The Henry Ford, Dearborn, question

You will have to cram to get THe Henry Ford and Greenfield Village in one day but it can be done. You'll not have enough time to see every detail, but you can make your list of must sees for the 2nd time. The Model A Driven from Mexico or S America is an impressive story. The working A's in Greenfield Village and the T's roaming the streets of GV stick out in my mind. It's been 7 yrs since my one day visit but I plan to return one day.
 
I vote for the Village first then Museum to finnish out the remainder of time (if any) one thing nice, the Dearborn Inn is right there.
 
I'd say do the Museum, when you come back a second time you're likely to see new exhibits as they change them out on a semi-regular basis. The Village doesn't change much but they do close for the winter.

I'm going to the Old Car Festival in September and have a week set aside for my trip. Even with a 7 days I still won't be able to see/do everything.

Henry Ford's estate, Fair Lane is closed for renovation and won't open until 2013 and even then the whole estate won't be open as they plan to open in stages. I think you could still do a walk around on the outside as parts of Fair Lane are on the "Rouge Parkway" a series of nature trails running along the Rouge River.

Henry Ford's grave is up on Joy & Greenfield, here's a couple photos one of my readers submitted.
http://vintagefordfacts.blogspot.com/2010/11/henry-fords-resting-spot.html

Edit- If you want a great burger, hit up Miller's bar on Michigan Ave. I stop in there every time I'm up that way. It's not far from the Dearborn Inn.
 
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Well, weather might help make your decision - Rainy?Museum. Nice?Village.

Both are "must see" attractions but IMO if you've got one day, I'd pick the Museum; you can do it in a day but it's humpin'.

No matter what you decide, you won't regret it. I've been going there every 4 - 5 years for the last 45+ years and see something new or different every time.
 
I'd also say do the museum. I was there in August and only had about 4 hours and ran through it, wish I could have seen more but I saw a lot of it, just didn't get to spend as much time as admiring everything as I would have liked.

-Tim
 
Either way it will be a fair amount of walking, so good shoes will be the order of the day. You won't regret visiting either one. As some others have said, I would let the weather on the day you are there make the ultimate decision. Hot, muggy or raining, go inside with the air conditioning, if it's a nice day, go outside.

I have to respectfully disagree with Luke however (sorry), skip Millers and go to Lile's. When you leave the Dearborn Inn head North up Oakwood, when you get to Michigan Avenue, turn left to go to Millers for a hamburger or turn right and go to Lile's for a ham sandwich as big as your head. They're about equal distance, just in oppisite directions from Oakwood Blvd on Michigan Avenue.
 
criswellnk said:
I have to respectfully disagree with Luke however (sorry), skip Millers and go to Lile's. When you leave the Dearborn Inn head North up Oakwood, when you get to Michigan Avenue, turn left to go to Millers for a hamburger or turn right and go to Lile's for a ham sandwich as big as your head. They're about equal distance, just in oppisite directions from Oakwood Blvd on Michigan Avenue.
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That could be the debate of the century right there! Everyone has their favorite place. The atmosphere & laid back demeanor helps seal the deal for Millers in my case. Last time I was in there, sipping a cold beer while waiting for my food I wound up talking to the guy sitting next to me at the bar. Damn interesting conversation as he was renovating one of the Ford built homes over in the Ford homes district.
 
I grew up in Dearborn, and spent many summers in the village and winter days in the museum. The Dearborn Inn is a great place to start! They will direct you to all the good places. Millers still makes a good burger!! I'm at the Old Car Festival every Sept.!
 
Edit- If you want a great burger, hit up Miller's bar on Michigan Ave. I stop in there every time I'm up that way. It's not far from the Dearborn Inn.

I have to respectfully disagree with Luke however (sorry), skip Millers and go to Lile's. When you leave the Dearborn Inn head North up Oakwood, when you get to Michigan Avenue, turn left to go to Millers for a hamburger or turn right and go to Lile's for a ham sandwich as big as your head. They're about equal distance, just in oppisite directions from Oakwood Blvd on Michigan Avenue.

Where is Guy, that white haired fellow with the short pants on Diners, Drive-in's and Dives at when you need him!????

Pluck
 
Jeff, if you are driving from N. illinois to Detroit, be sure to stop at the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corner MI. It is just north of Kalamazoo. This is where they are building the Model A Museum. You can see most of the exhibits in a few hours and it is an experience you will never forget.
 
Get there as soon as they open the doors, and spend a couple hours in Greenfield Village. By the afternoon it will be hot outside, so go tour the museum. You will have to walk fast because there is so much to see, but if I can do it with two kids in tow....If there's time at the end of the night, see an IMAX movie, located next to the museum. Whatever you decide, you will want to return again for more!
 
The museum is nice to see and it is organized by subject, like cars, RR, homes, antiques, etc. and you can pick your sections to see. That way you can get through what you want in a half day. But if I had to chose only one then I would go to Greenfield Village. Just plain enjoyable and relaxing! Get a ticket to go on the different modes of transportation to see the whole village. Take the RR, Model A bus, Model T touring car, horse drawn wagon.... You can stop wherever you want to when something interesting comes along. Like the Edison lab, the Wright Bros workshop, the old electric power station, etc.
 
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