Things To Do In Birmingham, Bloomfield and Troy! 

Birmingham Bloomfield Arts Center
This non-profit regional arts center is a powerhouse of community activity. The curriculum consists of art history and studio classes and workshops, and includes every age group; topics are wide ranging across the visual arts. Every spring, the center hosts the Birmingham Arts Festival, the first outdoor arts event in Michigan each year. Exhibitions highlight regional works and the store supports local artists. 

Birmingham Historical Museum
The area’s colonial history is on view in two restored buildings. 

Troy Museum and Historic Village
Troy’s pioneering history is lovingly presented in a quaint old village; the main building contains a museum, store, and reference library. Many special events throughout the year give visitors first hand experience of nineteenth century life in Troy. 

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History 

This stunning museum has extensive exhibitions on African American history and superb events, including the annual Africa World Festival. 

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Villagehttp://
An independently administered non-profit educational institution, the Henry Ford complex is undisputedly one of the nation’s best. The largest indoor/outdoor museum in the United States, the center celebrates the people and ideas that have changed national history. Artifacts include the Rosa Parks bus, Lincoln’s chair, and Kennedy’s limousine.  

Motown Historical Museum
Founded by Esther Gordy Edwards in 1985, the Museum celebrates the history of Motown. 

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
The historic home of Edsel Ford and his family has been open to the public since 1978; the nationally acclaimed home and exquisite 87-acre gardens have been has been featured in Architectural Digest, Garden Design magazine, A&E’s America’s Castles series, HGTV’s Dream Drives and Christmas Castles series, and NBC’s Today Show. The site hosts special events, classes, and lectures throughout the year. 

Pewabic Pottery
Founded in 1903 during the height of the Arts & Crafts Movement in America, Pewabic Pottery is now a national landmark and houses a museum, gallery of contemporary pottery, learning center, and gift shop. 

Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Currently enjoying its inaugural season at the fantastic Max M. Fisher Music Center, the Symphony has a full and exciting calendar; upcoming guests include Izhak Perlman and Virtuosic Brahms Conductor Uriel Segal. 

Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival
Every September this world famous event kicks off; in 2004 the festival celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary and an extra special line-up is promised. 

Detroit Opera
The exquisite opera house offers cutting-edge interpretations of popular opera and dance; performed by visiting companies as well as Detroit’s own. 

The University Cultural Center
Wayne University and the renowned Detroit Institute of the Arts border an exciting part of downtown Detroit; galleries, museums, great restaurants and theaters, rub shoulders with the General Motors World Headquarters, the Center for Creative Studies and the Detroit Medical Center.  

Detroit Repertory Theatre
The oldest alternative professional theater in Michigan, the Detroit Repertory has always staunchly advocated interracial casting and performed works of relevance to the local community; plays have highlighted ethnic and economic diversity as a way to help build real and sympathetic community.  

The Second City Comedy Club
This national comedy company showcases local talent and educates a new generation; a new theater is under construction and due to open in the fall of 2004. 

The Detroit Science Center
This amazing educational center features an IMAX theater, Planetarium, exhibit laboratories, and a children’s gallery, alongside a full curriculum of science programs and camps. The center liaises with regional schools to create stimulating science and art programs for students.  

Troy Family Aquatic Center
Open to all, the center is very nicely landscaped, with clean sand for play and volleyball courts, grassy hills and flowerbeds, waterslides, spray pools for younger children, and a large swimming pool. 

Sylvan Glen Golf Course
Troy’s local golf course doubles as a venue for cross-country skiing in winter. 

Oakland Fields Country Club
This historic Bloomfield club has been the site of six U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, and in 2004 it hosts the prestigious international Ryder Cup challenge. 

Troy Lanes
This friendly local bowling lane is clean and family orientated. 

Regional Sports (Detroit and nearby towns)
Local sporting events include auto and boat racing, Lions Football at Ford Field, soccer, Red Wing hockey at Joe Louis Arena, Pistons basketball at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and Tiger Baseball at Comerica Park.  

Super Bowl
Detroit will host the XL Super Bowl in 2006. 

Troy Parks and Recreation Department 

Oakland County Parks
Oakland County administers eleven parks; the Red Oaks water park is closest to Birmingham, Bloomfield and Troy.
 

Birmingham Principle Shopping District
Local residents and town officials have worked hard to make Downtown Birmingham a great place to visit, and especially to stroll through. Voted one of the “Top 20 Most Walkable Communities” by Walkable Communities, the area has upscale dining, great local entertainment and arts, and plenty of special events and festivals.  

Oakland Mall
Troy’s Oakland mall has a Marshall Field’s, JC Penney, and Sears, alongside 140 specialty stores, services, and restaurants. 

The Somerset Collection
One of Michigan’s most high-end shopping locations, this elegant mall in Troy includes Nordstrom, Swarovski, Restoration Hardware, Capital Grille, Ralph Lauren/Polo, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Via Spiga, P.F. Changs, and more than 150 others. 

Pewabic Pottery
Arts and Crafts style Pewabic ceramic tile. 

City Cellar Wine Bar and Grill
Voted Gourmet Magazine's “Best of 2003,” this Birmingham wine bar has an impressive wine list and creative menu. 

Bad Frog Tavern
This great local brewery exports its beer around the world and does scrumptious burgers, salads, and more.  

Big Rock Chop House
Housed in Birmingham’s historic train station, this popular local eatery serves up hearty American fare to locals and visitors alike. 

The Capital Grille
Classic steakhouse in Troy. 

D’Amato’s Restaurant
Top critics have raved about this energetic Italian restaurant in nearby Royal Oak. 

Detroit Restaurant Guide 

Detroit Zoo
Detroit’s superb zoo has well designed outdoor animal environments and plenty of large open spaces. The Wildlife Interpretive Gallery contains a delightful butterfly and hummingbird garden, coral reef aquarium, theater, exhibition space, art gallery, and interactive multi-media displays. 

Detroit’s Woodward Avenue
Woodward is lined by over 250 state and national registered sites, a wealth of festivals and events, and over 55 attractions. 

Wayne State University
Detroit’s Wayne State covers more than 350 fields of knowledge, often up to doctorate level. The Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs is the largest archival library of its kind in the United States. For an informative “best of Wayne State” review, go to: http://www.wayne.edu/profiles/best_of_wsu.html 

The Center for Creative Studies
Detroit has one of the nation’s leading art’s education colleges; its transportation design program is world renowned.  

Blue Heron Academy of Healing Arts and Sciences
Troy’s top-notch alternative healing college.