River Raisin National Battlefield Park
This is the site of a tragedy that played a major role in the War of 1812. The National Park Service only took control over it 10 years ago and has been improving the area since. There are plans to rebuild the Frenchtown settlement so that we can see what life was like. The museum is small, but there will be a new educational center opening soon. This will be a good park to visit once a year to follow all the changes.
Stage Nature Center
Located in Troy. Walk the paths and follow a few trails around the property. Look for deer and other wildlife. Once we saw 30 deer, including a buck! We've also seen wild turkeys and owls. In the early spring you can attend a celebration of maple syrup and learn how maple syrup is made and why it is important to Michigan.
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
This place is crazy. Crazy wonderful. Crazy unusual. Crazy Unique. It is listed in the World Almanac's 100 most unusual museums in the United States. The machines run on quarters so bring your own or use the change machine in the museum. I wouldn't recommend this for very little children as they may be overwhelmed. It's a fun place for grandparents to show their kids what non-board games looked like before screens.
The Detroit Zoo
It's actually in Royal Oak which is slightly confusing. This is a great zoo with ample opportunity for interaction with the animals. The new penguin house is a must see. Watching a penguin jump out of the water is something I will never tire of. If the giraffes are in their house you can get up close and personal with them which allows you to fully grasp how ginormous they really are. Having a membership is a great idea because the animals are rarely active all at the same time.
Greenfield Village
Everyone should go here once in their life. Reading about history is not the same as experiencing it. Visit the village and you can be part of a 1871 one room school house, watch the men and women of Firestone farm cook, clean, and care for the house and farm, play games young people enjoyed before electronics, and much more. Walk through the workshops of Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. Visit a variety of farms which represent various time periods of American History. Seriously, I could go on and on, but lets just say that this is an absolute must.
The Henry Ford
Greenfield Village is outdoors and the Henry Ford Museum is indoors, but they are both part of the same complex. The museum is full of fascinating parts of American History like presidential cars and the Rosa Parks bus. There's a lot to see so give yourself time to wander and read. Note: they sell package deals with the village and the museum, but seeing them both on the same day would be nearly impossible.
Troy Historic Village
I grew up visiting here on a regular basis. I would dress up in my old fashioned bonnet and sit in the school house. Yes, I was, er am, a nerd. This is a great experience for little ones who are too young to appreciate the history at Greenfield Village. It's also only $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under making it affordable. They have a wide variety of programs and activities available and the staff is knowledgeable on Michigan, particularly Troy, history.
This is the site of a tragedy that played a major role in the War of 1812. The National Park Service only took control over it 10 years ago and has been improving the area since. There are plans to rebuild the Frenchtown settlement so that we can see what life was like. The museum is small, but there will be a new educational center opening soon. This will be a good park to visit once a year to follow all the changes.
Stage Nature Center
Located in Troy. Walk the paths and follow a few trails around the property. Look for deer and other wildlife. Once we saw 30 deer, including a buck! We've also seen wild turkeys and owls. In the early spring you can attend a celebration of maple syrup and learn how maple syrup is made and why it is important to Michigan.
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
This place is crazy. Crazy wonderful. Crazy unusual. Crazy Unique. It is listed in the World Almanac's 100 most unusual museums in the United States. The machines run on quarters so bring your own or use the change machine in the museum. I wouldn't recommend this for very little children as they may be overwhelmed. It's a fun place for grandparents to show their kids what non-board games looked like before screens.
The Detroit Zoo
It's actually in Royal Oak which is slightly confusing. This is a great zoo with ample opportunity for interaction with the animals. The new penguin house is a must see. Watching a penguin jump out of the water is something I will never tire of. If the giraffes are in their house you can get up close and personal with them which allows you to fully grasp how ginormous they really are. Having a membership is a great idea because the animals are rarely active all at the same time.
Greenfield Village
Everyone should go here once in their life. Reading about history is not the same as experiencing it. Visit the village and you can be part of a 1871 one room school house, watch the men and women of Firestone farm cook, clean, and care for the house and farm, play games young people enjoyed before electronics, and much more. Walk through the workshops of Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. Visit a variety of farms which represent various time periods of American History. Seriously, I could go on and on, but lets just say that this is an absolute must.
The Henry Ford
Greenfield Village is outdoors and the Henry Ford Museum is indoors, but they are both part of the same complex. The museum is full of fascinating parts of American History like presidential cars and the Rosa Parks bus. There's a lot to see so give yourself time to wander and read. Note: they sell package deals with the village and the museum, but seeing them both on the same day would be nearly impossible.
Troy Historic Village
I grew up visiting here on a regular basis. I would dress up in my old fashioned bonnet and sit in the school house. Yes, I was, er am, a nerd. This is a great experience for little ones who are too young to appreciate the history at Greenfield Village. It's also only $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under making it affordable. They have a wide variety of programs and activities available and the staff is knowledgeable on Michigan, particularly Troy, history.
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