MARVEL UNIVERSE OF SUPER HEROES

We always have a super time visiting The Henry Ford's Museum of American Innovation but had an exceptionally fantastic experience going to see the Marvel exhibit currently on display there. Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes delves into the history of the comic book publisher and how its characters have become pop culture sensations. From the very first super hero themed comic book released by Marvel to costumes and props from its recent movies there is a lot to geek out over on display at The Henry Ford.



Originally planned as a pre-pandemic exhibition an expansive space was planned out for people to wait in line to enter Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes. Now health safety protocols are in place so there is an interesting welcome area but it isn't packed with people as initially expected. Instead you reserve a specific time slot to show up with groups of no more than twelve people being admitted every ten minutes. The museum is taking crowd control very seriously in light of COVID-19.

Social distancing is encouraged and mask wearing is required by visitors within the museum. Please keep your masks on when taking selfies and group pictures while visiting the exhibit...and there are a lot of photo ops to be had! Mask Up Michigan!

There are a number of interactive opportunities to immerse yourself within the Marvel super hero universe while visiting The Henry Ford. My daughter was thrilled to participate in a virtual reality adventure that lets you jump in a suit of Iron Man armor and take it for a spin.

While my son was awed by a gallery of Iron Man suits from the Marvel movies.

My favorite Marvel character is Daredevil, criminal defense and personal injury attorney by day and crime fighting vigilante by night. I was geeked that he had his own gallery filled with comic book sketches, artwork and a costume of the hero used in the Netflix television show. One of this dad blogger's favorite aspects of the exhibit though there is a lot to enjoy.

Fans of the Marvel super hero movies will appreciate that a large selection of costumes and props have been brought to Detroit. My son hasn't stopped talking about seeing the Spider-Man costume worn by Tom Holland since our visit to Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes. He was also very excited to see up close a Captain America outfit that was worn by Chris Evans in the movies. Other cool items on display are props from Guardians of the Galaxy (including Peter Quill's Sony Walkman and the container used to hold the Power Stone), the Eye of Agamotto from Doctor Strange, and Thor's hammer Mjölnir.

Rare hand-drawn images of iconic heroes by the artists who designed them, original comic book art, as well as concept sketches, costumes and props from movies and television are marvelous to view. Plus there are lots of insights into the history of Marvel's super heroes and the people who created them. From a display about Marvel's newest fan-favorite character, Ms. Marvel and the recently introduced character Amulet whose hometown is Dearborn, Michigan (where The Henry Ford is located) to an original print of the very first super hero themed comic book published by Marvel this exhibit is a walk through encyclopedia of super hero goodness.

The highlight of the exhibit though are the life-size reproductions of a number of fan favorite super heroes. You won't want to miss out getting a selfie with Fantastic Four's Thing, Hulk, Black Panther or the Amazing Spider-Man! These photo ops bring the characters to life and provide nice mementos of the super time you are sure to have at Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes.

The Henry Ford is located at 20900 Oakwood Boulevard in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes is on display at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation now through January 31, 2020. General admission tickets (12+) are $35 per person and include admission to the museum in addition to the Marvel exhibit. Youth 5 to 11 years old are $28.75 each and Seniors (62+) are $32.50. 4 years old and under are FREE.

Don't hesitate to reserve some tickets because time slots do sell out. Go to thehenryford.org to purchase your tickets and obtain a time slot for an adventure into the Marvel universe. While there you may also want to check out The Henry Ford's outdoor historical attraction Greenfield Village.

We've been staying close to home during the pandemic and we needed to get out of the house! Visiting Marvel's Universe of Super Heroes was just what we needed. An exciting, fun experience that provided some escapism from today's troubling times. Excelsior!

RIDE THROUGH HISTORY

I always enjoy visiting Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford.  This living history museum in Dearborn, Michigan preserves a hundred year era from 1830 - 1930. During that period in time there were incredible advancements bringing the world technological marvels that occurred from the harnessing of electricity and improved mobility due to the emergence of automobile, airplane and locomotive transportation. This is highlighted at Greenfield Village where you can wander through the early workshops where Henry Ford started his car company, Thomas Edison experimented with electricity and Orville & Wilbur Wright designed the first airplane to successfully take flight.

While touring these buildings and other historical sites relocated here is interesting, my favorite aspect of a visit to Greenfield Village is the opportunity to ride in vehicles from this time period of American innovation. Authentic horse drawn carriages, locomotives, and antique automobiles are all available to be rode around Greenfield Village in. There is also a classic carousel you can take a spin on.



