Signature City Detroit

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Program Registration: 3:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will learn from a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Meals will feature local cuisine in a variety of settings. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: After dinner, we’ll enjoy a lecture by a local expert on the history of Detroit.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving under 10 miles total with multiple stops, approximately 3 hours riding time. Getting on/off the Detroit People Mover (downtown public transit loop) for dinner; approximately 20 minutes roundtrip between Greentown and the hotel. The People Mover will take us close to our destinations, but plan on walking a couple of blocks each time we use it.

Breakfast: In the hotel restaurant.

Morning: We will begin the day with a walking exploration of the city with a local expert, who will provide us with an up-close look at downtown Detroit. Here, we will see how an area once dominated by heavy industry has given way to a beautiful waterfront. We will be amazed by the wide array of architecture styles ranging from mid-19th-century to modern and learn how the city has undergone many renaissances. We will feel the energy of a downtown on the rebound – one that – until recently – was known as a ghost town. We’ll return to the hotel for a short break then board a motorcoach and ride to lunch.

Lunch: Not to be missed, we'll visit a Detroit institution for lunch: Buddy's Pizza – serving up famous Detroit-Style pizza! They also serve salads, ravioli, chili, and subs.

Afternoon: We’ll board the motorcoach with our local expert for an extended exploration of Detroit. In the city’s recent past, stories of crime and decline dominated the media. Now dubbed the “comeback city,” its turnaround is making news. We will rediscover Detroit’s fascinating history and experience the revitalization as we travel aboard a motorcoach throughout the heart of the Motor City and soak up the sights, sounds, and scents of this compelling place. Along the way, our local expert will shed light on numerous factors that led to the dramatic rise and fall of this former industrial powerhouse that put the world on wheels, and reveal who’s behind the revitalization. Crown jewels, legendary landmarks, and hip new happenings - we'll see it all! We will then enjoy a lecture from another expert at the hotel on the effects of gentrification in Detroit.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. With the Group Leader, we’ll take the People Mover from the hotel to Greektown, where you can choose from its many eateries.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving 40 miles, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Walking and standing for 1.5 hours in the morning, up to 2 hours in the afternoon.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will engage in a discussion with a local Detroiter who grew up in the culture of Detroit’s music. During this lecture, we will learn about the history of Motown. We will explore “Hitsville U.S.A.,” the small house where music history was made – now the Motown Museum – as the recording studio where The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and so many more artists came to record the hit songs that changed the way America thought of music.

Lunch: A voucher is provided for lunch on arrival at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Afternoon: We will take in the highlights of the Detroit Institute of Arts on an expert-led visit. Then, we'll have some time to explore more of the exhibits on our own. Among the top art collections in America, notable works include Mexican artist Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry fresco cycle, which Rivera considered his most successful work, and Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait, the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum collection.

Dinner: We’ll take the motorcoach to a local jazz cafe, where we’ll enjoy a delicious meal.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach six times; driving about 30 miles, under 1 hour total riding time. The Ford Rouge Factory exploration is a walk long a ramp above the factory floor, a 0.3-mile walk for the full circuit. Walking and standing for up to 2 hours at a time; be sure to wear your most comfortable shoes and darker pants.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will head out via motorcoach to Dearborn for a full day of exploration and discovery of Henry Ford as a collector of American History and as the innovator of the factory assembly line. We will view the actual Rouge Factory in action and examine America’s memorabilia in the collections of The Henry Ford Museum on exclusive expert-led visits.

Lunch: We will receive meal vouchers to be used at any of the dining options at the Henry Ford complex.

Afternoon: We’ll continue on to explore Greenfield Village. With the included village ride pass, we can ride the steam locomotive, horse-drawn Carriages, the Model T, and the 1913 Carousel. We will wander through the seven historic districts that illustrate America’s history. We’ll then return to the hotel via motorcoach. We'll then depart by motorcoach to visit Zekelman Holocaust Center for a guided exploration. The Zekelman Holocaust Center is home to such exhibits as the WWII-era Boxcar, Eternal Flame and Memorial Wall and the Museum of European Jewish Heritage.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. Upon arrival back to the hotel, we will walk across the pedestrian passage into the GM Renaissance Center with the Group Leader for an overview of the exhibits and facilities. We'll enjoy a choice of the many eateries in the Center.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking and standing for up to 2 hours at a time. Getting on/off a motorcoach three times; driving up to 35 miles, under 1 hour riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll start the day with a drive along Lake Shore Road to the town of Grosse Point to visit the Ford Estate. The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House illustrates the home life of this prominent American family who were cultural, social, and economic leaders of their times. The comfortable yet artfully designed and decorated mansion was the centerpiece of the Ford family’s life. We'll hear the inside stories and visit the mansion and gardens with an expert.

Lunch: Not to be missed, we'll visit a Detroit institution for lunch: American Coney Island – serving up Detroit’s famous hot dogs! They also serve salads, gyros, chili, and other carnival-inspired favorites. Please note that this venue's vegetarian options are very limited.

Afternoon: We will then depart for a field trip to the Charles Wright Museum of African American History. One of the world’s oldest independent African American museums, “The Wright” dedicates itself to exploring the legacy of African Americans from Harriet Tubman to the Tuskegee Airmen to Aretha Franklin. Transfer to Food Field for a guided visit. Founded over a decade ago in Detroit's North End, Oakland Urban Farms is known for growing healthy food, hosting educational programs, creating cultural gathering spaces and generating jobs. This includes a short walk which will feature capital development projects, the space that they began in, production land, chicken coop, and lots of fun colloquial stories from the farm manager. We will return to the hotel via motorcoach.

Dinner: At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Following breakfast, we will have a brief program wrap-up with our Group Leader. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!