The date and location for the annual CC meet-up has been set: the Motor City will welcome us on June 3-4, although maybe GM won’t be quite ready to roll out the red carpet for me. The details are not yet set, and I will most likely be there for 3-4 days total, as there’s so much to see. And for those of you familiar with the sights, some recommendations will be welcome. We’ll plan to have the most important museum visits on saturd and Sunday, and a social event Saturday night. More details as they unfold.
Excellent! Will make every effort to be there.
Checking my Calendar!
Planning my trip around this. I haven’t been to Detroit in 5 years and I haven’t seen any of you guys, ever. This will be a blast!
Looking forward to it!
Hope I can make it!
There are plenty of museums around, and it’s easy to scroll down the list here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Michigan
Walt P Chrysler museum was closed and opened and closed unfortunately.
It would be warm enough to walk around a little bit by that time. Coming to hotels, just choose wisely. An acquaintance visited here last week was quite confused why MotorCity casino hotel is so different from The Henry, Autograph Collection even though it’s only few pixels apart on the screen.
Leaving cars aside, the Motown museum is pretty good too.
I just went there two weeks ago. Just need to go there for a certain timeframe though.
How cool! Would love to attend the social event on 6/3!
It’s on the calendar!
Now about that VW motor….
Looks like you have a spare twin port sitting right behind it…..
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Will you be driving an Air Cooled VW to this meet & greet ? .
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-Nate
The photo is from my engine builder, I don’t have a spare.
Hoping to drive the VW to this, I’ve got 3 months to get the engine finished and it’s 200 miles away for me.
I might very well come again this year. I’d be a shoo-in if it was the Studebaker Museum. But I’m sure there will be good museums in Detroit, and it’s a city I’ve always been fascinated by. A good city to be REALLY careful when choosing lodging. And what an interesting drive!
Wow Detroit’s a quick trip compared to your drive to Nashville last year Scott!
If you go that far, South Bend is that much closer.
I’m in!
One recommendation would be to stay in Windsor, such as Caesars Windsor, with a great view of the Detroit skyline. Plus, with the exchange rate the way it is now a dollar is worth $1.30 Cdn.
Huh, this could be fun!
You will be two weeks too early for the Motor Muster at Greenfield Village (cars from 1933-1976) The Village, Ford Museum and the Rouge Factory Tour are interesting, but expen$ive.
The Automotive Hall of Fame is next door to the Henry Ford and more reasonably priced ($10 for you young fellers, $6 for us geezers)
http://www.automotivehalloffame.org/
The Chrysler museum in Auburn Hills closed forever last December.
The GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights is open to group tours only, minimum of 30 people at $20/head on weekends.
https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/index.html
If you don’t mind some windshield time, the Gilmore Museum is hosting it’s annual Classic Car Club of America meet on Sunday June 4th. From my home in western Wayne county, it’s about a 2 1/2 hr drive. The Gilmore is a fantastic place in it’s own right, but the shows add even more good stuff.
http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/event/classic-car-club-america-museum-grand-experience/?instance_id=241
It rains in Michigan in June, anywhere from an all day cold mist to a frog strangler, so have fallback indoor plans.
Steve
It’s the same weekend as the Fleetwood Cruise in taking place in London ONT. http://www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/
It is billed as Canada’s largest outdoor car show. I want to check that out this year.
Have fun in Motown. For any who stay in Windsor, keep in mind the border crossing which could be an hour or longer at either the tunnel or the bridge, unless you have a Nexus card.
For any who stay in Windsor, keep in mind the border crossing which could be an hour or longer at either the tunnel or the bridge, unless you have a Nexus card.
This is true, and, while US citizens can motor into Canada, you can’t get from Canada back into the US without a passport or “enhanced” driver’s license.
Sounds like a lot of fun and I’ve always wanted to go there. I’ll have to see, but unfortunately, I don’t think I can take the time off work.
I made a last minute decision to go to Nashville for the meet-up at the Lane last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The museum was great and it was a lot of fun to meet Paul and the other readers as we swapped stories, shared experiences asked Paul a million questions and talked his ear off.
If you happen to make it and want a unique keepsake, I’d recommend Pewabic Pottery on Jefferson, about a mile or so up the road from the RenCen. Back in its heyday, Pewabic provided handmade tile for many of the large old homes in the area. Now, you can get handmade mugs, ornaments, gift tile, vases, etc. while supporting a local non-profit.
Speaking of large old homes, Edsel Ford mansion is a bit further up the same road (name changes to Lake Shore Dr.) in Grosse Pointe. 32,000 sq. ft. of 1920s Cotswold-style Tudor. Meadow Brook Hall (Matilda Dodge Wilson’s home) clocks in at 80,000 sq. ft. of Tudor Revival and is up in Rochester…About 25-30 miles north of downtown Detroit. Henry Ford’s mansion, Fair Lane, is currently closed undergoing a large restoration.
