The city of Detroit houses a number of museums, many with small or no entry fees. Book a weekend at a cheap hotel near downtown and spend your time exploring the city's history. For example, Macy's sponsors a Museum Adventure Pass program that allows you to get free tickets to many Detroit museums using a library card, which you can get at any library in Detroit. There are dozens of participating museums, such as the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History, the Automotive Hall of Fame and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
Detroit offers a number of affordable ways to explore the heritage of the city, such as the Henry Ford Driving America tour, which offers an in-depth look at the birth of the automobile industry in America. You can check out classic cars, view a collection of memorabilia from all over America, explore Thomas Edison's laboratory and tour the Ford Rouge Factory. You can also go on a guided walking tour of Detroit during the warmer months through the Preservation Wayne organization. The tours will allow you to explore the city's architectural heritage and view famous landmarks.
If slot machines and poker are more your thing, Detroit offers a number of casinos, such as the MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown Casino Hotel and the MotorCity Casino Hotel. All of the casinos have gaming options for the budget-minded, such as slot machines, Keno, video poker and a variety of other games you can spend hours on with a limited budget.
Morley Candy Makers, a candy company that got its start in Detroit and has a few locations in the general area, offers free factory tours. Visitors get to watch the factory at work from a 100 foot observation walkway and enjoy a free sample. The company requires advance reservations for tours, which take place Monday through Friday and vary with production schedules.
