Detroit is in Michigan, right on the river that runs between Lake Huron and Lake Eerie. It is just a short trip from Ontario - about four hours by road from Toronto - with two international crossing points at Sarnia and Windsor.

If you think you know Detroit - think again! In the last few years - billions of dollars in new private economic investment and development has helped transform America’s comeback city… with revitalized downtown buildings, growing businesses and riverfront improvements Detroit is now a lively and appealing urban centre.

Plans are afoot to construct a $140 million streetcar system that will connect residents and visitors to restaurants, shopping, sporting venues and cultural activities along a three mile span. The streetcar will link downtown Detroit with the New Centre area – which has in the works a $650 million Red Wings Hockey Arena as the centrepiece of a new entertainment and retail development.

There are more than 40,000 hotel rooms in metro Detroit - chic and luxurious, quaint and charming, affordable and basic. And to top off the perfect city break - Detroit offers wonderful Spa experiences as well. There are day spas tucked into shopping centers and charming downtowns throughout the area. Several metro Detroit hotels nurture special relationships with local spas to ensure top-shelf service for their guests. And you can also combine excitement with relaxation by staying at one of the city's 3 casino hotels, all of which also offer luxurious spa facilities.

Henry Ford built his first car in Detroit in 1896 and the world’s first concrete road was built in Detroit in 1901. Plus Detroit is the home of the first urban freeway in the US, the Davison, completed in 1942. The car industry left a huge legacy in Detroit, not least some grand architecture, and the city is surrounded by an eclectic range of beautiful towns and neighbourhoods offering wonderful shopping and dining opportunities.

Detroit gave the world the “Motown Sound” with music greats including Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5 and the Supremes. The Motown Museum preserves the birthplace of a musical legacy and the story of a Detroit entrepreneur who created “The Sound of Young America”. 

The Henry Ford Museum commemorates pioneering American achievements as well as preserving the minutiae of everyday life. Visit Edison’s lab and the Wright Brothers’ home.  Ride in a Model T and a steam locomotive. See JFK’s limousine, Rosa Park’s bus, vintage cars and more!

Just one of many gracious Detroit homes open to the public, Meadow Brook (a National Historic Landmark) is the historic home built by one of the automotive aristocracy’s most remarkable women, Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge. Meadow Brook represents one of the finest examples of Tudor-revival architecture in America.

And of course Detroit also has a full roster of professional sports teams – including  Detroit Red Wings NHL hockey, Detroit Lions NFL football, Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball and the Detroit Pistons NBA Basketball.

Detroit is a city of great creativity. It is the home of Motown sound founded by Berry Gordy Jr. It is also the birthplace of Techno Music celebrated in the Electronic Music Festival held every year in May. The Detroit Jazz Festival is world’s largest free jazz festival and it just celebrated its 36th anniversary this year.

Detroit’s creativity also gave the world the motor car. And partly as a result of the wealth that ensued, Detroit is a city that also has some amazing architecture. One of those buildings - the Fisher Building - is considered Detroit’s largest art object.

This landmark skyscraper in the New Center area is constructed of limestone, granite and marble. The building includes a vaulted ceiling of frescos with bronze, marble, bronze and gold leaf mosaics. An Art Decco building, it is topped by a spectacular terra cotta tower - known as the Golden Tower because it was originally covered in gold-guilded tiles. Finished in 1928 it is home to the iconic Fisher Theatre.

The Fisher Theatre opened as a movie and vaudeville house on November 11, 1928. It featured Mexican-Indian art, banana trees, a goldfish pond and wandering macaws that audience members fed by hand.

Remodeled as a live theatre in 1961, the Fisher is now adorned with marble, Indian rosewood and walnut paneling, and crystal and bronze decorative work. The original 3,500 seats were scaled down to 2,089 to ensure an intimate atmosphere and optimal sightlines.

Today it stages world class productions such as Annie, Wicked, Motown the Musical, Kinky Boots….  Check out the current program at www.broadwayindetroit.com

In fact, Detroit has one of the largest theatre districts in the entire US with over 13,000 seats in just a two-block radius. As well as the Fisher Theatre there is also the Fox theatre, another iconic building, built in the late 1920s by film pioneer William Fox.

