Detroit, MI

A Midtown seasonal small-plates restaurant from chef Andy Hollyday, repeatedly a James Beard semifinalist and a former Restaurant of the Year. Wood-fired vegetables and a tight, changing menu drive the kitchen.

An East African restaurant in New Center from a Burundian couple, James Beard recognized, known for slow-cooked goat, stewed fish, and house juices. Bright, communal, and family-run.

A Corktown restaurant doing modern Thai-leaning cooking with Michigan seasonality in a neon-lit room. Crispy spare ribs, khao soi, and curries with a strong cocktail program.

An Argentine open-fire restaurant where Patagonian-style live-flame cooking drives the whole menu, a James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant. Beef, fish, and vegetables all come off the hearth.

A Brush Park restaurant serious about meat, house butchery, and cocktails on tap, with a cult-favorite burger. Equally a dinner spot and a late drink.

A Midtown restaurant with a green-walled room and a changing, vegetable-forward seasonal menu plus a strong cocktail bar up front. Sits near the DIA and the cultural-center museums.

A tiny Hazel Park restaurant with a rotating chef's menu that changes daily, widely rated among the best in the metro. The single counter-and-table room is a destination meal, not a casual drop-in.

A New American restaurant inside a restored downtown firehouse hotel, strong for both a sit-down dinner and a polished breakfast. The room and bar are as much the draw as the plates.

A Cass Corridor restaurant doing modern Mexican cooking anchored in open-flame technique, named to national best-new-restaurant lists. Duck enchiladas, tostadas, and aguachile are regular standouts.

A Corktown all-day cafe and wine shop serving seasonal breakfast and lunch with a low-waste, farm-driven approach, James Beard nominated. The Nosh Plate and seasonal toasts are the regulars' order.

A 25-seat Corktown raw bar in the style of New England oyster houses, with a tightly curated oyster list and a short tasting menu. Intimate and reservation-driven.

A Cass Corridor pasteria milling its own flour daily for Roman-style pastas, a perennial Hour Detroit best-restaurant pick. Pasta-first menu with a focused bar.

A family-run Italian restaurant in Farmington Hills, in operation since 1976, with an on-site garden supplying much of the summer produce. A special-occasion, old-world dining room rather than a quick bite.

A Cass Corridor Italian deli with house-cured meats and a short list of built-to-order sandwiches. Counter service, lunch-focused, and a local favorite.

A family-run pizzeria, now in the Dreamtroit development near New Center, doing a modern take on Detroit-style square pizza with local ingredients. They make a limited number daily and regularly sell out.

A single-location Hazel Park institution since 1977 making classic caramelized-edge Detroit-style square pizza in a wine-bottle-draped dining room. The benchmark old-school version of the style.

An Eastern Market pizzeria making thin-crust, well-sourced pies since 2008, with a Saturday line that builds around market trips. Counter-driven and consistent.

A Southwest Detroit taqueria from Jalisco doing tacos and whole charcoal-grilled chicken cooked under a tent next door. Casual, cash-friendly, and a Mexicantown standard.

A long-running family-owned Southwest Detroit restaurant with house tortillas, weekend birria, and a tri-level pueblo-style room. A sit-down counterpart to the neighborhood's taco stands.

A small Southwest Detroit Mexican steakhouse focused on grilled meats and seafood with tableside guacamole. A step up from the taquerias for a sit-down dinner.

A Vietnamese restaurant in a former coney island space in Mexicantown, nationally recognized for caramel chicken wings, whole fried fish, and an inventive drink list. A reservation-worthy dinner.

A Ferndale Indian restaurant with a broad pan-Indian menu and a long local following. Reliable for both vegetarian and meat dishes in a casual room.

A Dearborn Lebanese restaurant operating since 1989, among the larger and longer-standing kitchens on Warren Avenue. Mezze, charcoal-grilled kabobs, and family platters are the core.

A Dearborn Mediterranean and Lebanese restaurant on Michigan Avenue known for generous platters and consistent grills. A solid, less-touristed alternative to the Warren Avenue institutions.

A paved riverfront promenade running roughly three and a half miles along the Detroit River through downtown, with skyline and Windsor views, parks, and plazas. Flat, accessible, and the city's signature walk; the full out-and-back runs longer.

A below-grade former rail line converted into a roughly 1.7-mile paved greenway lined with murals, linking the riverfront to Eastern Market. Short, flat, and one of the easiest urban walks in the city.

A roughly 5.4-mile mostly flat loop around the perimeter of Belle Isle, passing the fountain, lighthouse, beaches, and skyline views across the river. A longer walk or run with almost no elevation but real distance.

A compact downtown riverfront state park with short paved paths through restored wetlands, a lighthouse, and a harbor. A quick under-a-mile stroll rather than a hike, anchoring the western RiverWalk.

Detroit's oldest continuously operating cemetery, a 1846 park-like landscape of rolling paths, mature trees, and notable graves open daily for walkers. A short, quiet historic stroll under a mile of meandering lanes.

A 30-acre Southwest Detroit community park with a roughly 1.2-mile flat walking loop, recently renovated and accessible. A short, easy neighborhood walk in the heart of Mexicantown's surroundings.

A wooded north-side park with several miles of trails, including a roughly two-mile loop through old-growth forest, prairie, and historic stone structures. A moderate, leafy walk away from the riverfront crowds.

