A trip to the Henry Ford Museum

It's teeming with history and full of innovative ideas from the past

DEARBORN, Mich. – I was handed a map as I picked up my ticket. I was told to look over it. I didn't until I sat down to write this article. I wish I had listened.

Until my visit to the Museum, I'd never set foot on The Henry Ford. I'd heard about it in Pure Michigan commercials but never took the time to make an afternoon of it.

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When you walk in, the first thing you see is a 1939 Douglas DC-3 plane perched over a walkway. I guess I assumed the Henry Ford Museum would be just a lot of classic cars and some automotive history. But in my visit I saw planes, trains, automobiles (great movie), antique farm equipment, the limousine President Kennedy was assassinated in, and the huge aluminum futuristic looking Dymaxion House.

Looking back at the map, I missed so much: the Rosa Parks Bus, the chair Lincoln was assassinated in, the Ford Quadricycle, and much more.

I did manage to see a great deal. There are a lot of oohhs and aahhs because the classic automotive are easy on the eyes. But what I really enjoyed about the Henry Ford was how it  documented ingenuity and innovation. There are electric cars from a hundred years ago as well as the ahead of its time EV1. I saw race cars and land speed racers that broke records and turned heads with their unique design. The news business was represented with an autogyro from the 1930's used to help get the latest news. Heck, I even saw a Wienermobile!

Even when the innovation failed and didn't reach the masses, the bar was moved forward. The failures lead to bigger & better things. We learned what worked and what didn't. Wild ideas and the massively produced share a space at The Henry Ford Museum.

If you haven't been in awhile, make sure to check it out. You'll be amazed by what you see. Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors, $12.50 for kids 5-12, and it's free for kids 4 and under. It's open 9:30am-5pm 7 days a week.

I took lots of pictures on my visit. Please check out the Cruise The D app for pictures and take a look at the gallery located here.

If you're going to The Henry Ford Museum and take pictures, please share them with us! Use the hashtag #CruiseTheD on Instagram and Twitter and your pictures will show up on our Cruise The D app.

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Sponsored by: Specs Howard School of Media Arts