Midtown

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Midtown is where Detroit keeps its treasures. In the 1920s the city built the Main Library and the Detroit Institute of Arts face to face on Woodward as the heart of a new cultural center, and museums, music schools and Wayne State University gathered around them. West of Woodward lies the old Cass Corridor, a name many Detroiters still use, with Victorian houses, apartment blocks, artists' bars and record shops. Today it's the city's most walkable mix of culture and nightlife: Diego Rivera's murals at the DIA, the Charles H. Wright Museum, the Detroit Symphony at Orchestra Hall, and plenty of places to eat and drink on Cass, Second and Selden. Students, hospital staff and longtime neighbors keep it going from morning coffee to last call.

1. Give the DIA a whole afternoon, starting with Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals.
2. Cross Woodward to the Detroit Public Library's marble halls, then step into the Detroit Historical Museum next door.
3. Take your time at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and bring the kids to the Michigan Science Center.
4. See what's new at MOCAD, then dig through vinyl at Third Man Records on Canfield.
5. Hear the Detroit Symphony at Orchestra Hall, then have dinner at Selden Standard or a backyard drink at The Old Miami.