Detroit, MI
18 New Kid-Friendly Places That Opened in Metro Detroit in 2026 (So Far!)
Looking for the newest family attractions in Metro Detroit? You’re in luck! Just halfway through 2026, southeast Michigan has welcomed an incredible lineup of new playgrounds, museums, indoor play spaces, splash pads, interactive exhibits, and family attractions. Whether you’re planning a weekend adventure, looking for somewhere new to explore with toddlers, or trying to keep older kids entertained this summer, these brand-new destinations deserve a spot on your family’s bucket list.
Here’s where families are heading in Metro Detroit this year.
Detroit’s newest riverfront attraction features an interactive water garden where kids can run through playful fountains while enjoying spectacular views of the Detroit River. The surrounding park also includes nature-inspired playgrounds, walking paths, picnic areas, and one of the city’s most beautiful waterfront destinations.
Michigan Science Center has unveiled a giant cardboard maze experience that celebrates Detroit neighborhoods, landmarks, and creativity. Families can wander through immersive pathways filled with colorful murals while also enjoying hands-on STEM activities like robot challenges, cardboard building stations, and interactive games. Best of all, the exhibit is included with general admission.
History comes to life in a powerful new way at Greenfield Village with the opening of the Jackson Home, relocated from Selma, Alabama. The home belonged to Dr. Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson, close friends of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and served as an important meeting place during the Civil Rights Movement.
West Lincoln Well Park (Birmingham)
West Lincoln Well Park is located on the south side of Lincoln Street at Westchester Way. The park contains open space, two tennis courts and play equipment including swings, slides, shaded sandbox, a play structure and rockers. Address: 1801 W Lincoln St, Birmingham, MI 48009
The new Erb Discovery Trails at the Detroit Zoo is a 7-acre immersive experience set to open on Saturday, May 23rd. The trails will feature a mix of new animal habitats, hands-on encounters, and nature-inspired play spaces where kids can climb, explore, and engage their senses. Guests can expect interactive experiences like feeding animals, exploring multi-sensory pathways, and even encountering species like stingrays and bamboo sharks, all while learning about conservation through storytelling and outdoor adventure. Created to blend education with play, the Discovery Trails aim to inspire curiosity, connection to nature, and memorable family experiences in an entirely new section of the zoo.
Step into a world of magic this summer at The Lost World of Dragons at Sloan Museum of Discovery, running May 16 through September 13. This exciting, family-friendly exhibit brings dragon legends to life with interactive displays that blend science, history, and imagination—perfect for curious kids and adventurous families. Admission is $25 for ages 12+, $17 for kids ages 2–11 (under 2 free) and includes full access to the museum, making it an easy and unforgettable day trip option.
Great Lakes Serpentarium brings reptiles out of the pages of books and into the real world with more than 100 animals from around the globe. From snakes and turtles to iguanas and alligators, this unique reptile house lets visitors see and interact with creatures most people only read about.
At Slick City Troy is the most popular place in town! The action lineup is packed with thrilling attractions you won’t find anywhere else. Feel the rush of wind as you zoom down, enjoying a safe and thrilling descent that’s fun for all ages – thing the adrenaline rush of a roller coast but on massive slides. In addition to giant slides, there are also traditional multi-level climbing structures for school age kids and toddlers. Location: 1820 Crooks Rd, Troy
2D DIY Studio has opened a brand-new location in Sterling Heights, offering a fun, welcoming space where kids, teens, and adults can tap into their artistic side. Whether you’re planning a girls’ night out, a birthday party, or a family outing, this DIY studio delivers colorful, crafty fun for all skill levels — no experience required.
