Inside Detroit - Custom Walking Tours

Did You Know...

!	There are 125 bars and restaurants within the one square mile of downtown Detroit. Whether you like jazz, sports, martinis, dancing or none of the above, there’s a spot downtown for you. Click here for descriptions and a printable checklist.
!	Detroit has the second largest theater district in the country with over 13,000 theater seats in just a 2 block radius. With the Fox Theater seating over 5,000 just blocks from the Fillmore, Opera House, Music Hall, Gem, Century and even the little avant-garde 1515 Broadway, it’s a theater lover’s paradise.
!	Downtown Detroit has 37% less crime than the national average. The crime Downtown has decreased by 33% since 2001. Click here for crime study.
!	Campus Martius is Latin for “Field of Mars”. Mars was the Roman god of war, so the military training ground, both in ancient Rome and here in Detroit, was called Campus Martius.
!	The point of origin for the city of Detroit is located in Campus Martius Park. If you’ve ever wondered where 8 Mile Road is 8 miles from, the answer is the center of Campus Martius Park.
!	Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech for the first time in Detroit. It was during the Great March on Detroit on June 23, 1963, months before he gave it in Washington, D.C. Over 125,000 people joined Martin Luther King Jr. and local leaders to march for civil rights.
!	Detroit’s motto, as displayed on the city seal, is “Speramus Meliora Resurget Cineribus” which translates to “We hope for better things. It will arise from the ashes”. The city burned to the ground in 1805 and the city seal and its motto reflect the hope for its future.
!	When Michigan became a state in 1837, Detroit was its capital. The first state capitol building was located in what is today Capitol Park.
!	Michigan’s first governor, Stevens T. Mason, is buried beneath his statue, which is located in the park. Stevens T. Mason was called the Boy Governor. He became territorial secretary at 19, and was elected governor at 24. He’s the youngest elected governor in U.S. history.
!	The Marriott at the Renaissance Center is the tallest hotel in North America. When it was built in 1977, it was the tallest hotel in the world.
!	Minoru Yamazaki, who designed the World Trade Center, got his start in Detroit designing such buildings as One Woodward Avenue. He also designed buildings at Wayne State University, including the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.
!	Frederick Law Olmstead, the famous landscape architect who designed Central Park, also designed Belle Isle. The city paid $200.00 for Belle Isle in 1879, which many at the time thought was too expensive.