Ford Museum

Michigan has been crippled by the current economic crisis and so precarious is the position of the state’s famous automobile manufacturers that the only future many see for the American car industry is as an exhibit in a museum. The Henry Ford Museum hearkens back to a happier time for the industry and offers a comprehensive summary of its remarkable achievements. Cars aren’t the only objects on display here. There are excursions into Presidential history, African-American history (including the actual bus on which Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in a ‘whites-only’ seat; pic), and an actual baseball game on a village green between two teams dressed in vintage uniforms and playing by 19th-century rules. The Henry Ford Museum is a heartfelt paean to Americana, including a wienermobile (created as a marketing stunt by Oscar Meyer) café that serves mostly hot dogs. See www.hfmgv.org.