For starters, if you go in the winter, it is freezing! Freezing! And lots of snow—so be careful and be prepared. Bring as many warm clothes as you can and don't spend too much time outside, but you'll probably still be cold when you do go because it's just sooo cold.

That being said, there are some things to do in Detroit. There are some very beautiful churches there—St. Theresa's is one that comes to mine—and you can take a tour if you are into that kind of thing. Of course, there are much prettier churches elsewhere so I certainly would not recommend that you go to Detroit just to see churches. There are also a number of museums in Detroit—one dedicated to the history of the car making industry (it is Detroit after all) and Detroit Historical Museum. Both of these are really only interesting if you are particularly interested in either of these two subjects- otherwise you won't find much to delight you.

I think my favorite part of Detroit would have been Greektown- a really great collection of stores and restaurants that are rich with culture- but it was a bit too cold to walk around too much.

Overall, if you are interested in visiting Detroit, interested in the history of Michigan or the car culture, or happen to be in Michigan anyway, then I'd recommend you stop in and see Detroit—but I definitely would not recommend you go far out of your way to do so.

Quick Tips:

Go and visit Greektown and get something to eat—the area is really fun, the food is delicious and it's a great place to visit.

You can also stop in and visit Fox Theatre- it's very architecturally pleasing and if you are in town at the right time, you can get to see a good play with good actors (not Broadway quality, but still quite nice)

Don't spend too much time here though, there is not necessarily a whole lot to do in Detroit.

Best Way To Get Around:

Also, parking at most of the main attractions costs money, so be prepared for this little extra expense (and if you go to Greektown have change for the meters)

I booked this hotel in advance on the Internet because it said that it was near all the downtown Detroit attractions. Had I not prepaid with my credit card, I would not have even gone in. First of all, the hotel was in a really sketchy area - I mean, people doing illegal things in the streets surrounding the hotel, falling down apartment buildings in a state of disrepair, and just generally seedy. There were certainly no tourist attractions within walking distance of this place, and it didn't seem safe to walk around anyway. I quickly figured out that it was "downtown adjacent" or in the part of downtown that's sort of next to where you might want to be, but nowhere you would actually want to be.

The hotel itself was not much better inside. Everything seemed very dated like nothing had been done to improve it in the last 50 years or so. The fixtures, the carpet, everything looked like they could use a good steam clean. The rooms were smallish, and they had a really old and kind of dirty looking fridge and kitchenette in the "suite" we had booked. The beds were lumpy, the pillows so thin they barely existed and there was no way I was going anywhere near that comforter. The "room service" came in the form of this kind of random fast-food place and they stopped delivering at 11pm- which was fine I guess if you don't want a late night snack- but the food was not good. It was greasy and they had a very poor selection.

The staff was not too friendly here either - they did not seem eager to help or give any information and when I complained that the suite did not quite meet with my expectations I was greeted with indifference and nothing more.
Although this hotel was not that expensive I highly recommend you find someplace else to stay. With a little research you can pay about what we paid (around $59 a night) and not stay in a place where you feel unsafe and unclean.