DETROIT (WXYZ) — Visit Detroit hosted its 10th annual Hometown Tourist Day as the city continues to gain national recognition as a must-visit destination.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report:
The New York Times ranked Detroit as one of the 52 places in the world to visit in 2025, and Time Magazine included Detroit's "Little Village" on its annual "World's Greatest Places" list.
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Metro Detroiters shared their love for the Motor City and highlighted hidden gems visitors should explore.
"Over the last few years, Detroit has had a lot of growth within the community," said Leah Grubbs, a lifelong Detroit resident, who decided to spend part of her Wednesday as a tourist in her hometown. "This is really nice. It's a lot of places I'm just now finding out about."
Saundra Sherley, who grew up sneaking out to watch Smokey Robinson perform, was also rediscovering the city.
"I haven't been down here in a long time- long time. I'm enjoying everything right now- all the buildings. I'm trying to figure out which is which," said Sherley.
Sherley and her daughter Dianne James are planning what to explore next.
"The places I do want to visit and other people should visit is the Motown music museum as well as the Charles Wright museum," said James.
Angela Jones, Manager of Partnership Sales with Visit Detroit, explains that Hometown Tourist Day is about connecting local businesses with local visitors.
"You don't have to go out of town to have a great time, you can definitely enjoy the metro Detroit area, so this is our way of connecting the metro Detroit businesses with the hometown visitors that we have," said Jones.
Jones says new businesses are contributing to the increase in visitors to the city year over year. Detroit welcomed 19 million visitors in 2024, with Visit Detroit aiming to reach 25 million visitors in a single year by 2030.
"Detroit is ever-growing and ever-changing. There are new businesses opening up every day here in the area, so every time you come into the destination, you're going to have a new experience," said Jones.
Detroiters shared their favorite hidden gems that visitors should check out:
"Z alley its like a melting pot of so many different people so its like a different energy a different vibe and if you want to experience different things that something to experience," said Ashei Kahn.
Kris Hoff of Distinctively Detroit Tours recommends C.A.N. Art Handworks.
"This is by the Eastern Market. This is Carl Nielbock. He actually created the Unity Bell in the Eastern Market, and his workshop is just a few blocks away from the Eastern Market. It's so beautiful, everything he creates is just so amazing. He's such a master crafter," said Hoff.
"It is a hidden gem, a lot of people don't know about it. You can just drive by and there's all kinds of art installations everywhere a huge Detroit sign to take photos by," said Hoff.
Joseph Blessman suggests a local pizza place.
"It's called Grandma Bob's. Best vegan pizza place right now to go to. It's very good, okay. They got a nice bar. They got nice ice cream, so you can go ahead and have a nice pizza. Good drinks and some good dessert with it," said Blessman.
Carina Garza has a recommendation in Mexicantown.
"One of my favorite restaurants is Taqueria Lupita's, which is on Bagley Street right in the heart of Mexicantown. It's just got repaved over there, so it's absolutely beautiful, but it's cash only, so make sure you have your cash," said Garza.
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