Oak Park Woods Playground (Oak Park)
Uniquely designed, Oak Park Woods features towering green play structures, connected by rope bridges, climbing nets, tunnels, and elevated pathways. . The massive play structure features towering climbing elements, a giant slide, inclusive play equipment, and plenty of room for kids to explore. Lower climbing features, smaller slides, and ground-level play elements create opportunities for toddlers and preschoolers to safely explore. Best of all the park’s signature train and monster truck have been refurbished and remain at the park. Address: 24198 Church St, Oak Park, MI 48237
At Kids Castle Fun Center guests can race around in exciting bumper cars, bounce in colorful and safe bounce houses—including obstacle courses and an adventurous Pirate Ship—play a variety of arcade games from classic favorites to modern hits, and enjoy kiddie ride-ons and prize-filled crane games. Address: 5100 Dixie Highway, Suite 400
A new entertainment destination for families has arrived in metro Detroit. Gotta Gacha brings together classic arcade fun, modern gaming, and collectible culture all under one roof—making it a must-visit spot for kids, teens, and gamers of all ages. Address: 29200 Dequindre Rd Ste 3, Warren
One of the most unique new play spaces in Metro Detroit, Sandverse brings the beach indoors with Michigan’s first immersive indoor sandbox experience. Kids can dig, build, and create in soft, natural sand, using tools and prompts that encourage open-ended, sensory-rich play. Designed especially for younger children, the space blends creative exploration with early learning and motor skill development, while also offering a sand-free zone for additional play.
ITAVA IMAGINATION Station is all about hands-on discovery, creativity, and imaginative play. This interactive space encourages kids to explore, build, and engage in STEAM-inspired activities that blend learning with fun – inside AND out! Designed for a wide range of ages, it offers an environment where kids can experiment, problem-solve, and let their imaginations run wild.
Specializing in children’s art classes, camps and art themed birthday parties, Kidcreate Studio is an art studio just for kids. At Kidcreate Studio, your child will create fridge-worthy masterpieces, learn art concepts, and experiment with many different art materials.
After renovations and updates, Plymouth District Library is celebrating its grand reopening this June. Families can explore refreshed spaces, updated collections, and community-centered improvements designed to make the library even more welcoming for children and visitors of all ages.
The wait is over! Ford Field Park is finally reopened in downtown Northville and the signature wooden playground is now trek! Say bye to splinters an wood chips in sandals and enjoy a similar playtime experience in a modern, more enjoyable environment. Address: 151 N. Griswold, Northville, MI 48167
The RED Children’s Museum is a first-of-its-kind children’s visual arts museum focused entirely on hands-on creativity, expression, and imagination. Families can explore interactive exhibits that encourage kids to paint, build, design, and experiment with art in a completely immersive way. Unlike traditional museums, this space invites kids to be active participants—making it perfect for curious minds who love to create.
Motown Museum’s Robin Terry reflects on her grandmother Esther Gordy Edwards
Motown Museum’s Robin Terry reflects on her grandmother Esther Gordy Edwards
The bottom end will get the upper hand this weekend at the Motown Museum.
The latest edition of Detroit Bass Day, an annual celebration of the instrument that helped define countless Motown hits, will hit the museum campus from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, featuring dozens of local musicians.
Unlike previous installments of the free event, which took place on the front lawn of Hitsville, U.S.A., this year’s action will move down West Grand Boulevard to the grounds of the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence, the museum’s new annex. Bassists will still gather at noon for the traditional group photo at Hitsville before heading to the Edwards center.
There, the program will feature solo performances by musicians such as Brad Russell, Red Campbell and Emily Rogers before culminating in a rumbling mega-jam with 40 bassists playing in tandem, led by Bass Day founder Kern Brantley.
There are a couple of big themes for the 2026 Bass Day:
∎ Much-loved trombonist-arranger Paul Riser will be honored with a performance of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by an ensemble that includes the Temptations Revue, led by Paul Williams Jr. Riser will also be honored with the event’s second-annual Icon Award, presented last year to funk bassist Bootsy Collins.
“I wanted to do something special for him,” Brantley said of Riser. “He’s done so much for the Detroit music community, and we just wanted to give back.”
Bassist Appreciation Awards will be bestowed on local figures Ralphe Armstrong, Ivan Williams and Bishop Edgar Vann.
∎ Psychedelic soul songs will dominate the group jam, inspired by a current exhibit at the Edwards center marking the late-’60s and early-’70s period when Motown’s sound turned in a funkier direction. The exhibit will be open for tours Saturday.
Bass Day has continued to grow since its founding in 2013, reaching new heights last year with guest of honor Bootsy Collins.
