Welcome to Detroit.

Simply Loud lives up to the name — a bold, quality-forward menu and a team that knows what's on it. One of Detroit's standout independent dispensaries. The kind of place that earns a loyal local following fast.

Green Genie has been part of Detroit's cannabis story since early days. Deep roots, strong menu, and the institutional knowledge that comes from years in a competitive market. A Detroit original worth knowing.

Leaf & Bud keeps it focused — quality product, fair prices, and a no-nonsense approach that Detroit appreciates. The menu leans into craft producers and the staff actually knows why. Worth having on your list.

Third Man Records — Cass Corridor

441 W Canfield St

Jack White was raised in Southwest Detroit. He launched Third Man Records here in 2001. The Cass Corridor location has a record store, novelties lounge, in-store performance stage, and a working vinyl pressing plant you can watch through viewing windows. You can record a 2.5-minute song on the spot and leave with a 6-inch vinyl record. This is one of the coolest things you can do in any American city.

Motown Museum

2648 W Grand Blvd

Hitsville U.S.A. — the house where Berry Gordy built Motown Records and where Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and The Temptations recorded some of the most important music in American history. Studio A is preserved exactly as it was. This is a pilgrimage.

The Fox Theatre

2211 Woodward Ave

One of the most beautifully preserved theaters in America. Opened in 1928, restored to its full opulent glory. If anything worth seeing is playing here while you're in Detroit, see it. The building alone is worth the ticket.

Saint Andrew's Hall

431 E Congress St

The basement — The Shelter — is where Eminem famously choked during one of his first performances. The main hall has hosted everyone worth hosting for thirty years. Detroit's most storied small venue. Check the calendar before you come.

The Fillmore Detroit

2115 Woodward Ave

Part of the legendary Fillmore family, housed in a stunning 1925 building. Mid-size national acts, impeccable sound, one of the best concert experiences in the Midwest. Right on Woodward Avenue with everything else.

Lafayette Coney Island

118 W Lafayette Blvd (Downtown) · 24 hours

Detroit's most argued-about institution. A Coney dog is a natural-casing hot dog in a steamed bun, topped with chili sauce, yellow mustard, and raw onion. Lafayette versus American Coney Island next door has been a Detroit debate for a century. Go to Lafayette. Order two.

Buddy's Pizza

Multiple Detroit locations · Daily

Buddy's invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946. Square pan, crispy caramelized cheese crust, sauce on top. Everything called Detroit-style pizza in the rest of the country is trying to be this. The original is on Conant Street. Get the pepperoni.

Eastern Market — Saturday

2934 Russell St · Saturdays 6am–4pm

America's largest historic public market running since 1891. Fresh produce, flowers, local vendors, street food, craft beer from Eastern Market Brewing. The murals on the surrounding buildings are some of the best public art in the city. A Detroit Saturday morning ritual.

Leila

Downtown Detroit · Dinner daily

Contemporary Lebanese cuisine that has become one of Detroit's most celebrated dining destinations. The mezze spreads, the lamb dishes, the atmosphere. Reservations recommended. The kind of restaurant that makes you realize Detroit's food scene is genuinely serious.

Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn

20 minutes from downtown. One of the greatest museums in America — the Rosa Parks bus, the Lincoln Continental JFK was shot in, the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop, Edison's Menlo Park laboratory. You need a full day. Plan for it.

Greenfield Village next door is a separate ticket and worth it — 80 historic structures including Henry Ford's birthplace and the house where the Wright Brothers grew up.

Detroit Riverwalk

3.5 miles of waterfront path along the Detroit River with views of Windsor, Canada directly across. One of the best urban waterfront walks in the Midwest. Rent a bike, find a bench, watch the freighters pass. Free and always worth it.

The view of the Ambassador Bridge from the Riverwalk at dusk is genuinely stunning.

Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave (Midtown)

One of the top six art museums in the country. Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry Murals alone are worth the visit — 27 panels painted in 1932-33 depicting Ford's River Rouge plant. The collection spans 5,000 years. Free for Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County residents.

Spend an hour minimum with the Rivera murals. They're in the central courtyard and they're extraordinary.

Michigan Central Station — Corktown

2001 15th St (Corktown)

The legendary train station that sat abandoned for thirty years reopened in 2024 as a Ford Motor Company innovation campus. The restoration is stunning. Shops, cafés, and events in one of Detroit's most architecturally significant buildings.

Walk the full building. The main hall restoration is breathtaking — it rivals Grand Central.

Café d'Mongos Speakeasy

Downtown Detroit

Old Detroit through vintage decor, classic cocktails, and occasional live piano. The laid-back blues ambiance is something you won't find in tourism brochures. A genuine local institution that also does exceptional coffee.

Folk

Michigan Ave, Corktown

A Corktown anchor on Michigan Avenue. Excellent coffee, seasonal food, the kind of warm neighborhood café that makes you understand why people moved to Corktown. Right around the corner from Third Man Records.

Anthology Coffee

Midtown Detroit

Serious third-wave coffee in Midtown. Single-origin, carefully sourced, beautifully made. The kind of place that takes the craft as seriously as you take yours. A fifteen-minute walk from the DIA.

Great Lakes Coffee

Midtown Detroit

A Detroit institution with deep roots in the Midtown community. Multiple locations, consistently excellent, the coffee shop that anchors countless Detroit mornings. Reliable, warm, and genuinely good.