| Entering Greenfield Village is like stepping into an 80-acre time machine. It takes you back to the sights, sounds and sensations of America's past. There are 83 authentic, historic structures, from Noah Webster's home, where he wrote the first American dictionary, to Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory, to the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. The buildings and the things to see are only the beginning. There's the fun stuff, too. In Greenfield Village, you can ride in a genuine Model T or pull glass with world-class artisans; you can watch 1867 baseball or ride a train with a 19th-century steam engine. It's a place where you can choose your lunch from an 1850s menu or spend a quiet moment pondering the home and workshop where the Wright brothers invented the airplane. Greenfield Village is a celebration of people - people whose unbridled optimism came to define modern-day America. |
 | | Michelle, Co-op Member | Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum are without doubt two of our favorite places in the state of Michigan! Be sure to first visit their field trip planning section on their website: http://www.hfmgv.org/education/fieldtrip.aspx where you can find all sorts of valuable information including their Curriculum Connections. An annual membership for a family is worth it's weight in gold - you will find yourself heading over for a free afternoon here and there just because.
The Museum is quite easily walked in an afternoon but the village definitely requires some hoofing. Be sure to bring a stroller or wagon for tired kids. Food and drinks can also be pricey so water bottles and snacks are a good idea. I would also recommend dropping the group off at the door if possible and then one person parking the car - it can be another long walk if the shuttle busses aren't running.
Check the website for what's happening on the day you want to go - we've watched old fashioned baseball games, listened to Barbershop Quartets, learned how to spin wool, heated up horseshoes, etc. There is soooo much to see and learn and do here I couldn't begin to describe it all! |
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| | Homeschooler Mom, Co-op Member | Greenfield Village is a great field trip. Henry Ford loved history. The village is a collection of historic homes and places that would have been destroyed years ago, except the Ford family paid to relocate these buildings to Greenfield Village. It is now recoginzed as a National Historic Site.
The childhood home of several famous American have been relocated here, for example, Noah Webster, just to mention one. The village is expansive and it is difficult to see in a day. I would recommend purchasing a family pass for the year.
There are civil war reactments, the village is decorated for the holidays, it is a great place to look back in time at American history. It's a triip worth taking. You can bring your own food and drinks to save money, but definately plan to spend the entire day. |
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| | Jan S., Co-op Member | | Awesome is all I can say! Best homeschool tip: we took out co-op group Labor Day week-before the public schools were bringing field trips, but after all those families were back in school. The wonderful, costumed people at each exhibit had so much time to spend with us. They really enjoyed explaining all the processes to us and showing us more than I've ever seen there before! |
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