Detroit often gets a bad rep in the media, but in reality, it is a city rich with innovative history where music and art flourish and a sense of community shines.
Detroit is known for being the leader of the American auto industry and for producing some of the most famous blues, R&B, and soul musicians. Detroit is also famous for its unique visual arts projects and theater district. Detroit’s rich heritage, gorgeous and safe community spaces, and unique snacking culture make it a city you won’t soon forget!
Explore the 17 things that make Detroit a truly unique place!
Table of Contents
1. Famous people
Maybe it’s because Detroit has been a cultural hub for decades or because there’s something in the water, but Detroit is home to many famous singers. Most notably, the rapper Eminem (nee Marshall Bruce Mathers III) grew up in Warren, a town just outside of Detroit.
Most of Eminem’s music is autobiographical in one way or another and we have his upbringing in Detroit to thank for that. He even starred in a movie, titled 8 Mile, all about his childhood and rise to fame.
The name 8 Mile is derived from the highway 8 Mile Road in Detroit which separates a predominantly black community from a predominantly white community.
Other notable singers who grew up in Detroit include Big Sean, Anita Baker, and Diana Ross.
2. Annual Jazz Festival
As the birthplace of so many talented musicians, what better place to enjoy a Jazz Festival than Detroit?
During Labor Day weekend, the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation puts on an elaborate, free outdoor festival celebrating the vibrancy of jazz and the collectiveness that music brings.
It aims to educate and appreciate the history of jazz through 60 live performances as well as street vendors and artists. And, if you stick around long enough, you might be lucky enough to catch an impromptu jam session.
One of the coolest parts of the festival when I went back in 2016 was the sense of community and joy that radiated from the festival grounds. Staring out at the lake, seeing Canada just across the way, and being surrounded by warm summer air, great music, and people enjoying each other was such a special experience.
If you can, I highly suggest making time for this one-of-a-kind festival.
3. Eastern Market
Since 1978, Detroit’s Eastern Market has been a famous hub for unique goods and farm-fresh foods. With six markets to choose from, it’s a shopper’s paradise!
On Saturdays, you can enjoy over 225 vendors who sell fresh produce that celebrate the tastes of Detroit. Sundays are for the more traditional flea market lover.
With numerous local artists, cooks, jewelers, performers, and more to experience, it’s a market that produces art distinct to Detroit. Tuesdays have a bit more of a relaxed vibe, with free yoga and Zumba classes.
Grab some fresh produce or a few unique gifts, and head over to the neighboring Comerica Park to enjoy a spontaneous picnic and gift exchange with friends!
4. Auto industry
With the invention of the first assembly line in Detroit, the ability to mass-produce cars changed the auto industry forever! By the 1920s, three of the biggest car companies were based in Detroit — Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.
With the number of jobs the auto industry produced, mixed with the widespread popularity of these cars, Detroit was given the nickname “The Motor City” or “Motor Town” by the 1960s. As the center of the American motor industry, Detroit became a haven for people who had recently lost their jobs to flock to and easily earn a livable wage.
While more cities have adopted the car manufacturing business nowadays, Detroit will always remain a model to the exciting developments in the auto industry.
5. Motown Records
With many people moving to Detroit to work in the auto industry, a boom in the music industry came with it.
In 1960, the famous record label Motown was created by Berry Gordy, which he named after Detroit’s nickname “Motor Town”. Motown was a pioneer in releasing music in the rock, soul, and blues genres.
Motown Records really took off when Gordy discovered the now-famous William “Smokey” Robinson when he was only in high school! Soon came releases from other amazing, influential artists like The Supremes, Diana Ross, Jackson 5, and more.
Dominating the charts for the majority of the ’60s, Motown Records was an impressive powerhouse that gave Detroit another reason to be famous. While Motown Records has locations elsewhere now, the stamp it left on Detroit is ever present through the city’s soul, the production of musicians, and so much more.
6. Snacking
Who doesn’t have a bit of a snacking habit? If you do, you’d feel right at home in Detroit.
Oddly enough, Detroit is known for consuming the most potato chips in the country! It’s reported that the people of Detroit consume, on average, an annual 7 pounds of potato chips compared to the rest of the country’s 4 pounds.
At one point, there were roughly 22 potato chip manufacturing companies in the city alone. That number has since dwindled to just a few, the most notable being Better Made.
