the area's most photographed sight. After stopping at the visitor center to pay the park…

  • Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery

    Gold Coast

    Michigan's excellent wines taste even better on Brys Estate's sprawling deck, which provides stunning vineyard and bay views. Tastings from $8; cheese and…

  • DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 03:  A sculpture created from recycled material sits amongst the "Heidelberg project," which is an "open air art environment" centered around one block in Detroit, on September 3, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The Heidelberg project is the brain child of Tyree Guyton. He and other artists use the urban environment (including homes and sidewalks) as a canvas for art, which they make using paint and recycled materials.  (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

    Heidelberg Project

    Detroit

    Polka-dotted streets, houses covered in Technicolor paint blobs, strange doll sculptures in yards – this is no acid trip, but rather a block-spanning art…

  • Motown Historical Museum

    Detroit

    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…

  • Scarab Club

    Detroit

    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…

  • Round Barn Winery

    Gold Coast

    Round Barn goes beyond vino with its grapes – it also uses the fruit to make DiVine Vodka, a smoother elixir than the kind made with grains or potatoes…

  • Tahquamenon Falls State Park

    Upper Peninsula

    Lovely Tahquamenon Falls flow with tea-colored waters tinted by upstream hemlock leaves. The Upper Falls, 200ft across with a 50ft drop, wow onlookers –…

  • Arab American National Museum

    Michigan

    An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum features artifacts from well-known Arab Americans (like a typewriter from White House journalist…

  • Miners Castle

    Upper Peninsula

    Miners Castle is one of the lakeshore’s most iconic rock formations. A short trail leads from the parking lot to an upper platform with great views…

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area

    Gold Coast

    Nordhouse Dunes, a 3450-acre plot within the Huron-Manistee National Forest, features perhaps the wildest stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline. Dunes rise…

  • Chapel Falls

    Upper Peninsula

    A relatively easy, 1.2-mile (one way) walk through woods rewards with views of the 60ft-high cascade. The trail winds by two viewing platforms: one at the…

  • Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

    Upper Peninsula

    Beyond the town of Paradise is this fascinating museum, where the intriguing displays include items trawled up from sunken ships. Dozens of vessels –…

  • Chinook Pier

    Gold Coast

    Chinook Pier has a lot going on. There’s a seasonal mini-golf course (adult/child $3/2) and farmers market (8am to 1pm Wednesday and Saturday). Wet Mitten…

  • Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

    Michigan

    The 158-acre gardens feature impressive blooms and hulking works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore and others. The sculpture park is star of the show,…

  • Broad Art Museum

    Michigan

    Renowned architect Zaha Hadid designed this wild-looking parallelogram of stainless steel and glass. It holds everything from Greek ceramics to Salvador…

  • Horton Bay General Store

    Gold Coast

    Fans of Ernest Hemingway will recall the store, with its 'high false front,' from his short story 'Up in Michigan.' As a youth, Hemingway used to hang out…

  • Musical Fountain

    Gold Coast

    Everyone gathers for the musical fountain performance each evening in summer. It's a trippy tradition to watch water spray high in the sky while…

  • Michigan Central Station

    Detroit

    The once-grand beaux-arts rail terminal, within eyeshot of Corktown's main drag, was left to fall into decline after closing in 1988 and became a symbol…

  • The Belt

    Detroit

    In the alley between Broadway and Library Sts, that links Grand River and Gratiot Aves, The Belt is part art installation and part nightlife destination…

  • Grand Haven State Park

    Gold Coast

    The 48-acre urban park is all beach – a wide, gorgeous one with squeaky clean sand. It’s mega popular in summer, especially for families, who appreciate…

  • Beaver Island

    Gold Coast

    A quiet, Irish-influenced enclave of some 600 people, Beaver Island floats in Lake Michigan offshore from Charlevoix. Forest covers most of its 9-mile…

  • Gerald R Ford Museum

    Michigan

    The downtown museum is dedicated to Michigan's only president. Ford stepped into the Oval Office after Richard Nixon and his vice president, Spiro Agnew,…

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