In my opinion Detroit is a great place to be year round, but if you’re someone who only has visited in the winter months you really haven’t done it any justice. Even if you’ve come to watch the “boys of summer” play at Comerica, only to retreat to the the familiarity of Hockeytown or Cheli’s you really have no idea the vibrancy and wealth of activities that exist here on any given day during our seemingly magical summers. If you’re a seasoned veteran of the city or someone who works here every day some of these may seem obvious, but no matter how many times you’ve been each trip adds a little something extra, so without further ado..

  • The Beach at Campus Martius: The hub of summertime activity downtown both during the week and those lazy weekend days. Monday through Friday you’ll see the thousands of employees from Quicken, Meridian, and countless other smaller operations mixing with residents and families bringing their kids down to enjoy food, music, or just a tumble in the sand. Weekends bring more crowds from the suburbs looking to see what their children, nieces, and nephews have been raving about, but it still gets lively here in the evenings with concerts at the newly minted Beach Bar that debuted last week
  • Riverwalk: If you haven’t been to the Riverwalk recently you have no idea what you’re missing. Start near Joe Louis on the west end and stroll your way past fountains, volleyball courts, picnic areas, carousels, and concession stands as you make your way east. Continue through the wildlife path and past Cheyne Park to find your reward at the end of the journey; Joseph Campau Street with places like Andrews on the Corner, Atwater Brewing, and the Rattlesnake Club providing food and refreshments to help you eat and drink those foot aches away.
  • Belle Isle Beach: Really the entire island is a trove of summer activities but for a person of summertime leisure, the beach is where it’s at. First off, yes of course you can swim there, the water’s great and there’s plenty of prime sand to fit you and all of your friends. Located along the northern coast of Belle Isle, this place comes alive in the summer with the smell of grills going and the jams cascading into the air from cars rolling down the road. Essentially this is the living embodiment of the “Summertime” by the one and only Fresh Prince, only in this version you’ve got a sick view of the entire Detroit skyline to boot.
  • Dequindre Cut: The recently expanded and now nearly 2 mile greenway is a convergence of arts, activity, and pure Detroit scenery. Start from the amazing Outdoor Adventure Center on Atwater Street that serves as the starting point for the cut but should really be saved for its own separate experience. Aside from those on foot a veritable what’s what of transportation devices can be seen moving through the cut. Bikes, skateboards, unicycles, strollers, or my personal favorite rollerblades. Follow the path north until you hit Eastern Market, where you can branch off and get to exploring all of the sights, sounds, and shops the market has to offer.

 So once you’ve scratched those places off your list.. go again, and again. Yet we’re just scratching the surface of summertime adventure in the D, so stay tuned for more spots and suggestions..

campus

belle isle

dequindre