Under $100: Detroit, Michigan

© Elisa Domenick

Start your morning in the city of Motown off right with breakfast at Farmer’s Restaurant. Service is friendly and fast, and the prices are just right. Splurge on the Farmer’s Special: ham, bacon, sausage, two eggs any style, grits or hash browns and toast, all for $5.25, and coffee is just a dollar.

Burn off breakfast with some sightseeing by starting at Detroit’s waterfront, known as River Walk. There is plenty do to any time of year: Take a tour, visit the Eastern Market, ride the carousel and check out the live music and festivals in the warmer months. Activities and events happen year-round, so check out the Plan Your Trip section on the website. Be sure to get photos of The Spirit of Detroit and the Joe Louis Monument while you’re down there and check out the views of Canada across the river.

For a dose of history and culture, check out the Detroit Institute of Arts. Founded in 1885, the DIA’s collection is among the top six in the United States, comprising a multicultural and multinational survey of human creativity from prehistory through the 21st century. Admission is $8 for adults. Then head over to the Motown Museum, which is home to an extensive array of Motown artifacts, photographs and other memorabilia. The Museum’s mission is to preserve the legacy of Motown Record Company and to educate and motivate people, especially youth. Admission for adults is $12–15. No trip to the Motor City would be complete without a visit to the Henry Ford Museum or the Automotive Hall of Fame to learn how the city became what was once the motor capital of the world. Admission is $18 and $8 respectively.

After you’ve spent the day feeding your brain, feed your stomach with a Detroit staple, a Coney Island Hot Dog. A Coney Dog is a natural-casing beef hot dog, topped with an all-meat, beanless chili and diced or chopped white onions, with one or two stripes of yellow mustard, and is a fixture in the area. There are many places to get one, but at Lafayette Coney Island you’ll be joining the ranks of Eminem, Kid Rock and Drew Barrymore, to name a few, who have all eaten award-winning hot dogs from here. At just $2.35 a dog, you can fill up on as many as you like, and be sure to wash it down with a Vernors or a Faygo “pop” to complete your Detroit culinary experience like a local.

Get a taste of Detroit’s nightlife at Cliff Bell’s,one of the oldest jazz clubs in the city. From the lavish art deco interior to the classic drinks, with no exception to the jazz streaming through the club, this classy joint keeps thing kicking six days a week. If dive bars are more your style, then head to Nancy Whisky in the hip neighborhood of Corktown. This bar survived prohibition and even had its own speakeasy at one point. The friendly bartenders will make you feel at home while serving cheap drinks (Whiskey Wednesdays feature one dollar PBRs and $3 Jamesons), and the live blues music on weekends is not to be missed.