On hand Saturday will be Annie Jamerson, widow of the late, iconic Motown bassist James Jamerson, whose classic ’62 Precision Bass has been celebrated by Fender with a new replica version, complete with sunburst body and flat-wound strings. Annie Jamerson will present one of the new instruments at the event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j-zY4Da6Q4.
James Jamerson was indeed the inspiration for the original Bass Day 13 years ago: Brantley, fresh off touring with Lady Gaga’s band, was combing through the late Motown musician’s catalog, blown away by the volume of important work.
“When I saw the number of songs he played on — it was, like, this dude was on thousands of records, but didn’t get the recognition he deserved,” said Brantley. “So I thought it would be really cool to do something to honor him.”
2026 Detroit Bass Day
With Kern Brantley, Paul Riser, Temptations Revue, more
Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence
2550 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Noon-4 p.m. Sat. (Aug. 15)
Free
After a longer offseason than most Detroit Lions fans expected, preseason football was back for Motown on Thursday. The Lions traveled down to Cincinnati for their first preseason test.
While the Lions did not suit up most of their starters, Cincinnati sent their starting units out to begin the game. In the end, the Lions came up short, but barely, falling 16-14 to the Bengals.
After the first test of the season, who passed and who needs some work?
Winner: EDGE Ahmed Hassanein
After a promising preseason in 2025 was derailed by injury, Hassanein started his 2026 campaign with a jolt of energy. In his first snap, Hassanein was able to break through and sack Joe Burrow on second-down, which would help force a punt.
He started the second half by forcing some pressure on an incomplete pass to bring a Cincinnati punt. His third quarter was not done, as he added a second sack with a third-down strip sack, although the Bengals recovered it.
Loser: WR Isaac TeSlaa
Isaac TeSlaa did not have a memorable first quarter in his game action of the year. TeSlaa saw his first target go through his hands and into the facemask, popping the ball up and giving the Bengals an easy interception.
His second target, also in Cincinnati territory, did not help matters either. TeSlaa dropped a fourth-down pass on a 50/50 ball where Luke Altmyer again turned to the second-year pro to make a play.
That said, being responsible for two turnovers in opposing territory in one quarter is not a stat any receiver wants in a campaign to win the WR3 spot.
Winner: RB Jacob Saylors
With starter Jahmyr Gibbs inactive, alongside Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki inactive with injury, it was well known that Saylors would be the primary back on Thursday. Saylors excelled in his touches, and he had plenty of them.
Saylors was the leading rusher and receiver at half, with just over half (83 yards) of Detroit’s 165 yards. He was a few inches from Detroit’s first touchdown of the preseason, barely being tackled by the ankles in the second quarter in the first scoring drive.
Loser: IOL Miles Frazier
Frazier had a rough evening in Cincinnati, with the lineman seeing extensive action during his preseason debut after missing all of the 2025 preseason with injury. The former fifth-round pick from LSU was whistled for three penalties in the first half alone.
The worst penalty came on a holding call during a third-and-19 conversion as the Lions looked to trim the gap from 10 points in the second quarter.
Loser: DB Thomas Harper
Any time a player is not a starter, special teams becomes an important part of emphasis during game day. For Harper, his day was a mixed bag.
On defense, the safety made some plays and had a relatively strong game. On special teams, however, Harper had two penalties, one hold and a facemask.
His facemask occurred on a fair catch inside the Cincinnati 10, giving the Bengals much better field position. His hold, meanwhile, occurred on a return, pinning the Lions for a three-and-out which led into a Bengals scoring drive.
Winner: K Jake Bates
Jake Bates is already in midseason form. The kicker accounted for the only Lions’ points in the first three quarters of the preseason opener, and neither were easy kicks.
His first one, with the Lions trailing by 10, came from 41 yards while it was raining in Cincinnati. Then, as time expired in the first half, Bates drilled a 52 yard kick to make it a four-point game.
Loser: IOL Christian Mahogany
Mahogany added two penalties of his own on Thursday, as the Lions did not have a game to remember on the discipline front. Last season’s starting lineman did show solid push in the run game, so it was not an awful outing for the lineman.