Don't miss out on taking a leisurely ride. Many of the chauffeurs make great tour guides providing lots of interesting insights about the landmarks you pass during your ride. It also provides a great perspective to take in the scenery of Greenfield Village. Plus riding through history is just plain old fun and provides a memorable experience that is better memento of your visit than any souvenir you could bring home with you.

Here are the rides that are available at Greenfield Village:

HORSE DRAWN OMNIBUS SHUTTLE

Omnibuses pulled by teams of horses were the first mass transit in America's cities dating back to the 1830s. Originally just nicely outfitted horse-drawn coaches, eventually omnibuses began to follow paths of set iron tracks that their wheels rolled along. This provided a smoother, more comfortable ride for passengers and an easier burden on the horses. As transportation became mechanized, omnibuses became replaced by trolleys and subways in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

TRAINS

Locomotives monopolized transit across America from the mid-1800s through late 1900s until commercial trucking and air travel became more economical alternatives.  Travel like they did during the glory years of locomotives on one of the steam or diesel powered locomotives that loop Greenfield Village. Travel a 3-mile loop that provides scenic views of the landscape and historic sites along its track. You can also get on and off at stops along its route making this a nice way to cut down on your walking while exploring Greenfield Village.

Plus who doesn't love riding a train! It delights children and has a wonderful way of brining out the inner kid in adults. I'm always geeked when taking a ride on a Greenfield Village train especially because these are the real deal not the miniature versions often seen at amusement parks and zoos.

ANTIQUE CARS

Ride in a vintage Model T manufactured by Ford Motor Company. A wonderful way to immerse yourself in the environment of this living history museum. Everyone has heard of the Model T, the vehicle that brought automobiles to the mass market and launched America's car culture. You can actually take a ride in one when visiting Greenfield Village! And when you hear these cars honk their horns while being driven around on one there is no way you won't get a big smile on your face.

There are a variety of Model T automobiles (1908 - 1927)  that people are driven around in. There are convertible and sedan versions of Model Ts to ride in, but our favorite to take a lap around Greenfield Village in is the Depot Hack which were the first utility vehicles.  These were primarily used to take passengers from boat docks and train stations to their hotels when visiting a city or provide deliveries around town. We are a little biased on this though because this dad blogger's own father owns one and loves to give family members and friends a ride in it.

If you are going to Greenfield Village, taking a Model T ride is a must do activity!

DEARBORN COACH COMPANY BUSES

These buses were built in 1931 by Ford Motor Company to promote public transit using their vehicles. The bus was built on Ford's Model AA truck platform -- basically the Model A car that had a stronger frame, suspension and wheels.  Powered by Ford's standard four-cylinder Model A car engine buses like those utilized by the Dearborn Coach Company that became really heavy when loaded with passengers weren't very fast. Speed wasn't that important for these vehicles though because they worked in stop-and-go city traffic so as long as they were able to get people around they were good to go.

A nice way to see the sites of Greenfield Village is through the windows of one of the Dearborn Coach Company buses (aka 1931 Ford Type 330B Tour Buses) that transport people around the place. These are some of the most modern vehicles providing rides to visitors within Greenfield Village but they still provide a vibe that you have been transported back in time when riding one. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

HEADS UP THESE RIDES COST EXTRA

So you aren't caught off guard when arriving at Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford, please note that there is an additional fee beyond your general admission price to ride these historic vehicles. You can purchase tickets for single rides or an all day pass for unlimited riding. If spending an entire day at Greenfield Village I recommend paying extra getting an unlimited ride pass but if just spending a few hours there single ride tickets would probably be your best bet. Also note these rides are often included at no extra charge on the free admission days that Greenfield Village occasionally has or may be provided as part of the fee for special after-hours events such as Holiday nights.  Keep this in mind when planning a trip to visit Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.

For more information about Greenfield Village, directions to get there and ticket packages, go to thehenryford.org. 

NATIONAL AVIATION DAY

Air flight has become an integral aspect of our transportation system. With that in mind, you have to be amazed by the advancements made over the last century that make flying people and freight around the world commonplace. In the overall scope of history, it really hasn't been that long since the Wright brothers visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 to launch the first successful airplane.

