Best Day Trips On A Budget Near Detroit
Ann St. (Credit, Michael Ferro)
Ann Arbor Hands-On Children's Museum
220 E. Ann St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 995-5439
www.aahom.org
If you're looking to get away for a quick day trip, but you have children to think of as well, there's no better bet than the Ann Arbor Children's Museum. In fact, Ann Arbor itself is the perfect cheap getaway for any family looking to get away for a day. The museum is run by a very knowledgeable and helpful staff of volunteers, including many local scientists and professors who share their time and expertise, all for only $11 per adult and child. After, take a stroll to a lovely dinner location and call it a perfect family day trip for less than a full tank of gas.
4025 Patterson Lake Road
Hell, MI 48169
(734) 878-2233
www.gotohellmi.com
The next time someone tells you to "go to hell," tell them that you already have! Or will soon! Of course, we're talking about Hell, Michigan. Sure, the city is chock full of kitschy items and roadside attractions — from t-shirts that claim that tourists have "visited Hell" to bottles of hot sauce "from Hell" — but that's the appeal. Nowhere else in America can you enjoy these simple and goofy pleasures so close to home. And let's not forget to mention that Hell itself is actually beautiful and there are plenty of cool things to see and places to eat.
3600 Heidelberg St.
Detroit, MI 48207
(313) 974-6894
www.heidelberg.org
There really is nothing quite like the Heidelberg Art Project in Detroit. Right in the heart of one of the Motor City's most interesting places lies an art installation that is completely free of charge to visit, has absolutely no listed hours of operation and no staff to help guide you through the exhibits — yet, the Heidelberg Project can possibly change your life. Looking at blight, creativity and expression as something entirely new, join the crowds as you stroll through Tyree Guyton's works that have stood for decades and inspired international acclaim. This is a perfect and extremely cheap day trip for any Metro Detroiter.
39221 Woodward Ave.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
(248) 645-3200
www.science.cranbrook.edu
Cranbrook isn't just a place, it's a state of mind, or so the staff and locals will tell you. Nestled in a tiny enclave of the Bloomfield Hills suburban northern neighborhood of Detroit, Cranbrook is many things: it's a K-12 educational center, a museum and institute of science and a beautiful expanse of breathtaking acreage all along an in-between. Michigan's Museum of Natural History, Cranbrook is only $13 for adults to enter and $9.50 for children and would already be worth the price of admission for a day trip. But step outside after a long day and tour the manicured grounds and view the reflecting pool and you'll really get a sense of how well worth it the short trip was.
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Credit, Michael Ferro)
The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
1100 Lake Shore Road
Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236
(313) 884-4222
www.fordhouse.org
This Victorian mansion was built along the shores of beautiful Lake St. Clair way back during the infancy of the automobile boom in Detroit and served as the home to Edsel Ford and his wife, Eleanor. In recent times, like with many of the Ford Estate properties, these expansive areas of land and awe-inspiring homes have become makeshift museums, filled to the brim with history and interesting sights and tidbits from a piece of the Motor City past that is no more. Perfect for a quick escape in the Metro Detroit area, and never as busy or crowded as the more well-known Henry Ford Museum, the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is a great way to spend a day alone or with family and friends, and all for the low admission price of $12 for adults and $8 for children.
