History Hopping… Visiting The Top 4 History Museums in Michigan
Inspiration comes in all forms, they tell us. It can be as simple as looking online and seeing what someone said that makes you think, viewing an object from the past, or walking through an exhibit to learn more about something you have not experienced. Museums inspire me. They show me that somewhere someone went against all odds and did something amazing. It gives me hope that I can push the envelope a little too. Being surrounded by the richness of the past helps me appreciate the present just that much more, all while fueling those creative juices.
Michigan boasts some hidden gems in the museum department, and I'm all about hopping in the car and spending a day wandering the halls to explore them from Grand Rapids to Detroit and everywhere in between and above. These places are worth visiting, and spending time deep in thought to learn, be inspired, and walk away with a little more than you came in with.
The Charles H. Wright African American History Museum
I'm a big believer in knowing where you came from to know where you are going. From studying our ancestral roots thru Geneology to reading books/essays from those who share my race to trying foods from a continent I have never known, I'm invested.
I learned of the Charles H. Wright African American History Museum in Detroit, Michigan, years ago but had never made it. It was time. Charles H. Wright was an African American physician determined to make a change. He ordered funds for medical training for Africans in the United States through the Detroit Medical Society, served as a doctor during the civil rights movement, and with his wife, opened a museum to share the history of the African American people. The impact of his legacy lives on through the museum itself and the outreach they do.
As you enter the exhibit on showcase currently, We Will Rise, you step into a theater, highlighting critical African American leaders and political figures from past and present in a short video introduction. Then, guests are led through Africa from a geological standpoint to see what life was like in a typical small town on the coast.
From there, you go through what it was like to be caught and captured, taken from your home for no reason, locked away in prison, and as a guest, you board a slave ship. I was not expecting this at all. I won't go into too many details, but this broke me entirely. You are physically walking through the sights and sounds of what this felt like, even the temperature changes.
Next, you witness the auction block where enslaved people were sold to the highest bidder, a scene of what plantation life was like, with plaques along the way explaining the road to freedom. The museum then turns to what life was like for the African American person post-slavery. This section includes getting hired for a job, then fired, segregation, Motown development, the civil rights movement, Jim Crow, etc.
As I avoid going into too much detail (I want you to see it for yourself) I will say this, parts of the museum are gut-wrenching. You know the pains, horrors, and stories, but seeing it laid out with mannequins and explained through plaques or the audio played throughout brings a new emotional level. It was a tearful day, but how can one make informed decisions about the present without knowing, seeing, and understanding the past? This is not for small children as some scenes broke me as an adult, and there is a lot to see, so please consider those factors when planning a trip. All in all, I enjoyed it, and it was worth every penny spent.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum
Sometimes the best fix for a little perspective is the local museum. The Grand Rapids public museum is always a good time, a place to spark curiosity and run with it. From the 1928 Spillman carousel to the planetarium to the pieces of Grand Rapids history throughout to the continually changing exhibits that come through, it's a beautiful nod to times of the past and a consistent glimpse into the future.
I highly recommend visiting if you're in town. It makes for a fun afternoon and gets those creative juices flowing!
The Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center
January 27th is a day of remembrance. A day we think back to the horrible atrocities against humankind for being nothing more than who they are because they were considered inferior by someone else. January 27th is the day that the slave labor and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated by the Soviet army.
Since she had been reading Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars in school, I decided she needed to experience history. I'm determined to raise a good human. A person who cares about people, with compassion for all lives and knowledge beyond her years. So a field trip was at hand.
We took a trip to visit the Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, giving a hands-on look into what happened and learning more about the time. The museum spans what life as a Jewish person was and still is in so many ways. Then you walk down a narrow hallway descending into the darkness with a menacing picture of Hitler in a floor-to-ceiling photograph into the stories of concentration camps. What struck me was the amount of actual footage from the times. It's so different when you read about it in books and are mortified that someone could be so mean to further their agenda than it is seeing it first hand through the film.
It is emotionally draining to see the artifacts, hear the stories, and understand more of what people went through, but necessary to share for the millions of innocent people who suffered and died because of hatred. In the end, there is an eternal flame that breaks your heart. As in Jewish practice, a twenty-four-hour candle is lit on the anniversary of the death of a parent or child. However, since there is no known date of death for so many that lost their lives during the Holocaust and no graves, there is a flame for the innocent that is always burning—a physical tribute to them and their families.
Air Zoo
It's a bird, a plane, ok, a LOT of planes. Welcome to the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a museum dedicated to aviation. From World War II-era planes to an all-pink reminder of the founder's bravery and tenacity, this museum is dedicated to what flies among the clouds.
The museum itself consists of two campuses a short walk from each other. The larger of the two is where ticketing lies, and it beckons you to something BIG ahead as you wander through the clouds to the main hall. There you see everything from the F-14 Tomcat( yes, from Top Gun) to an SR-71B Blackbird spy plane, which is still unmatched in speed and altitude. In the main hangar, I saw a flight simulator, a flying biplane ride, a balloon racer, a paratrooper jump, and a hot air balloon Ferris wheel, which all looked like a blast in the air conditioning.
From that point, you walk through an exhibit with artifacts and interactive components from Guadalcanal. Witnessing how the museum showcased this was fascinating, as my grandfather was a fighter pilot for much of his military career. The next hanger included a Blue Angel plane and some other wartime feats of wonder before venturing into Space exploration and the new exhibit Artifacts and Asteroids. This temporary display included Star Wars and Marvel artifacts and a rover stimulation as it lands on Mars. Who knew how much equipment is used after the initial blast? Spoiler alert: A beautiful section even discussed Walt Disney's interest in space and how that is portrayed in films of the time. I'm telling you, Disney Magic is EVERYWHERE!
Next, we enjoyed taking a short walk to the next building where all the refurbs happen. Outside is the local airport with ample seating where you can spend time watching planes land and take off.
Overall, AirZoo makes for a VERY fun couple of hours.
Each of these locations has something to offer that's unique to itself and its visitors to enjoy. So embrace learning and knowing using this map of the past to help you travel through the future. I'll see you out there.