For NATIONAL AVIATION DAY, The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, thanks to a sponsorship from Delta Air Lines, is providing FREE admission on Sunday, September 18, 2019. The museum which is home to a variety of original and reproduced aircraft highlighting advancements in flight during the early to mid-20th Century is open from 9:30 am - 5:00 pm. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is located in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan (also hometown of Ford Motor Company's world headquarters) at 20900 Oakwood Blvd.  While there, visitors can also explore the temporary Star Trek exhibit that is at the museum for a limited time engagement at no additional charge.

Admission to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is normally $25 (Adults), $22 (Seniors) and $18 (Children) so NATIONAL AVIATION DAY is a good opportunity to really save some money when it comes to having a family outing there. Please note free admission does not apply to the attached Greenfield Village which will be charged to visitors on NATIONAL AVIATION DAY. Ticket prices for Greenfield Village are $28 (Adults), $25.25 (Seniors) and $21 (Children).

If you want to pay extra to visit Greenfield Village, there will be special activities revolving around the Wright Brothers as well as special access to their rarely seen private offices which normally are off limits to the public. Henry Ford purchased Orville and Wilbur Wright's bicycle shop (where they designed and manufactured the plane they flew in Kitty Hawk) and the home which they lived in their entire lives. These two buildings were transported from Dayton, Ohio to Greenfield Village in 1938 to be maintained and restored for future generations to appreciate. Historians will be stationed at both buildings on National Aviation Day to discuss the Wilbur brothers contributions to the development of airplanes and provide insight into these historic sites that have been relocated to Greenfield Village.

For those who just want to stick to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, there is still a lot to see for National Aviation Day. The entire museum is open to explore for FREE. You won't want to miss the Heroes of the Sky gallery, especially if you are visiting on National Aviation Day.  There are more than a dozen planes to see!

View a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer. Take a look at the 1909 Bleriot XI which was the first aircraft to cross the English Channel. Check out a 1926 Fokker Trimotor which was the first plane to fly to the North Pole. Following his success with the Model T, Henry Ford designed a plane meant to be sold to the masses, the 1926 Ford Flivver, which never took off with consumers and Charles Lindbergh called the worst plane he ever flew is also on display.

There is also a replica of Lindbergh's Spirt of St. Louis aircraft that he flew the first trans-Atlantic solo flight in and a display honoring aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. See an actual barnstormer plane that toured the country in the 1920s delighting crowds with death defying aerobatics. There are also a number of passenger planes to view including a Northwest Airlines DC-3 which was the first commercial aircraft to make a profit by solely carrying passengers to destinations. The DC-3 opened the door to the commercial air travel we know today.

Fly over to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to take advantage of FREE admission for National Aviation Day courtesy of Delta Air Lines. For more information, head over to thehenryford.org

FREE KIDS WEEKENDS AT THE HENRY FORD MUSEUM OF AMERICAN INNOVATION

Planes, trains and automobiles! The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan is filled with mechanical creations and historical relics that showcase the social and technological evolution of the United States. Sitting in the actual bus where Rosa Parks took a stand for civil rights by refusing to give up her seat to a white man; walking amongst giant locomotives from a time when the railroads were the arteries of the nation's transportation system; pretending to be a barnstorming biplane wing walking acrobat; and making an MTV music video are just a few examples of the memorable moments families can have during a visit to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. We've had some wonderful family outings to this museum ourselves and you are really missing out if a visit to The Henry Ford isn't on your to do list whether you live in or are visiting the Detroit area.

KIDS GET IN FREE

To encourage families to come out and explore the museum, kids get in FREE on the weekends from mid-January through March. Until March 31, 2019 use code KIDSFREE19 for a free youth admission with purchase of an adult admission. Take advantage of this promotion for your own family field trip to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Head over to thehenryford.org to find out more about the museum, plan your visit and purchase tickets online.

WEEKEND HOURS + SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation hours on Saturdays and Sundays are 9:30 am to 5 pm. Macy's is hosting MAKE SOMETHING SATURDAYS very Saturday from the beginning of the year to May 25th providing an extra incentive for a weekend visit.  From 10 am - 3pm on these Saturdays, kids can engage in hands-on activities that let them tinker like an inventor. Each month will feature a different theme with activities for kid between the ages of 8 to 12 years old that are included at no additional charge with museum admission:

January 26 – "Stay Curious" starts off MAKE SOMETHNG SATURDAYS. What makes machines move? Choose from a variety of materials to create your own jittering machine. Recommended for ages 7+.

February – kids will explore the innovative work of African American artist, Aminah Robinson. Rather than simply writing her stories on paper, Aminah shared stories that combined her written words with traditional art materials, found objects, and everyday materials such as beads, buttons, cloth, leather, twigs, and shells to illustrate her work. Children will create paper beads and other objects as they write and illustrate their own one-of-a-kind story board.

