Downtown
Detroit - Michigan
Our visits: So far 2 visits in October 2008 and October 2024
Hart Plaza
Description: The Philip A. Hart Plaza is located in the city center, next to the Renaissance Center directly on the Detroit River. It is located on the site where Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, landed in 1701 when he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the settlement that became Detroit. The square, which covers several hectares, was opened in 1975 and regularly serves as a venue for major festivals and events. You can also discover numerous interesting monuments on a stroll here. As many of the city's attractions are close by, the square is also an ideal starting point for further explorations of downtown Detroit.
Our rating: We really liked Hart Plaza. Everything is generously laid out and really beautifully designed. Visiting here is a must when visiting Detroit.
Guardian Building
Description: The Guardian Building is a landmarked 43-story office skyscraper in the Financial District in downtown Detroit. Built between 1928 and 1929, the building was originally called the Union Trust Building and is a bold example of Art Deco architecture. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
Our rating: The building is simply a little, or rather a very big, treasure. You get the feeling that you can discover something at every corner. Just go inside and look at everything in the entrance area. If you are more interested in the architecture and design of the building, you can take a tour to find out even more about it. For us, the Guardian Building is definitely part of a visit to Detroit.
Fox Theatre
Description: The Fox Theatre opened in 1928 as the flagship movie palace of the Fox Theater chain and was the largest theater in the city with over 5,000 seats. Designed by architect C. Howard Crane, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 for its architecture. It is the largest surviving movie palace from the 1920s and the largest of the original Fox theaters. The Fox was completely restored in 1988. If there are no events, you can only visit the building as part of a tour.
Our rating: We visited the theater as part of a guided tour. As our group was very small that day, we had plenty of opportunity to take a close look at everything. We were even allowed to take a look at the stage and behind the scenes of the theater. Here we stood on the same stage as Frank Sinatra or Liza Minelli once did. We really enjoyed the tour. We would definitely recommend the tour.
Stadiums and murals
Description: One measure to revitalize downtown was to bring the sport club stadiums into the city. Comerica Park, Ford Field and Little Caesars Arena were built in close proximity to each other, right on the edge of the city skyline. As the stadiums host not only sports but also concerts and other major events, there is something going on in Downtown practically every day of the year.
Another real highlight in Downtown, at least for me, are the many great murals that can be found everywhere. There is one of these great, colorful works of art on almost every corner. An overview of the city's murals can be found here..
Our rating: For anyone interested in art, downtown Detroit is a veritable treasure trove of great paintings. You can find them almost everywhere and they keep getting more. It was great fun to find and admire my favorite paintings.
We were able to visit the Little Ceasars Arena for a concert. Everything from parking to the event, as well as sorting the 10,000 people after the concert. Everything was super organized and we were back on the interstate after the concert in no time at all. We only saw Comerica Park and Ford Field from the outside. That's why there's no rating. But because we enjoyed Detroit so much, we are keeping our fingers crossed for the Detroit Lions in the upcoming play-offs.