Detroitians absolutely love this chip. Better Made chips have been noted as tasting like Michigan; the home-grown potato flavor shines through. Plus, the lack of grease makes for a pleasant, clean snacking experience. If you’re ever in Detroit, try a bag (or two)!
7. Pizza
While they don’t eat as much pizza as they do potato chips, Detroit is famous and loved for its “Detroit-style” pizza.
This style of pizza came about in 1946 when the owners of the bar Buddy’s Rendezvous decided they needed a new item to put on their menu. They decided on a Sicilian-style pizza, consisting of Sicilian bread, cheese, and tomato sauce.
But what makes it different from any old pizza is how it’s cooked. Detroit-style pizza is cooked in a deep pan like the ones used in an auto manufacturing facility to hold nuts and bolts.
Because these pans were originally intended for auto manufacturing, they’re able to withstand more heat than a traditional pizza pan, giving Detroit-style pizza its signature airy on the inside, crispy on the outside crust. Not me flying to Detroit right now to grab a slice…
8. Alcohol
When alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s, Detroit’s narrow passage to Canada became the perfect way to smuggle goods into the U.S. In fact, by 1929, alcohol smuggling was Detroit’s second-largest industry!
This gave rise to much illegal activity, including the notorious Purple Gang, and has shaped how alcohol functions within the city to this day.
Detroit is home to many distilleries and is actually quite famous for one liquor in particular. In 2016, the top prize for vodka at the World Drinks Awards went to a Detroit vodka titled Valentine Vodka.
9. Lions
If you’re a big sports fan, then you probably have heard of the Detroit Lions. But maybe you didn’t know that the team was created in 1929 in Ohio and was initially called the Portsmouth Spartans.
In 1934, the team moved to Detroit after George A. Richards purchased them. He rebranded the team as the Lions because he wanted a team that would be the “king of the NFL”.
After Richards purchased the team, they were unstoppable from 1935-1957, when they won four NFL Championship Games (before the start of the Super Bowl).
They currently play and practice at Ford Field, nicknamed the Den, and as of 2020, are owned by Sheila Ford Hamp, a descendent of the Ford and Firestone families.
10. Street art
One of the most fascinating things Detroit is famous for is The Heidelberg Project, which is an outdoor art installation on the east side. It’s a long street filled with abandoned houses that have been turned into canvases.
Some have an array of dolls and toys swinging from them while others have large, colorful polka dots that swarm their walls. Along the sidewalk, you can find baby doll heads in chipped tea cups and bricks painted like robots.
According to their website, the Heidelberg Project aims to improve the lives of people and neighborhoods through art. It’s a way to show that people can overcome adversity through the arts and their community.
I was lucky enough to wander through Heidelberg Street when I was in Detroit and I found the calm streets splattered with lively art to be exhilarating, thought-provoking, and inspirational. Some of the art installations were silly for silly’s sake while others tapped into some deep and meaningful issues.
11. Riverwalk
A huge advantage to being a city built next to a river is the access to the most beautiful walking trails.
Detroit’s famous riverfront walk spans over three miles where you can find several playgrounds, carousels, fountains, and lovely views of the shared waterway between Detroit and Canada.
Many people enjoy this well-lit, safe walkway on foot, by bike, or by sitting at one of the many cafes along the water’s edge. There are also beautiful flower gardens in the spring and summertime with lounge chairs for visitors to soak in the sun.
The Detroit Riverwalk is so well recognized that it was voted Best Riverwalk in the country by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards! The conservation efforts for the walkway are ever-present and volunteers strive to keep making it a family-friendly, exciting tourism and local spot alike.
12. Belle Isle
Detroit is known for having one of the most beautiful parks located just outside downtown on the Detroit River.
Belle Isle is a 982-acre island that houses an aquarium, a nature center, a museum, and more. Hundreds of people venture over the bridge every day to hike among the beautiful greenery, barbeque near the water, or watch the boats go by.
This island park is most famous for having the only marble lighthouse in the entire nation — the William Livingstone Memorial Light, created by famous Detroit architect Albert Khan.
Built in 1930 on the fifth anniversary of his death, the lighthouse was built to honor Livingstone who aided in the advancement of shipping via the Great Lakes. His greatest achievement was broadening the water channel to allow bigger ships to come in, therefore boosting Detroit’s economy.
