Dearborn - Henry Ford Museum

We landed in Detroit right on time. The shuttle bus took us to the rental car center. Our Toyota Camry Hybrid looked fine at first, but we’ll be exchanging it tomorrow, because a “Service Required” message appeared on the display, and despite several attempts, we couldn’t get Apple CarPlay to work - and I know the problem is not my iPhone 😀. Fortunately, that minor inconvenience didn’t put a damper on our plans for the day.

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation was an impressive museum covering the equivalent of nearly 9 football fields under one roof. We spent almost four hours wandering through its vast collection of exhibits and could easily have stayed longer. We left with the feeling of having barely scratched the surface.

The cars and transportation exhibits alone were worth the visit. We traced the evolution of the automobile from Ford’s legendary Model T through classic American cars, race cars, drag racers, presidential limousines, school buses, and even commercial trucks. Beyond automobiles, the museum features massive steam locomotives and rail cars, historic aircraft, heavy machinery, and fascinating manufacturing and assembly line displays.

Among other highlights were the bus on which Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat, which sparked the Civil Rights Movement, and the presidential limousine that carried John F. Kennedy and other US Presidents. Everywhere we turned, there seemed to be another piece of American innovation waiting to be discovered.

About halfway through our visit, we gave our tired feet a break at Lamy’s Diner, an authentic 1946 diner that was relocated to the museum from Worcester, Massachusetts. Being there, sipping an original root beer felt like stepping back into postwar America.

After returning to our nearby Comfort hotel for a little rest, we headed out for dinner at Ford’s Garage. My chicken wings with Bourbon BBQ sauce were excellent, and Ursula thoroughly enjoyed her blackened salmon.

The weather was windy, and the temperature was a few degrees cooler than we had anticipated. It was a wonderful way to end the first day of our 13-day road trip.Read more