March – Celebrate Women’s History Month by learning about amazing women innovators & inventors and what they accomplished through collaboration. Kids create puzzles that piece together a vision for the future.

April – To “Learn from Failure” may seem frustrating but it is a Habit of an Innovator that Thomas Edison embraced as necessary to success. He famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." Kids learn from other’s famous failures, and their perseverance, and then join our quest to build the longest bridge together.

May – "Take Risks" is an important Habit of an Innovator. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise took risks as they explored the galaxy on Star Trek. To celebrate the opening of the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds exhibition, we will look at the props and futuristic devices used in the original TV series, its spinoffs and the films and create some space-age props of our own.

A GEEK DADDY ADVENTURES

This gear head car geek always enjoys checking out the incredible car collection on display at the museum. Vehicles on exhibit include the 1896 Quadricycle which was the first car built by Henry Ford, the 1902 Ford 999 which is one of the first drag racers, the 1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car that won the Indy 500 that year, and the Ford GT40 won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four consecutive times, from 1966 to 1969. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is home to one of the most prestigious automobile collections in the world.

My son always enjoys climbing into the cab of the combine on display and pretending to harvest a farm's crops. The iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is one of his favorite exhibits too. My daughter loves to look over the museum's collection of antique doll houses and exploring the 1980s era bedroom that shows what life was like when her mom and dad where kids.

Read all about one of our family adventures to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in this past ageekdaddy.com post.  

BACKYARD WILDERNESS

You don't have to go on safari in the African savanna or take a trek through the Amazon rain forests to be able to witness the wonders of nature. The docudrama BACKYARD WILDERNESS, which is currently playing at The Henry Ford movie theater, highlights that even for those of us who live in so called civilized places there are natural wonders all around us. We just need to make an effort to perceive the wildlife that exists in places like our own backyards.

The movie focuses on a tween aged girl named Katie and her family whose attention are absorbed by electronic devices and modern technology blinding them to real life spectacles taking place right under their noses in a suburban backyard. A series of events lead Katie to discover that she is living amongst an amazing eco-system that she really had never paid much attention to. Her experiences show that you can uncover extraordinary things in a backyard wilderness.

We had a giant screen experience watching BACKYARD WILDERNESS at The Henry Ford. The museum's movie screen is 88 feet wide by 44 feet wide plus the movie is shown in 3D.  The movie's wonderful imagery literally pops off the screen at you!

You really get an intimate look at the wildlife in a suburban backyard setting through captivating cinematography.  We were wowed by the close up views of creatures that were caught on cameras that were mounted inside dens and nests as well as placed along forest floors, pond bottoms, and among tree tops.  From dew drops falling on lady bugs and dragonflies to ducklings hatching from eggs there are an array of rare sights to enjoy watching this film. BACKYARD WILDERNESS is filled with adorable scenes of animals that are sure to put a smile on your face, teachable moments that will make you think, humorous situations that have the whole audience laughing, and a few incidents that may cause a few tears.

The theme of BACKYARD WILDERNESS is to remind its audiences that Wi-Fi is not the only connection that matters. It encourages people to connect with the environment and be conscious about conservation of our local environments whether that be an urban city, suburban community, rural farmland, or exotic landscape.  This message really caught on with my kids who were talking about exploring our own neighborhood during the whole car ride home after seeing this movie.



Because BACKYARD WILDERNESS is both entertaining and educational it gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval. The one of a kind visuals, intimate views, stunning imagery and the overall beauty of the cinematography provide a simple enjoyment to just sitting back and taking it all in. With a run time of 45 minutes this movie is long enough to be interesting and get its message across but short enough that audiences won't become restless.

As a parent, I always appreciate opportunities where my kids are learning while having fun and that is absolutely the case when it comes to viewing BACKYARD WILDERNESS. In fact, I learned a few things myself … did you know that some ducks build nests high up in trees? I did not!  You'll be shocked how baby ducklings leave these nests. That is a sight to behold and very memorable scene from the movie.

