GETTING AROUND

The conference hotel is located in the very walkable downtown Detroit. Steps away, you can find the Detroit People Mover, an elevated rail system with excellent views of the city and waterfront. Not only is it Michigan’s only municipal rail system, thanks to recent grants it is free to ride. Supplement the People Mover with the QLINE tram system, which is also free. In addition to the public transit systems, Ubers are available to get you where you need to go. For more eco-friendly wheels, try the MoGo bike share system with its many ports throughout the city.

AUTOMOBILES & INNOVATION

The birthplace of America’s automotive industry, Detroit has many attractions devoted to its rich manufacturing history. Conde Nast Traveler has named The Henry Ford Museum “one of the country’s best museums.” The institution comprises three main attractions. Visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, step back in time in the Greenfield Village, and walk through the Ford Rouge Factory Tour to see cars being built and learn about past, current, and future engineering.

Visit the factory where it all began: the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. The warehouse where the Model T cars were first manufactured is now a museum. Get an up close look at 65 rare vintage automobiles and learn the fascinating history of how Henry Ford forever changed manufacturing.

Steps away from the conference, you can appreciate the other end of the spectrum at the GM Renaissance Center’s GM World. There you’ll find the latest in automobile innovation.

ART & CULTURE

Detroit is home to some of the country’s top attractions. The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) was recently named USA Today’s best art museum in the country. There you can find impressionist and expressionist art, a permanent collection of 65,000 works plus a rotating exhibition.

If you have the opportunity to arrive in Detroit before the conference starts, you must check out Eastern Market, the largest outdoor farmer’s market in the country! Operating since 1841, the market is open every Saturday from 6am to 4pm. Dozens of beautiful murals are dotted around the 43 acres(!) of local merchants. While you’re in the area, visit the Heidelberg Project, a public art installation created from found objects.

A small island in the river dividing the U.S. and Canada is home to Belle Isle State Park. Escape the bustle of Motor City with a trip to the park’s aquarium, museum, and nature center. Be sure to also visit the newly renovated Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory to see its lush greenhouses and botanical garden. For more animal fun, the Detroit Zoo houses 2,000 animals and includes the largest penguin facility in the world.

FOOD

Step aside, Chicago. There’s another midwest city with an iconic pizza style. Detroit-style pizza is baked in heavyweight rectangular pans, giving it its classic shape with crispy, caramelized cheesy edges and signature thick, focaccia-like crust. The savory tomato sauce is traditionally striped over Wisconsin cheese, giving each bite a perfect blend of flavors and textures. Being Detroit, the automotive industry plays a role in this innovation as well. In 1946 steel pans originally intended as drip trays found a higher calling as pizza pans. Try it for yourself at Buddy’s Pizza (the originator of the style!) or one of the many other renowned establishments in the city.

SPORTS

Detroit is the only city in the United States where all four major teams (baseball, hockey, football, basketball) play in the downtown area. Unsurprisingly, Detroiters are passionate about sports! Experience the culture yourself at a classic Detroit sports bar like Nemo’s to watch the Tigers baseball team play an away game, or stay after the conference to see them play the Cleveland Guardians on May 22 through 25. You might even catch the Red Wings or Pistons in the playoffs depending on how their seasons go.

For those who prefer playing sports themselves, Detroit is the birthplace of its own specialty game: Fowling. The football/bowling hybrid is essentially what it sounds like. Give it a shot at the Fowling Warehouse.