Take the Car and Check Out These 3 Day Trips Near Detroit, MI

Go on exciting day trips from Detroit, MI in a Ford EcoSport, Explorer, or Expedition and discover amazing destinations along the way. Stroll through the fascinating Westland Historic Village, enjoy outdoor activities in Maybury State Park and learn more about historic farming methods, and visit the Matthaei Botanical Gardens to see a recreation of unique and endangered indigenous Michigan habitats.

1. Westland Historic Village Park

Head down the road to the fascinating Westland Historic Village Park at 857 North Wayne Road in Westland to stroll through the magnificent gardens and pop in at the Felton Farmhouse, built around 1855, filled with farmhouse furnishings from 1850 to 1899. View the picturesque herb garden behind the house and look at the 1922 Ford Model TT Fire Engine and the McKee Barn’s collection of historical agricultural equipment in the Carriage Shed.

Visit the 1850 two-story Gutherie Octagon House, one of only a few left in America, filled with antique toys. The Greek Revival-style Rowe House is home to the Eloise Hospital Museum, and the Collins House displays the museum’s military collection.

2. Maybury State Park

Pack your outdoor gear in the car and take a 32-mile drive to Northville to spend the day in the rolling meadows and lush forests of the  1,000-acre Maybury State Park at 49601 Eight Mile Road in Northville. Explore the breathtaking woodlands and fields carpeted with wildflowers on foot or in the saddle in the summer and cross-country ski in winter.

The farm in the park is open year-round and a fascinating stop to watch historic honey extracting, sheep shearing, and grain harvesting as farmers did it way back between 1900 and 1930.

3. Matthaei Botanical Gardens

The breathtaking 90-acre Matthaei Botanical Gardens at 1800 North Dixboro Road in Ann Arbor, 43 miles from Detroit, recreates unique and endangered indigenous Michigan habitats. In the massive outdoor garden, you’ll find recreations of the threatened grassy dunes bordering the Great Lakes, waterlogged cobble beaches, and flat limestone barrens recreated by gardeners and biologists to show the importance of preserving these rare ecosystems.

Walk down the paths to explore the oak savanna and beech-maple forests, discover the herb area filled with medicinal plants, and the rock garden of low-growing plants adapted to windy mountaintops. The conservatory is divided into three ecological types; the humid Tropical House displays beautiful cycads, tree ferns, and bromeliads; you’ll see a collection of figs, olives, and carnivorous plants in the Temperate House, and succulent plants in the Arid House.

Take the road out of Detroit to find astonishing places with many unique and impressive things to see and experience. Before you head out, swing by Bob Maxey Ford today to ensure your car is ready for an unforgettable road trip.

Image by Arthur from Pixabay

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