While Downtown, Corktown and Midtown get a majority of the buzz when it comes to Detroit entertainment and culture, Southwest Detroit is no slouch in these departments.
In Southwest Detroit, you can explore the city’s history, hunt for treasures at antique stores, feast on ethnic flavors or take in an evening of music. The neighborhood’s a melting pot of cultures — Italian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, Polish, Hungarian, etc. — plus it’s home to many of the city’s historical hotspots. At night, there’s salsa dancing, karaoke, fabulous food and classic bars.
Foodies, families, shopaholics, bargain hunters and hipsters will find something to entice them to visit Southwest Detroit and explore this tight-knit cluster of neighborhoods.
Blasts from the past
Spending a day with the whole family in Southwest Detroit can be an eye-opening cultural experience, as well as a chance to awaken young taste buds.
Start off at one-of-a-kind Fort Wayne, located at the foot of Livernois along the Detroit River. Detroit’s third and only remaining fort was built in 1840 by the Americans due to heightening tensions with British Canada following the War of 1812. Although Fort Wayne never saw a single shot fired, it served a military role in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War. Its star-shaped fort, barracks and officer housing are fascinating to wander through. The Fort is open for tours during summer weekends and hosts Civil War reenactments, Think Detroit (www.thinkdetroit.org) soccer games, and the awesome annual two-day Fiesta Mexicana, which is usually held the first weekend in August. Have a seat — or a picnic — along the Detroit River’s natural shoreline for a relaxing end to your visit.
Still hungering for history? Head over to Woodmere Cemetery at the intersection of Fort and Woodmere. Dedicated in 1869, Woodmere is home to gorgeous mausoleums and headstones, and also contains the remains of victims of the 1932 Ford Hunger march, a significant event in the history of the labor movement. Other famous gravesites include auto magnates David Buick and Henry Leland, as well as infamous U.S. Army deserter Eddie Slovik, the last U.S. soldier to be executed for this crime. Woodmere’s rolling topography, replete with a duck-friendly pond, makes for a pleasant afternoon stroll.
Other ideas for history buffs:
- For more information about Southwest Detroit’s rich automobile heritage, head just across the border to Dearborn to visit UAW Local 600’s headquarters and check out its library and photography collection.
- St. John Cantius on Harbaugh Street off West Jefferson has to be one of the most unique churches in the world; it is surrounded on three sides by a wastewater treatment plant. Call it a peninsula of faith, if you will. Definitely worth a drive-by.
If you plan your visit right, you can time it to coincide with an old-fashioned organ concert at the Senate Theatre, located on Michigan Avenue just west of Livernois. The Senate was designed by architect Christian Brandt and was built in 1926, serving as a neighborhood cinema until 1958. The Detroit Theater Organ Society restored the theater in 1963 and moved the Fisher Theatre’s mighty 4-manual, 34-rank organ here, to the delight of organ and theatre fans alike. Call (313) 894-4100 for upcoming concert information.
Once your appetite for music and history has been satiated, it’s time to eat. The entire family will enjoy the thin-crust pizza at Vince’s Ristaurante Italiano — a slice of old-fashioned neighborhood Italian home cooking on Springwells between Vernor and I-75. Just across the street is Doña Lola’s, where amazing seafood dishes showcase proprietor Doña Lola Suttles’ dedication to bring a taste of Ecuador to Detroit. Both of these restaurants rank high on the list of any true Detroit foodie’s list.
Night on the Town
Southwest Detroit dances to its own rhythm after dark. Whatever your pleasure—music, food, drink or song — it can be found in spades. Just don’t overdo it on your first night because you’ll want to return the next.
First, get some food in your stomach — and maybe a margarita. There is no better place to start a night off than at Las Brisas on Vernor near Springwells, where each weekend is a celebration. Enjoy the sounds of mariachi while you dine, and enjoy not only standard Mexican fare, but also specialties such as birria (steamed lamb or goat with mole sauce) and posole (pork and hominy soup).
For another specialty, try the caldo de mariscos, or seafood soup, a specialty of the Veracruz coast of Mexico at Aranda’s (on Livernois just south of Vernor). Many taquerias in Southwest Detroit offer this delicacy, but Aranda’s sure does it right.
Although there isn’t currently a huge salsa scene in Southwest Detroit, you can still give your dancing shoes a workout at Adela’s Place. The weekend scene features live music and DJs spinning Tejano. Adela’s is on West Fort just west of Clark.
