Best Day Trips On A Budget Near Detroit

Sometimes, especially during this time of the year, you just want to get away and spend some time away from home, your neighborhood or perhaps even your own city. We all need a break eventually from the monotony and everyday stress that come with our lives, but why spend hundreds of dollars and leave this great state behind for some glamorous getaway when there are numerous fun and absolutely affordable vacation options so close to home? As diverse as Detroit is, it's completely possible to feel worlds away on your own mini vacation, while not spending too much of your hard-earned cash.

Ann Arbor Hands-On Children's Museum
220 E. Ann St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 995-5439
www.aahom.org

If you're looking to get away for a quick day trip, but you have children to think of as well, there's no better bet than the Ann Arbor Children's Museum. In fact, Ann Arbor itself is the perfect cheap getaway for any family looking to get away for a day. The museum is run by a very knowledgeable and helpful staff of volunteers, including many local scientists and professors who share their time and expertise, all for only $11 per adult and child. After, take a stroll to a lovely dinner location and call it a perfect family day trip for less than a full tank of gas.

Hell, Michigan
4025 Patterson Lake Road
Hell, MI 48169
(734) 878-2233
www.gotohellmi.comThe next time someone tells you to "go to hell," tell them that you already have! Or will soon! Of course, we're talking about Hell, Michigan. Sure, the city is chock full of kitschy items and roadside attractions -- from t-shirts that claim that tourists have "visited Hell" to bottles of hot sauce "from Hell" -- but that's the appeal. Nowhere else in America can you enjoy these simple and goofy pleasures so close to home. And let's not forget to mention that Hell itself is actually beautiful and there are plenty of cool things to see and places to eat.

Cranbrook Museum and Campus Grounds
39221 Woodward Ave.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
(248) 645-3200
www.science.cranbrook.eduCranbrook isn't just a place, it's a state of mind, or so the staff and locals will tell you. Nestled in a tiny enclave of the Bloomfield Hills suburban northern neighborhood of Detroit, Cranbrook is many things: it's a K-12 educational center, a museum and institute of science and a beautiful expanse of breathtaking acreage all along an in-between. Michigan's Museum of Natural History, Cranbrook is only $13 for adults to enter and $9.50 for children and would already be worth the price of admission for a day trip. But step outside after a long day and tour the manicured grounds and view the reflecting pool and you'll really get a sense of how well worth it the short trip was.

The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House
1100 Lake Shore Road
Grosse Pointe Shores, MI 48236
(313) 884-4222
www.fordhouse.org

This Victorian mansion was built along the shores of beautiful Lake St. Clair way back during the infancy of the automobile boom in Detroit and served as the home to Edsel Ford and his wife, Eleanor. In recent times, like with many of the Ford Estate properties, these expansive areas of land and awe-inspiring homes have become makeshift museums, filled to the brim with history and interesting sights and tidbits from a piece of the Motor City past that is no more. Perfect for a quick escape in the Metro Detroit area, and never as busy or crowded as the more well-known Henry Ford Museum, the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is a great way to spend a day alone or with family and friends, and all for the low admission price of $12 for adults and $8 for children.

Related: Best Day Trips For Under $100 In The Detroit Area