Trip to Detroit

We are visiting Chicago for a week over the Easter weekend and are hoping to hire a car and head out for two nights towards Detroit in order to visit the car museums. Can anyone recommend an interesting route to take (or is there only one route anyway?)and any recommendations re the museums would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for your help

Trip to Detroit

The most direct route is via I94. You didn%26#39;t specify which museums you%26#39;re visiting. Be sure to visit - http://www.hfmgv.org/

Trip to Detroit

Hi, thanks for your reply. I%26#39;m interested in seeing primarily museums of American cars. From what I can see on the net, the WP Chrysler looks good, but Ford seems much less car-oriented. Basically, one good car museum and a couple of ';other things worth seeing in Detroit'; would do it!

Just so you know, it%26#39;s about a 6 hour drive to Detroit. Also, Detroit is on eastern time and Chicago on central so be aware of that. Southwest Airlines often has cheap flights to Detroit that take an hour.

Another option in Detroit- www.motownmuseum.com

For auto museums, the Henry Ford Museum is the premier institution in the area. The museum has 2 parts. The outdoor museum has historic buildings brought from all over the US and reassembled in a village.

The indoor museum has collections of decorative arts, musical instruments and machinery in addition to its transportation collection which consists of aircraft, trains and aisle upon aisle of autos that include most of the presidential limos used through 1982.

You could get more info from the Indiana forum but another possibility is the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana. It%26#39;s about midway between Chicago and Detroit.

While in Detroit, you may also want to visit the auto barons%26#39; homes. There are three open for tours. Meadowbrook Hall is the home of Matilda Wilson, widow of John Dodge, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester. The Henry Ford Estate is on the campus of U of M-Dearborn and the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is in Grosse Pointe Shores.

You can make the trip to Detroit from Chicago in 4.5 - 5 hours, depending on how long it takes you to clear the traffic in Chicago.

The Henry Ford Museum has a very interesting collection of various ';Americana'; type items, including many of the old presidential cars, the chair where Lincoln was assassinated, the original Weiner Mobile, ect. It%26#39;s not all car centered, but there are a fair amount of car displays.

The outdoor part (Greenfield Village) may be a let down if you%26#39;re not interested in colonial times.

The Ford Rouge Factory Tour is a good tour and it gives you the run down of how a Ford is made. I took it several years ago and enjoyed it.

A great website for you to check out is http://www.experiencedetroit.com/ On the left side menu bar, click on ';Automotive Heritage'; and you will get info on all the sites to see in regards to cars.

Other suggestions, that Saturday night (April 11th) the Detroit Red Wings (ice hockey) are playing the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings have won 4 championships in the past 11 years, so if you are interested, it%26#39;s a great experience to go there.

I would also suggest going to Buddy%26#39;s Pizza. It%26#39;s a classic Detroit pizzeria. There are several around the area.

About half way to Detroit is the Gilmore Car Museum

http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/index.php

Not as big as some but they have many things to see. It would mean driving about 15 minutes out of your way.

Hi everyone who has made these helpful suggestions. Thanks very much. It%26#39;s good to know where to start looking.

One more suggestion if you are into wine. When you are taking I94, I think it%26#39;s exit 7 or 8 in Michigan where there is a wine tasting center right off the freeway. There are signs on the freeway which will tell you exactly where so keep an eye out. Also, there are several others in the immediate area near exits 7-33. My favorite is Karma Vista http://www.karmavista.com/

Something to help break up the drive. The wines are pretty reasonable as well, between $8-$14 for most bottles.