Start planning a weekend full of family fun with the top kid-friendly things to do in Metro Detroit this weekend!
- Start Making Plans: 10 Best Kid-Friendly Downtown Areas In Metro Detroit
- GIVEAWAY: Enter to win a FREE Membership To The Detroit Zoo
- NOW OPEN: Bombshell Treat Bar Opens In Berkley
- Spring Adventures: 10 Mud-Free Parks Your Kids Will Love
- ANNOUNCED: LittleGuide Detroit Teams Up With Children’s Hospital of Michigan for FREE Family Safety Day This Summer
- When: Friday – Sunday
- Where: John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids
John Ball Zoo is a gem and during the Lantern Festival it glows. The lantern festival features handcrafted Asian lantern displays that illuminate a pathway through the entire zoo, telling the intersecting story of wildlife and Asian culture. Throughout the walk you can stop to get photos with displays (including Chinese Zodiac sign and angel wings), stop for bubble fun, sneak off to the illuminated play area and more.
- When: Saturday & Sunday
- Where: Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak
This weekend-long festival features a sustainable vendor market, a variety of plant-based food trucks, live music, education stations and eco-friendly activities, including crafts, showcases from local environmental organizations, a scavenger hunt and much more. Come early and enjoy a “poo-sitively” exciting prize! The first 250 groups to enter the Zoo on each event date will take home a 2-gallon bucket of Zoo Poo – compost created from waste collected at the Zoo, including manure, bedding and food waste! This event is free for members and included with Detroit Zoo admission.
Earth Day Celebration – Mini Maestros Family Concert
- When: Saturday, 9:30am to 11:30am
- Where: The War Memorial, Grosse Pointe Farms
Celebrate Earth Day and the arrival of Spring with singer songwriter, Joe Reilly and friends in a program of environmental songs for kids of all ages. Move, dance, and allow yourself to become the animals, plants, and water in the music!
FREE Healthy Kids Day @ The YMCA
- When: Saturday, 10am to 1pm
- Where: The YMCA, Royal Oak/Detroit/Milford/Farmington
The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is hosting FREE community events for Healthy Kids Day at 4 locations on Saturday, April 20th. Pre-register for your preferred time and location:
- South Oakland Family YMCA – 10am to 12pm
- Boll Family YMCA – 11am to 1pm
- Carls Family Y – 11am to 1pm
- Farmington Family YMCA – 11am to 1pm
Free Admission @ Detroit Historical Museum
- When: Saturday, 10am to 5pm
- Where: Detroit Historical Museum, Detroit
The 1935–36 seasons were a special time for Detroit’s athletes, teams and especially, Detroit sports fans. The Detroit Tigers won the World Series, Joe Louis was the boxing champion, the Detroit Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup, and the Detroit Lions won their first National Championship.
- When: Saturday, 11am to 3pm
- Where: Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Township
Celebrate Earth Day early at the Institute and engage in fun nature and conservation-based activities for all ages. Hands-on activities include Design, build and test a device to help remove plastics from the Great Lakes
Craft a recycled creation to take home; Learn about the science behind soil erosion with our water sprayer
Experience a seed’s first sprout; Learn about the importance of pollinators with a fun pollination game
Create your own germination kit; Test different strategies to clean an oil spill; Embark on an indoor-outdoor nature-themed scavenger hunt and more! Activities are FREE with the purchase of general admission.
- When: Saturday, 11am to 4pm
- Where: Belle Isle Nature Center, Detroit
This free celebration features outdoor activities, nature hikes, earth-friendly crafts and opportunities to participate in citizen science initiatives that support clean waterways. Green Day will also feature local conservation specialists, who will illustrate the benefits of green initiatives through an assortment of artistic and educational demonstrations.
- When: Saturday, 10am to 2pm
- Where: Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center, Shelby Township
Enjoy live bluegrass music by the Balduck Mountain Ramblers, meet live animal ambassadors and learn how you can be kind to wildlife. There will also be eco-friendly crafts, educational stations, story time, face-painting and scheduled guided hikes. Shop small at the Local Artisan Market and stay for a tree planting ceremony at noon. Registration preferred for this FREE family event.
