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Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
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The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
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Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
about 10 hours ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
3 days ago
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
4 days ago
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
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All the United States Michigan Detroit

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Detroit

47 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Detroit, Michigan

Updated September 12, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Detroit

The stacks of John K. King Used & Rare Books.

Detroit, Michigan

John K. King Used & Rare Books

This sprawling bookstore spans four floors and has more than a million books in stock.
Grande Ballroom

Detroit, Michigan

Grande Ballroom

Abandoned concert venue legendary for its rock counterculture.
Inside St. Agnes Church

Detroit, Michigan

St. Agnes Church and School

Once a bastion of its community, this gothic cathedral now stands as a haunting ruin.
A postcard from the inside of the aquarium, dating to 1907 or 1908.

Detroit, Michigan

Belle Isle Aquarium

The Beaux-Arts aquarium boasts a vast collection of saltwater and freshwater fish on an island in the Detroit River.

Hamtramck, Michigan

Hamtramck Disneyland

A wacky two-story folk-art assemblage of carved and found objects, with lights, motion, and sound now in need of financial support.

Detroit, Michigan

Motown Museum

Berry Gordy Jr.'s old home was the original headquarters of Motown Record Corporation.
Heidelberg Project

Detroit, Michigan

Heidelberg Project

One man's attempt to create an artistic wonder on a run-down block in Detroit.
Guardian Building Art Deco Lobby.

Detroit, Michigan

Guardian Building Art Deco Lobby

To truly appreciate Detroit's landmark skyscraper, you have to step inside.
See All 47 Things To Do in Detroit

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

The Raven Lounge

One of Detroit’s oldest blues clubs stands in defiance of the passage of time and the city’s shifting fortunes.
The entrance decked out for the holidays.

Detroit, Michigan

Grand Trunk Pub

The grandiose interior of this bar speaks to its past as home to famous jewelers and railway offices.
A plate of samaki, or fried fish.

Detroit, Michigan

Baobab Fare

Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere opened this community-minded restaurant serving dishes from their native Burundi.
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

7 Mechanical Marvels in Michigan

Michigan is famous for its steep, sweeping sand dunes, freckling of lakes, and unique fossils—but across the state, you'll find slews of automated wonders, past and present. From old animatronic toys to the ruins of early assembly lines, here are seven places to be dazzled by industry.

View Itinerary
Diego Rivera’s mural sprawls across a light-flooded room in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Explore Detroit, Michigan

A
47
Architecture 7
Architectural Oddities 6
Ruins 6
Abandoned 6
Music 4
Eccentric Homes 4
Homes 4
Unique Restaurants & Bars 2

Detroit Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. nbj914
    11
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    4
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    2
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    2
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    2
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Detroit.

Places Edited

  1. nbj914
    19
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    9
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    6
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    6

Places Visited

  1. marionchristiansen
    45
  2. apbreuhan
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    39
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Recent Detroit Activity

  • rplunk2606

    wants to go to Guardian Building Art Deco Lobby

    1 day ago
  • rplunk2606

    wants to go to The Raven Lounge

    1 day ago
  • rplunk2606

    wants to go to The Fatberg at the Michigan Science Center

    1 day ago
  • rplunk2606

    has been to Merrill Fountain

    1 day ago
  • strawberrymere

    wants to go to John K. King Used & Rare Books

    about 20 hours ago

Stories About Detroit

A 15th-century Iranian manuscript of the Shahnama (“The Book of Kings)” depicts a lavish banquet.

A New Exhibition Features Culinary Art From Across the Islamic World

The Detroit Institute of Arts will showcase food-themed treasures from near and far.
by Anne Ewbank
September 12, 2024

Podcast: Baobab Fare

Visit an East African restaurant that serves up a small slice of Burundi in the Motor City.
by The Podcast Team
October 4, 2023
When Rosa Slade Gragg bought this home at 326 East Ferry Street in Detroit in 1941, neighborhood rules forbade the Black woman from living there.

The Black Woman Who Didn’t Just Open Doors—She Moved Them

Rosa Slade Gragg wouldn’t let a racist restrictive covenant stand in the way of the Detroit Association of Colored Women’s Clubs.
by Carole Rosenblat
March 24, 2022
The Boston Cooler: “The nectar that the Olympians pined for but didn’t know how to make.”

How the 'Boston Cooler' Became a Classic Detroit Drink

This sweet, creamy enigma dates back to the late 1800s.
by Sam O'Brien
August 4, 2021
Waddles, with copies of her poetry-infused “Soul Food Cookbook.”

The Poetry-Loving Cook Who Fed Detroit's Soul

With a 35-cent-meal restaurant and other charities, Mother Waddles was "a one-woman war on poverty."
by Omnia Saed
June 17, 2021
Landlubbers discovered the stuffed-bottle surprise.

Found: A Landlocked Message in a Bottle in a Detroit Train Station

More than a century ago, a couple of guys had some beer and an idea.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
June 14, 2021

Podcast: The Heidelberg Project

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
June 7, 2021
The food at Mr. Kabob, a Chaldean gas-station restaurant that is a short drive from Chaldean Town.

The Detroit Restaurants That Taste Like Ancient Mesopotamia

Known for their food, the city's Chaldean diaspora wants to revive their restaurant scene.
by Priya Krishna
April 23, 2020

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