Scott Fountain is just one of Detroit’s many historic landmarks. Photo by Mkrajenje12

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If you visit Detroit, don’t be surprised to hear the names Henry Ford and Motown in the same sentence. After all, the city is famous for both cars and music.

A trip to Michigan’s largest city reveals how much these influences have changed American life in little more than a century.

A good place to start a tour of the area is the Henry Ford Museum, located in Dearborn, 20 minutes outside Detroit. The museum is part of Greenfield Village, an 80-acre living history site where costumed interpreters share stories about life in different eras.

Allow a full day to immerse yourself in the village, which is populated with replicas of 100 historic buildings such as Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the Wright brothers’ workshop. You can catch a ride on historic vehicles such as steam trains or Model Ts. I found the exhibit of U.S. presidents’ cars, along with historic farm equipment, particularly interesting. (Greenfield Village is open from April through November.)

Architectural wonders

Though cars and music get the biggest share of tourists’ attention in Detroit, the city’s stunning architecture deserves a long look. For instance, the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, where I stayed to enjoy the indoor pool and hot tub, is a prime example of Renaissance Revival style. The grand, 33-story hotel, enhanced with Venetian ornamentation, opened in 1924 but was abandoned by the 1980s. After a $200 million restoration, it reopened in 2008.

I enjoyed a brisk 30-minute walk from the hotel to the Detroit River, which forms part of the border between the U.S. and the Canadian province of Ontario. While I didn’t cross over, a lot of residents as well as passport-toting travelers capitalize on Canada being just a bridge away.

Interestingly, the river was the most active emigration point on the border for fugitive U.S. slaves in the 19th century; its location was less risky than fleeing to Mexico, which involved passing through slaveholding states. To find out more, visit Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, which is staging ongoing special events this year to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Museums and eats

A visit to Detroit wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts, which displays more than 65,000 works of art from ancient to modern times, including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Diego Rivera.

Very good — though pricey — restaurants are close by. I opted for less expensive spots to sample “The Detroiter,” a classic Coney Island-style slider, which includes a simple patty, caramelized onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard on a steamed bun with the cheese at the bottom.

The Motown Museum’s 50,000-square-foot expansion is expected to open in spring 2027. Although construction was still underway at the site of “Hitsville,” the nickname of the original recording studio for Motown Records, it didn’t hinder me from enjoying the sound of Motown’s legendary musicians as soon as I entered the building: The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, all of whom lived in the city.

Road trip north of Detroit

Not wanting to leave Michigan without a visit to Frankenmuth, the German-style town that claims “the world’s largest Christmas store,” I headed there next. After checking out Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and some of the heritage area’s other 40 shops, I took a boat tour on Frankenmuth’s peaceful Cass River via FunShips, which serves wine and chocolates.

Next, I traveled 90 miles northwest to Mount Pleasant to see the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture. The Midwest’s premier American Indian museum presents the history, culture and traditions of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. A cup of corn soup made by the Saginaw Chippewa owner at the nearby Cup of Joy restaurant was the perfect antidote for a chilly day. Mount Pleasant is also home to the Soaring Eagle Casino and adjacent waterpark and hotel.

Homestyle restaurants throughout the area serve family-style meals, such as the thin, crispy-crusted fried chicken at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant in Frankenmuth. But since German comfort food is an area staple, I saved my appetite for schnitzel, sauerbraten and bratwurst.

Heading back to the airport in Detroit, I felt as though I were leaving a different country to return home.

For more information, see VisitDetroit.com and MeetMtP.com.