13. Fort Wayne
Completed in 1850, Detroit’s third fort is its most notable. It was named after General Anthony Wayne, who secured America’s northwest territory through battle.
But maybe the most unique fact about Fort Wayne is that there’s never been a single shot fired at it. It’s a peaceful site that is mostly used for training, touring, and baseball by the Early Riser Baseball Club.
While out of function as a fort, you can book tours every Saturday. You can wander through the beautiful grounds, crouch down in the 1800s barracks and imagine life way back when.
14. Henry Ford
The Ford car is no stranger to the United States. We see an abundance of each model on the road daily: from the Ford Focus to the Ford Expedition.
Fords have long since been known as reliable, affordable, and durable cars. But the man who started it all? Mr. Henry Ford, who was born just outside of Detroit.
From a young age, Ford showed interest in motor vehicles, spending time in garages and learning the mechanisms of cars. After creating Ford Motor Company and making model after model, the team finally came up with the famous Model T.
Nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie”, the Model T became so popular that Ford invented the first assembly line, making production more efficient and creating roughly 13,000 new jobs.
Ford grew the auto industry in Detroit and became intertwined with the financial foundation of the city.
After he died in 1947, the city of Detroit observed a moment of silence to honor him. Though the man wasn’t perfect, he built multiple museums, gave jobs to thousands, and gave us a pretty great car.
15. Museums
Detroit is known for being a city that genuinely values and has a deep appreciation for the arts and sciences. So, it’s no surprise that Detroit has numerous famous museums that thousands flock to every year!
Of course, being the notorious Motor City, there are several auto museums to choose from. Most famously, the Henry Ford Museum and the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. The Ford Plant is a lovely way to learn about the early days of the auto industry and see many classic cars.
While at the Henry Ford Museum, there is so much more to see than just cars. It houses many historically significant relics, including the seat Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, the bus on which Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, and Thomas Edison’s laboratory.
Another famous museum is the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is one of the world’s most impressive art museums. With over 100 galleries celebrating pieces from ancient Egypt to classic Monets, this giant museum is the perfect place to get lost in for hours.
Detroit also is home to some uniquely different museums. Its Museum of Contemporary Art is set inside an old, abandoned car dealership, making it the perfect tie between the past and present of Detroit.
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (pictured above) is also in a stunning building that immediately reminds me of a futuristic world. Its gorgeous exterior is met by its lovely interior that holds over 35,000 artifacts, making it the world’s largest exhibition on African American history.
16. Vernors
If you’re like me and haven’t grown up in Detroit, the ginger ale company Vernors may sound unfamiliar. But it’s the world’s oldest soda and has been deeply intertwined with Detroit’s economy since the 1800s.
Detroit’s most famous soda was created back in 1866 by James Vernor. He was Detroit’s first licensed pharmacist who created the beverage to aid in stomach aches and other minor ailments. Today, it’s just a really good ginger ale.
Fun fact: The famous winking gnome on the logo lacked a name until the ’70s when the company held a contest to see who could come up with the best name. The winner? Jerome the Gnome.
Sadly, that didn’t stick and the name has since been changed to Woody. Less catchy, in my opinion.
17. Theater District
For the theater lovers out there, did you know that Detroit has the second-largest theater district in the country? Its district has numerous venues, most notably the Fox Theatre.
The Fox Theatre is extravagant in all the right ways. Its walls are dripping with intricate gold designs, mostly inspired by Hindu, Persian, and Chinese architecture.
The Fox was constructed in 1928 and has been a magnet for people ever since. Now, it has regularly scheduled concerts, shows, and movie nights.
Also built in 1928, the Fisher Theatre originated as a vaudevillian house. Decades later, it switched gears and started being home to touring musical shows, earning it the nickname “Broadway in Detroit”. Recently, Dear Evan Hanson and Hamilton went up there.
Another show-stopping theater in Detroit is none other than the Detroit Opera House, unique for being one of the few American opera companies to own and operate its performance venue. The beauty of its gorgeous Italian Renaissance interior is matched by the voices of the performance troupe, who recently put on the show Faust.
Other famous theaters include the Masonic Temple Theatre (famous for being one of the largest theatrical houses in the country), Music Hall Center (known for putting on Off-Broadway shows and curating family-friendly fun), and the Meadow Brook Theatre (Michigan’s largest non-profit producing professional theater).
Have you been to this city? Let us know in the comments if you’ve experienced any of Detroit’s famous spots!
