eileenleft

18 high school students, 4 adults and 1 free day (Saturday June 25)
Should we go to Henry Ford Factory Museum, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, or Henry Ford Museum?
Or is there something more interesting in Ann Arbor?

eileenleft

Oops, I meant Greenfield Village. Gotta remember: edit BEFORE I post!

jlm_mi

You can do Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in one day. I haven't done the factory tour, but it sounds interesting. No idea how long it takes though.

I think that the museum is great, and the village is so-so. Probably more fun for younger kids, but older kids could enjoy it for a little while.

In Ann Arbor that night, Top of the Park will be going on. When the schedule is published next month you can find it here:

http://www.annarborsummerfestival.or...top/index.html

But it's free, outdoor live music starting around 6pm and going till around 11pm or so. It's on top of a parking structure, and there is room to dance. Food and drinks are available. Alcohol is only sold inside the "beer garden" areas where you need ID to enter.

Other things in Ann Arbor might include the art museum and natural history museum. Both are pretty small, and the natural history museum is one that probably appeals more to younger kids.

Are you looking specifically for a museum experience, or just a fun day? How much should this day cost, and do the kids have particular interests that you want to incorporate?

eileenleft

Hello jlm,

Our church is doing a work trip in Detroit June 19-25. We are done on Saturday morning and I am planning a fun day to end the trip.

We want to do something we can't do in Madison Wi. It's a low budget trip -probably about $20 each for entertainment/admissions.

Last year we worked in St Louis. On that Saturday we went up in the Arch, shopped on the Walk of Fame Street and went to the City Museum. Everyone had a good time, particularly at the City Museum, which is a hands on active place.

On other work trips we've gone to a bluegrass festival(I loved it, kids hated it), Louisville Slugger Factory, Heritage Rooms at Univ of Pittsburgh, the Badlands,etc. So there's no one set idea that works. I just want something that's native to the area we're visiting.

Any suggestions are welcome. I meet with the kids this Sunday to set Saturday's itinerary. Thank you!

Keith

Greenfield Village is very cool. Went there with my band when I was a senior in High School and we were all blown away. Do both Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum if you can.

If you have only time for one, do Greenfield Village.

Keith

jlm_mi

Henry Ford Museum is definitely a "Detroit thing". It can get pricey though. The museum admission is $14, or for $26 you can do the museum and village, or the museum and factory tour. They do have a group sales number on their web site if you want to see what the discount is for groups. www.thehenryford.org

You could also check out the Detroit Zoo. It's just an OK zoo, though.

I think you'll find that Ann Arbor would "feel" pretty similar to Madison, both being college towns of similar size. That's what I hear from people who have been to both.

Although you could potentially do it at home, there are some fun rivers in the area for canoeing.

The Tigers are away that weekend, but you might be able to get tours of Comerica Park and Ford Field (Lions) if the kids are sports fans.

Hmmm - not much else coming to mind right now, but I'll post back if I think of anything. I'm sure others will have more ideas for you too.

eileenleft

Thanks!
I am going to let the kids vote on Henry Ford or Village.
Then we will probably head toward Ann Arbor and check out the music. We may informally tour the campus-we had a good time at University of Kentucky and Notre Dame.
Now I want to try & find a low(ish) cost hotel with a pool.

eileenleft

How long would it take to do Greenfield Village AND Ford Museum? Kids are pretty evenly split on what they want to see.
Thank you for your help.

jlm_mi

They are at the same location. So, you could go there and have the kids that just want to do one or the other do only that, and the kids that want to do both buy a combo ticket.

We did both in one long day, but it totally depends on the interests of the kids. I'm happy with a stroll through the village while others prefer to visit each location in detail. Still, I think we spent about 6 or so hours there the day we did both.

The Rouge Factory tour also leaves from the same location if there are kids that want to sign up for that. I think they sell out, so it should be done in advancece.

cherie1

Has anybody done the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, and care to comment? I have out of town guests coming in town next month and I'm thinking of taking them on the tour.

BethL3

The Factory tour is suppose to be great. My family will be going this summer. Seeing actual "truck building" depends on production needs and may not be seen on any given day. If the weather is nice, the kids would probably rather tour the village. It is very nice and you can see people "living" as though in the time period and view farming, and handcrafters weaving, blowing glass, pottery...There are also tours on train, boat and Model T. Lines for food can be long. It is an awesome place to have fun learning!
Detroit is not known for its vacation attractions, but The Henry Ford is probably the best.

eileenleft

Thank you thank you.

Can we park the vans in one spot and spread out from there? I can't tell from the website how far apart Henry Fod and Greenfield Village are.

I am thinking our group could just meet back at the van at a given time. I will purchase tickets in advance & dole them out when we get there.

Oh and for the factory tour be sure to check the website. Nothing is built on Saturdays.

jlm_mi

The parking areas for the museum and village are the same. The entrances are maybe 100 yards apart. Should be a piece of cake for you!

BethL3

Yes, you can park in one spot. The place is large but not so huge as to get lost. Yes, no production on Saturdays, but so others know, that can also happen during the week.
Also, horses do go around the village so watch where you walk and there is a wonderful gift shop near the entrance -- save time for browsing. Have fun!

ceg

One of these is an excellent choice with your group. We make an annual trek to the Detroit area to visit family and each has been part of our trips.
Yes you can park in one spot and go to both the village and the musuem. Having been to both recently with teenagers, they prefered the Museum over the village, which I found surprising. I believe it was because there was much more variety at the museum than the village.
Just curious, are you doing a summer Group Workcamp? My daughter has participated in this for a couple of years, what a great experience. Hats off to you and your teens.

eileenleft

Okay, I will be alot clearer with the kids at our next meeting. They'll probably have 5 hours to do both Museum & Village.Thanks everyone!!!! It's really hard to plan activities that I haven't done for people not my age!

Ceg-we're doing Young Neighbors in Action workcamp.Probably very similiar to Group. In St Louis some of us worked in the projects in East St Louis and some did Habitat for Humanity and got ready for their blitz build. We'll be doing the same kinds of things in Detroit. Kids love it. They feel like they are making the world a better place, in a small way. It's a great good time.