Michigan - Detroit

The Henry Ford

Henry Ford, son of a farmer, built his first car in Detroit in 1896. There was nothing too amazing about this feat, because cars had been around for some time. What was unique to Ford’s invention was the moving assembly-line, which enabled him to literally put the world on wheels. Henry Ford’s legacy is found at every turn in his hometown, Detroit, which is why the city’s most popular and prominent tourist attraction was founded by him in 1929.  The Henry Ford is spread over more than 36 hectares (90 acres) in Dearborn just outside of metro-Detroit and encompasses five different venues. Together they bring the whole American experience to life, using exhibits, demonstrations, programmes and re-enactments to showcase American life and its people. Ford amassed most of the exhibit collection, including tens of thousands of ordinary objects, items associated with illustrious Americans, and numerous inventions documenting technological advances. Among the exhibits is the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Edgar Allan Poe’s writing desk, and George Washington’s camp bed.  It is located in Dearborn, Michigan just west of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and south of Michigan Avenue (US-12).

Address: 20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn;

Telephone: (313) 982 6150 (24-hour recorded information);

Website: www.thehenryford.com;

Opening time: Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm; Sunday 12pm to 5pm; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas