What to do and see in Michigan, United States: The Best Historic Sites

Built for a prominent merchant in 1908, this prairie-style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is located in the elegant Heritage Hill district, where over 60 architectural styles are represented.

Built in 1882, Tibbits Opera House features an exquisite, award-winning, French Second Empire exterior. It is among the oldest theatres in Michigan. Rich in history and ambiance, the theatre offers nearly perfect acoustics, an intimate 500-seat setting, and great entertainment year round. Shows vary from professional Summer Theatre, family shows, and an Entertainment Series of professional touring performers to community events, plays, musicals, concerts and variety shows. The building houses a permanent 19th century art collection and a unique community mural of "American Gothic." An art gallery exhibits shows by regional artists. Tours are available by appointment.

Experience the Original Model T Factory Visiting the Piquette Avenue Ford Plant is a unique experience-it's the oldest auto plant open to the public anywhere in the world. Almost unchanged since Henry Ford's day, the plant is a three-story New England-style mill building. Each floor is divided into sections by the original metal fire doors, complete with the shadows of Henry Ford's "Positively NO Smoking" stencils. The old plank floors are worn from the 12,000 Model Ts built on them, so wear appropriate shoes for your visit. The plant is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a designated National Historic Landmark and a Michigan State Historic Site. Walk the worn wood floors and touch the brick walls where Henry Ford and his team of automotive pioneers developed the car that led to an automotive and social revolution. See Henry Ford's office as it was in 1908 when he was on the cusp of fame. And learn why it still matters today. See a selection of rare Detroit-built cars from the first decade of the 20th century and learn their fates.

The Hackley and Hume Historic Site features the restored homes of Muskegon's most well-known lumber barons with outstanding wood carving, stained glass windows, and period furnishings. A guided tour of the homes offers visitors a look at life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. During the summer months, there are often games on the lawn for our young visitors. The Site is open from May to October. With select dates in November and December for Holiday Tours.

Iconic. The cannon blasts, the rifles fire, the soldiers march and history comes alive. The oldest building in Michigan and 13 other historical structures boast exhibits explaining everything from military training and battles to medical treatments to family life within the fort. More than just a military outpost, Fort Mackinac served as a home for soldiers and their families and eventually the headquarters for Mackinac National Park, where tourists to the island visited the great fortress on the bluff, much like they do today. This is Mackinac.

Have an Adventure. Witness the power of the creek harnessed to cut timber into lumber at one of the oldest industrial sites on the Upper Great Lakes. On the Adventure Tour, explore the treetops on the Forest Canopy Bridge, soar like an eagle on the 425′ Eagle’s Flight Zip Line, and experience the layers of the forest on the five-story Treetop Discovery Tower. Afterward, take time to explore the natural beauty of Mill Creek State Park, which has more than three miles of groomed hiking trails. This is Mackinac.

Michilimackinac 1778: Rumors of War. Treasures from the past come to life at this 18th-century fort and fur trading village, reconstructed based on historic maps and more than 60 years of archaeological excavations. As you walk through the site, you are stepping back in time to 1778, when rumors of war and peace swirled around Michilimackinac. Here, you will see and hear how soldiers, civilians, and Native people responded to threats real and imagined as they attempted to maintain their livelihood, the fur trade. Historical interpreters representing voyageurs, British soldiers, and French-Canadian merchant families are stationed throughout the fort to answer your questions and perform demonstrations.

This historical site of 19th-century Mormon followers is now a quiet, quaint attraction.

This old Detroit home belies the greatness that was born here: the Motown Sound. But one step inside Hitsville, USA, the original house where Berry Gordy lived and recorded the Motown hits, and you'll catch the beat and spirit of this booming music era. Photos, costumes, artwork, music and other memorabilia take you back to simpler times.