Detroit City is known for its auto industry hence the nickname “Motor City”. It is also the birthplace of Motown Records, famous for its releases in the musical genres of R & B, pop, hip hop, and soul. But it has something to offer everyone in all age groups.
Detroit has many kid-friendly attractions where the whole family can have lots of fun while learning about history, arts, science, and many more.
Detroit Kid City
Detroit Kid City is one of the best children’s areas and party venues in the United States. Kids can dress up and pretend to be anybody from baseball stars to old west cowboys and cowgirls.
It is an indoor play space that was made specifically for them, but parents and other adults can also enjoy their time while kids play since coffee is served along with fruit smoothies and other snacks.
Detroit Kid City’s focus is to let children’s imagination run wild in a world of make-believe using toys, costumes, and other props in mini-versions of an art center, baseball stadium, bank, and many more.
The kid’s city welcomes visitors of all ages but the fun is best for children one to eight of age.
Meadow Brook Theatre Children’s Series
Meadow Brook Theatre Children’s Series aims to help introduce children to theater and the arts. These Broadway-quality performances in a family-friendly setting can inspire and spark kid’s interests and imaginations like the Halloween Monster Mash: Dracula Sings Elvis, Anne of Green Gables, or Alice in Wonderland.
The Metro Detroit Ice Cream Trail
Detroit is full of locally-owned ice eateries that the kids and your whole family can enjoy especially this summertime. From the classic recipes to the peculiar, the place has everything for the ice cream lovers of the world.
Greenfield Village
Greenfield Village is an outdoor living history museum that is a section of the Henry Ford complex. You will experience firsthand America’s formation for over 300 years of perseverance.
Located in Dearborn which is a part of the Detroit metropolitan area, the village has 83 historical buildings where kids can witness costumed interpreters demonstrating glass blowing, step into the lab where Thomas Edison had his lightbulb moment, or visit the workshop where the Wright Brothers taught us how to reach the sky.
Other must-do activities include riding in a horse-drawn omnibus shuttle or in a real Model T car. This is your chance to discover the past that brought innovation and imagination that you are enjoying today.
The Henry Ford Museum
This is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States where about 1.7 million people visit each year. Aside from the Greenfield Village, the museum collection includes Abraham Lincoln’s chair from the Ford Theater, the presidential limousine of John Kennedy, and the Rosa Parks bus. Kids will learn about auto tycoon Henry Ford and the history of transportation in the United States.
The living history museum has 18 interactive touch screens and a collection of activities and games for the young and old.
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. It has an encyclopedic collection that spans the globe from ancient Egypt and European arts up to contemporary works.
Personal cameras and candid photography are allowed throughout the museum unless indicated on a specific piece of art or at the entrance to an exhibition. Kids can have a great time with audio tours, eye-spy activities, and weekend art demonstrations.
They can also enjoy along with their adult companions the world-class museum with a permanent collection like African art, Impressionist paintings, and Detroit’s industry murals.
Michigan Science Center
This center also called Mi-Sci is one of several non-profit organizations in the cultural district of Detroit. It has a lot to offer to children and adults alike with its 4D theater, live stage shows, a planetarium, an IMAX Dome, and many more.
This center also features over 300 hands-on exhibits that give real-life experiences on physics, health, space, and engineering.
Legoland Discovery Center
Legoland Discovery Center is specifically suited for children ages three to ten. There are epic rides and activities such as Merlin’s Apprentice Ride, Lego Racers, Duplo Farm, Kingdom Quest, Lego City Play Zone, and many more. Operated by Merlin Entertainments and the Lego Group, the center features models and attractions inspired by the Lego toys.
This is the ultimate playground where families with their children can enjoy a world of color, creativity, and lots of fun.
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum
You can go back in time and walk among coin-operated animatronic dummies, vintage arcade games, model airplanes, circus memorabilia, carnival oddities, and other peculiar objects.
Other exhibits include a classic fortune teller machine, an automaton that continuously expels a pile of vintage bottles, and other mechanical curiosities that had been featured on tv shows and several magazines since its opening in 1990.
Sanders & Morley Candy Makers Factory
This factory offers tours free of charge and gives you the opportunity to see how Michigan’s largest candy maker creates the classic sweets that families enjoyed for over a hundred years. Your guide will walk you along the observation hallway so you can watch their candy makers at work while you watch a video about the factory.
Best of all, you are given free samples. This is one of the free kid-friendly things you could do in Detroit.
There are numerous places and activities you can do in Detroit and more importantly, the attraction is safe and ideal for you and your children.