“Yes, it’s the architecture, the landscape, and the food, but it’s really the people,” says Kresge Artist fellow Tiff Massey of her Detroit hometown and the locals who make you feel a special kind of welcome. Experience that distinct Motor City hospitality when you plot a course that includes everything from the artist’s solo exhibition at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, 7 Mile + Livernois (which runs through May 11, 2025), to these nine other vibe-heavy places that inspire her.
Picnic in Belle Isle Park
The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory in Belle Isle Park
Photo by Sylvia Jarrus
Massey centers herself by visiting Belle Isle Park. Larger than New York’s Central Park at 982 acres, this verdant island in the middle of the Detroit River is like “everybody’s family member,” she says. With views of downtown Detroit and the Canadian shore, Belle Isle’s enchantment is about “just getting as close to the water as possible and breaking bread with friends.”
Shop Eastern Market
DeVries & Co. is a cheese shop in Eastern Market that’s been in operation for more than a century.
Photos by Sylvia Jarrus
A good place to pick up picnic provisions is Eastern Market. Beyond the weekend vintage and food markets, the artist says to be sure to check out DeVries & Co. The 138-year-old family-owned dairy-monger, housed in a turn-of-the-century brick shop, has one of the oldest working elevators in southeast Michigan.
Stay at the Siren Hotel
Candy Bar in the Siren Hotel
Photos by Sylvia Jarrus
Make the Siren Hotel in the Wurlitzer Building (the former headquarters of the iconic jukebox company) your home base for stylish accommodations with a bit of history. The boutique experience includes Candy Bar, beloved by Massey for its aesthetic, which features golden tones and mauve velvet.
See art at the Shepherd
For an art-filled day, head east to the Shepherd, a historic church-turned-art gallery on a campus featuring sculptures and a skate park. Massey’s work was part of its recent group show Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles.
Go dancing at Spot Lite
Dance, shop for music, and immerse yourself in more local art with fellow art lovers at the Massey favorite Spot Lite. It’s a music club meets art gallery, food truck, and record store—open until 2 a.m.
Check out the Corktown neighborhood
Takoi’s dining room
Photo by Sylvia Jarrus
The artist suggests heading to the vibrant Corktown area for a feast with multiple stops. Start with lunch at Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop, a James Beard Award semifinalist for hospitality, before having a coffee at James Oliver Coffee Co. (Afar recommends also visiting the newly reopened Michigan Central Station in the area, a 100-year-old beaux arts depot that today showcases architecture, community, and Detroit history.)
A Massey go-to for dinner is Takoi, a modern take on Thai made with local, seasonal ingredients. Her favorite cocktail, Promises in Vortex, mixes tequila, mezcal, cilantro, Thai chili syrup, mint, and lime. Another spot for drinks she frequents in the area is a local classic bar, Nemo’s Detroit.
Nemo’s is a neighborhood bar in Detroit.
Photos by Sylvia Jarrus
Round out the evening at Two Birds for a nightcap or dessert. In a vintage house in the West Village, the family-run neighborhood bar that doubles as a seasonal frozen custard shop makes the perfect perch for Detroit people-watching.
Take Massey’s recommendations for seeing art, sipping a drink downtown, dancing the night away on the east side, and eating your way across Corktown. You’ll get a taste of Detroit’s most welcoming people and places, and an experience filled with art, culture, and more.
