Henry Ford Museum Archives - With Just a Bit of Magic

We’re excited to announce our first giveaway for our My Michigan Memory series: A 4-pack of tickets to either the Henry Ford Museum or Greenfield Village (entrance to the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition exhibit sold separately), which is up to a $96 value. How fun is that?!

All you have to do is link up your Michigan-related blog post in the linky tool below and then enter your info into the Rafflecopter form. You’ll get 10 points just for linking a blog post you’ve written about Michigan. If you’re not a blogger, you can still enter to win, just follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form.

The Henry Ford complex is a top tourist destination for Michigan

So what is the Henry Ford all about?

The Henry Ford (THF) complex, located in Dearborn, Mich., is one of our state’s most beloved tourist attractions – and for plenty of good reasons.

The complex is home to FIVE destinations in one, including: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, the Benson Ford Research Center and the Henry Ford IMAX Theatre for the latest feature-length and documentary-style films.

Henry Ford Museum showcases the American ideas and innovations, which have fired our imaginations and changed our lives. Here, visitors explore the first 40 years of flight in the “Heroes of Sky” exhibit and walk past awe-inspiring vehicles in “Driving America” including Henry Ford’s first automobile, the Quadricycle. “With Liberty and Justice For All” showcases American freedom and features an amazing array of artifacts representing powerful change agents such as the bus on which Rosa Parks took a stand for Civil Rights, the camp bed George Washington used during his tour of Revolutionary War sites and the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was sitting the night he was shot.

The presidential limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated is just one of many attractions visitors can see at The Henry Ford Museum

Another of the complex’s summertime favorites is Greenfield Village. Visitors are welcome to experience more than 300 years of American history through 83 authentic, historic structures, four living history farms, and nationally-renowned artists creating one-of-a-kind 19th- and 20th-century pieces in pottery, tin and glass. Filled with amazing authentic structures such as the Wright brothers’ cycle shop, Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratories and George Washington Carver’s memorial cabin.

Greenfield Village is a favorite stop for many Michigan residents during summer

Check out the month-by-month calendar for the latest events. A sampling of upcoming events include the Ragtime Street Fair, Old Car Festival, the Salute to America concert with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and fireworks display, and historic baseball games, following rules from 1867.

Additionally, if you’d like to win tickets to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Henry Ford Museum, be sure to like THF’s Facebook page for weekly giveaways.

For more information, visit THF’s website or Twitter page too!

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School trips. We all go on them. What trip do you remember the most? Where did you go? Who was with you? How did you get there? Have you ever been back?
Write a memoir post about a memorable school trip. Word limit is 600.

I think it was 4th or 5th grade, I really don’t remember the grade for sure but I don’t think it matters. What matters is the trip. My class was planning an overnight trip to Greenfield Village. Overnight? Yes, they have dorms that you can stay in (or they used to).

We had a fundraiser to help with the cost of the trip. Since at the time we lived in a pretty rural area and our neighbors weren’t all that close to us so there was a lot of walking and bike riding so I could sell all those packages of M&M’s.

For a week or more I would trek down the dirt roads asking everybody who was home if they would want to buy my candy after I explained the trip. It didn’t take long before I had sold my entire box of candy and I had enough to go on the trip. I was so excited to be going away for the night with all of my friends.

Soon the day of our trip came and we all met at the school with our bags, pillows, and sleeping bags. You could almost taste the excitement in the air! All those kids gathering to go away overnight to a place many of us had never been to.

After what seemed like an endless bus ride we arrived we were taken to the dorms, girls in theirs and the boys in theirs. The rooms were large and lines with bunk beds that we quickly moved towards so we could claim the ones we wanted with our best friends. We rolled out our sleeping bags, put our pillows in place, and were ready for the next adventure.

The series of events next are in no particular order because the order isn’t what I remember…. it’s the fun things we did.

Swimming! What kid doesn’t love to go swimming? Especially when they don’t have a pool or live near a lake. And an indoor pool… even better! I believe it was after a quick tour of the dorm that we went back and got into our swimsuits so we could go to the pool. Mine was a one piece purple suit and I remember this because I loved that suit and with purple being one of my favorite colors it’s stuck with me.

The pool was a huge indoor pool, or to me at a young age it was huge. We swam for a while before heading back to change and get ready for dinner in the cafeteria.

It was a great few days for me and my classmates. The village, the pool, dorms, and staying away from our families overnight.

I haven’t stayed overnight there since that one time and I don’t even know if that option is still available for schools, but I’ve been back to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum many times. Class trips with my two oldest girls and a couple of times just with my family.

Regardless of how you visit it’s worth the trip. Fun and education all rolled into one place.