Dearborn

Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the state of Michigan. This article also covers the adjacent community of Dearborn Heights.

Understand

Automotive history

Dearborn was the birthplace of Henry Ford, and later he pioneered the mass production of Automobiles here. The world headquarters of the Ford Motor Company is still here.

Arab heritage

Settlers from the Middle East date back to the 1800s, and many were employed by Henry Ford during the early days of the company in the 1910s. As a result of their long heritage in the area, Dearborn is the city with the most concentrated Arab population in the Western Hemisphere.

Visitor information

• 1 Dearborn Visitor & Welcome Center (on the first floor of Bryant Library), ☏ +1 313 584-6100. M-F 9AM-5PM. (updated Mar 2019)

Get in

By car

• Interstate 94, from Detroit and Port Huron to the east and Ann Arbor and Chicago to the west.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

The Detroit Amtrak station

• 1 John D. Dingell Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Avenue. The train station is also a stop for suburban SMART buses. (updated Mar 2019)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Route serving Dearborn:
    • Wolverine Service operates several times daily between Pontiac and Chicago including stops along the way in Troy, Royal Oak, Detroit, Dearborn, Ann Arbor, Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Niles, and New Buffalo. There are many train connections in Chicago.

By bike

• 2 Rouge Gateway Trail. Goes north, eventually reaching Northville. (updated Mar 2019)

Get around

By bus

• SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation). (updated Mar 2019)

See

Henry Ford Museum

• 1 Automotive Hall of Fame, 21400 Oakwood Blvd, ☏ +1 313 240-4000.  
• 2 Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave (between Neckel and Schaefer), ☏ +1 313 582-2266. W-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-5PM. The only museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture. $6 adults, $3 students/seniors/children, free for children 5 and under. (updated Mar 2017)
• 3 Henry Ford Estate (Fair Lane), 1 Fair Lane Dr, ☏ +1 313 668-3200, info@henryfordestate.org. Offers public tours. (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 The Henry Ford, 20900 Oakwood Blvd., ☏ +1 313 982-6001, toll-free: +1-800-835-5237. Daily 9:30AM-5PM. This is a "must see". A massive historical and entertainment complex, a leading attraction with a keen focus on innovations. Consists of four separate attractions—the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, a tour of the Ford Rouge Factory, and an IMAX theater. Highlights include: Lincoln's chair, Rosa Parks' bus, JFK's limos, Thomas Edison's last breath hermetically sealed in a test tube, original historic structures, nice shops, great food, and, not surprisingly, a spectacular history of the automobile collection that is a football field long. Visitors may have many entertaining experiences such as mini-shows, music, parades, train rides, and Model T rides. Visitors should plan at least one full day for the village, and another full day for the Museum. Adults $25 Greenfield Village, $20 Henry Ford Museum, $16 Factory Tour; seniors $22.50 Greenfield Village, $18 Henry Ford Museum, $14.50 Factory Tour; children 5-12 $18.75 Greenfield Village, $15 Henry Ford Museum, $12 Factory Tour; under 5 free to all attractions. All IMAX tickets $10 regardless of age. 10% discount for online ticket purchases to a single attraction, except for IMAX. Combo tickets to any two non-IMAX attractions are the price of the more expensive ticket plus half of the less expensive one, with no online purchase discount. Unlimited ride pass $10. Parking fee $..  
• 5 Dearborn Historical Museum, 915 S. Brady St., ☏ +1 313 565-3000. (updated Mar 2017)

Do

• Old Car Festival (Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford in Dearborn). the weekend after Labor Day. Antique and classic car collector's show. (updated Mar 2019)
• 1 Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave, ☏ +1 313 943-2350. Hosts a number of cultural amenities including the Dearborn Michael A. Guido Theater and the Padzieski Art Gallery. Also has a fitness center, indoor pool with water slides, spa, and indoor rock climbing wall. 
• 2 Ford Drive-In Theater, 10400 Ford Rd, ☏ +1 313-846-6910. Box office opens 7PM daily. One of the largest drive in movie theaters in the world. (updated Jan 2021)
• 3 MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Henry Ford Community College). (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Dearborn Ice Skating Center, 14900 Ford Rd, ☏ +1 313-943-4098. (updated Jan 2021)
• The Players Guild of Dearborn, 21730 Madison, ☏ +1 313 561-8587. A performance art theater. (updated Jan 2021)
• Ford Lanes, 23100 Van Born Rd, Dearborn Heights, ☏ +1 313-292-1700. A bowling alley. (updated Jan 2021)

