Things To Do
Corktown
Detroit’s oldest neighborhood and our stomping grounds! John’s home since 2020, Meg's since 2024. Vibrant and homey, great eats and shopping. We love cozy mornings at James Oliver (best bagels in town), Brooklyn St. Local (heavenly fluffy omelets / breakfast poutine), or Folk. Takoi (Thai fusion) is our favorite restaurant in Detroit--get the sticky ribs and khao soi. The super-unique Supergeil never disappoints (upscale fare inspired by Turkish-German street food with everything from soup dumplings to branzino). Mink offers a fantastic seafood tasting menu experience. Slows BBQ is a famous Detroit spot that we'd be remiss to leave out, but be careful you don't get it for lunch on Saturday and then need a long nap! Corktown is also home to Michigan Central Station. Once a bustling train hub and gateway to the "Paris of the Midwest" before becoming the symbol of Detroit's downturn, it has been beautifully restored and has a few shops in it. If you plan ahead, you can book a neat tour.
Eastern Market
For the most authentic Detroit experience, hit the Saturday Market! Once you've gotten your fill of fresh produce and flowers, round out your haul at the surrounding shops with some cheese (DeVries), nuts (Germack), and wine (Cost Plus). Refuel with pierogi or shawarma from vendors in Shed 2, or get off your feet with a hearty breakfast at a top-notch greasy spoon (Farmer Frank's). If you're going on Sunday morning instead, the market will be geared away from fresh produce and towards artisans (soaps, candles, etc.).
Belle Isle
Belle Isle is a 150-year-old, 982-acre park situated in the Detroit River about 3 miles upriver from downtown. Its designer, Frederick Law Olmstead, also designed Central Park, the Biltmore Estate grounds and the landscaping around the U.S. Capitol. You can easily spend a whole day here, especially if the weather cooperates. For the nature-lovers, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is a beautiful botanical garden, the oldest continuously running conservatory in the country, and where I proposed to Megan! If you don't want to spend a whole day at the DIA, you can make relatively short museum visits out of both the Belle Isle Aquarium and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. The beaches offer some great views of the skyline, though with our wedding over Labor Day Weekend you'll be competing for space with Detroiters and their families gathering for a cookout. Don't worry, there's always calm to be found on a peaceful walk out to the lighthouse, or the driving range and chipping course!
Midtown
Head to Canfield St. between Cass and Second to get some early Christmas shopping done! Nest, City Bird, Source Booksellers, Bon Bon Bon, Shinola, are just some of our favorites within a two-block walk. Look to the broader neighborhood for fine dining (Selden Standard, one of our favorite restaurants), quick eats (Rocco's Italian Deli, where you simply can't go wrong), a coffee in a cool underground setting (Cafe Sous Terre), a refreshment at the patio bar (Stadt Garden, pictured above), or a James Beard-caliber pastry (Warda Patisserie).
Detroit Institute of Arts
Consistently ranked as a top-5 art museum in the U.S., the DIA is one of the city's gems and a great place to get lost for a few hours on a weekend. Diego Rivera's famous "Detroit Industry" fresco cycle, which he considered his most successful work, is the centerpiece of it all (and where we took this photo). Just around the corner, you'll find the first paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse to be purchased by an American museum. A hallmark of the DIA is the diversity of the collection, which spans more than 140 galleries. In addition to outstanding American, European, Modern and Contemporary, and Graphic art, the museum holds significant works of African, Asian, Native American, Oceanic, Islamic, and Ancient art.
Detroit Riverfront
The Detroit Riverfront now has a continuous trail connecting over 5 miles. Try renting a MoGo bike or a scooter, and enjoy the stretch from Ralph Wilson Centennial Park in Corktown to Hart Plaza Downtown, then keep heading east along the riverwalk and then take the Dequindre Cut bike path north to Eastern Market! (See above for activities once you're there.)