Things to see and do in Michigan

Attractions in Michigan

Dearborn

Drive through the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, the birthplace of Henry Ford and the automobile. Visit the Henry Ford Museum (www.thehenryford.org) and Greenfield Village, and step back through 300 years of history.

Detroit's Cultural Center

Spend a day at the Cultural Center: here, history and art lovers can drink in the Detroit Historical Museum (www.detroithistorical.org), the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is the fifth largest art museum in the USA (www.dia.org), and the Charles H Wright Museum of African-American History (thewright.org), the largest museum of its kind.

Explore the Renaissance Center

Dine at one of dozens of restaurants while visiting the celebrated Renaissance Center in Detroit (gmrencen.com). The centre also houses a 1,300-room hotel, a variety of shops, and General Motors' world headquarters.

Ford and General Motors

Entertainments abound for automobile enthusiasts: tour the Automotive Hall of Fame (www.automotivehalloffame.org), wander Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate (www.henryfordestate.org) in Dearborn, or take in the General Motors plant in Lansing, where cars come off the assembly line before your eyes.

Hitsville USA

Listen to the music of Motown at Detroit's Hitsville USA, now home to Motown Historical Museum (www.motownmuseum.com), where the sounds of Diana Ross, The Temptations and The Four Tops are immortalised.

Isle Royale National Park

Backpack the Isle Royale National Park (www.nps.gov/isro), a wild, rocky wilderness island in the northern reaches of Lake Superior.

Let loose in Traverse City

Head for the recreational haven of Traverse City, which features sand dunes by the shoreline, resorts, golf and skiing.

Mackinac Island

Escape to Mackinac Island (www.mackinacisland.org), a well-known summer resort in Michigan. Cars are not allowed; visitors must walk, cycle or use horse-drawn carriages. Visit the impressive Grand Hotel (www.grandhotel.com) and Fort Mackinac (www.mackinacparks.com), a restored 18th-century military outpost.

Ride a bike at Belle Isle

The nation's largest urban island park offers canoeing, an aquarium, and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

Shop and eat in Detroit's Greektown

Enjoy Greek cuisine, entertainment and speciality shops in Detroit's Greektown.

Take a family trip to Detroit Zoological Park

Families will love to explore the Detroit Zoological Park (www.detroitzoo.org), containing more than 2,000 animals in natural settings. Visitors can walk or tour by tractor-train.

Travel along Michigan's Great Lakes coastline

Get your feet wet travelling along the Great Lakes coastline. The 60,000km (36,000 miles) of rivers and 11,000 inland lakes offer great boating, canoeing, fishing and watersports opportunities.

Visit Ann Arbor

The celebrated home of the University of Michigan (www.umich.edu) offers a multitude of bookstores and cosy cafés perfect to stop and relax.

Tourist offices

Michigan Tourism

Mon-Fri 0900-1700