Sep 19, 2012 12:05 AM
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Firstly, I live on the outskirts of Toronto, Canada. I got to know about the Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn, Michigan from my colleague while on a drive back from Ottawa. After a bit of research, we chose a weekday to visit, primarily to ensure that we get to see the Rouge Factory. Buying tickets at site may get you special deals/combos.
The Rouge Factory was the first one Henry Ford built along the Rouge River to mass produce the Model T. The buses take you for a 20 minute ride to the Visitor’s Centre where they show you two movies, reliving the history. The self guided tour is a walk over the final assembly line of the Ford 150 pickup truck. Guides and videos are available to explain the various stages. The men and women look so much at ease- going about their job with precision clockwork. The robots are most impressive- riveting, welding, installing windshields etc. Return buses leave every 20 minutes.
The Greenfield Village spread over 90 acres, is a replica of the early 20th century neighbourhood. Henry Ford’s childhood house has been recreated with minute details. Wilbur and Orville Wright’s house, the Menlo Park lab of Edison, the chapel(still in use), rooming houses, a complete working steam engine train you can ride on, period buses, horse driven carriages, taverns- the list goes on. There were quite a few Model T cars moving about- all original. One can take a ride at$5 per head. I would hazard to say that it was one of the highlights of our trip! We also had a meal in the tavern and were served by people dressed in period costumes. An actor playing Edison keep us entertained while he explained how he went about patenting the first working light bulb- it was great to see perfectly working models of many of his inventions, including many light bulbs.
The Museum had a treat in the form of the visiting Titanic exhibit with nearly 300 exhibits on display. Neatly reconstructed were the hallways and the grand central staircase/foyer. The Museum itself is a tribute to the American pioneering spirit by Henry Ford. Being a man of means and an avid collector, he got an indoor museum constructed, spanning almost 12 acres. There is the actual chair that Abraham Lincoln sat on when he was assassinated; the limousine John F Kennedy was riding in when he was fatally shot in Dallas; and the bus where Rosa Parks refused to vacate her seat and start the civil rights movement. You see early farm equipment; vehicles of various sizes, shapes and vintage; replicas of the airplanes of the Wright brothers, Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart. There is even an IMAX theatre.
It was with great reluctance that we came out of the museum, sincet they close at 5 pm. A four hour drive back to Toronto was up next, but filling up the tank of the car at 90 cents a litre certainly made it sweeter! It certainly makes for a day trip - you can get more details at https://thehenryford.org/. Have a great summer!
