Share
Previous Page
Detroit Itineraries
- Automotive Itinerary
- Downtown Detroit
- Western Suburbs
- African American Heritage
Morning
Regardless of the season, start your day at the Detroit Zoo, which is open year-round and often has special exhibits and kid-friendly events. One of the best newer exhibits is the Australian Outback Adventure — which gives guests an up-close look at 17 red kangaroos — and the four-acre, indoor/outdoor Arctic Ring of Life, the world’s largest polar bear exhibit.
Grab a snack at the zoo, because now you’re going to one of the world’s leading centers of education, science and art — Cranbrook. The enormous complex consists of an art museum, house and gardens, natural history museum, and both a graduate academy and college preparatory school. All of these are enticing, but the Cranbrook Institute of Sciences is probably the best suited for kids of all ages, from little ones to teenagers. Here you can see a full-size T. Rex skeleton, a digital planetarium, the skeletal remains of a mastodon discovered locally in 2006, The Bat Zone and plenty of rotating exhibits.
Afternoon
Drive about 15 miles north to Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, the perfect family destination with 1.4 million-square-feet of entertainment, including more than 200 stores, a 25-screen movie theater and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World — nearly five-football-fields-worth of outdoor enthusiasts’ gear.
The kids will love a break at the Rainforest Café a tropical-theme restaurant with live and animated animals, periodic rainstorms, a talking tree and salt-water aquariums. They often have special promotions and events, so check the Web site before you go.
Also in Auburn Hills is The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons basketball team and host to concerts, sporting events and lots of kids entertainment.
ADVERTISEMENT
