This Midwest City Near Detroit Is A Vibrant Shopping Hub With River Trails And Family-Friendly Fun

As Michigan’s largest metropolis, Detroit is a cultural middle that’s residence to the state’s skilled sports activities groups, a rising eating scene, and a lot extra. Naturally, it additionally options loads of charming suburbs stretching into the town limits and surrounding counties. One of these close by cities is Auburn Hills, which is perhaps recognizable to some as a result of it was residence to the Detroit Pistons’ stadium for 29 eventful seasons till 2017. But Auburn Hills embodies much more than reminiscences of NBA championships; it is a laid-back vacation spot in its personal proper, boasting a number of the greatest procuring in Michigan, loads of family-friendly enjoyable, and plenty of riverside inexperienced areas.

Auburn Hills is positioned 30 miles north of Detroit and, with a inhabitants of round 26,000, is rising quickly. Beyond internet hosting the Pistons for almost three a long time, the city’s different declare to fame is the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets. Michigan’s largest indoor mall options a whole lot of shops and eating places, plus loads of enjoyable points of interest for all ages, making it a simple and handy place to spend the day.

While often known as a procuring hub, Auburn Hills additionally has historic locations, nice group occasions, and is constructed across the Clinton River, which flows by the city’s parks, providing river trails, paddling alternatives, or the quiet soundtrack to a day picnic. It all makes Auburn Hills price including to a Detroit-area itinerary for the possibility to get in some retail remedy, take the kids for a LEGO-themed journey, or escape the hustle with a pleasant bike trip alongside the river.

The Great Lakes Crossing Outlets (GLCO) in Auburn Hills is a procuring haven with a movie show and scrumptious eateries. Spanning 1.3 million sq. ft, it is the biggest indoor procuring middle in Michigan and has 185 shops and eating places. Many of the retail places there cannot be discovered wherever else within the state. GLCO additionally has Michigan’s largest meals court docket, so it is simple to seize a meal between retail adventures.

This procuring middle incorporates a ton of household enjoyable as effectively, with 4 most important locations to get pleasure from, beginning with the LEGOLAND Discovery Center. There you’ll find all of the enjoyable points of interest, carefree creativity, and rides one expects from the model, however you may as well mix a ticket with the Sea Life Michigan Aquarium. The aquarium hosts over 5,000 fish, rays, sea horses, and jellies, an interactive contact pool, the one underwater tropical ocean tunnel in Michigan, and extra.

For a youthful crowd, the Peppa Pig World of Play is a themed indoor playground throughout the mall that has 14 play areas designed after the world of the favored cartoon. In any season, it provides kids the possibility to discover the animated world in quite a lot of methods, like crawling by tunnels, climbing the treehouse, or procuring at Miss Rabbit’s Supermarket. Meanwhile, a wider viewers will simply discover enjoyable on the Round 1 Bowling & Arcade, which has all of the classics of conventional bowling lanes, arcade video games with prizes, and karaoke. It may not be one among America’s 9 greatest malls for an unforgettable procuring expertise, however the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets is purpose sufficient for a lot of to go to Auburn Hills.

Hotels on this suburban space are plentiful, however when you’re in search of lodging in Auburn Hills that is a bit nearer to nature, the Hawk Woods Park and Campground is a strong alternative. Covering 80 acres of forests, fields, and marshlands, Hawk Woods Park provides six in a single day cabins accessible from June to October and miles of climbing trails, together with a boardwalk by the wetlands. Beyond the campground, the city boasts round half a dozen different public inexperienced areas, like Riverside Park (pictured above). It’s positioned downtown and has picnic areas, barbecue grills, quiet strolling paths with river entry, a splash pad, and the Knight Amphitheater, the place you possibly can get pleasure from outside live shows and flicks.

The Clinton River meandering by city is a most important characteristic of the group, and guests and residents alike can benefit from the 2.1-mile Clinton River Trail. It’s paved and multi-use, which means it is nice for strolling, rollerblading, or biking. The path can be half of a bigger rail-trail that stretches for 12 miles, connecting Auburn Hills to different suburbs like West Bloomfield. If you are trying to get on the river, you possibly can participate in Paddlepalooza, an 8-mile kayak race that begins in Riverside Park (though it isn’t beneficial for freshmen).

Auburn Hills’ proximity to Detroit, often known as the ‘Paris of the Midwest’ for its French heritage, means there are cultural locations close by and family-friendly occasions all year long. The beautiful Meadow Brook Hall is lower than 10 minutes from downtown Auburn Hills and provides excursions of its 88,000-square-foot palatial property that was as soon as residence to Matilda Dodge Wilson, the widow of Dodge Brothers Motor Company co-founder John Dodge. Now it is a National Historic Landmark and hosts occasions like traditional film nights, Mother’s Day Tea, summer season live shows, and extra.