BACKYARD WILDERNESS will be playing for limited engagements at museums and science centers across the country and around the world throughout 2019. In addition to The Henry Ford, other locations showing the film during the year include Carnegie Science Centre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas and China's Science and Technology Museum in Beijing. For more information about the movie and locations that it can be seen at, please visit backyardwildernessfilm.com

Our family outing to The Henry Ford

During Michigan winters you can easily go stir crazy by not getting out of the house to do some sort of activity, especially when you have two rambunctious seven year old children to contend with.  We recently spent one cold January day exploring the huge indoor museum at The Henry Ford.  This educational institution's complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan consists of the outdoor Greenfield Village that is made up of original and replica structures from days gone by (which is closed for the winter) and the indoor Henry Ford Museum which preserves items relevant to American history and its industrial heritage.  The museum was founded with automobile manufacturer Henry Ford's personal collection of Americana and has continued to expand ever since it opened in 1933 serving as an archive that preserves elements of our nation's past and works to inspire future generations in building the future.  It is a huge building to explore that provides an educational and entertaining experience for both children and adults.  Whether you are visiting from out of town or a lifelong resident of the area, you'd be negligent not to check out the Henry Ford Museum if you are looking for something to do on a chilly winter day in Southeastern Michigan.

Hey the building is so big it can house an Allegheny locomotive! Designed for pulling huge coal trains over the Allegheny mountains of West Virginia this locomotive on display was built in 1941 and weighed 600 tons making it one of the largest steam-powered locomotives ever built.  Climb up in the cab of the locomotive and imagine you are the engineer driving this behemoth down the tracks.

They also have a display of planes showcasing the accomplishments of pioneering aviators.  Check out a replica of the Wright Flyer, sit in the passenger seats of an early commercial airplane, or participate in a simulation of being an acrobatic bi-plane wing walker.

This museum also pays tribute to the industrial heritage of the country including the mechanization of agriculture, gigantic multi-story examples of early steam engines that were used for mines, mills, factories and power plants, and a reproduction of Ford Motor Company's first automotive assembly line.  The Henry Ford has even partnered with Ford Motor Company to provide a tour experience of the car manufacturer's Rouge Assembly Plant where today's F-150 trucks are built busing participants from the museum to this off-site facility.  My kids had fun pretending to drive a combine in the agricultural tools section.

Of course with a museum named after Henry Ford you know they have to have some cars on display.  They have a huge display of early vehicles plus advertising and other items that tell the story of how automobiles have shaped American culture.  I love neon lights - this working McDonald's drive-in sign exhibited at the Henry Ford Museum is amazing!

I'm a fan of NHRA Drag racing so seeing some of the earliest cars designed for racing, including the "Rocket" was very interesting for me.

They even have one of the original the Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles!

Combining automotive and political history, the museum has on display several presidential limousines.  These include the horse-drawn Brougham carriage used by Theodore Roosevelt, the "Bubbletop" limo used by Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt's "Sunshine Special" and the vehicle President Reagan was rushed to the hospital in after being shot in an assassination attempt.  The Reagan limousine is the last presidential vehicle allowed to be preserved and displayed.  All limousines since that time period are destroyed by the Secret Service for security reasons when they are removed from use within the presidential motorcade.  On a somber note the actual presidential limousine that John F. Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated is also on display at The Henry Ford.

Other historic artifacts on display at the museum include an original Thomas Paine "Common Sense" Revolutionary War era propaganda pamphlet, one of the few surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence, the cot George Washington slept in while traveling with the Continental Army, and the actual chair Abraham Lincoln was shot in when he was assassinated at Ford Theater (no relationship to the Ford automobile family).

My daughter even had the chance to sit in the very seat that Rosa Parks refused to give up to a white man in civil disobedience of Southern segregation laws.  A nice lesson that no one should be bullied or prejudiced against because of things like race, sexuality, or religious affiliation.  That Montgomery, Alabama bus that Rosa Parks was riding on December 1, 1955 when she was arrested for refusing to be discriminated against has been restored and is on permanent exhibit.

Understanding that the attention span of children may wane as they wander through the museum, The Henry Ford has taken incorporated a few activities to cater to its younger visitors.  Kids visiting on a family outing will be amused by spinning a wheel as fast as they can to see how many lights they can power at once with their kinetic energy, build whatever creations they can imagine out of LEGO DUPLO toys in a designated building zone, viewing a huge model train exhibit that is at their eye level, and using a green screen to include themselves in classic 1980's MTV music videos, among other things.

I've referred to just a few of the discoveries you can make while exploring The Henry Ford's indoor museum.  To really appreciate the Henry Ford Museum though you can't just read about the place on an online post but rather need to pay it a visit where you can stroll through this repository of Americana to take it all in.

For more information including hours the museum is open to the public and directions to get there, visit thehenryford.org