While southeast Michigan is no longer the sole location of the big three automakers, The Henry Ford still celebrates Detroit’s Motor City title.

When thinking of Detroit and the role that it played in this industry another name commonly surfaces as well, and that is Henry Ford. Arguably one of his greatest achievements, next to the creation of the Model T, is a popular 250-acre historic landmark, The Henry Ford museum.

Many antique automobiles are on display at the Henry Ford Museum.

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb right on the outskirts of Detroit, the Henry Ford is not just a regular museum but is actually classified as a museum complex and it is the largest indoor-outdoor complex in the United States.

The museum is filled with interesting collections and memorabilia and houses exhibits such as former President John F. Kennedy’s presidential limousine, the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop, and the Rosa Park Bus. With beautiful landscapes and informative and immersive exhibits, The Henry Ford Museum Complex is a wonderful place to spend your next vacation.

A statue of Henry Ford sits outside the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Originally the Museum was started from the collections of Henry Ford himself. Collecting tangible evidence of America's pre- and early industrial history became a passion of his. He was determined to show history through the lives of the ordinary person and spent years collecting and planning and eventually opened “The Edison Institute” which was the original name of the museum.

Over the years the museum has transformed into the vast complex we know today. The Museum Complex is divided into three separate attractions: The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour.

Each attraction has its own unique qualities that will allow you to spend hours learning and having fun. The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation allows visitors to experience some of the greatest minds in American innovation over a 300-year span.

The bus made famous by civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks sits on display draped with mourning bunting October 25, 2005 at The Henry Ford Museum n Dearborn, Michigan. Rosa Parks died in her apartment in Detroit on October 24 at the age of 92.

Not only do you get to see the exhibits but you can become fully immersed in their stories, by stepping directly into some of the exhibits. You can stand on the bus where Rosa Parks sat or play house in Buckminster Fuller’s transportable circular Dymaxion House.

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Clock Tower of Greenfield Village (The Henry Ford) in Dearborn, Michigan

Wright Family Home is one of many on display at Greenfield Village.

A brass band plays at Greenfield Village.

Many antique automobiles are on display at the Henry Ford Museum.

Henry Ford Museum on July 17, 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan.

The entrance to Greenfield Village outside the Henry Ford Museum on July 17, 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Josephine F. Ford Memorial Fountain in Greenfield Village on July 17, 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan.

At Greenfield Village, visitors journey to America’s past and take a ride in a Model T car, enjoy food from an 1830s menu or visit one of the four working farms. The village sits on 80 acres and showcases the resourcefulness and ingenuity of America’s past.

The Ford Rouge Factory Tour offers insight into America’s great manufacturing past, present, and even future. Visitors can get an up-close look at the making of one of America’s most iconic trucks, the Ford F-150, and a first-hand account of a real factory floor. Along the tour, they also experience a multisensory, Manufacturing Innovation film. The film comes with a complete experience of guests of wind, vibrating seats, 3D projection mapping and more.

Visitors mill about Greenfield Village.

The Henry Ford Complex has a host of options to keep anyone entertained. If you are still looking for more to do, there is also a larger-than-life giant screen viewing experience located on the complex grounds. Experience entertaining stories of America’s past, present and future.

The Henry Ford’s official website offers vacation packages along with hotel, campground and RV park recommendations. The city of Dearborn is a beautiful suburb of Detroit, and there are a host of restaurants, stores and a shopping mall within close proximity to the complex. In Dearborn is Fair Lane — the estate of Henry Ford and his wife Clara Ford — that housed the family residence as well as an electrical power plant on the dammed river that was built to power the whole estate. Although the main house and power house are currently closed for restoration, Fair Lane’s gardens and grounds are still open to the public and are free of charge.

A visit to the Henry Ford Museum Complex is a wonderful vacation choice. You not only can enjoy the wonderful exhibits and attractions but learn about American history as you take a stroll down memory lane of the industrial past.