by Ted McDermottIt’s known, of course, as the Motor City. But with the long decline in automobile manufacturing here and the ongoing revitalization of the area’s vast coastlines and waterways, local tourism officials might want to think about re-branding Metro Detroit as the Motorboat City.
The idea of this industrial mecca serving as an outdoorsman’s destination might have seemed a distant dream in the recent past, but now it’s becoming a reality. To a large degree, it began to take shape in 2001, when the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established. Covering 4,982 acres, it includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals and riverfront lands that are the habitat for 29 species of waterfowl, 65 kinds of fish and 300 species of migratory birds in Michigan and Ontario. And all of this is in the midst of a heavily urban area.
The success of the refuge has been remarkable. Wildlife has rebounded and begun the long process of recovering from years of industrial pollution, while boaters have been given back some beautiful cruising grounds. With Detroit to the west and Windsor, Ontario to the east, boats and ships traverse this thin line of water between the cities. Heading either south to Lake Erie or north to Lake St. Clair, boaters have a vast array of options.
Let’s begin just north of the city, on Metro Beach in Mt. Clemens. Metro Beach Metropark features a mile-long shoreline and a 1,600-foot boardwalk on picturesque Lake St. Clair. This 770-acre recreational facility is a haven for boaters, swimmers and anglers. The marsh area is home to an abundance of waterfowl and is a top bird watching site. The park features a swimming pool, spray park, nature center, Par-3 golf course, adventure golf and picnic areas. And the marina at Metro Beach is perfect for transients. There are no seasonal rentals and there is even a maximum five-day stay, which keeps turnover relatively high, despite the beach’s popularity.
Cruising south from here, you head toward the city itself. Like many of the great industrial cities on the shores of the Great Lakes, Detroit began where it did because of its proximity to waterways. Then, it spent much of its history turning away from them. Now, with much of the industry that once occupied the shoreline gone or leaving, space is opening up and people are returning to rediscover the beauty and possibility of the water.
Officially opened just last year, Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor is a new haven for area boaters. You’ll know it by the 63-foot light tower, a scaled down replica of the recently renovated lighthouse at Tawas Point State Park, that marks the harbor entrance. When you turn in, you’ll find covered picnic areas, shoreline fishing and a newly renovated 52-slip harbor of refuge. With ample transient slips, it’s a great place to moor. If you’re looking for a taste of Michigan’s bountiful natural features and access to the state’s largest city, this is a nice place to stop.
From here, it’s less than a mile along the brand new RiverWalk to the heart of Detroit and the Renaissance Center, the curvilinear tower that dominates the city skyline. Rising 73 stories, the Ren Cen (as locals know it) is General Motors’ global headquarters, but it isn’t your ordinary office building. With five and a half million square feet spread over seven towers, it features dozens of stores and services, four movie theaters, a financial center, two foreign consulates, a 1,300-room Marriott hotel, three of the city’s hottest restaurants and a 1,100-seat food court.
From there, you can hop on the People Mover, Detroit’s elevated downtown train, and see the city. There are theaters, festivals, restaurants, casinos, stadiums and more right there. In the summer, Comerica Park, home of the Tigers, is well worth a visit. This simultaneously modern and classic stadium is an ideal place to watch a baseball game on a sunny summer afternoon.
Greektown, located near the ballpark, is a good neighborhood to walk around and spend an afternoon or, with Greektown Casino right there, a night. This fall, a new hotel will open as part of the casino. For now, one of the best places to stay is the Omni Detroit Hotel at River Place. Set in its own secluded oasis nestled in the quaint River Place District of downtown Detroit, this historic luxury hotel reflects the beauty and sophistication of a European classic. It’s not far north of the harbor, and between the two is a beautiful park.
Chene Park is one of Detroit’s premier entertainment venues. A 6,000-seat amphitheater located on the river, it attracts artists, entertainers and many spectators. Throughout the summer, at Chene Park and elsewhere, there is a packed schedule of festivals and events. Bookended by the Electronic Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend and the International Jazz Fest on Labor Day weekend, the summer season features all kinds of activities.
On May 31 and June 1, biplanes will soar across the sky when the Red Bull Air Race World Series comes to town. From July 11 through 13, the Detroit APBA Gold Cup will take place on the river. Celebrating its 100th running this year, the races bring some of the world’s fastest hydroplane boats and big crowds out to the water.
Spanning Detroit’s new RiverWalk, GM River Days features live music, interactive games, carnival elements and events. Many of the activities, including the Parade of Lights on the Detroit River, involve metro Detroit’s fishing and boating community. This year, the festival will begin Friday, June 20 and culminate on Monday, June 23 with the 50th Annual Target Fireworks. This is one of the most spectacular and largest firework displays in the nation. It lights up the international skyline over the Detroit River and is the perfect thing to watch from the deck of a boat.
Another great thing to do from the deck of a boat is to head over to Sinbad’s. A marina, restaurant and bar, it opened in 1949, when a couple of brothers-in-law opened a gathering spot in a ramshackle building on the river. It became the gathering spot for the Detroit River Racing Association. Today, it’s a great place to dock your boat, grab a bite and have a drink. It has 36 wells devoted to visitors, and a very relaxed atmosphere.
Belle Isle, which sits in the middle of the river, is another great place to visit by boat. Unfortunately, you can only do so if you’re a member of one of the Detroit Yacht Club’s reciprocal clubs. If you aren’t, you can get there via a nearly half-mile long bridge that was originally constructed in 1923 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Detroit’s city fathers purchased the 983-acre island in 1879 for $200,000, against the opposition of those who thought the price was too high. In 1883, the designer of New York City’s Central park, Frederick Law Olmstead, created the master plan for Belle Isle’s transformation. By 1889, visitors could enjoy the park via the island’s first wooden bridge.
On this beautiful island (as the French name translates), you’ll find the mammoth Scott Fountain, the Belle Isle Casino (no longer a gambling facility), the Belle Isle Aquarium, the Whitcomb Conservatory and the Livingstone Lighthouse, all of which were designed by Albert Kahn. You’ll also find the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. It contains the world’s largest collection of scale-model Great Lakes ships and features maritime memorabilia and special hands on exhibits. Be forewarned, however: it is only open on weekends, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so plan ahead.
Even if the museum is closed, the Belle Isle Beach and Water Slide is a great place to stay cool, especially with kids. It is open from June 11 through Labor Day, and only costs three dollars/per person for an entire day.
When you combine the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s success building a riverfront park and path that will run continuously up and down the riverfront with the Detroit Wildlife Refuge’s progress restoring the river itself, you get the beginnings of a rejuvenated haven for boaters. Whether you’re cruising from the east to the upper lakes or south down toward the great fishing on Lake Erie, you’ll have to pass this historic city. When you do, you’ll notice something new: a carousel spinning slowly on the riverfront, in the shadow of the impressive Renaissance Center.
Take a closer look and you’ll see that it doesn’t feature the painted wooden horses and zoo animals that you’d expect. Instead, you’ll see a purple-hued snail, an emerald-green catfish and an ivory swan, among other peculiar wildlife, rising slowly up and down. These are the lake and river creatures indigenous to the Detroit River and surrounding region. And this—the carousel’s bright colors, the local wildlife, the waterfront location, the skyline in the background—is the perfect symbol for this changing city.
You may have bypassed Detroit before. Now, you might want to stop, tie up and see what you’ve been missing.
visitdetroit.com
