Detroit's automotive barons produced lots of great things: automobiles, mansions, wealth. But one of their most valuable legacies was culture. With prestige on the line, the city's elite helped create and support some of the finest museums and theaters in the nation. And now we benefit from it. Today, the range of cultural options in Detroit is incredibly comprehensive, encompassing everything from maritime history to modern art.

Midtown is home to most. Within just a few blocks, this vibrant neighborhood features the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Science Center, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Historical Museum and the newest addition, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. A few miles west in Dearborn is also The Henry Ford, the world's largest indoor/outdoor American history attraction. A few miles north is Cranbrook, one of the world's leading centers for education, science and art.

Theaters also abound. The Detroit Theater District is the nation's second largest in terms of seats and features most major musical and theatrical performances. It's home to the elaborately designed Fox Theatre, the second largest theater in the country after Radio City Music Hall, as well as the world's largest Masonic Temple. Detroit also features more contemporary performances at Wayne State University's repertory theaters, or at the edgier Planet Ant Theater and Matrix Theater.

Museums

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, 700 Inselruhe, Belle Isle

Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Avenue

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Avenue

Children's Museum

Cranbrook, 39221 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Science Center, 5020 John R

Dossin Great Lakes Museum, 100 Strand Avenue, Belle Isle

Fort Wayne

The Henry Ford, 20900 Oakwood Blvd.

Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus, 28123 Orchard Lake Road

Motown Historical Museum, 2648 W. Grand Blvd.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit (MOCAD), 4454 Woodward Avenue

Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson Avenue

Theaters

Bonstelle Theatre, 3424 Woodward Avenue

City Theatre, 2301 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Masonic Temple Theater, 500 Temple Avenue

Detroit Opera House/Michigan Opera Theatre, 1526 Broadway St.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Avenue

Detroit Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow Wilson St.

The Fillmore Detroit (formerly the State Theater), 2115 Woodward Avenue

Fisher Theater, 3011 West Grand Blvd.

Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Avenue

Gem Theatre and Century Theatre, 333 Madison Avenue

Hilberry Theatre, 4841 Cass Avenue

Majestic Theatre, 4120 Woodward Avenue

Meadow Brook Theatre, Oakland University