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Metro Detroit Monroe County City
An 1812 battlefield, Custer's hometown and Michigan's only Lake Erie state park
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Monroe sits on the River Raisin near the western shore of Lake Erie, about 40 miles southwest of Detroit and 20 miles northeast of Toledo, Ohio. It's one of Michigan's oldest communities: French Frenchtown was the third European settlement in what became the state.
In January 1813 it saw one of the bloodiest fights of the War of 1812, the Battle of Frenchtown: 397 Americans were killed and 547 captured, and the day after the battle a number of wounded prisoners were killed. "Remember the Raisin!" became an American battle cry. Today the National Park Service also stresses that it was the greatest victory of Tecumseh's Confederation, and that its aftermath fed the laws that forced Native nations from their lands.
Monroe County is its own metro area and counts as Metro Detroit only within the wider Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor combined statistical area. George Armstrong Custer grew up here, and his equestrian statue stands downtown; La-Z-Boy has been based here since 1927.
02 / Known for
River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the only national battlefield park dedicated solely to the War of 1812.
George Armstrong Custer spent much of his childhood here; President William Howard Taft and Custer's widow, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, unveiled his equestrian statue in 1910.
La-Z-Boy, the recliner maker founded here in 1927 and still headquartered here.
Sterling State Park, Michigan's only state park on Lake Erie, with 1,300 acres of lagoons and beachfront.
The coal-fired Monroe Power Plant, opened in 1974, whose 805-foot stacks can be seen from more than 25 miles away.
03 / What’s on
Oct 23, 2026, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show hits the stage at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 7 p.m.. There are three performances, so pick your night.
Oct 24, 2026, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show hits the stage at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7 p.m.. There are three performances, so pick your night.
Oct 25, 2026, 12:00 AMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show hits the stage at the River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 12 a.m.. There are three performances, so pick your night.
Nov 1, 2026, 11:00 AMKackleberry Farms · Kackleberry Farms in Monroe runs its Fall Festival on weekends from September 12 through November 1, plus Thursday and Friday evenings (3–7 p.m.) on October 15, 16, 22 and 23, with 30+ attractions including a super-mega slide, a jumping pillow and pig and duck races. Weekend tickets are $21.99 online or $25 at the gate.
Dec 4, 2026, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · The Nutcracker Ballet comes to River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Friday, December 4, 2026, at 7 p.m.. There are four performances to pick from, so it's easy to make it a holiday outing.
Dec 5, 2026, 2:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · The Nutcracker Ballet comes to River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 2 p.m.. There are four performances to pick from, so it's easy to make it a holiday outing.
Dec 5, 2026, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · The Nutcracker Ballet comes to River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 7 p.m.. There are four performances to pick from, so it's easy to make it a holiday outing.
Dec 6, 2026, 2:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · The Nutcracker Ballet comes to River Raisin Centre for the Arts, 114 South Monroe Street in Monroe, on Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 2 p.m.. There are four performances to pick from, so it's easy to make it a holiday outing.
Mar 19, 2027, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Wonderland, told in dance: Alice in Wonderland Ballet takes the stage at River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe on Friday, March 19, 2027, at 7 p.m.. The run has four performances at 114 South Monroe Street.
Mar 20, 2027, 2:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Wonderland, told in dance: Alice in Wonderland Ballet takes the stage at River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe on Saturday, March 20, 2027, at 2 p.m.. The run has four performances at 114 South Monroe Street.
Mar 20, 2027, 7:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Wonderland, told in dance: Alice in Wonderland Ballet takes the stage at River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe on Saturday, March 20, 2027, at 7 p.m.. The run has four performances at 114 South Monroe Street.
Mar 21, 2027, 2:00 PMRiver Raisin Centre for the Arts · Wonderland, told in dance: Alice in Wonderland Ballet takes the stage at River Raisin Centre for the Arts in Monroe on Sunday, March 21, 2027, at 2 p.m.. The run has four performances at 114 South Monroe Street.
04 / Places
05 / What to do
A free visitor center with a diorama, ranger programs and the film The Untold Legacy of the River Raisin, plus walking and biking trails across the battlefield.
Official site ↗Beach, lagoons and camping on Lake Erie, with a small piece inside city limits.
Official site ↗Edward C. Potter's equestrian statue "Sighting the Enemy" downtown; even the city limit signs call Monroe the home of General Custer.
Official site ↗06 / History
The Potawatomi give Francis Navarre land south of the River Raisin; Frenchtown grows up soon after.
Battles at the River Raisin on January 18 and 22; the second, the Battle of Frenchtown, ends in an American defeat.
Frenchtown is renamed Monroe for President James Monroe and becomes seat of the new Monroe County.
In the year Michigan becomes a state, Monroe incorporates as a city.
Custer's equestrian statue is unveiled.
A law signed March 30 creates River Raisin National Battlefield Park; it officially opens in May 2011.
07 / Born here
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Monroe city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.9 percent.