The Boston-Edison area is full of large- to very large old homes. Indian Village is another neighborhood near Pewabic Pottery with large old homes. My favorite is probably Palmer Woods off Woodward. Two or three of the Fisher brothers built mansions in this ‘subdivision’ and it probably has the biggest and best maintained old homes in Detroit…It’s a very pretty area to get lost in.
I almost pass by Boston-Edison, Palmer Woods weekly and it took me two years to realize it’s a historical site. However I realized the existence of Arden Park area earlier across the street, when the name caught attention of mine more or less.
And in those neighborhood, I see some households with Plymouth Valiant, Cadillac Brougham. And a Merkur, two Buick Riviera on the same driveway in Indian Village.
On my calendar. Time to take bets on whether my convertible will be back on the road.
In addition to the Gilmore museum mentioned above, Lansing is less than 2 hours away and has both the R E Olds transportation museum and the Michigan History Museum. The town of Ypsilanti is even closer and has both a nice car museum as well as the airplane museum at Willow Run.
Barring unforeseen events, I’m in. I just don’t see myself driving the Galaxie this year.
Boo!
Come on Jason, I’m getting an engine built and driving to a different COUNTRY just so I can park the VW next to the Galaxie.
For those interested in more nautical transportation, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle was always a fun and informative visit. Seems to be open only Fri-Sun these days, however.
Greektown’s a good bet for dining options.
I’d love to come, as I’ve never managed to get to Detroit on my US trips.
Alas, Australia is a bit far away.
Following up to moparlee. I used to live close to the Cruise In. He was able to get all sorts of entertainment from a mini airshow to some recognizable music acts.
For crossing the border, never go through Windsor. Always cross at Sarnia/Port Huron. A lot shorter wait times. Then drop down I-94. Also, I refused to give my money to the guy who owns the Ambassador Bridge.
Another place to hit is Stahl’s in Chesterfield Township. It’s a private collection and it’s only open on the first Saturday of the month, so June 3rd would qualify, as well as Tuesdays.
http://www.stahlsauto.com/about-us/
Besides the cars, Stahl’s has a theater organ that is amazing. I think the guy playing it in this clip is John Lauter, a first rate Packard guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUlVvKVPGFA
The Packard Proving Grounds are on VanDyke in Utica. The oval track was torn out some years ago and replaced with condos. but the timing tower, lodge and workshops are still there with a few cars and marine engines inside. Unfortunately, they don’t keep regular hours. The closest show date to your weekend is the June 11th, “Cars Are Stars” show.
http://www.packardmotorfdn.org/
Someone else mentioned the car museum in Ypsilanti. This one is quite small, located in a former Hudson dealership.
Besides Hudson, the museum covers other automotive related production that was located in Ypsilanti over the years: Kaiser-Frazer, Hydramatic, which took over the former bomber plant after K-F pulled out, and Corvairs, which were built at Willow Run Assembly, which was next to the old bomber plant. Tucker is also covered, and one of the Tucker standins built for the movie is on display, as Preston Tucker had lived in Ypsilanti.
http://ypsiautoheritage.org/
Someone also mentioned the aviation museum at Willow Run. That is the Yankee Air Museum. Their hanger burned to the ground over a dozen years ago and they are in very small temporary quarters now. They have preserved the two bay hanger that was at the end of the production line of the bomber plant for conversion into their new museum, but it will be a few years before they can pull the money together and get the new place set up.
http://yankeeairmuseum.org/
‘course, if you want to do something unusual, you can take a ride in the YAM’s B-17. Last time I checked it cost about $450. Here’s their promotional video for the bomber rides. Their web site will probably have flight dates posted when summer gets here. I live about 8 miles from Willow Run, so I see the 17 and 25 flying over my home all summer.
I went there last week, apart from the tour in B-17, they plan a shorter $90 trip on DC-3 this year. I still see DC-3s flying around here.
I can’t get excited about riding in a DC-3…I rode them when they were still in commercial service with North Central in the early 60s.
The first entry in my log book is .3 hour multi-engine time in the EAA’s B-17, back when you could actually sit left seat without type certification. Signed by Col. Hal Weekly as the CFI (who passed over a decade ago), who flew 20+ missions before being shot down and spending the rest of the war in a prison camp.
Even if all you can do is “ride” any more, it’s still highly recommended. The sights, sounds and smells will never leave you, and it’s only a matter of time before there are no more B-17s flying (hopefully many decades).
The first entry in my log book is .3 hour multi-engine time in the EAA’s B-17,
That would be “Aluminum Overcast”? Saw it at the show in Kalamazoo in the mid 90s.
I volunteer at the YAM for some of their events, but I am to busy to work for them in the summer…stuff going on nearly every weekend here, If I was a full time volunteer, I could get a big discount on a ride on “Yankee Lady”, so that is something I’m saving for when I’m too old and creaky to run around the countryside like I do now.
The most fun thing I did with the YAM was the “Rosie the Riveter” record attempt in 2015: over 2,000 women dressed as Rosie. The bunch in California took the record back last fall, so we are getting geared up to take the record back.
