Explore Detroit
To help plan your stay, we've put together a list of our favorite things to do/love letter to the city we call home. This page is filled with clickable links, so check out the underlined links to learn more!
Our Walking Tour
We love spending time in Midtown! Here are a list of places we love that you can walk to from Tushar's apartment!
Detroit Institute of Arts: Right next door to Tushar's building we (read: Carol) love to wander and explore the art here!
• The main exhibits are free for residents of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties.
• If you happen to be in town, attend a free concert on a Friday night)!
• There are always special exhibits at the DIA! For Summer 2020, check out special exhibitions of Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali, and Pieter Bruegel's The Wedding Dance, one of the DIA's most famous paintings.
• You can't miss the historic Rivera Court, where Diego Rivera's tribute to Detroit's industry will stun you. Can you spot Henry Ford on the wall?
Detroit Public Library: Just across Woodward from the DIA, you can wander into the back entrance of this beautiful Renaissiance-style library built in 1921. Take the stairs up to the second floor to see beautiful architecture, murals depicting Detroit's history, and beautiful stained-glass windows in the reading room.
If you have a few hours to adventure, you can even try this Midtown Scavenger Hunt - one of the most fun dates we've done in Detroit!
For those into sports, concerts, and plays, check out Detroit's lineup of venues!
For Sports Fans:
• Comerica Park, home to the Detroit Tigers: check out a baseball game!
• Little Caesar's Arena: the newly built home to the Detroit Piston's and Red Wings
Concert Venues:
• Fox Theater
• The Fillmore
• Saint Andrew's
• Detroit Opera House
• Music Hall
Our favorite eats, by location!
Downtown:
• Pho Lucky: We had our first date here over steaming bowls of pho!
• Johnny Noodle King: Japanese-inspired noodles and broth. yum!
• Detroit Shipping Company: roam here and explore a variety of food options with a group!
• Maru: Sushi, great for a group!
Midtown:
• Ima: By now you're wondering if we eat anything except noodles.
• Urban Ramen: OK, busted, all we eat is noodles!
• Slows To Go: Slows famous BBQ food, without the wait!
• Wasabi: Tushar and Rohan's go-to for takeout sushi downstairs. Try the spider roll!
Corktown:
• Takoi: updated Thai food. The Khanom Krok is a must-have here! They are very popular on weekends, so take advantage that they now take reservations!
• Mercury Burger Bar: Get the Southwest Detroit Burger, you won't be sorry!
• Slows: Detroit's original BBQ (and Mac n' Cheese)!
• Mudgie's: melt-in-your mouth sandwiches
• Ottava Via: freshly prepared authentic Italian
• Lady of the House: voted best date night by both of us!
• Bobcat Bonnie's: updated bar food
• Brooklyn Street Local: locally sourced eats
Mexicantown (Southwest Detroit)
• Taqueria Lupita's: the Noronha family's favorite "hole-in-the-wall" for authentic tacos
Dearborn: the largest population of Arabs outside of the Middle East call Dearborn home, and we have an amazing array of food from the region!
• Sheeba: Yemeni eats! Try the Lamb Fahsah
• New Yasmeen Bakery: pick up a quick sandwich, or try Carol's favorite Mango-Strawberry smoothie!
• Al Ameer: classic Lebanese food
• Qahwah House: enjoy a spiced Yemeni latte with a slice of warm, honey-drizzled Sabaya on the side
Greektown
• Sweetwater Tavern: the world's best wings, in Carol's opinion
• Pegasus: classic Greek food, open late!
• Niki's Pizza: Carol's college favorite!
• Astoria Pastry Shop: finish your dinner off with a sweet treat to go
• Lucky Detroit Coffee: Enjoy a Vanilla Bourbon Latte with a friend in Corktown (be prepared to unplug, there's no wifi)
• Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company: Carol's favorite midtown coffee shop. Try the Mexican Latte.
• Common Grounds Coffee: This is a ministry based out of a church in Corktown! Donate what you can for a cup of coffee - it's an investment in the community.
• Sugarhouse: Detroit's original cocktail house in Corktown with 101 classic drinks on the menu! Head here after dinner at Slows or Mercury Burger Bar
• Two James: a whiskey distillery in Corktown
• Chartreuse: try their signature, citrusy chartreuse (it's right in Tushar's building!)
• Grey Ghost: a new Detroit favorite for cocktails
Detroit
• Enjoy a picnic on Belle Isle, Detroit's island park (it's where we got engaged!)
• Bike down the Dequindre Cut
. . . and for more green space, venture out of the city to:
Ann Arbor
• Take a walk by the river, run on the trails, and see the Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum (you might recognize the garden from our engagement photos. Carol tries to run here every day in the summer!)
• Take a tube in the Huron River near the Argo Cascades until the arb or Gallup Park! (the best summer activity EVER)
Suburbs
• Ride your bike along the Clinton River Trail, which starts on Opdyke road just north of the wedding hotel
• Relax by the river or rent canoes at Riverside Park
• Feed the deer and hike the trails at the E.L. Johnson Nature Center
• Spend the day at the Detroit Zoo, our favorite summer date spot!