Enjoy singing in the shower? Next stop: Sherry’s on Vernor, a friendly pub that brings out some powerhouse voices for karaoke on Saturday nights. If that’s not your speed, head to Abick’s, a quaint neighborhood bar that caters to a largely Slavic clientele. Abick’s features a pool table, great jukebox, and extremely low prices. Go ahead, live it up—you can afford the tab.
Other Southwest nightspots:
- Giovanni’s Ristorante: Tucked away in the Oakwood neighborhood across the Rouge River bridge is Giovanni’s, a charming spot to get home-cooked Italian cuisine. Most folks who have eaten there say it blows away the competition. A tip: if you plan on heading there for dinner on a weekend, get a reservation.
- The Delray neighborhood — once a Hungarian enclave, now primarily industrial — is home to the eclectic Delray Café, on West Jefferson west of Livernois. Tons of eye-candy line the walls, as well as lots of odd shirts and hats that you may just find yourself purchasing on your way out the door.
- The Bohemian National Home is an emerging cultural center in the old Western Market area. Musicians that don’t quite fit into a niche have found a performance venue in this former Czechoslovakian social hall at Tillman north of Michigan Avenue. Quite the velvet revolution.
Before you head home, make a pit stop at Duly’s Place, kitty-corner from the awe-inspiring Holy Redeemer complex. Duly’s serves up what just may be the best coney dogs in town, as well as amazing hash browns and a scrambled eggs with jalapeno peppers special that’ll wake you right back up. Duly’s is worth a visit just to marvel at its narrowness; it’s just wide enough for a grill, a counter with stools, and an aisle. Barely.
Or, make your way to the Telway (Michigan Avenue at Martin) — a late-night institution. Open 24 hours and guarded by a statue of two longhorns, Telway is nothing less than an experience. Sometimes nothing will hit the spot like a couple of sliders and a 35-cent cup of coffee.
Saturday shopping
Michigan Avenue may not rival Somerset or Royal Oak, but it certainly has its charms for a particular breed of consumer: the antiquer. Michigan Avenue is home to three antique shops well worth the visit. In fact, the piece you pass up one Saturday will probably show up in a better-known shop the following week—at a significant markup. So, bargain-hunters of the world, spend a day perusing the dusty shelves and cluttered floors of Michigan Avenue’s trifecta of antique stores and emerge with a treasure or two.
The shops are all on the south side of the street and are located, from west to east, at 7807 Michigan Avenue west of Central, 7105 Michigan Avenue east of Central, and at 6885 Michigan Avenue west of Martin.
All that hunting will certainly work up an appetite. Stop in at Señor Lopez Taqueria on Michigan Avenue west of Livernois. Its cuisine is totally authentic Mexican, and each diner starts off their meal with a complimentary sampler pork taco. Forget those refried beans that are served at Chi-Chi’s and enjoy Señor Lopez’s savory whole beans that accompany each dinner.
Or get a feel for the neighborhood’s historically Polish roots at the Starlite Restaurant, home to the most authentic pierogis outside of Hamtramck. Then, make sure to stop by Markowycz’s to take home what may be the very best kielbasa you will ever taste.
If you’re still up for more shopping, head down to Fort Street to
Shoe Fair, a shoe fetishist’s dream come true. The latest sneaker styles are available as well as a wide cowboy and winter boot selection. However, the rare treat is the stock of brand-new still-in-the-box vintage footwear that seems to continuously emerge from a deep, dark 1960s shoe warehouse.
For more information about SW Detroit visit the Model D
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Moving Guide-
Investing Guide
Directions to Southwest Detroit
From the East:
Take I-94 West, continue to exit 211B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the North:
Take I-75 South to I-94 West via exit 53B toward Chicago. Continue to exit 221B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the West:
Take I-96 East to I-94 West via exit 190A toward Chicago. Continue to exit 221B toward Cecil Ave/Central Ave then turn slight left onto Edsel Ford Fwy W. Turn left onto Central St. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
From the South:
Take I-94 E toward Detroit and continue to exit 212A toward Livernois Ave. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy West and turn right onto Livernois Ave. Either turn onto Michigan Ave or continue to Vernor Hwy.
Take I-75 North toward Detroit to exit 46 toward Livernois Ave and stay straight to go onto Fisher Fwy West. Turn left onto Junctions St. Either turn onto Vernor Hwy or continue to Michigan Ave.
Photos, from the top:
Fort WayneWoodmere CemetaryThe Senate TheatreVince's Italian RestaurantDona Lola'sThe Bohemian National Home a.k.a. "The Bo House"Junque Shop Antiques on Michigan Avenue
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger