About the area
Detroit, often referred to as the Motor City or Motown, is the largest city in the state of Michigan. General Motors and Compuware selected it to be the site of their world headquarters, and both are in walking distance of the city's three casinos.
For sports fans, the Detroit area is home to several professional teams, including the Lions (football), Pistons (basketball), Tigers (baseball) and Red Wings (hockey). The football and baseball stadiums are near the college and medical campus, and plans are underway to build a new hockey arena. Detroit has hosted a Major League Basketball All-Star Game, Super Bowl XL, an NCAA Final Four tournament, and many other sporting events.
As the birthplace of Motown Records, Detroit has a rich, musical history and offers residents a wide variety of genres to explore and enjoy. The city is the site of two free premier musical events: the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, which takes place Memorial Day weekend, and the Detroit International Jazz Festival, which is held Labor Day weekend.
With more than 13,000 theater seats, Detroit boasts one of the nation's largest theater districts. Venues such as The Fox Theatre, Music Hall, Detroit Opera House, and Orchestra Place are close to campus. Meadow Brook Theatre and DTE Energy Theatre, both in Oakland County, also provide opportunities for citizens and visitors to enjoy a number of different performances.
The Cultural Center, within walking distance of Wayne State's campus, includes the Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum of its kind in the world. The Cranbrook Institute of Science and Academy of Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills provides an excellent family learning and entertainment environment in a beautiful wooded setting. Cranbrook's public planetarium offers star shows throughout the year. Likewise, the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak is an extensive and ever-popular attraction. One of the largest zoos in the country in terms of acreage, it is open year-round and was among the first to exhibit its animals in natural settings with moats instead of behind bars and fences.
The vast Metro Park system is always popular with students and faculty. There are 10 large parks located throughout a five-county region of southeastern Michigan circling the Detroit area. Attractions include nature study centers, swimming beaches, boating and sailing centers, picnic facilities, camping areas and winter sport activities. The admission fee is nominal, and the parks are well maintained.
For ski enthusiasts, the entire state of Michigan offers some of the best skiing in the Midwest. There are extensive cross-country ski trails running through neighborhood golf courses and throughout the Metro Park system. In addition, more than 100 downhill ski runs of assorted difficulty are located within a few hours of the Detroit metropolitan area.
Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is but five minutes away via either the Ambassador Bridge or the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. The relationship between the two cities is warm and friendly. Windsor is an excellent place for shopping and dining, and its lovely riverfront park is the ideal site from which to enjoy the beauty of Detroit's downtown skyline. Windsor is also a stepping stone to additional Canadian attractions, including historic Amherstberg, the world-famous Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary, the Stratford Skakespearean Festival, and the northern shore of Lake Erie. Point Pelee National Park, a scenic peninsula with marshlands, woodlands, and beaches that swarm with migrating birds in spring and fall, is an outstanding attraction for Detroit-area birdwatchers and naturalists.