Canada Day long weekend at Detroit with Kids

[biggroofy]

Thinking if I should take my DD4 and DD8 to Detroit (first time) next weekend. How's the safety there in general? Any kids attractions?

We usually drive to Buffalo/Erie/Pittsburgh for shopping and a weekend gateaway. I guess Peace Bridge etc will be very busy over the weekend, and moreover, we are sailing on Disney Magic from New York City next month, so rather do something else.

If we are driving from Toronto, is it better to cross border at Port Huron (Sarnia), or Detroit (Windsor)?

Also thinking about this resort, nothing compared to WDW, but looks interesting. Anyone been there before? http://bavarianinn.com/index.php

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Whenever my family travels to Detroit we always would cross at Windsor.

As for attractions you could see if the tigers are playing or if you want to go somewhere outside you can go to Greenfiled Village and Henry Ford Museum in Deerborn. http://www.thehenryford.org/visit/hours.aspx

 

[encinc]

I'll second the recommendation for the Ford Museum/ Greenfield Village. We went last summer and are planning to go back in August. If you like baseball, Greenfield Village hosts historical baseball games on the weekend.

We stayed at the Dearborn Inn, which is just across the street from the museum. The grounds and outdoor pool were both really nice. I've never heard of the Bavarian Inn that you posted, but I didn't look into Frankenmuth because it seemed kind of out of the way. Might consider if for our trip this summer though. If you stay there, be sure to post back with a review!

 

[sheboz]

Living in Windsor you could consider Michigan our back yard. Cross in Sarnia but please be aware this will be time consuming.
Bavarian Inn is lots of fun. Go to Great Lakes Crossing, there is a Disney Outlet as well as a Rain Forest Cafe (search this site for a link for 0.99 kids meal at Rainforest). Don't forget to buy gift cards for the a future trip to Disney (they won't ship US cards to Canada) This little fix helps!

If you choose to come down the 401 this weekend it is the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812. There are festivities all over Essex County including Fort Malden and the Underground Railroad. Lots of really cool stuff.

We are members of the Detroit Zoo, love it!! Bring some drinks and snacks with you.

Have a safe trip and remember to fill up the gas tank before you head home!

 

[biggroofy]

Thanks!

So crossing Windsor-Detriot will be easier than Sarnia-Port Huron? If I choose Frankenmuth as destination Google map points me to Sarnia.

 

[MinneyME]

General Detroit tips:
If you are crossing at Windsor, use the tunnel not the bridge, too many trucks.
Try Mexican-town for lunch.
Greenfield Village is a great place for kids, as well as the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak.
Frankenmuth is a bit of a drive, but the chicken dinner is worth it.
Check on-line to see if there are any fun festivals downtown when you are coming.

 

[papertraveller]

We did this last year at this time, when DH got us tickets to see Bob Seger. On that trip, we stayed at the Marriott in Troy. We went to the concert, splashed around in the resort pool, did some shopping and went to the Henry Ford. We enjoyed this so much that we returned on the August long weekend.

On that second visit, we stayed at the Courtyard across the street from the Renaissance Center. We had tickets to two Tigers games, and took the People Mover there. We ate well at restaurants in the vicinity - one was a terrific Italian place, and the other was a craft brewery. We walked everywhere with DD 11. Detroit has such wonderful architecture it makes your heart ache for the economic devastation that has emptied out the downtown.

We visited the Motown Museum, and highly recommend it. We went to the Henry Ford again, and toured many of the homes in the village that we had missed the first time around. We shopped in Dearborn as well.

We crossed through the tunnel -- definitely much quicker than the Ambassador or Sarnia bridges.

 

[rjan67]

If your destination is the Bavarian Inn/Frankenmuth - you would want to cross in Sarnia.

 

[canadakath]

Thanks!

So crossing Windsor-Detriot will be easier than Sarnia-Port Huron? If I choose Frankenmuth as destination Google map points me to Sarnia.

If you are going to Frankenmuth you should definitely cross at Sarnia, then head straight across to Flint. Birch Run is a great outlet mall just a few minutes from Frankenmuth.

