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Woodward Avenue Scenic Tours

Overview

Looking for the entire Detroit experience in one fell swoop? This tour is for you. No roadway better defines Metropolitan Detroit than Woodward Avenue (M-1). This "all American road" is a primary traffic artery, pumping lifeblood to both the city and suburbs. Woodward dissects the center of Detroit on a straight line from Jefferson Avenue at the Riverfront, through the heart of Downtown and northern portions of the City, and ends in Pontiac 31 miles (50 km) to the northwest. On this unique trip you will pass six National Historic Landmarks, witness the full range of the city's present economic condition (from poverty to prosperity), and gain insight into the city-suburb dynamic that has given the Detroit area the look and personality it has today. For its historic and cultural significance, Woodward Avenue was designated a National Heritage Route by the State of Michigan in 1999 and a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Transportation Administration in 2002 (the first Michigan roadway to receive this honor).

It would take you quite some time to fully explore all of the sites and attractions along the length of Woodward Avenue. To give you some guidance, we've developed four full-day tours of the highlights. Tours 1 and 2 consist of sites within Detroit city limits and Tours 3 and 4 encompass attractions in the suburbs. Note that the two sets of tours are divided at 8 Mile Road, the northern boundary of Detroit that has become a symbol of the rift between the City and suburbs that grew in the latter half of the 20^th century during Detroit's accelerating population exodus (and was the backdrop for the 2002 movie 8 Mile starring hip-hop mogul Eminem).

Choose a tour below to begin your journey on one of America's greatest roadways…

Woodward Day Tour 1: Jefferson to Cultural Center

Campus Martius

Grand Circus Park

Cultural Center

Woodward Day Tour 2: Cultural Center to 8 Mile

Cultural Center

New Center

Boston-Edison Historic Neighborhood

Palmer Woods Historic Neighborhood

Woodward Day Tour 3: 8 Mile to Royal Oak

Ferndale

Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak

Woodward Day Tour 4: Birmingham to Pontiac

Birmingham

Cranbrook

Pontiac

Short on Time?

If you're short on time but would still like a good overview of the city, a drive from the Riverfront to Pontiac and back is recommended. A nonstop, one-way trip takes about 45 minutes (dependent on time of day). Therefore, in a half-day, you can do a roundtrip and squeeze in an attraction or bite to eat along the way.

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