Cant make it. =(
Awesome, that’s only a couple hours from me, so barring unforeseen circumstances, I’ll be there! We’re spending this Friday night in Detroit to celebrate our anniversary, in fact.
Excellent list of museums by Steve and others. The only one I didn’t notice (apologies if I missed it) is the Detroit Historical Society museum (http://detroithistorical.org/). Has a mix of automotive, local and national history.
Now, time to see if I can find a CC-worthy B-body to drive down! I sold my Caprice last yr, and my 95 Altima and 82 C10 have both seen a few too many Michigan winters to be very presentable, sadly.
Got this on my calendar, presuming no crises arise in the meantime. I’d love to say I’ll be driving one of my Beetles, but I have quite a bit more reassembly to do than DougD!
Awesome…..would love to visit Detroit and meet up again with the group. An 8 hour trip for me….may be a little far for the ’67 Vette but then again may be a fun road trip.
Great! I hope to meet with you and the other ‘car nerds’ in the commentariat here.
Be mindful that mass transit in the Motor City is not so great, and metro Detroit is a little sprawling.
So, you really need a car. You might consider a hotel near 14 Mile Rd and I-75 (15 minutes to downtown or less with light traffic) , or Big Beaver (aka 16 Mile) and I-75.
The Henry Ford Museum/Auto Hall of Fame is the best ‘public’ car spot, in Dearborn.
You’ll like it. Who knows, you might want to return for the Woodward Dream Cruise (on Saturday, Aug 19). It is EASILY the greatest concentration of old (pre-1980s) cars in the world, and great people watching. It’s along Woodward Avenue, between Pontiac and Ferndale. It is the epitome of “Curbside Classics”!
If you are even considering it, book your hotel and rental car now, or soon.
…and metro Detroit is a little sprawling.
That is an understatement. From my home in the far west burbs of Wayne County to Stahl’s is 60 miles, and almost all of it is in heavy city traffic. It’s less nerve wracking to drive to the Gilmore, even though that drive is more than twice as far.
the Woodward Dream Cruise (on Saturday, Aug 19). It is EASILY the greatest concentration of old (pre-1980s) cars in the world,
I have never bothered with the Dream Cruise, because you can’t get a good look at the cars. The Motor Muster, June 17-18, is my choice to revisit the cars I grew up with.
The Henry Ford Museum/Auto Hall of Fame is the best ‘public’ car spot, in Dearborn.
That could work, some combination of Ford Museum/Greenfield Village/Rouge factory tour/Hall of Fame, with lunch at Buddy’s Pizza, though the larger venues will present problems keeping the group together. There are a flock of eats places along Michigan Ave, near The Henry Ford, but The Henry Ford is right next to the Ford Motor Powertrain Engineering campus, so there are about a bazillion other people looking for lunch in that area during the week. With luck it will not be a madhouse on a Saturday.
I will be there! So many recommendations to be had .. don’t know where to begin. As this gets closer we can discuss! I am local – thank you for choosing Detroit!!!
“Say nice things about Detroit!”
Jim
Interesting. I’ve long wanted to go to the Henry Ford and other sites; maybe the time has finally come.
Yes, we are aware(as well as GM), that you can’t stand the products from them. Which classic GM, that you hate so much, would you like me to drive up there? My GM Deadly Sin #4, 1995 Saturn SC2, that is pushing 170,000 miles, with a still-working set of headlamp motors and power sunroof, while averaging a combined city/highway mileage of 35.3mpg, or the workhorse 1991 Pontiac Grand Am N-Body(both types of vehicles that you have written lengthy articles on your disgust of them, with 137,000 miles, more rust than paint, a solid drive train and suspension, and a factory gas tank that still doesn’t leak after 26 years of Ohio road salt?
Both vehicles are still road worthy, and all the available features on them still work…….
Guess I should rent a “dependable Dodge” product, so I can get stranded with a blown transmission, huh?
Oh my, feeling a bit sensitive and defensive today? 🙂
Are you aware that I have also done a GM’s Greatest Hits series?
As a matter of fact, I have never said anything strongly negative about the Saturn S Series. My DS was about GM’s decision to market that car by creating a whole new division, instead of as a Chevrolet. That decision ended up costing GM some $10 billion or so. The S-Series was a reasonably competitive car with some strengths as well as a some weaknesses. And I said so.
And could you please point me to “the lengthy articles on (my) disgust” with the Pontiac GA. I think others here have, but I don’t seem to recall any written by me.
I any case, I’ve always said that a DS is not necessarily a “bad car” per se. And that many Deadly Sins make great beaters, as you have apparently proven.
If you don’t understand what the deadly Sins series is about, and have an attitude about them, maybe it’s best you don’t come. I’m tired of having to explain it over and over and over….
Barring something starting a week or two early for my summer job, I should be able to make it. Hopefully, my old Subaru Outback can make it as well.