Local attractions

Dearborn

Eight miles west of Detroit, Dearborn is a historical hot spot and a diverse and culturally rich community. Part vintage, part ethnic, Dearborn offers a great mix of quirky restaurants, shops and trendy clubs that are definitely worth checking out.

When thinking of Dearborn, you might as well think about Henry Ford because the two names are nearly synonymous. This city of 98,000 people was Ford's hometown and, as a result, is filled with seemingly endless related attractions, foremost of which is The Henry Ford, the nation's largest indoor-outdoor American History museum entertainment complex and Michigan's leading tourist spot. With a diverse offering of exhibits, programs and reenactments, The Henry Ford makes history come alive. Here, you can visit the home of famous Americans like Daniel Webster and Thomas Edison in Greenfield Village, sit in the bus made famous by Rosa Parks or at the counter of an original diner at the Henry Ford Museum, or explore the birthplace of modern manufacturing through the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. Many of the exhibits are interactive, too, so if history is not your gig, you may still have fun riding, touching, pushing and climbing on assorted displays. However, if you love a good history immersion, you should also visit the neighboring Automotive Hall of Fame, which features more in-depth visual and interactive exhibits about automotive history.

If you're interested in architecture, try a visit to Fair Lane, Ford's stunning country home estate. Named one of "America's 10 grandest mansions" by Budget Travel Magazine, this 31,000-square-foot, six-level, 56-room house is where Clara and Henry entertained some of the world's most influential people. Its architecture and interiors are definitely worth seeing, as is its one-of-a-kind dining spot: The Pool. Located in a converted indoor pool, this elegant restaurant is an ideal place to savor the surrounding luxury, not to mention a glass of wine and some good food.

Another unique feature of Dearborn is its demographics. Dearborn has the largest Arab population of any community in the United States and is home to the new 38,500-square-foot, $16 million Arab American National Museum. This soaring, three-story museum adorned in blue ceramic tiles from Morocco is the first of its kind in the world. And it's a great place to discover (or rediscover) how Arab Americans have enriched the economic, political and cultural landscape of our life. Dearborn is also thick with Middle-Eastern restaurants and shops.

Speaking of which, Dearborn is an interesting place to shop. The best street to explore is Michigan Avenue; running through the center of town, it was at one time Dearborn's main shopping district and boasted several large department stores. In their place today are a few quirky establishments such as antique stores, independent record stores, coffeehouses and comics shops. At each of these places you can talk with sales people who actually know (and love) what they're selling. If the mall experience is more your thing, the Fairlane Town Center's mix of department and specialty retailers has made it the premier shopping destination of the entire southern metropolitan Detroit area. As one of the top 100 shopping centers in America, Fairlane Town Center also features a state-of-the-art 21-screen Star Theatre and plenty of restaurants.

Interested in some unique and nostalgic nightlife? With nine screens and parking for 2,500 cars, the Ford-Wyoming Drive In Theatre is America's largest drive-in theater. It's open year-round; gates open at 8 p.m. during the summer. Use their FM stereo system through your own car radio, or use the old-time speakers. Of course there's a concession stand! 10400 Ford Road, Dearborn, MI 48126; recorded message 313/846-6910

Detroit

For generations, Detroit has been a destination for immigrants seeking new opportunities and a better life; today, the city is speckled with tight-knit ethnic communities. Some of the most popular areas include Mexican Town in southwest Detroit, the Polish and increasingly Indian and Bangladeshi neighborhoods of Hamtramck, and the vibrant Greektown. There's also the hip Italian neighborhood in Windsor, Ontario, just blocks from the Detroit Tunnel. Further out of the city, there are the Jewish communities of Bloomfield Hills, Asian enclaves in Troy and Madison Heights, and the Italian neighborhoods of Macomb Township. In each of these distinct communities, you can shop, eat and witness the complexities of assimilating to a new culture while retaining your own.

Comerica Cityfest is a five-day outdoor food and culture rich entertainment street festival in Detroit’s historic New Center over each Fourth of July weekend.  A diverse and family-friendly crowd looks forward each year to free shows on four stages, more than 40 Michigan restaurants selling “tastes” of their specialties, activities for children, and a marketplace of unique Detroit products and memorabilia. The event is free and open to the public.

The rebuilt and revitalized Riverfront is Detroit's lifeblood and most valuable natural asset. Plans for the Riverfront include 5.5 miles of public waterfront linked by a continuous RiverWalk and parks, plazas and green spaces. Regularly scheduled events are a huge part of the area's appeal.

At 2.5 miles long and 982 acres, Belle Isle is America's largest city-owned island park, encompassing five miles of scenic shoreline, cultural institutions, historical monuments, sports facilities and outdoor recreation. Designed before the turn of the last century by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the park also features great views of the Detroit skyline; Windsor, Canada; freighter traffic; and the Ambassador Bridge from the beach or shoreline picnic areas. The island sits in the middle of the Detroit River on the U.S.- Canada border and is crisscrossed by a series of canals and roads.

