story and photos by Jamie Rector
Detroit isn’t known as an arts Mecca, but it has plenty of art around to appreciate, from the classics to the avant-garde. From the centuries of fine art on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts to the diversity of vendors at the Artist Market – established in 1932 and still going strong – to newer clusters of galleries springing up in nearby Wyandotte, Detroit has a long history of art appreciation and production.
One form of artistic expression truly unique to Detroit is The Heidelberg Project. This 20-year-old controversial art collection is an outdoor gallery that 
covers one block in a low-income residential neighborhood. Some people love it and some hate it, but either way, it’s worth a look to see what everyone is talking about. The controversy has contributed to making it the third most visited site in Detroit.
On a rainy day, it can be seen from your car, but if the rain lets up it’s best to walk through the neighborhood. Wild exhibits are splashed in an array of vibrant colors across the houses, lawns and pavement of Heidelberg Street. Discarded items, found by artistTyree Guyton, his late grandfather and former wife Karen Smith have been reborn as part of their imaginative creations.
Polka Dots are splashed all over the run down neighborhood. The dots symbolize the various races of the world coming together. Houses are decorated in themes. The various exhibits represent the human condition with seemingly random pieces of junk; Stuffed animals, furniture, shoes, vacuum cleaners
you name it, it’s in there somewhere. If it’s not there, I’m sure it could easily be incorporated. Make sure you look for the series of faces around the neighborhood representing the diversity of the faces of God. The faces are painted on car hoods and have been exhibited in other locations as The Painted Hoods of Tyree Guyton.
The Heidelberg Project provides after-school art education to neighborhood children and has driven most of the illegal activity out of the neighborhood by making it impossible for them to do business under the scrutiny of hundreds of visitors a day. The City has demolished several of Guyton’s creations over the years, which was easy for them to do since the houses were abandoned and derelict City-owned properties before Guyton started working on them. Simultaneously, City art institutions and the international arts community have bestowed upon Guyton a variety of prestigious arts awards and the artist has appeared on Good Morning America and Oprah to talk about the project.
The Heidelberg Project is still surrounded by abandoned and overgrown properties owned by the City of Detroit, but the non-profit Heidelberg Project is working to reclaim the neighborhood one house at a time.
Heidelberg Project
3680 Heidelberg St
Detroit, MI 48207
313-537-8037
www.heidelberg.org
Your first stop should be the Ford Education Center. For an extra charge, you can try out the Wild Adventure Simulator, a virtual reality ride offering movement and sound to create an adventure for your senses. There are a variety of different animated simulations that alternate, so depending on when you visit, you may find yourself saving dinosaurs from extinction, searching for life on the bottom of the ocean or seeing the world through the eyes of birds, bees, tigers and other creatures.
The award-winning Amphibiville is populated with hundreds of amphibians like frogs and salamanders, some living on two acres of outdoor wetlands, and others in recreated environments inside the National Amphibian Conservation Center. The intricately constructed exhibits in the Center are inhabited by creatures from around the world. Some of the indoor habitats are created with glass walls to the outside so you can see what’s going on in the outdoor habitat, even if you’re staying inside out of the rain. Even if it’s not raining outside, it might be raining in the Immersion Gallery where you can walk through a recreated environment that may be experiencing rain or fog.
The Wildlife Interpretive Gallery is housed in the zoo’s oldest building which is 10,000 square feet of interactive displays, wildlife theatre, video and multi-media to draw in visitors for a fun way to learn about the animals and nature. There is also an exhibit hall within that offers rotating exhibits.
The Butterfly Garden offers first hand experience with a wide range of beautiful butterflies from Costa Rica and El Salvador. The Holden Reptile Museum houses the zoo’s reptile collection. The Penguinarium also offers a covered climate-controlled display of a variety of breeds of the ice bound birds.
If you’re in downtown Detroit on business and find yourself with a little free time on a rainy or snowy day, your connection to anywhere you might want to be in the central business district is the Detroit People Mover. This light rail system that makes a loop through 13 stations is built high above traffic and provides excellent views of the city, its landmarks and the Detroit River. Since eight of the People Mover stations are inside buildings, you have access to over nine million square feet of retail shopping, entertainment venues, hotels, offices, civic center services and residential space without ever going outside.
The People Mover stops at the Renaissance Center, Detroit’s most recognizable architectural landmark. Six high rise office towers surround the 73 story cylindrical Marriot Hotel at its center.The Ren Cen, as its known locally, has gone through its ups and downs since Henry Ford II and a group of local developers opened it in 1977. GM bought the complex in 2001 and did a complete makeover that got its final touches in 2005. The Ren Cen offers a one-hour tour four times a day, six days per week. The tour starts at the General Motors Wintergarden, a five-story glass atrium with two levels of local and international chain boutiques and restaurants. Other highlights 
include GM World, a showcase for past, present and future GM cars; a tour of the movie theatre and an elevator ride up to the 72 nd floor to admire the view – 30 miles on a clear day.
Also at the Renaissance Center stop, just off the Promenade on the Detroit River is the
keeping company with Sailboats and barges making their own way along the mile-wide waterway. The tour passes the Mayor’s residence, the Manoogian Mansion, nestled along the shore. The vessel continues to meander under the MacArthur Bridge and around Belle Isle and back down on the Canadian side. Friendly Canadians wave to the ship as it floats past downtown Windsor and waterfront residences and eventually under the mighty Ambassador Bridge before it heads back along Hart Plaza and Joe Lewis Arena into downtown Detroit.
Greektown is the People Mover stop you want for great food and a cultural experience. The street is strung with flags and lined with restaurants, bakeries and shops all offering the look, feel and taste of walking through a street in Greece. The price range varies from a nice basic restaurant to an elegant eating experience. Make sure to check out the Saganaki at the multi-level New Parthenon Restaurant. The flaming cheese is always fun to watch and this establishment is reputed to be the inventor of this Detroit-Greek delicacy. “Opa!” Once your tummy is full from any of the more than 20 restaurants, bakeries or shops, you can empty your pockets at the Greektown Casino on the corner with free validated parking in their parking structure.