Parks & outdoors / East Riverfront
Cullen Plaza
The Detroit Riverwalk's busiest stop, with a carousel, fountains and a bike shop right on the river.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's first park opened in 2007 as Rivard Plaza. It was renamed in 2018 for Karen and Matthew P. Cullen; Matt Cullen is the Conservancy's founding chairman. Instead of horses, the Cullen Family Carousel spins Detroit River critters: an egret, a snail, a frog, a heron and a sturgeon. There's a granite map of the Detroit River set into the ground and a glass sculpture map of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Add a playscape, fountains, the seasonal Cullen Café and Tiki Bar, and bike rentals at Wheelhouse Detroit. Diamond Jack's River Tours docks here too.
- Opened in 2007 as the Conservancy's first park
- Free carousel with Detroit River animals
- Granite map of the Detroit River
- Bike rentals at Wheelhouse Detroit
- Diamond Jack's River Tours dock
A closer look
Photos were taken at different times; images are resized and cropped on cards.
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¼ · Stay
Sleep right around the corner
Quality Inn Detroit Downtown5 min walk · Edge of downtown · East Jefferson / Rivertown (east of I-375)
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center11 min walk · Downtown · Riverfront / Renaissance CenterBook direct ↗
Courtyard by Marriott Detroit Downtown13 min walk · Downtown · Jefferson Avenue / Millender Center (next to the RenCen)Book direct ↗
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-10-23
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
Oct 22, 2026, 6:30 PMDetroit Social Walk Club
Detroit Social Walk Club leads a women’s walk on Thursday, October 22, at 6:30 p.m., starting at Cullen Plaza along the Detroit Riverwalk in Detroit. It’s the city’s largest all-women’s walking club; register through the link they provide.
Oct 31, 2026, 6:30 PMDetroit Social Walk Club – Women’s Riverwalk Social Walk
Detroit Social Walk Club leads a women’s walk on Saturday, October 31, at 6:30 p.m., starting at Cullen Plaza in Detroit along the Riverwalk. It’s Detroit’s largest all-women’s walking club on a beautiful riverfront route. Register via the link in their bio.
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