We were on the first tour bus to the factory with only five other individuals. At the plant they have two short films, the second being in a theater with special effects that we found a little bit gimmicky. The first film featured Henry Ford and all the good he did for his company and the employees. For example, he doubled wages at one point from around $2.30 a day to $5.00 a day. It was quite the contrast from what Diego Rivera portrayed in his mural at the Detroit Institute of Art.
Following the two films, they take you up to an observation platform above the plant where you can see their green roof, one of the first of its kind, and view the vast expanse of the plant. Here are a few photos:
The next step was a tour of the actual plant from an elevated walkway that circled part of the plant. As it was Martin Luther King Day, the plant was not in operation unfortunately but it was still neat to see.
The final part of the tour is a museum of the transformation of Ford cars through the years.
We took the shuttle bus back to the Henry Ford Museum and realized the craziness of it being a free day. The place was packed with families and so we didn't last as long as we probably would have on a quieter day but there was some cool stuff to see.
Lunch was at the Michigan Cafe at the Museum and it was so good! They also focused on fresh and local ingredients.
My favorite part was the trains. Here are a few photos:
Last, but not least, the snowplow.
Some other highlights included:
The 2011 Ford Fusion that Trevor Bayne drove to win the 2011 Daytona 500.
Here are the early campers:
The revolution of car seats.
A van from my husband's childhood.
The car Kennedy was assassinated in.
An earlier Northwest Airlines plane.
Wingwalkers
An interactive station (one of many) where kids could test their ability to make a good airplane.
The bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and thus was arrested. (There was a huge line for the opportunity to board the bus so we didn't bother getting any closer.)
The chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated.
And of course a Wienermobile.
The huge crowds tired us out so we didn't spend as much time as we probably otherwise would have but we still spent 5 hours at the Henry Ford Museum and Rouge Plant.
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