Henry Ford Museum

[Dean Lampe]

Has anyone been to the Ford Museum in Detroit? I was curious how much time to allow for that visit. I will likely be traveling with my 12 year old and my 14 year old so its not going to be a trip where I plan to stop and read every sign. If you've ever gone to a museum with your kids, you know what I'm talking about!

I would love to hear any advice you have about the place.

Thanks,
Dean

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

"The Henry Ford" (formerly the Edison Institute at Greenfield Village) is well worth a stop. How long you stay is dependant upon what you want to see. The transportation section (cars, trucks, planes, trains, etc.) can be walked in a hour if you don't stop to read every notation and don't need to look over every vehicle.

The kids will like the locomotives (the "Allegheny" is really cool!) and you can show them J5 the LeMans winning car as well.

The Henry Ford - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can spend hours looking a the history of household appliances or antique furniture. Pretty much anything historical or mechanical is covered.

And Greenfield Villiage is also pretty neat, the Edison laboratory, the Wright cycle Company and a lot of of other historically important stuff is there.

For a guy who was famously quoted as saying "History is bunk" old HF sure did buy a lot of it!

 

[Jim B]

Between the Henry Ford building and the Thomas Edison Village, at least a day. I did it with the scouts we had 6 hours in the Museum and missed a bit due to other plans, and a day in the village.
The Village has tons of history. Thomas Edisons entire NJ and Florida Facilitys, even the dirt! Wright Brothers Bike shop.
Some interactive stuff. Machining mini brass candle sticks, etc.. Set up is similar to Old Williamsburg or Sturbridge Village. The Model Ts running around the the Steam train do a good job of setting the timeframe

If you have enough time for a laugh. Hell, Mi is just outside of Chelsea, Mi about 45 min away. The boys had fun when we went. Basically its 3 buildings a general store/eatery, Ice cream shop/souveniers and a bar. We went just after 300 was out out so they're still making jokes about "Dining in Hell"

 

[Dean Lampe]

I checked the calender and the village is closed for the winter. I guess the museum will be the only stop. Is 4 hours of walking around enough to see just what's indoors?

 

[Mesa]

The museum complex is my favorite in the US. I would need more than 4 hours for the 'car' part. But then I tend to drill down on alot of things of interest. Too bad the outside sections wre closed, those were cool too.

Have fun, I did. I planned to go back for another visit to the HFM on one of my trips to RCR but somehow have not had enough time to do so.

 

[Trevor Booth]

and dont climb over the barriers to measure up some parts on the stanley steamer for a mate who is restoring one.

 

[Brad R.]

Went there as a kid on a field trip around that age... and it was quite a magical memory!

 

[Neal]

Take your time. There is a ton of history beyond just automotive. You'll see the star of the show when you enter the main building. One of the best...

 

[Tony]

Yeah 4-6 hours should cover you for the museum. There is a ton to see there. I always spend more time on the locomotives and there is a really cool section with some old power plant stuff. There is one with GIANT flywheels in the back corner. The sheer size of those things and knowing when they were made is amazing.

A Michigan Family Attraction : The Henry Ford

 

[Howard Beck]

Dean,
Call the Museum, I was there several months ago and most of the cars were off display :furious: because they were rebuilding the car display area. They had only 15 cars on display, plus the Presidential Limos.
The 67 GT40 Le Mans winner wasn't one of them. They were rotating the cars to display.
The museum is cool anyway!
Enjoy,
Howard :thumbsup::thumbsup: