1st Visit To Detroit - New Years Eve!

My husband and I just found out that his parents are going to be in town for New Years Eve and are going to stay at our house to watch our kids - YAY!

My husband%26#39;s birthday is Dec. 31st and this is the first time since our daughter%26#39;s birth - almost 6 years ago - that we%26#39;ve had a sitter on his birthday.

We booked a room at The Hilton Garden Inn for the 30th and 31st. My husband is very excited about going to the casinos...but we are also wondering what else we should do.

We%26#39;ve made reservations at Giovanni%26#39;s for dinner on New Year%26#39;s Eve. Is this a good restaurant?

Are there any other suggestions as to places to visit, eat...etc. that you can make?

Thanks for your help!

1st Visit To Detroit - New Years Eve!

It would be a little easier if you gave some idea of your interests, budget, and food likes/dislikes, but here goes.

There%26#39;s the Motown Museum on West Grand Blvd which was their original recording studio. You can tour it in a couple hours. The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn has an excellent transportation collection as well as decorative arts and several other collections. Check www.hfmgv.org.

The Detroit Institute of Arts is known for its murals by Diego Rivera. www.dia.org.

You could visit the estate of Edsel %26amp; Eleanor Ford in Grosse Pointe Shores which will be decorated for the holidays. Info is at www.fordhouse.org.

The Red Wings are playing a home game on December 30 and the Pistons are at home on December 31.

You could head to Windsor to explore the casino, shopping or restaurants there. Be sure you have a passport or birth certificate AND photo ID to cross the border.

There%26#39;s shopping at the Somerset Collection, Big Beaver Rd-1 mile west of I-75 or Great Lakes Crossing, I-75 at Baldwin Rd (Exit 84).

1st Visit To Detroit - New Years Eve!

Giovanni%26#39;s is in an out of the way area of Detroit and probably is closer to Dearborn than to downtown Detroit. There isn%26#39;t anything else in the immediate area of the restaurant, so you will just drive to it, eat and leave. Valet parking is available.

In downtown Detroit, here are a few good restaurants that are relatively close to the Hilton Garden Inn: Sweet Georgia Brown, Fishbones, DaEduardo, all of the restaurants in Greektown, Atlas Global Bistro and The Whitney, not to mention the restaurants at the MGM Grand Casino. Atlas and The Whitney are a bit too far to walk, particularly in winter, but both are very good. This is a partial list to get you started.

I, too, thought Sweet Georgia Browns would be a wonderful place to celebrate New Years Eve. They offer lovely jazz music and out of this world new age southern cooking. Great service as well.

The Motown Museum and DIA are also fantastic! Great suggestions for a lovely, yes I said, lovely downtown area. Moms

I would agree. Giovanni%26#39;s is a terrific resto, but out of the way. I know that the Detroit Symphony has a New Year%26#39;s Eve party... I think it would be fun to ring in New Years at the top of the Renaissance Center - I%26#39;m sure the resto up there - Coach Insignia - is doing something...

Maybe there will be entertainment at the Fox, Gem, Century, etc. I don%26#39;t know. You can visit these locations web sites to find out more... I know there are clubs downtown, too, but I am not into clubbing so I am not the one to ask.

Also, I can only imagine that the casinos will have things going on, too.

As for non NYE entertainment -- we need more guidance from you.

If you go to the Greektown Casino, there is a whole street of restaurants etc. in ';Greektown.'; The casinos (MGM Grand and Motor City) aren%26#39;t really within walking distance of each other, but you can find a cab.

You can go ice skating in Campus Martius Park, which is right downtown (walking distance to Ford Field/Comerica Park).

Again, check to see if there are any shows at The Fillmore, The Fox Theatre, the Detroit Opera House or the Gem Theatre. All are right there. Hockeytown Cafe is right next to the Fox Theatre.

There%26#39;s a little section called ';Harmony Park'; that has a couple bars/restaurants there, and it%26#39;s right downtown.

If you don%26#39;t have a car, be prepared to possibly cab it -- and know that while you can easily find enough to do downtown to walk to, there%26#39;s a lot to see in the surrounding areas of downtown Detroit that you would need a car for.

We%26#39;ve got the people mover monorail to get you around downtown, but just keep in mind that it only goes one way on the route (there aren%26#39;t trains going back and forth, so you would have to go around to all the dozen or so stops to get back to your stop. But it%26#39;s pretty quick, and the monorail is above the road so it%26#39;s neat to look at the city).

Note that the People Mover is open from noon-2am on New Year%26#39;s Eve, and closed on New Years Day. Wherever you%26#39;re going on NYE, don%26#39;t count on the People Mover to get you back to your hotel after last call. :-( You%26#39;d think (or at least I%26#39;d think) that if whatever Detroit powers-that-be are serious about being a tourist destination, they%26#39;d keep the People Mover going far later on NYE! Argh!