Detroit is the city that put the world on wheels, and that automotive legacy still shapes everything about the place. The Big Three automakers remain headquartered here, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is one of the great American museums, and car culture runs deep in the local identity. But modern Detroit is defined as much by its comeback as by its industrial past — the restoration of Michigan Central Station by Ford in 2024 is the most visible symbol.
The city's cultural institutions punch far above its weight. The Detroit Institute of Arts houses Diego Rivera's famous Detroit Industry Murals and a world-class collection spanning 5,000 years. The Motown Museum on West Grand Boulevard is where Berry Gordy launched the careers of Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and the Temptations. The Fox Theatre, a lavishly restored 1928 movie palace, hosts Broadway shows and concerts.
Detroit's food scene has exploded. Corktown, the city's oldest neighborhood, is home to buzzy restaurants and craft cocktail bars — Slows Bar-B-Q and Sugar House among them. Dearborn has some of the best Middle Eastern food in North America. And no visit is complete without a coney dog from American Coney Island or Lafayette Coney Island, the two rival diners that have faced off on Lafayette Boulevard since 1917.
The city's diversity is one of its strengths. Detroit has the largest Arab American community in the country, a deep African American cultural heritage, and historic Polish, Belgian, and Maltese neighborhoods. Eastern Market, operating since 1891, fills six blocks with vendors every Saturday and captures the spirit of the city perfectly. Downtown architecture — the Guardian Building, the Penobscot, the Fisher — rewards looking up, and Belle Isle in the river offers the best skyline view in the city.