If you are going to Detroit, I second the vote for the zoo. VERY walkable in a day - we really enjoyed our time there and plan on returning this year. Comerica is a good park for younger kids to watch a ball game because there area lot of open areas to walk around where you can still see the game. They do fireworks on the field after each Friday night (I think?) game - they are very loud and close but my oldest loved them last year.

There is construction on Bluewater Bridge (Sarnia) right now, so be prepared for a long wait on the long weekend. If you can cross as early as you can on Friday or push it to Saturday it probably won't be as bad. If you have a data plan on your phone you can check the wait times of both crossings as you get close to London, and then decide whether to stay on the 401 to Windsor or take the 402 to Sarnia.

Another option is the ferry in Sombra which can be a much shorter wait.

 

[biggroofy]

Thanks again everyone!

May I ask if Detroit is "reasonably" safe? A friend told me that she read about crime rate and scary stories about drug dealers trying to make use of Canadian vehicles, etc etc. Thinking if we should just stop a few hours in Detroit and head off to Troy, Frankenmuth, Birch Run etc.

canadakath, ferry in Sombra (http://www.bluewaterferry.com) sounds like a fantastic idea, I am sure my kids would like it. Looking at Google Map, it looks like quite a detour - an extra 1 hour 15 mins compare to Sarnia?

 

[angelkk]

We are members of the Detroit Zoo, love it!! Bring some drinks and snacks with you.

Just curious, is there any big difference between our Toronto Zoo and Detroit Zoo?

 

[canadakath]

Just curious, is there any big difference between our Toronto Zoo and Detroit Zoo?

Detroit Zoo is WAY smaller - which is great on a hot day with little kids! I love the Toronto zoo, but it's much easier for us to get to Detroit and it's a fun day outing for us - you can bring your own food and drinks and picnic and play.

 

[canadakath]

Thanks again everyone!

May I ask if Detroit is "reasonably" safe? A friend told me that she read about crime rate and scary stories about drug dealers trying to make use of Canadian vehicles, etc etc. Thinking if we should just stop a few hours in Detroit and head off to Troy, Frankenmuth, Birch Run etc.

canadakath, ferry in Sombra (http://www.bluewaterferry.com) sounds like a fantastic idea, I am sure my kids would like it. Looking at Google Map, it looks like quite a detour - an extra 1 hour 15 mins compare to Sarnia?

As with any city, there are areas in Detroit that I would not linger. Honestly, I think it would be hard to target Canadian cars in a decent shopping mall in Michigan because more than half the cars have Ontario plates! We don't display our Nexus card, but otherwise have no issues or concerns.

For us in Sarnia, the ferry isn't really a detour for heading to Detroit. It's just another option. My kids enjoy it, but it is certainly nothing really special that you should go out of your way for. Summer weekends can make for some long bridge waits - and I personally prefer to drive than sit in a line! Thankfully we have Nexus so rarely wait that long now, but we've been on the Port Huron side and not even been able to get on the bridge because of back ups - having a special lane doesn't help then! So we head down to the ferry...

 

[encinc]

May I ask if Detroit is "reasonably" safe? A friend told me that she read about crime rate and scary stories about drug dealers trying to make use of Canadian vehicles, etc etc. Thinking if we should just stop a few hours in Detroit and head off to Troy, Frankenmuth, Birch Run etc.

I think that most areas of Detroit are "reasonably" safe - especially those in tourist areas. I wouldn't hesitate to take my children to a Tigers game or to a downtown museum etc. I'd make sure that I have good directions and that the car is full of gas and that I don't leave valuables unattended, but then again, I'd do those things anywhere. If you are more comfortable spending time outside the city, go ahead, but I don't think there's any real need to avoid Detroit if there are things there you want to do.

 

[biggroofy]

Thanks everyone!

I will try to use the tunnel on our way back. Any special attractions in Windsor for kids?

 

[encinc]

Thanks everyone!

I will try to use the tunnel on our way back. Any special attractions in Windsor for kids?

Not really. Colasanti's in Leamington has indoor minigolf as well as being a decent place to eat, but I don't think it's worth going out of you way for it. Other than that, we haven't found a whole lot for kids in Windsor.

Be sure to post a trip report when you get back. We are planning a similar trip in August and are always looking for tips.