Buy

Many businesses in Dearborn are bilingual, offering service in both English and Arabic. This even extends to chains, such as the one pictured.

• 1 Fairlane Town Center, 18900 Michigan Avenue, ☏ +1 313-593-3331. Fairlane Town Center mall hosts many departments stores, high end clothing stores, and over 140 other restaurants and stores. The Town Center is a popular local shopping center near U of M, a short drive from downtown Detroit.  
• Green Brain Comics, 13936 Michigan Ave (at Jonathon), ☏ +1 313-241-7954. M-F 11AM-8PM, Sa 10AM-8PM, Su noon-5PM. 

Eat

Thanks to the large Arabic population Dearborn has great Middle Eastern cuisine, as well as many halal options.

• 1 Buddy's Pizza, 22148 Michigan Ave, ☏ +1 313-562-5900. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sat 11:30AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM. A local chain from Detroit that specializes in Detroit-style square deep-dish pizza.  
• Miller's Bar, 23700 Michigan Avenue, ☏ +1 313 565-2577. M-Sa 11AM-12:30AM. Known for the "best burgers" in Dearborn and throughout Michigan. Basic menu of hamburgers, fries, and drinks. Fairly reasonable prices. 

Sleep

• 1 The Dearborn Inn, 20301 Oakwood, ☏ +1 313-271-2700. 222 rooms.  
• 2 Doubletree Hotel Dearborn, 5801 Southfield Expressway, ☏ +1 313-336-3340. 
• Red Roof Inn, 24130 Michigan Avenue, ☏ +1 313-278-9732. 
• 3 The Henry, 300 Town Center Drive, ☏ +1 313-441-2000. 308 guest rooms. A Marriott hotel. Free high speed internet, DirecTV. Two restaurants. Two executive-level floors with a Concierge Lounge. Indoor pool and whirlpool, fitness room, sauna and lockers. Massages available by appointment. The Gallery Restaurant surrounds you with fine art from Park West Galleries and Cleveland's Glass Bubble Project, and offers a selection of classic American regional cuisine featuring such entrees as a house 21-day dry aged rib eye. Henry's Bar and Grill offers a petite plate menu featuring build your own personal pizza, signature pork belly, and crab cake sliders. 
• 4 Courtyard by Marriott, 5200 Mercury Dr, ☏ +1 313-271-1400. (updated Jan 2021)
• 5 Hampton Inn. (updated Mar 2019)

Connect

• 2 Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave, ☏ +1 313 943-2330. (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 Bryant Public Library, 22100 Michigan Ave, ☏ +1 313 943-4091. (updated Mar 2019)

Go next

Detroit is about 25 minutes east. If you're not visiting downtown Detroit, you might want to stop in some of the suburbs. There's a nice movie theatre and good restaurants in nearby Canton; Novi and Troy (home of the impressive Somerset Collection mall) are good for shopping and Hamtramck has a sizeable Polish population.

• Motorcities Tour displays the motorist heritage of greater Detroit.

Routes through Dearborn

Battle Creek ← Ann Arbor ←	W  E	→ Detroit → Pontiac
Ann Arbor ← Melvindale ←	W  E	→ Detroit → Port Huron
Coldwater ← Dearborn Heights ←	W  E	→ Detroit → END
Detroit ←	N  S	→ Taylor → Toledo
Southfield ← Detroit ←	N  S	→ Allen Park → Lincoln Park
Ann Arbor ← Garden City ←	W  E	→ Detroit → END