Spend an Hour...Spend a Day!

Sticking with my love for parks this week, I will write about another park to visit in Detroit: Belle Isle, located at E Jefferson at East Grand Boulevard. No visit to Detroit is too short to enjoy this historic crown jewel of Detroit's public park system.

Image from: http://www.aerialpics.com/H/greatlakesshoreline.html

Belle Isle has it all: a children's zoo, golf, maritime museum, a nature center, and a beach. And why shouldn't a park like this that is located on 983 acres? Park lovers will not be disappointed when they visit Belle Isle.

The 983-acre island was purchased in 1879 by Detroit's city fathers, who agreed to retain the name Belle Isle (which means beautiful island), which the property was already popularly known. Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York City's Central Park, created the master plan for Belle Isle in 1883. Visitors could enjoy Belle Isle via the island's first wooden bridge in 1889, and has been toured and enjoyed by people ever since.

Whether you are interested in nature, athletics, history, or architecture, Belle Isle will never cease to amaze you. 

Admission, and most of the park's attractions are FREE!