Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is one of the largest and most respected fine art museums in the United States, with a permanent collection of over 65,000 works spanning ancient Egyptian art through 21st-century contemporary. The museum opened in 1885 and moved to its current Beaux Arts building on Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit in 1927. The Diego Rivera Detroit Industry murals in the central court — 27 frescoes commissioned in 1932 — are the museum's signature work and a National Historic Landmark.

Admission is free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties (funded by a regional millage approved in 2012 and renewed since). Tri-county residents simply show ID at the door. Non-residents pay regular admission. Beyond the permanent collection, the DIA programs special exhibitions, free public lectures, the Detroit Film Theatre (independent and classic film screenings), Friday Night Live (free music and drinks the first Friday of each month), and the annual Drawing Together community art project.

Practical notes: parking is in the DIA's underground lot on Farnsworth Street or in the multiple Midtown public structures within a few blocks. The QLINE streetcar's DIA / Wayne State stop is at the museum's front door. The DIA's CaféDIA serves lunch with a curated rotating menu; the Kresge Court is the building's central indoor courtyard with seating and rotating food service. Photography is allowed in most galleries (no flash); some special exhibitions restrict cameras.