Hard to imagine war with Canada! Not in the 1840s, however, when tensions ran high with our British-controlled neighbor to the north and Detroiters demanded a stronghold to protect them from attack. Located on a bend of the Detroit River, Fort Wayne was used by the U.S. Army between 1841 and 1972. The star-shaped defensive works became a volunteer instruction camp. Beginning in 1862, the 83-acre reservation was continually developed and rebuilt to accommodate larger infantry garrisons, Army MP and chaplain training schools, and quartermaster warehouses and offices. Today, the Detroit Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition work to restore the site and interpret its story. The fort is open to the public on weekends only. Self-guided tours are free.

Here are some more attractions and products that are "uniquely Detroit":

• Ambassador Bridge: The majestic gateway to our Canadian friends to the north — wait, make that south. It's North America's #1 international border crossing in terms of goods volume; 27 percent of all trade between Canada and the United States crosses the Ambassador Bridge.
  
• Better Made Potato Chips: 70 years of the finest in potato chips and other snack products.
• Boston Cooler: An ice cream soda drink made from Vernors and vanilla ice cream and named after Boston Boulevard in Detroit.
• Campus Martius Park: Once considered the heart of the city, it's been resurrected with tremendous redevelopment.
• Cranbrook: An internationally acclaimed center of education, art, and science in beautiful Bloomfield Hills.
• Eastern Market: this 43-acre open-air bazaar was founded in 1841.
• Faygo: Multi-flavored soda that became immensely popular when its television commercial theme song hit #3 on the pop charts.
• Fisher Building: An art-deco masterpiece of the Detroit skyline with an illuminated golden tower that can be seen for miles at night.
• Fox Theatre: Detroit's exquisitely-restored theatre gem and National Historic Landmark.
• Meadow Brook: Often described as "an American castle," Meadow Brook Hall and its beautiful grounds are astounding.
• Motown: Detroit molded a unique sound and was the springboard to success for a generation of performers. Visit the museum
• Pewabic Pottery: This National Historic Landmark is nationally renowned for its tile and pottery in unique glazes.
• Renaissance Center: Detroit's unmistakable skyline icon lives up to its name by leading Detroit's revitalization.
• Sanders: The luscious hot fudge and chocolate treats are a Detroit favorite.
• Vernors: Our nation's oldest soda is a unique version of ginger ale that originated during the Civil War.
• Woodward Avenue: This National Scenic Byway dissects the city and stretches all the way to Pontiac.

Windsor, Canada

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor in Southern Ontario. Windsor is located south of Detroit, is separated from that city by the Detroit River, and has the best views of the Detroit skyline. Windsor is the only location where crossing the border from Canada into the contiguous United States involves travelling north. It is one of Canada's major automobile manufacturing centers and is often referred to as the Automotive Capital of Canada.

Windsor was first settled by Europeans in 1749 as a French agricultural settlement, making it the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Canada west of Montreal. There is a significant French-speaking minority in Windsor and the surrounding area. In 1794, after the American Revolution, the settlement of Sandwich was founded. (It was later renamed Windsor, after the town in Berkshire, England.) The Sandwich neighbourhood on Windsor's west side is home to some of the oldest buildings in the city, including Mackenzie Hall, originally built as the Essex County Courthouse in 1855, and the Duff-Baby House, which was built in 1792 and is the oldest building in the city. The François Baby House in downtown Windsor was built in 1812 and houses Windsor's Community Museum, dedicated to local history.

Windsor was established as a village in 1854 (the same year the village was connected to the rest of Canada by the Grand Trunk Railway/Canadian National Railway), then became a town in 1858, and ultimately gained city status in 1892. Windsor was a major entry point into Canada for refugees from slavery via the Underground Railroad and also a major source of liquor during American Prohibition.

The city boasts an extensive riverfront park system and fine restaurants such as those on Erie Street in Windsor's Little Italy, another popular tourist destination. Additionally, the Lake Erie North Shore Wine Region in Essex County has enhanced tourism in the region. Windsor is also the headquarters of Hiram Walker & Sons Limited, now owned by Pernod Ricard. This historic distillery was founded by Hiram Walker in 1858 in what was then Walkerville, Ontario.

Of the parks lining Windsor's waterfront, the largest is the five-km (three-mile) stretch overlooking the Detroit skyline. It extends from the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker Distillery. The western portion of the park contains the Odette Sculpture Park, which features more than 30 large-scale contemporary sculptures for public viewing, along with the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The central portion contains Dieppe Gardens, Civic Terrace and Festival Plaza, and the eastern portion is home to the Bert Weeks Memorial Gardens. Further east along the waterfront is Coventry Gardens, across from Detroit's Belle Isle.

Windsor is the western terminus of both Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, and VIA Rail's Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Local transportation is provided by Transit Windsor, the city-owned bus company, which shares its newly constructed $8-million downtown depot with Greyhound Lines.
  

Windsor photo courtesy of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Windsor, Essex County & Pelee Island; www.visitwindsor.com.