A 250-acre Rouge River park in the Brightmoor area with over two miles of trails mixing crushed-limestone path, woodland, a boardwalk, and a river crossing. A moderate, varied nature walk on the city's west side.

Detroit's largest park at over 1,100 acres on the west side, with forest, restored prairie, and a marsh threaded by hiking and mountain-bike trails of several miles. A moderate-to-longer walk with real woods, not a manicured greenway.

A long paved riverside parkway trail following the Middle Rouge River; the Dearborn end gives a moderate multi-mile out-and-back through woods and parkland. Flat but long, a regional rail-to-river style route.

An in-progress citywide greenway with several continuous paved miles already open, linking neighborhoods, the Dequindre Cut, and the riverfront. A flat, urban distance walk or ride on completed segments.

A Harrison Township lakefront metropark with a roughly 3.4-mile flat loop plus nature trails along Lake St. Clair marshes. A moderate, easy-grade regional walk with open-water views, a short drive northeast.

A lavishly restored 1928 movie palace on Woodward, now a major touring venue for concerts and Broadway-scale shows. The interior alone, with its towering ornate lobby, is part of the draw.

A restored 1920s theater downtown hosting opera, Broadway tours, and dance in an ornate gilded hall. An evening performing-arts venue in the heart of the theater district.

The Broadway touring house inside the Fisher Building in New Center, the city's main stop for big national stage productions. An evening venue paired with one of Detroit's finest interiors.

A historic mid-size concert hall on Woodward with a standing floor and balcony, hosting touring rock, hip-hop, and indie acts. A general-admission evening music room in the theater district.

A restored 1935 supper club downtown hosting live jazz most nights in an Art Deco room with food and cocktails. An evening, sit-down music venue rather than a museum stop.

A jazz club on Livernois operating since 1934, billed as one of the oldest in the world, with a piano-keyboard-shaped bar and soul food. A historic evening music room on the city's northwest side.

Hitsville U.S.A., the house where Berry Gordy built Motown, preserved with Studio A, gold records, and label memorabilia. A guided-tour museum on West Grand Boulevard and a core Detroit music stop.

A large Midtown museum with one of the most extensive permanent exhibits on African American history, anchored by the And Still We Rise core exhibition. A several-hour, substantive museum visit.

A contemporary art kunsthalle in a former Midtown auto dealership with rotating exhibitions, events, and a cafe. A smaller, of-the-moment art stop with low suggested admission.

A Midtown museum covering the city's history, best known for the recreated cobblestone Streets of Old Detroit and the auto-industry gallery. A free, family-friendly several-hour stop in the cultural center.

A hands-on science museum in the cultural center with a planetarium, IMAX dome, and interactive exhibits aimed at families. A half-day rainy-day option in Midtown.

A small 1904 aquarium on Belle Isle, the oldest in the country, with a distinctive green-tiled gallery and a volunteer-run, donation-supported operation. A short, charming free stop on the island.

Jack White's Cass Corridor record store and pressing plant, with vinyl, a stage, and a viewing window onto the press floor. A short, distinctive music-culture stop.

A large zoo in Royal Oak known for its Arctic polar-bear habitat and penguin conservation center, a full-day family outing a short drive north. Outdoor and walkable across a big footprint.

A multi-deck riverboat running lunch, dinner, and themed Motown cruises on the Detroit River with skyline views. An evening or daytime on-the-water option, family-friendly with seasonal scheduling.

One of the largest art museums in the country, anchored by Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals wrapping an entire courtyard. The collection runs deep across European, African American, and contemporary galleries, and the building itself is worth the visit.

A 1929 Art Deco skyscraper with a lobby of Pewabic tile, Aztec-inspired patterns, and a barrel-vaulted ceiling that locals call the Cathedral of Finance. It is a working office building, so the lobby is open on weekdays.

Tyree Guyton's open-air art environment on the city's east side, built from salvaged objects, painted houses, and polka dots across a residential block. It has evolved continuously since 1986 and remains a working, lived-in art space.

An 982-acre island park in the Detroit River with a conservatory, aquarium, maritime museum, beaches, and a perimeter loop with skyline and Windsor views. It is a state park, so a Recreation Passport is needed to drive on.

A historic public market district of open-air sheds dating to 1891, busiest on Saturdays with produce vendors, food stalls, and one of the densest collections of large-scale murals in the city. Specialty food shops and restaurants line the surrounding streets.

The 1913 Beaux-Arts train station, long the symbol of Detroit's decline, reopened in 2024 after a Ford-led restoration. The ground-floor concourse and rotating exhibits are open to the public and the exterior is a landmark in its own right.

A 1904 glass-domed conservatory on Belle Isle with a palm house, fern room, and rotating seasonal displays. It is one of the oldest continually running conservatories in the country and admission is free.

A 1903 National Historic Landmark pottery still producing the iridescent architectural tile found across Detroit landmarks. The building has a small museum, a working studio you can see, and a shop selling current work.

Albert Kahn's 1928 Art Deco masterwork in New Center, faced in marble with a vaulted, hand-painted arcade lobby. It houses shops, the Fisher Theatre, and is widely considered the city's finest interior.

A small free maritime museum on Belle Isle covering the Great Lakes shipping that built Detroit, with model ships, a restored ship's pilot house, and the bow anchor of the Edmund Fitzgerald. A quick, focused stop rather than a half-day.

A downtown alley between Library Street and Broadway turned into a permanent open-air gallery of large murals by international and Detroit artists, with bars and the Library Street Collective gallery off it. Free and walkable at any time.