A queasy feeling flutters in my gut while sitting inside Bus No. 2857 from Montgomery, Ala. I imagine the smells on Dec. 1, 1955 — perhaps Brylcreem and shirt starch, fuel exhaust and perspiration — as the voice of a newsman crackles on the speaker above me, interviewing Rosa Parks.
The quiet, unassuming seamstress and churchgoer had been trained in civil rights, and on that crowded bus she decided she was done following segregation laws and giving up her seat if a white man wanted it. Her quiet act of defiance required standing up to an armed bus driver, being taken away by police and booked into jail.
"He demanded the seats we were occupying," says her voice over the news recording. "The other passengers reluctantly gave up their seats, but I refused to do so."
Her actions sparked a 381-day bus boycott that led to the repeal of Montgomery's bus segregation and helped fuel the civil rights movement. I was surprised to find her bus, much less sit in it, while visiting Michigan, but it ranks among many epic American artifacts fastidiously collected at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, near Detroit.
Henry Ford and his friend and mentor, Thomas Edison, began the museum as a school 90 years ago with the belief that the genius of American people was not being taught in textbooks. The institution has since become a 250-acre blend of attractions: an expansive museum with Smithsonian-scale wows; the Greenfield Village living history experience with the spirit of Williamsburg; and excursions to the Ford Rouge plant to see how trucks are built.
Museum visitors pause at pivotal, visceral reminders of national sorrows such as the rocking chair President Abraham Lincoln sat in when he was assassinated in a theater in April 1965, or along a lineup of presidential limousines including the Lincoln Continental convertible John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, rode in when he was shot Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas.
Similar reverence echoes through Greenfield Village, where Ford had historical landmarks meticulously relocated or reconstructed, including Lincoln's law office, the Wright brothers' bicycle shop, composer Stephen Foster's home, and Edison's Menlo Park laboratory — including generous amounts of dirt so it technically still stood on New Jersey soil.
Outside Edison's lab, a train's steam whistle mingles with the "Ahooga!" honk of a Ford Model T and the clip-clop of horse-drawn wagons. Inside, early filament bulbs, an 1878 phonograph, wires and tubes, plus walls lined with bottles of chemicals and powders hum with possibilities for the man who created the first recording of a human voice, filed more than 400 patents and set a goal to invent something every six months. He even had a pipe organ in the lab for unwinding with music during long workdays.
On one of Edison's last visits to his lab, Ford had Edison's chair nailed to the floor. The only person allowed to sit in it since then was Helen Keller in 1940, our guide tells us, letting us imagine the spectrum of brilliant minds that walked across these floorboards.
While the impact of Edison's inventions, Ford's automobile, and transportation and industrial changes loom large, the Henry Ford takes a sweeping look at innovators and trailblazers.
"We tell the story of ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things," said Ryan Spencer, general manager at Greenfield Village.
They are the inventors who chase the spark of an idea, explorers pushing into uncharted territories and testing human endurance, or activists seeking social change. Being able to sit in Rosa Park's actual bus or wander through Edison's lab — rather than peek at pivotal places from behind a velvet rope — offers a powerful reminder that great ideas and actions can start with anyone.
Where to go
Greenfield Village comprises 83 historic structures including glass and pottery shops and four living history farms spanning 300 years. Wear comfortable walking shoes or catch a ride on a train, horse-drawn carriage, Model T or 1931 bus. The village opens in mid-April and runs through early November seven days a week, plus weekends through Dec. 31.
Buses to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour run six days a week, with pickups from the museum entrance. Visitors can see vehicles previously manufactured here (including the V-8, classic Thunderbird and Mustang) and follow an elevated walkway that looks onto the assembly line for Ford F-150 trucks. An observation deck overlooks the factory's living roof and solar installations. Hands-on experiences include testing up-and-coming smart tools for driving.
Where to eat
Business bustles at Greenfield Village's sizable Eagle Tavern, an 1850 dining experience with candlelit chandeliers, historic attire and menu items such as trout with brown butter, smoked pork with walnut ketchup, hard ciders and pumpkin pie.
There are several additional choices for village dining, including Mrs. Fisher's Southern Cooking with dishes inspired by a former slave who was one of the first African-Americans to write a cookbook and preserve traditional dishes such as roast pork with pepper slaw, collard greens, red beans and rice and chicken breaded in cracker crumbs. Guests can dine on the patio or indoors, lingering for brandy peaches or sweet potato pie (1-313-982-6001; henryford.org).
Ford's Garage, an auto-themed burger-and-beer joint that started near Henry Ford's winter estate by Fort Myers, Fla., also fits the local vibe in downtown Dearborn (1-313-752-3673; fordsgarageusa.com).
Where to sleep
The Dearborn Inn, three blocks from the Henry Ford, includes 229 rooms and was built by Ford in 1931 (1-313-271-2700; marriott.com). There are many chain hotels in the area, as well, many of which offer discount packages for visiting the Henry Ford.
Getting there
Frequent direct flights connect Minneapolis-St. Paul to Detroit, or it's a 10-hour drive from Minneapolis via Chicago. Another option is to drive to Manitowoc, Wis. (five hours via Hwy. 29), and take the S.S. Badger car ferry across Lake Michigan, which is a unique and historic experience on its own (ssbadger.com). Then it's a 4-hour drive from Ludington, Mich., to Detroit.
More info
The Henry Ford Museum: 1-313-982-6001; thehenryford.org.
Visit Detroit: 1-800-338-7648; visitdetroit.com.
St. Cloud-based guidebook author Lisa Meyers McClintick (LisaMcClintick.com) writes travel features for Midwest Living, USA Today, the Star Tribune and other publications.
