The largest Masonic Temple in the world, this ornate 14-story building opened in 1926. For decades its 5000-seat, acoustically rich and intimate auditorium served as Detroit's choicest venue for concerts, opera and plays. Now that it has plenty of competition, the auditorium hosts only sporadic events. The impressive building has 1037 rooms, including ten decorative period lodge rooms; a Scottish Rite Cathedral that seats 1600 people and has rich ceiling carvings and colors; and a 17,500-square-foot drill hall with a floating floor laid atop felt cushions. It's a Detroit landmark.

The College for Creative Studies is an acclaimed four-year arts college located in Detroit's Cultural Center. Its Yamasaki, Kresge-Ford, and Music and Dance buildings are award-winning architectural wonders, a blend of the modern and classic. The school's Center Galleries offer exhibit space for avant-garde work by nationally known artists, CCS alumni and faculty. Among the galleries is the student-run Underground 245 Gallery, which displays student work year-round. An annual spring CCS Student Exhibition is a high point on Detroit's art calendar, attracting thousands of patrons. Arts lovers with unconventional tastes will find plenty to marvel at here.

Operated by the Detroit Historical Society, these ongoing tours of historic Detroit churches have been popular since 1972. Churches on the tours include Bethel A.M.E., St. Patrick Chapel of the Little Flower, and many others that highlight significant aspects of local history as well as architectural features. The tours include a luncheon served at one of the churches. To ensure a space, book well in advance.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Scarab Club, built in 1928, is a vivid example of proto-modern, Arts and Crafts architecture. The boxy brick building sits alone among parking lots east of the Detroit Institute of Arts in the Cultural Center. It is a private club with a gallery and frequent shows open to the public. The club was founded in 1910 as the Hopkin Club, named after Detroit's first renowned painter, Bob Hopkin. The second-floor lounge has ceiling beams signed by local and national artists including Diego Rivera and Norman Rockwell. The art displayed is highly eclectic. Annual member shows include everything from photography and sculpture to poetry readings and concerts.

Detroit has been an entry point for immigrants from around the world and many receive services through this unique agency in the Cultural Center. Besides offering language and other classes, the Institute serves an inexpensive daily lunch and offers ethnic enrichment experiences for groups, including songs, dances, stories and exhibits. The highlight of the center is the international doll exhibit featuring more than 2000 authentic dolls from many cultures worldwide. It also sponsors an annual world market festival.

Formerly the Detroit Science Center, this spot is always a favorite destination for school groups. There are lots of educational hands-on exhibits that are great for kids and adults alike. The center includes a state-of-the-art IMAX Dome Theatre which shows a range of entertaining and interactive films. The Dassault Systemes Planetarium shows off its virtual universe with star shows and laser displays. A recent expansion made this science center one of the largest in the nation.

A fascinating feature of the Cultural Center is the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. Opened in 1921 and expanded in 1963, the library is made of white Vermont marble and green Maine granite. Designed by Cass Gilbert, architect of the US Supreme Court building, the building is in Italian Renaissance style. Murals, stained glass and even a tiled fireplace add to the grand effect. The main party of the library has a wide range of books and documents. It also houses eleven departments and six special collections, including the National Automotive History Collection, the nation's premier public automotive archive and the Burton Historical Collection, a wealth of local history and genealogical information.

The world's largest museum of African American history and culture, this impressive building opened in 1997 and is named after the local doctor and activist who first established it. With 120,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Charles H. Wright Museum includes several exhibit galleries, a research library, classrooms and a museum store. The anchor exhibit, " "Of the People: The African American Experience, uses Detroit's own history to tell the story of the black experience in the United States. Previously, much smaller incarnations of the museum existed, dating back to 1965.

The most famous features of the fifth-largest fine arts museum in the United States are the Diego Rivera murals, starkly depicting the artist's view of world history, the industrial revolution and the automobile. They are the gritty, spiritually uplifting center of this vast but manageable museum, whose 100 galleries include more than 60,000 paintings, sculptures and other art objects. Auguste Rodin's famed sculpture "The Thinker" is near the entrance. Impressive permanent collections of Pre-Columbian, Islamic, Flemish, Dutch, African, European, American and Asian art are supplemented by top-notch exhibitions. The museum was renovated and re-opened in 2007, expanding its size by 31,000 square feet. The DIA is an impressive building and a place of both grandeur and contemplation.

For 70 years, this small history museum has fought budget cuts to preserve the often-neglected history of Detroit. It makes for an excellent short outing. A basement exhibit allows visitors to stroll down cobblestone, cedar block and brick streets past scale models of 19th-century shops. Another exhibit documents Detroit's key role in the Underground Railroad that helped escaped slaves find freedom in Canada. Also illustrated is Detroit's emergence as an automobile manufacturing center. Please note that the museum is not open on Mondays.