The Detroit Bucket List: A Weekend of Must-Dos

08:30

Eastern Market

Eastern Market

The Saturday market is one of Detroit's most vivid experiences: historic sheds, growers, food spots and murals. Have breakfast here and wander the side streets too.

↓ Short drive downtown to Griswold Street.

10:30

Guardian Building

Downtown

The 1929 Art Deco skyscraper's lobby glows with marble, bright ceramics and Pewabic tile; no wonder it's called a cathedral of finance. The lobby is open to visitors, the office floors aren't.

↓ A few minutes' walk to Lafayette Boulevard.

11:30

Lafayette Coney Island

Downtown

Let the coney face-off begin: Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island next door have been arguing side by side for decades, and historians even dispute their founding dates. Order round one here.

↓ Just next door.

12:00

American Coney Island

Downtown

Round two next door, still run by the Keros family. Now you get to vote: which one wins?

↓ A few minutes' walk down to Woodward and Jefferson.

12:45

The Spirit of Detroit

Downtown

Marshall Fredericks' green bronze from 1958 is the city's symbol, in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Get close for the scale, step back for the setting.

↓ A few steps across the intersection.

13:00

Monument to Joe Louis — The Fist

Downtown

Robert Graham's 1986 monument to Joe Louis, the Fist, is one of Detroit's most powerful public artworks: the suspended arm evokes the boxer's strength, and its meaning reaches far beyond the ring. Stay on the pedestrian areas while you take photos.

↓ Through Hart Plaza to the riverfront.

13:15

Detroit Riverwalk

Riverfront

Stroll east on the RiverWalk with Windsor across the water and the RenCen behind you. Pick a comfortable stretch and take in the views.

↓ Board the People Mover at the Renaissance Center station.

14:15

Detroit People Mover

Downtown

This 2.9-mile loop, elevated the whole way, has carried riders since 1987 and has been free since 2024. It's the one piece of a never-built subway network, once mocked and now loved by everyone. Ride the full loop.

↓ Hop off and take a short drive or ride west to Corktown.

15:30

Michigan Central Station

Corktown

Opened in 1913, the station sat empty for decades until Ford restored it and reopened it to the public in 2024. The waiting room's scale and stone recall the grandeur of early rail travel; today it's an innovation hub, not a working passenger terminal.

↓ Drive back downtown to Woodward.

19:30

Fox Theatre

Downtown

C. Howard Crane's 1928 movie palace on Woodward: an ornate lobby, a monumental auditorium and today's concerts and stage shows. An evening here is old show business meeting the present-day stage.

↓ After the show, walk or ride back to your hotel.

10:00

Motown Museum

New Center

Berry Gordy bought this house on West Grand Boulevard in 1959, and the Motown sound was born here in Studio A. A photo under the Hitsville U.S.A. sign is mandatory. Guided tours are paused until a planned spring 2027 reopening, but part of the campus stays open and a separate exhibit runs next door at the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence.

↓ Short drive to Woodward and Midtown's museum district.

12:00

Detroit Institute of Arts

Midtown

Standing in Rivera Court before Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals is a bucket-list moment: factory work and industrial power at the heart of the museum. Give the DIA two to three hours.

↓ Drive north to Conant Street.

15:00

Buddy’s Pizza – Original Conant

East Side

Detroit-style square pizza was born right here at the original Conant Street Buddy's in 1946. Perfect for a late lunch.

↓ Drive south, then over the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.

17:30

Belle Isle Park

Belle Isle

End the weekend in the middle of the river: from Belle Isle's shore, watch the skyline and Windsor light up, near the James Scott Memorial Fountain.

↓ Head back downtown from here.