- When: Saturday, 12pm to 3pm
- Where: Nankin Mills Interpretive Center, Westland
Head to the Nankin Mills Recreation Area in Westland for a fun FREE event! There will be games, crafts, activities, inflatables, and more!
- When: Saturday, 10:30am to 12:30pm
- Where: Greenmead Historical Park, Livonia
Join us for a family-friendly hands-on encounter for Earth Day at Greenmead Historical Park, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20, with Dan the Creature Man! Stick around for an Earth Day themed activity for the kids! The cost per resident is $15 and $20 for non-residents. Advanced registration is required.
Earth Day @ Howell Nature Center
- When: Saturday, 10m to 5pm
- Where: Howell Nature Center
Stop by the Welcome Center to receive a complimentary Earth Day craft, & scavenger hunt activity! Enjoy the Wild Wonders Wildlife Park and our Nature Scape. All activities are included with your day admission to the park! General admission: $8 per adult $6.
Earth Day Celebration & Nature Hikes
- When: Saturday, 10:30am to 1:30pm
- Where: Drayton Plains Nature Center, Waterford
Celebrate the planet by exploring the wonderful variety of ecosystems on display, including oak forests, open ponds, riverside floodplain forests, and natural prairie with Six Rivers Land Conservancy.
- When: Saturday, 11:30am to 12:30pm
- Where: For-Mar Nature Preserve (Burton)
It’s Earth Day! Let’s celebrate together, join us for Earth Day themed stories, hikes, and crafts. Let’s take a hike and explore how we can be a superhero for nature! We will take a page from Dendro the Defender’s book and learn what we can do to help our urban forests. Come for the hike, stay for the community resources and Book Fair! Pre-registration is required.
- When: Saturday, 10am to 1pm
- Where: Lowes (multiple locations)
Kick-off spring with your little builder as they create a garden cart planter. Kids can grow new skills and take home a fun garden project just in time to start some seeds!
Free Admission @ The Ford House
- When: Sunday, 9am to 6pm
- Where: The Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores
The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is opening its doors for Community Appreciation Day from 9am to 6pm. Have family fun along Lake St. Clair while touring the grounds and the house.
Free Admission @ Dossin Great Lakes Museum
- When: Sunday, 10am to 3pm
- Where: Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Detroit
Explore our newest exhibition Microplastics: Here, There, Everywhere and join in crafts and activities related to the history of the Detroit River and its importance to both humans and animals. We will also welcome some special guests- sea lampreys! Learn about their lives in the river and take the opportunity to greet them with a gentle hello.
- When: Sunday, 1pm to 4pm
- Where: Southfield Civic Center
Sensory sensitive hour is from 1p-2p (reduced lighting and sound). Big trucks little trucks, emergency vehicles, demonstrations, drones, and more. It’s free
- When: Sunday, 10am to 4pm
- Where: Johnson Nature Center, Bloomfield Hills
Enjoy a magical day with unique vendors, food truck, face painting, canoeing and other family-friendly activities. The Whimsical Woodland Festival is a celebration of our Earth and community. All proceeds support our outdoor classroom thanks to Friends of Johnson Nature Center. Volunteer “Builders” create fairy or gnome homes, establishing a whimsical neighborhood of small structures built out of natural materials from the environment. Suggested $5 donation.
Sensory Swim: Goldfish Swim School
- When: Sunday, 2pm to 3pm
- Where: Goldfish Swim School, West Bloomfield
Everyone deserves the chance to have fun in the water, which is why we are proud to announce that we will be hosting this Sensory Swim Event to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month! We’ve taken extra precaution to minimize overstimulation by turning down the lights, turning off the music, and reducing the pool capacity to help provide a calmer environment for our attendees. So join us on April 21st and make waves at this free event!
Photo: Howell Nature Center
