Dearborn Things to Do

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Greenfield Village is a re-creation of a 19th century American town. Henry Ford learned that his boyhood home was being razed for road construction. So he moved and restored the old house, and built this village around it. It's one of America's best living history museums, showing life as it was in Ford's youth.

Open daily from 9:00 to 5:00. A $30 ticket gets you into everything (there are AAA, military, senior, and student discounts). Tickets are available online.

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Within Greenfield Village there are seven historic areas (districts) that represent how American went from town living to an industrial power.

Each of the districts has homes and work places with "actor-volunteers" living and working as they would in historical accuracy to the period of that area.

The Henry Ford area shows Ford's home and first workshop, a replica of the one-room schools of his time and has period furniture and artifacts for viewing (but do not touch).

The Main Street area shows a 19th century town with shops and post office and tavern and courthouse and various town buildings of that period. Most of the buildings have several rooms open for viewing with actors portraying activities pertinent to the area.

The Working Farm area is just what the name implies; a 19th century American farm with animals and machinery and farmer and his wife.

The Railroad Junction area shows how important steam transportation was to the growth of America. You can see a depot and a roundhouse and several trains.

The Historic Homes area shows homes that have been transplanted and rebuilt from their original sites around Michigan to their present place at Greenfield Village. There is a lot to see in this area and a lot of "period personalities" to talk to.

The Thomas Edison area shows many of the things for which Edison was famous.
The Liberty Craftsworks area has buildings the 19th century handicrafts still being practiced today.

The experience is fantastic for kids of all ages. See the website below for information on how to get there and what the ticket costs are (not cheap, but worth it).

Dearborn has many different types of local hangouts to check out. If you're on the west side of the city, you'll want to check out Crave Lounge, for their sushi and martinis. They have dj's spinning house music on weekends as well. Other martini lounges include Silky's (attached to Kiernan's steak house) and the Double Olive, which is part martini lounge, part dance club. A second room has recently been added where a dance floor and DJ are set up. For a more laid back, casual atmosphere, there's Cheli's and Bailey's, more along the lines of a sports bar. And there's also Howells, a local watering hole like Cheers.
For the east side of the city, there's plenty of "gentlemans clubs," as well as casual places like Paisano's, an Italian restaurant with a comedy club in the basement, and KC's Dive.

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Probably no one personifies this state more than Henry Ford. He created a car that was sturdy, reliable, functional, and affordable to the average American. He also pioneered modern techniques of mass production. And he paid his workers a lving wage, on the premise that they couldn't afford his cars otherwise. He also forbade them to drink--on or off the job (and it was enforced).

This museum is all about the early industrial age. It's the best of its kind that I've seen in the U.S. The displays of old autos, farm machinery, tools, and other memorabilia are impressive, to say the least. Don't miss this.

Be sure to check out Greenfield Village, nearby. It's one of America's best "living history" museums.

A historical trip in time, Greenfield Village takes you back to early inventions and historical figures' homes. Wear comfortable shoes, as this covers quite a bit of ground and in order to see everything in the park, you will be doing a lot of walking!

Greenfield Village displays historical homes, furniture and costumes. Ride the steam locomotive around the park for a scenic, audio tour of the many historial homes and buildings including Henry Ford's home.

Costumed attendants provide a glimpse and commentary into the daily life of those that may have inhabited the homes during the era they were built in. There are also black power shoot tournaments and other cultural and historical events.

In the 5th grade, my class and I had the opportunity to experience a typical school day in one of the one room school houses, where we wrote on slates with chalks and read from reproduced 1800's readers!

Be sure to visit the adjacent Henry Ford Museum!

ADMISSION:
Adult $18.00
Kid 5-12 $12.00
Kid 0-4 FREE

All vehicular rides are $1.50 including steamboat, locomotive, Model T and Carousel.

Henry Ford Museum displays antique articles including tools, clothing, and other artifacts. Adjacent to Greenfield Village, would make a great family day trip. There are also special exhibits from time to time. See their website for a ton of information on their exhibits!

If you're a car fiend or even just a history fiend when it comes to classic cars, this is your playground! The Henry Ford museum houses some of the oldest and most classic cars in our time.