ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Detroit Historical Museum: A Visitor's Guide

Updated on November 28, 2012
The old fashioned streets of Detroit.
The old fashioned streets of Detroit. | Source

Things to Do in Detroit, MI

There are so many incredible things to see and do in Detroit, Michigan, yet many seem to be hidden gems. You could spend at least a week exploring the city and still not see everything. Some of Detroit's highlights are The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Detroit Children's Museum, and of course, the Detroit Historical Museum.

Five out of Five Stars for the Detroit Historical Museum

5 stars for Detroit Historical Museum

Cost of Admission and Parking

One of the best parts about this museum is the price of admission, it is FREE! Parking is available in the lot next to the museum on Kirby St. The cost is $5 which is payable at the museum entrance. There is also metered parking available along the streets. It is well worth the cost of the parking to explore this incredible museum!

Museum Hours

Day
Hours
Monday
Closed
Tuesday-Friday
9:30 am- 4:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday
10:00 am- 5:00 pm

Exploring the Detroit Historical Museum

The Detroit Historical Museum had its grand re-opening on Friday, November 23,2012. With the re-opening, there are many more exhibits that will attract people of all ages and are interactive as well.

The museum is three levels. Each level hosts a different area of historical significance for the city and its surrounding communities. Many of the displays are interactive and they are all well worth the time you take to explore the museum. Plan to stay for about two hours in order to explore the museum thoroughly.




Pictures of the Lower Level at the Detroit Historical Museum

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Cobblestone street with the store fronts.Sanders is a Michigan based company that sells wonderful sweet treats still today!The inside of the Sanders shop.Alex checks out an old cast iron drinking fountain that you would find during this time period.The model train display was great fun to watch.
Cobblestone street with the store fronts.
Cobblestone street with the store fronts. | Source
Sanders is a Michigan based company that sells wonderful sweet treats still today!
Sanders is a Michigan based company that sells wonderful sweet treats still today! | Source
The inside of the Sanders shop.
The inside of the Sanders shop. | Source
Alex checks out an old cast iron drinking fountain that you would find during this time period.
Alex checks out an old cast iron drinking fountain that you would find during this time period. | Source
The model train display was great fun to watch.
The model train display was great fun to watch. | Source

The Old Fashioned Streets of Detroit

The lower level of the museum takes you on a trip back in time. The ground is made up of a combination of cobblestones and cross section cuts of logs to display what the roads once looked like. There are store fronts of the 19th and early 20th century where visitors can go in and explore the items that would be sold during this time. There are old bicycles, dolls, toys, a sweet shop, and more. There is also a wonderful model train exhibit as well as a discovery room for kids to explore on this level.

Pictures of the First Level at the Detroit Historical Museum

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Alex and Grace pretend to take a spin in this old Ford.One of Ty Cobbs old bats.Faygo is a Detroit based soda pop company.  Here is one of the original bottles.Vernors is a Detroit based ginger ale soda pop company.  Here are some of the first bottles ever made.Included in the display is a signed guitar that was once Bob Seger's.
Alex and Grace pretend to take a spin in this old Ford.
Alex and Grace pretend to take a spin in this old Ford. | Source
One of Ty Cobbs old bats.
One of Ty Cobbs old bats. | Source
Faygo is a Detroit based soda pop company.  Here is one of the original bottles.
Faygo is a Detroit based soda pop company. Here is one of the original bottles. | Source
Vernors is a Detroit based ginger ale soda pop company.  Here are some of the first bottles ever made.
Vernors is a Detroit based ginger ale soda pop company. Here are some of the first bottles ever made. | Source
Included in the display is a signed guitar that was once Bob Seger's.
Included in the display is a signed guitar that was once Bob Seger's. | Source

Allesee Gallery of Culture and America's Motor City

The entrance level of the museum is a mix of both the old and new. This area displays the uniqueness that is Detroit. From sports memorabilia to the music industry to the automotive industry, all the is Detroit is found here.

There are wonderful displays of old sports equipment and photographs along with the incredible architecture that is found throughout the city. There are videos that can be played that show important events such as the building of the tunnel that connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

There is a section that brings Motown alive and blends the modern artists such as Kid Rock and Eminem along with the great oldies such as Aretha Franklin. One interactive display allows you to mix your own music. My kids had great fun with this one!

The Motor City display was not huge, but it did give a nice overview. The two most exciting parts were the display of an old assembly line where a car body drops onto a car frame and the old Ford that you could get into and pretend to drive. It was a nice introduction to the history of the automotive industry.

Pictures of the Upper Level Displays at the Detroit Historical Museum

Click thumbnail to view full-size
The trolley car display showed another means of transportation throughout the city in earlier years.The Underground Railroad display was a wealth of information.Alex is building a car with different types of parts to make it the most efficient.
The trolley car display showed another means of transportation throughout the city in earlier years.
The trolley car display showed another means of transportation throughout the city in earlier years. | Source
The Underground Railroad display was a wealth of information.
The Underground Railroad display was a wealth of information. | Source
Alex is building a car with different types of parts to make it the most efficient.
Alex is building a car with different types of parts to make it the most efficient. | Source

Detroit's Aresenal of Democracy, The Underground Railroad, and Gallery of Innovation

The upper level combines war time with slavery and the future of automotive production. The Arsenal of Democracy gives an in depth view of how Detroit played an important role in the manufacturing of war planes, tanks, helmets, and other products for the army in World War II.

I was very surprised by the amazing Underground Railroad display that was part of this level. It is set up to take you through the steps that African American slaves went through to escape from the Southern plantations. Detroit was on of the important stops on the Underground Railroad because of its proximity to Canada. Many slaves crossed into Canada through Detroit.

Additional Information

There are elevators to allow for handicap accessibility. There is also a place where you can eat as well as a museum store if you wish to purchase items for a souvenir.

I highly recommend that if you live in or are visiting the Detroit area, that you take the time to visit this gem. You can beat the price and it is a perfect way to spend a cold Detroit winter day!

Detroit Historical Museum Location

A
Detroit Historical Museum 5401 Woodward, Detroit, MI:
Detroit Historical Museum, Wayne State University Executive & Professional Development, Merrill-

get directions

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)