Birmingham, MI Road Trips

Birmingham is an upscale suburb of Detroit. As the northernmost "Streetcar Suburb" it is the furthest suburb from Detroit to feature a walkable somewhat historic downtown core with shopping, dining, and entertainment. Though long since removed, the street car line from Detroit along Woodward Avenue terminated in downtown Birmingham and made a loop to head back towards Detroit in what is now Booth Park. Likewise, the housing stock in Birmingham tends to be older and more varied than in suburbs further north such as Bloomfield Township, Troy, and West Bloomfield, but larger and more upscale than in suburbs closer to Detroit such as Royal Oak, Southfield or Berkley. Birmingham is a blend of the opulent estates and tract homes to the north and the more dense suburbs to the south.

1 Shain Park. Located in central Birmingham, in close proximity to the Townsend Hotel, Shain park is Birmingham's main park and community gathering spot. In the center of the park resides famous artist and sculptor, Marshall Frederick's, artistic masterpiece "The Freedom of the Human Spirit", a large 30+ foot bronze statue. (updated Jan 2020)

1 Uptown Birmingham 8, 211 S Old Woodward Ave, ☏ +1 248-723-6230. Built as a single-screen movie theater in 1927, the Birmingham Theater was expanded in the 1990s to an 8-screen multiplex.

1 Mitchell's Fish Market, 117 Willits St, ☏ +1 248-646-3663. A seafood restaurant and bar. 2 Flemings Steak House, 323 N Old Woodward Ave, ☏ +1 248-723-0134. Steaks, burgers, fine American cuisine. 3 Hunter House, 35075 Woodward Ave, ☏ +1 248-646-7121. A Birmingham classic, burgers (sliders). 4 Big Rock Chop House, 245 S Eton St, ☏ +1 248-647-7774. Large steakhouse in Birmingham's historic former train station.

1 Dick O' Dow's, 160 W Maple Rd, ☏ +1 248-642-1135. M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su noon-2AM. Downtown Birmingham mainstay Irish pub features Irish music on weekend evenings 2 Griffin Claw Brewing Company, 575 S Eton St., ☏ +1 248-712-4050. Tu-Th 2PM-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight, Su noon-10PM. Rapidly growing brewpub in a former industrial area built in an industrial-chic style.

1 The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St, ☏ +1 248-642-7900, [email protected]. The Townsend, a European-style boutique hotel, provides Forbes 4-Star and AAA 4-Diamond luxury accommodations in Metro Detroit. 2 Holiday Inn Express, 35270 Woodward Ave, ☏ +1 248-642-6200.

1 Amtrak (Troy Transit Center), 1201 Doyle Drive (Troy). Train service to and from Chicago on the Wolverine Service (5–6 hours, $25–50), with many connections in Chicago. Deeply discounted tickets at short notice are often available at Amtrak's Weekly Specials page.

Most travel through Birmingham requires a car. SMART bus service serves Birmingham but is of limited use (routes through Birmingham are only along Woodward Avenue and 15 Mile/Maple Road). Birmingham can be most easily reached by taking Woodward or Maple road. Parking is normally easy and inexpensive, as there are multiple parking structures and lots that offers free two hour parking. The downtown Birmingham area is quite walkable.