Greenfield Village is a part of the Henry Ford complex, which celebrates American history and the car industry. There are nearly 100 historical buildings in this outdoor museum, as well as artifacts from as early at the 17th century. They also hold special events throughout the year, and people in period costumes teach guests about the past and staff the entire museum.
While Greenfield Village covers over 240 acres of land, only about 80 to 90 of those acres are covered with buildings and other structures. The rest of the land is used for forests, pastures, and walkways for tourists. While touring the area, guests can walk between buildings, as well as ride on some of the historic vehicles. Greenfield Village transports visitors via horse-drawn bus, steam locomotive, Model T Fords, and a Model AA bus from 1931. One of their trains is the oldest operating steam locomotive in the United States, and their Model AA bus is one of only 15 known to exist in the world.
Over the years, a number of historic buildings have been relocated to Greenfield Village. Some of the most famous and popular for tourists include the following: The Wright brothers' bicycle shop from Ohio, Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratory, the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law when he lived in Illinois, and Henry Ford's birthplace.
In addition, the museum runs Liberty Craftworks, a part of town set up to be a historical business district. Visitors can tour the glass, pottery, printing, weaving, and tin shop, and they are staffed by artisans who demonstrate the techniques that once made these shops run. Afterwards, guests can visit a work replica of a 19th century farm. On the farm, there are a number of buildings, including a carriage barn, cider mill, wagon shop, and soybean laboratory.
When guests visit Greenfield Village, they can tour the entire town or set up an itinerary based on specific interests. Some of the pre-made itinerary topics from which tourists can choose include African-American history, made in Michigan, gardens, the history of baseball, and presidential honors. They also have events throughout the year. During the spring, they have sheep shearing, planting, and birth of new animals on the farm. In addition, they have regular events for children, historic baseball games every summer weekend, car shows, war reenactments, fairs, and holiday specials.
Greenfield Village and the rest of the Henry Ford complex have a number of vacation packages for visitors from out of town. These include accommodations and tickets to specific parts of the complex. Some also include meals in Greenfield Village or nearby dining places.
Hours for Greenfield Village vary depending on the time of year and the special events happening at the location. From the middle of April to the beginning of November, they are open seven days a week from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. While in the area, guests can also visit the Henry Ford Museum, take a factory tour, or otherwise experience the Henry Ford complex. To learn more, those interested in visiting can call 313-982-6001.