Nothing goes better with a fabulous evening at the theatre than a wonderful meal. In Detroit you can experience a world of tastes, from Middle Eastern, Greek, Mexican, Italian and Polish cuisines to culinary masterpieces from celebrated master chefs. Or indulge in bodacious barbeque, soul food and world-famous Coney dogs while wetting your whistle with Michigan-crafted beers, wine and spirits. Restaurants, delis, joints, cafes, casual, eclectic and elegant…. dining in greater Detroit is bursting with flavour.

Detroit is a fabulous destination for Holiday shopping with a wide range of retail opportunities. From upscale malls to downtown shopping districts, premium outlets and boutiques - Detroit has it all. Detroit’s sales tax is only 6% (by comparison, Buffalo and New York have an 8.75% sales tax). Spend 24 hours or more in the states and the duty-free and Canadian tax exemptions on purchased goods get better and better; $200 for 24 hours and $800 for 48 hours.

Less than half an hour outside of Metro Detroit - just off I75 - Great Lakes Crossing Outlets has over 50 stores and restaurants that can't be found anywhere else in Michigan, including Bose Factory Store, Gap Outlet, J Crew, Lacoste Outlet, Nike Factory Store and Neiman Marcus Last Call - just to name a few!

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets is home to Michigan's largest food court (1,000 seats) and eight full-service restaurants ranging from Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, offering southern-style fare and live entertainment, to Miyako Japanese Steakhouse, where hibachi chefs prepare the food right in front of you! A trip to Great Lakes Crossing Outlets is a day out for the whole family. Take a break at AMC Theatres - a highly-themed 25 auditorium movie theatre, ranging in size from 100 to 600 seats, and including an IMAX Theatre.

Canadians can enjoy all this great shopping and bag a bargain as well. Register at www.greatlakescrossingoutlets.com to receive emails about sales and special offers.

Black Friday, 28 November, 2014 is traditionally when there are amazing bargains to lure shoppers in the US. Take advantage of them for your Holiday shopping!

And the Passport to Shopping offers great discounts on name-brand merchandise, fabulous food and entertainment at more than 100 Great Lakes Crossing Outlets stores and restaurants.

It is available for guests who have traveled 80 kms or more to the shopping center and can be obtained at Guest Services by showing a valid state identification card.

As well as Outlet Malls, Detroit offers upscale Malls such as the Somerset Collection with some of the most exclusive shopping in Michigan. It’s an exceptional collection of luxury stores and restaurants - more than 180 in all. For more high-end goods check out Birmingham Principal Shopping District, a classy centre for art galleries, antique shops and an eclectic array of boutiques, dining venues, movie theatres, cultural activities and special events.

Midtown Detroit also boasts a variety of shopping gems including Shinola, known for its quality timepieces, leather goods and bicycles. Willys Detroit offers a distinctive variety of fashion and apparel brands.

And the beautiful towns and neighbourhoods that surround the city of Detroit provide a range of unique shopping options. For example - Oakland is one of the wealthiest counties in the US and dotted with upscale shopping while historic and hip Rochester has boutiques offering everything from handmade gifts to scratch-made torte.

If you go to Detroit for some of its fabulous Holiday shopping there are also many festive events to add Holiday magic to your visit. For information on all the events in a packed calendar in Detroit check out  www.visitdetroit.com. 

• Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo opens for 24 nights beginning November 22, 2014. Experience the magic of the wintertime zoo scene and enjoy holiday entertainment fit for the whole family.
   
• Line the streets of Detroit to catch a peak of the magic that unfolds November 27, 2014. Watch the kids light up as Santa makes his way downtown during America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s sure to put you in the holiday spirit.
   
• The Detroit Opera House continues its annual holiday tradition with the return of BalletMet Columbus' production of The Nutcracker November 28-30, 2014.
   
• It’s big, bright and has plenty of lights! The Big Bright Light Show returns to downtown Rochester November 29, 2014. This spectacular display is unlike any other. Check it out to light up your holiday season.
   
• Step into a Christmas from the past at Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 18-23 and 26-27, 2014. Capture the classic holiday spirit with lantern-lit paths, costumed presenters, horse-drawn wagons and Model T rides, plus Santa with live reindeer.
   
• More than 70 institutions will participate in the 42nd Annual Noel Night on December 6, 2014 in Detroit’s Midtown District. The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Michigan Science Museum, the Detroit Historical Museum, and more, will open their doors to the public free of charge during this Cultural Centre-wide holiday open house. Activities include horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday shopping, family craft activities and performances by over 200 area music, theatre, and dance groups.
   
• Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker heads to the Fox Theatre December 21, 2014.