Car Rental Detroit

It’s a city that makes cars and is built for motorists, so car rental in Detroit is the perfect way to get around. The logical road system works on the principle of spokes and grids. The former are major routes that emerge from the central hub of downtown towards the outlying areas, just like spokes of a wheel. These include Woodward Avenue and Gratiot Avenue. The grid system moves north, with its major routes running parallel to the Detroit River, while the other intersectional roads take motorists either towards or away from downtown.

Interstate 94 (I-94) is a major grid route running parallel to the river, while I-75 is a vital arterial route that intersects it. Further north is a series of ‘mile’ roads, their names denoting their distance from Detroit’s Point of Origin marker in Campus Martius Park. Eight Mile Road (M-102), immortalized in the 2002 movie starring Eminem, is the furthest north of the ‘mile’ roads within the city limits.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is around 40km away from downtown – if you land there, you’ll travel on I-94 to reach the city. Windsor International Airport is just 12km away on the other side of the Detroit River and accessible via McDougall Street.

Driving in and around Detroit is like driving around any other city. Generally, inner-city speed limits range from 25 to 35mph (40 to 56km/h), while the interstate beyond built-up areas has a 70mph (112km/h) limit. Just watch out for potholes – especially on the less central roads, such as in residential areas – which are a result of Michigan’s ice-cold winters. If you’re visiting during the winter months you should be aware of the possibility of snow and ice and plan your journeys accordingly. January is statistically the coldest month, and the one most likely to bring snow.

Detroit is a city in the midst of a profound change. A former manufacturing powerhouse, it’s been busy reinventing itself with a raw, modernising energy, harnessing its heritage to create a post-industrial city for the 21^st century.

This means you’ll find stylish restaurants set in old, abandoned warehouses and a plethora of pop-up shops and cafes, often being run by young entrepreneurs. It also boasts a thriving culinary scene, gleaming new shopping malls and plenty of cultural attractions.

Musical roots

A key part of Detroit’s identity comes from its links with the Motown record label. Based in the city for most of the 1960s, it was a huge success story that provided chart hits for artists including the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Jackson Five, among many others.

Today you can visit Hitsville USA, the studio where it all happened and now a fascinating museum with a treasure trove of exhibits abut Motown’s music, artists and legacy. You’ll find it on West Grand Boulevard, north-west of downtown. It opens at 10am and you’ll be able to enjoy an interactive guided tour around the house that shaped so many chart hits.

Car crazy

The word ‘Motown’ itself derived from the phrase ‘motor town’ and reflected Detroit’s car manufacturing might. A few blocks east of Hitsville USA, you’ll find the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, which drove so much of the city’s booming economy during the early part of the 20^th century.

These days it’s the oldest former car manufacturing plant in the world that’s open to the public, and almost looks unchanged since Henry Ford’s time at the helm. You can stroll around the designated National Historic Landmark site, exploring how the original Ford Model T was made. You’ll need to bring sturdy footwear, as many of the planks in the three-storey mill building have been worn by decades of hard work.

Works of art

A few minutes to the south, on Woodward Avenue, you’ll find the Detroit Institute of Art, an outstanding collection of American and global works. Pride of place in the museum is taken by Mexican artist Diego Rivera’s set of murals entitled ‘Detroit Industry’.

This eye-catching series fills the Rivera Court, and stands as a fitting tribute to the city’s car manufacturing heritage. Throughout more than 100 galleries, housed within an impressive white-marble building, you’ll also find pieces by the likes of Monet, Picasso and Caravaggio, as well as African American works from the last 200 years.

Detroit has one of the largest theatre districts in the US, including the impressive Fisher Theatre, set on West Grand Boulevard. It regularly hosts Broadway shows and is an outstanding example of an art deco exterior, while its interior boasts detailed hand-painted designs and striking marble walls. 

There are also several renowned theatres nearby, including the Bonstelle and the Hilberry, all contained within the city’s Cultural Center district.

All this is easily accessible when you rent a car in Detroit and start to explore everything it has to offer.