Yes, Detroit has seen better days. And yes, it’s often the butt of the joke. You might be wondering why anyone would want to visit Detroit and truth be told, if you’re looking for a shiny city with tons of flashy attractions, then Detroit it not for you. But if you’re a traveler in search of something special below the surface, if you love undiscovered (and sometimes forgotten) places and have a passion for architecture, art, and history, consider a visit to Detroit.

Detroit’s biggest attractions are its historical sites and museums. Check out the Motown Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Historical Museum and the sprawling estates of Henry Ford and Edsel and Eleanor Ford. Visit the eclectic Heidelberg Project, an open-air exhibition of junk-turned-art; gamble, drink and dine in festive Greektown; go on a photo safari to some of the city’s formerly majestic, now crumbling buildings, and check out some of the best Detroit breweries and bars.

And here’s the bonus, you can explore all the history and culture of Detroit on a very small budget. Thanks to an infamously floundering economy, Detroit’s a bargain. The cost of living here is low and it’s easy to find a cheap place to stay in Detroit and the surrounding suburbs and drinking and dining costs much less than it does in other major cities. Airfare to Detroit can be very inexpensive from other major cities (and in the Midwest you can connect via cheap bus or rail), generally ranging from $130-$300 round trip depending on your origin city and travel dates.

What the city lacks in curb appeal for tourists, it makes up with a lively community, lots to see and do, and  a city pride that stands strong in the face of decline. Visiting Detroit provides a look at the history of America and the cities that built it.

Photo by ifmuth