Detroit’s front porch has the awards to prove it. The Detroit Riverwalk has been voted the best riverwalk in America three years in a row in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice awards, and the paved path along the Detroit River keeps growing toward its full 5.5-mile vision from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle.
The east riverfront stretch links some of the city’s happiest scenes: the carousel and glass pavilion at Cullen Plaza, the wetlands and lighthouse views of Milliken State Park and Harbor, fishing piers, playgrounds and the Dequindre Cut greenway heading inland. In 2023, the Uniroyal Promenade closed a key gap, and new segments and parks continue to open along the west riverfront, including the sweeping green lawns of Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
It’s free, it’s open year-round, and at golden hour — freighters passing, Windsor’s skyline across the water, downtown glowing behind you — it’s simply the best seat in the city. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy posts events and updates at detroitriverfront.org.