Winner: WR Tarik Black
The fourth quarter saw the turning of the page and more reserves coming in, and one player that stood out was Black. Black, a former Michigan Wolverine before finishing his career elsewhere, started his night with a long catch on a perfect throw from Altmyer. Unfortunately, it was called back for offensive pass interference.
Then, with the Lions down 10 late, Black came up huge on a drag route, speeding down the field for a 24-yard touchdown for Detroit’s first touchdown of the preseason.
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The evolution of Trump’s tariff war
Trump’s economic policy has been defined by imposing trade tariffs on imports, including from major U.S. trading partners Canada, Mexico and China.
Aug 13 (Reuters) – Detroit’s automakers plan to argue to the Trump administration that its proposals for a revised North American trade deal could cost the companies billions of dollars and hurt their competitiveness with foreign rivals.
U.S. car companies are still struggling to absorb the bevy of tariffs the administration implemented last year, including levies on steel and aluminum, car parts and vehicles shipped in from Mexico and Canada, and say rivals from Japan, South Korea and Europe face lower tariff burdens.
Now, U.S. auto executives worry that U.S. proposals floated ahead of talks scheduled with Mexican trade officials next month could jack up costs even further.
One of the most contentious points for automakers is Washington’s demand that vehicles contain at least 50% U.S.-made content to qualify for lower tariffs, as Reuters reported in May. That requirement, as well as a proposal to increase overall North American vehicle content from the current 75% level, would add at least $2 billion in annual costs for each Detroit automaker, according to estimates at two automakers.
Those expenses would come atop costs the automakers already have been incurring from the various levies in place since last year.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Administration officials have said their tariff moves have been aimed at spurring more U.S. factory investment and jobs.
General Motors GM.N expects gross expenses related to tariffs to cost it $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion this year, potentially representing more than 20% of its operating profit. Ford Motor F.N has pegged its net tariff hit at about $1 billion this year.
Ford’s latest onshoring
In an apparent signal to the White House of its commitment to make more cars domestically, Ford on Wednesday said it would move production of Lincoln models for the U.S. market to American factories from China, citing the Trump administration’s tariffs as a driving factor.
Ford CEO Jim Farley told Reuters on Wednesday that the company early on might have been unprepared for the administration’s commitment to increasing U.S. auto production. But Ford – which already builds a larger percentage of its U.S.-sold vehicles domestically than its Detroit rivals – got the message, he said.
“It dawned on us very quickly, ‘Hey, look, we need to make some changes here,’” he said.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a joint interview, said he is hopeful more automakers will follow the leads of Ford and GM by moving factory work to the U.S.
“We worked together to get it right,” Lutnick added.
U.S. and Mexican officials are planning a fourth round of trade talks next month. Canadian trade officials have been meeting with their U.S. counterparts this week in an effort to avert another round of tariffs on Canada set to take effect next week.
Asian automakers’ advantages rankle
The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents Ford, GM and Jeep-maker Stellantis, referred Reuters to a June 30 statement saying that U.S. automakers are at a disadvantage to Japanese, South Korean and European automakers who export into the U.S. and face a flat 15% tariff.
GM CEO Mary Barra said on a July earnings call that the company is focused on “making sure that the U.S. automakers are going to be able to compete and win when we look at what the tariff rates are for Europeans, the Japanese and the Koreans.”
One U.S. auto executive said Trump more quickly forged deals with Korea and Japan because those governments were able to advocate on behalf of their automakers as part of broader trade agreements focused on national security, whereas the U.S. car companies didn’t have the same leverage.
“We don’t have a president or a prime minister who can call up Trump on our behalf,” the executive said.
U.S. automakers currently face a duty of about 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada, but vehicles with heavier amounts of U.S.-made content get lower tariff bills.
GM told Reuters that vehicles that have significant U.S. and North American content “should receive better treatment than vehicles that do not,” and added that the automaker is encouraged by the administration’s progress on negotiations.
Stellantis said it is encouraged by the talks and is working with the three governments “to ensure that we can build and sell affordable vehicles across the region.”
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Reporting by Nora Eckert and Mike Colias in Detroit
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