Motor City, or Motown is revving its engines again. Revitalized and reinvigorated after decades of neglect, Detroit has reclaimed its place as a cultural and tourist capital. Everything in this Midwest city seems new again. The Woodward Avenue theater district boasts renovated theaters and new shows. Downtown, the Detroit Tigers their new stadium, Comerica Park in 2000; the Lions now play in Ford Field right across the street. The downtown upswing has extended to Greektown, now the hot spot for food and nightlife.
New Detroit blends the soul and vision of its pioneers. The Motown Museum is a low-key tribute to the high-energy sound that defined a city and an era. Just outside Detroit, the Henry Ford Museum is a sprawling testament to the spirit of invention that built the city and is refueling it today. Most of Detroit's best and most notable attractions are just a limo or luxury sedan ride from any hotel in the city or around the suburbs.
Motown Historical Museum: This old Detroit home belies the greatness that was born here -- the Motown Sound. But one step inside Hitsville, USA, the original house where Berry Gordy lived and recorded the Motown hits, and you'll catch the beat and spirit of this booming music era. Photos, costumes, artwork, music and other memorabilia take you back to more musical times.
Detroit Institute of Arts: It's considered to house one of the best art collections in the United States. The Institute showcases everything from mummies to modern art and African masks to Monets in its outstanding collection of over 65,000 works. Don't miss the General Motors Center for African American Art, a part of the DIA that showcases 400 pieces, in various media, by African American artists.
Detroit Historical Museum: The Motor City Exhibition, where you can see how a Cadillac is assembled, is just one of the many interesting displays at this museum dedicated to telling the story of Detroit.
Detroit Zoological Park: You'll be able to see frolicking and splashing polar bears through a glass pane and experience life on the tundra at the Arctic Ring of Life, the world's largest Arctic exhibit. Other highlights of this interactive and educational zoo include a stroll through an indoor rainforest with free-roaming animals and a visit to one of the largest great ape exhibits in the world.
New Detroit Science Center: Science is made fun and exciting in this hands-on, interactive science center, which introduces science, engineering and technology in ways that children can understand. Complete with an IMAX Dome theater, the center underwent a huge expansion and renovation in 2001.
MGM Grand Detroit Casino: The former setting for the MGM Grand was a former IRS building, and was just temporary. Now a permanent casino is up and running, just opened with all the glitter and glamour of Las Vegas.
MotorCity Casino: A casino where you don't need to gamble? That's the idea at MotorCity, designed to satisfy gamblers and non-gamblers alike with its comprehensive gaming offerings and dining and entertainment delights. Its range of restaurants from fine dining to barbecue is all headed up by one of two certified master chefs in Michigan.
Although the Inner Harbor is still a working seaport, it has been Baltimore's major tourist destination, and one of the top family weekend getaway jaunts, for years. The water taxis that transport people from one place to another alone is a sight to see. The people of Baltimore take pride of their 300-year maritime history. This is evident in many of their attractions like the Baltimore Maritime Museum where your family can discover three historic ships and a lighthouse. Older kids will be thrilled to participate in a special program where they discover the lives of young sailors at the USS Constellation, an 1854 naval warship that is restored and docked in the harbor for public tours.
The Inner Harbor holds a significant number of museums. Aside from that, retail stores, live entertainment and bars also found their home in the harbor. Restaurants such as J. Paul's, Rusty Scupper and Gardel's Supper Club are must-tries. The Maryland Science Center is an attraction for kids of all ages - that includes the parents, of course. The younger ones will surely learn and discover a lot of things from the very impressive interactive displays. The center has an IMAX movie theater that exhibits amazing family shows and concerts such as U2 performances in 3-D, giving parents the perfect opportunity to have a bonding moment with their teenagers on this weekend getaway. Children 3 years old and above are allowed in this attraction.
Catch a weekend baseball or football game at the Camden Yards in this family getaway and get into the spirit and action of Baltimore. You will also find Geppi's Entertainment Museum within the Camden Yards that showcases American pop culture. This is an attraction that the entire family will enjoy. While the kids visit their favorite characters such as Superman and Batman, parents can revisit their favorite celebrity icons such as Elvis Presley.
Located just one block northeast of the Inner Harbor is an attraction you should not miss on this family weekend getaway: Port Discovery. The Port Discovery houses Disney's Imagineers' designs and allow everyone in the family to create their own artworks and produce their own movies. This attraction helps enhance your children's, from toddlers to teenagers, imagination and unleash the Steven Spielberg or Walt Disney in them. A popular exhibit in the Port Discovery is the Miss Perception's Mystery House where the entire family help a detective solve the mystery of the disappearance of a fictional family by gathering clues as evidence.
The highlight of this weekend getaway is the very family-friendly National Aquarium where your children meet thousands of marine animals. The unforgettable encounter with the dolphins is one of the reason why a visit to the National Aquarium great. Your family can even have breakfast with them. One more amazing Aquarium treat is the wild sleepovers where visitors can have a good night's sleep with the underwater animals such as sharks. Reservations are required for these tours, though, as many visitors want to have this extraordinary experience.
Baltimore is a city of guaranteed amazing treats for everyone. With all the attractions and activities scattered all over the city, Baltimore is indeed a great family weekend getaway destination!