When Dale and I first planned our vacation to Kalamazoo and Chicago we didn’t really have any specific plans. We just knew we wanted to go and we’d play the rest by ear. But then, one day while riding in the car, I happened to read an article about a special Beatles exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Now, it’s a well known fact that my geography sucks but I couldn’t help but wonder just how far Dearborn might be from Kalamazoo. After a few texts with Kym and some itinerary adjusting we made a plan to include a trip to the Henry Ford as part of our visit.
And boy are we glad we did!
Our purpose was to see The Magical History Tour, an exhibit of Beatles memorabilia. Purported to be the most comprehensive Beatles exhibition ever assembled, it did not disappoint.
There’s Beatles music playing throughout and so much stuff! Instruments and clothing, signed autographs and never-before-seen photographs.
There’s a reproduction of their stage at the Cavern Club and they even have John Lennon’s personal juke box. It was very very cool, especially for Dale, a life long fan of the band.
But! There’s so much more to do and see at this museum!
We saw Mustang #1 from 1965. It sure is pretty!
And we saw Blue Bird #1, what is most likely the first school bus ever.
And I sat in the actual bus that Rosa Parks was in when she refused to move her seat. I just love when history comes alive like that.
We also saw, but didn’t photographed, the chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, the car JFK was riding in when he was assasinated, a bed that George Washington slept in during the Revolutionary War, and so much more.
For a couple of history junkies like us this museum was a fantastic experience.
that exhibit looks like it was curated just for y’all! what a wonderful, eclectic mix of memories and history!
It’s nice to see how the Henry Ford Museum has grown and expanded. I remember going there on vacation in the 60s and being confused about why we had driven more than 500 miles to see old cars and a replica of Independence Hall when we lived only 40 miles away from the real Independence Hall. I would have been much more enthusiastic about a Beatles exhibit!
Thanks for sharing – I’ve always wanted to see it. Oh, and yes, I must fess up that we lived in Lansing, MI (between Kalamazoo and Detroit) for 5 years while DH was in graduate school. It’s just that we were church mice poor then. I’ve never been to Detroit. le sigh!
Fascinating! I don’t know which is cooler…the Mustang or the bus!
I didn’t even know all of that was in the Henry Ford Museum. I thought it was all about Fords and nothing else. Cool!!
It has been eons since I have visited the museum, I think the last time I was there was a field trip with one of my kids in elementary school! It certainly has grown!
What a cool museum! I love the first school bus and the Mustang!
How neat that they have the bus Rosa Parks rode, and that you can sit in it!!
This is great. I was hoping there would be more after I saw your Rosa Parks pic on IG. Don’t know that I’ll ever make it there, but it is a slice of Americana to see all the cars, etc. Thanks for sharing about it.
When we were there last year, our docent told us that Obama sat in Rosa Parks’ seat when he visited the museum.
Did you see the Presidential limos?
You and Obama and Rosa–what a trio! 1965 was a great year for cars…Mustang, GTO and on and on.
This sounds great. I’ve driven through that part of the country and never even considered going to that museum–I assumed it was all about car engines! Which is what happens when you assume. Thanks for sharing this!