Give Yourself the Gift of Detroit History

Have some time off this holiday season? Instead of wasting it away in front of the television watching reruns or A Christmas Story ten times, why not take a short drive to Detroit's fabulous Historical Museum and spend the day immersed in Detroit history and culture.

The Detroit Historical Museum has several exhibits of interest, including:

American Icons: Detroit Designs, which pays homage to Detroit designers such as Euro Saarinen, reponsible for designing the famed Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and Minoru Yamasaki, the metro Detroit man responsible for designing the World Trade Center.

Frontiers to Factories, an exhibit that examines 164 years of life in Detroit, beginning with its founding in 1701.

Motor City, a permanent DHM project that examines the influences the automobile had on Detroit and that Detroit had on the automobile. A must-see for anyone that claims to be from the Motor City.

Enterprising Women, a touring exhibit that examines two and a half decades of women that played significant roles in shaping American business. Although this exhibit profiles 40 women from across the country, two of the profiled women have Detroit roots: one is Mary Stratton, founder of Pewabic Pottery; the other is Brownie Wise, the Detroit woman that created the idea of Tupperware parties. In addition, several local business and non-profit organizations - including Ford Motor Company, Style Magazine, WJR, Crain's Detroit Business, Greater Detroit's Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners and Detroit's Women's Economic Club - provided funding to create the local exhibit, "With Style and Service: Detroit's Enterprising Women". "With Style" examines the lives of six Detroit business women that played integral roles in the area's business development.

The Detroit Historical Museum is open Tuesday - Friday from 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm and Sunday from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. Adult tickets are $5 each ,and students, youth and senior citizens pay just $3. Children under four and Detroit Historical Society members pay no charge to visit the museum. Every Wednesday, the museum runs a special in which all tickets are just $1.

The museum is located on Woodward Avenue at Kirby in Detroit's Cultural District, near Wayne State University, the DIA and the Detroit Public Library. More information on museum membership, volunteer opportunities and future exhibits can be found on the DHM's website at www.detroithistorical.org.