Woodward Scenic Tours

Day Tour 4: Birmingham to Pontiac

Tour Overview

Traveling along the northern stretch of Woodward Avenue brings you to the more upscale communities of Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. Explore Birmingham's picture-perfect neighborhoods and downtown shopping district full of unique shops and restaurants. Its exclusive neighbor up the road, Bloomfield Hills, serves as the picturesque backdrop for Cranbrook, a world-renowned cultural institution and National Historic Landmark.

Your Woodward scenic tour concludes in the city of Pontiac, an historical city at the forefront of the automotive industry for many years.

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Birmingham [A]

Bounded by Woodward, 14 Mile, Southfield, and Quarton

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Birmingham is home to higher-end galleries, salons, and boutiques and has successfully maintained the feel of a small town while providing the benefits of an affluent urban setting. The City draws not only residents from the Metro Detroit area but celebrities and sports figures that are frequently housed in the 5-star Townsend Hotel located in the center of town. Time permitting, take a drive or walk through some of the neighborhoods just south of Brown street near downtown or south of Maple Road just west of downtown to see beautiful residential areas comprised of new contemporary and restored Tudor homes.

Cranbrook [B]

39221 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills

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Cranbrook is an internationally acclaimed center of education, art, and science founded in 1904 by Detroit philanthropists George and Ellen Booth and was named a National Historic Monument in 1989. Wolf Von Eckhardt, former architecture critic for the Washington Post, once called Cranbrook the "most enchanted and enchanting setting in America." The 319-acre campus is comprised of a graduate Academy of Art, Contemporary Art Museum, historic house, expansive gardens, Natural History Museum, Institute of Science, and pre-K through 12 independent college preparatory schools. The Art Museum houses the work of world-renowned architects and sculptors and the Insitute of Science features eleven permanent galleries, a state-of-the-art planetarium and observatory, and an outdoor science garden with nature trails. A highly inspirational and scenic destination!

Pontiac [C]

Bounded by Brown, Telegraph, South Boulevard, and I-75

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Check out Pontiac and discover a city that rode a wave of industrial prosperity, particularly in the early to mid-20^th century with the success General Motors. The city also experienced the other end of the economic spectrum as GM's troubles in the 1970s and 1980s left Pontiac a shell of its former self. Like Detroit, its neighbor at the opposite end of Woodward, Pontiac is in revival mode. Downtown Pontiac maintains a lively presence as a hip entertainment destination and host of major summer festivals. There are also a number of historic sites and attractions in and around the Pontiac area. The city was founded in 1818 and was named after the famous Indian Chief who made his headquarters here a few years earlier.