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2023 New: What To Do When it’s Raining in Metro Detroit

If you are looking for What To Do When it’s Raining in Metro Detroit, then here are some ideas. Places to visit as well as fun at home activities for you and your family.

What To Do When it's Raining

Top Ten Places to Visit in Metro Detroit on a Rainy Day

  1. Detroit Institute of Arts
    (DIA) – 5200 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202,
    Phone: (313) 833-7900,
    Website: www.dia.org,
    Price: General admission is free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.
    Non-residents: $14 for adults, $9 for seniors and college students, $8 for youth ages 6-17, and free for children 5 and under.
  2. Michigan Science Center
    5020 John R St, Detroit, MI 48202
    Phone: (313) 577-8400
    Website: www.mi-sci.org
    Price: General admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, $13 for youth ages 2-12, and free for children under 2.
  3. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan
    4240 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
    Phone: (866) 622-0605
    Website: www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/michigan
    Price: Tickets start at $19.95 per person.
  4. Sea Life Michigan Aquarium
    4316 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
    Phone: (248) 409-6009
    Website: www.visitsealife.com/michigan
    Price: Tickets start at $19.95 per person.
  5. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum
    31005 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
    Phone: (248) 626-5020
    Website: www.marvin3m.com
    Price: Admission is free, but bring quarters for the arcade games.
  6. Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
    220 E Ann St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
    Phone: (734) 995-5439
    Website: www.aahom.org
    Price: General admission is $12.50 for adults and children over 2, $5 after 5pm on Thursdays, and free for children under 2.
  7. Escape Room Novi
    44325 12 Mile Rd, Novi, MI 48377
    Phone: (248) 308-2505
    Website: www.escaperoomnovi.com
    Price: Tickets start at $28 per person.
  8. AirTime Trampoline & Game Park
    Multiple locations
    Website: www.airtimetrampoline.com
    Price: Prices vary by location, but start at $16 per hour for jump time.
  9. Go Bowling – Check out some of the amazing bowling alleys all around metro Detroit including Bowlero Lanes in Royal Oak or Classic Lanes in Rochester Hills. Or check out the Kids Bowl FREE program that runs each summer.
  10. Emagine Theatres
    Multiple locations
    Website: www.emagine-entertainment.com
    Price: Prices vary by location, but start at $11 for matinee tickets and $14 for evening tickets. Emagine also offers special throughout the year, like their Winter Kids Series for just $3 per ticket and also 5 Dollar Ticket Tuesdays .

10 Ideas: What To Do When it’s Raining in Metro Detroit

  1. Go Bowling – Check out some of the amazing bowling alleys all around metro Detroit including Bowlero Lanes in Royal Oak or Classic Lanes in Rochester Hills. Or check out the Kids Bowl FREE program that runs each summer.
  2. Visit an Indoor Play Space – There are so many amazing indoor play spaces in metro Detroit, however some of our favorites include: Under The Sea – Indoor Playground in Troy, Kidcadia in Dearborn and Stemville in Northville.
  3. Burn off some energy at a Bounce House or Trampoline Park. Chances are, if you are stuck inside, then the kids are going to want to run and around, jump and climb. Some of our favorite places to jump and climb include: Urban Air Adventure Park in Sterling Heights, Defy Detroit Commerce Township, as well as Sky Zone Canton.
  4. Visit a museum – Whether you are interested in art, science or history, metro Detroit has you covered. Some great places to check out that you may not have considered: Yankee Air Museum– Belleville, The Historic Ford House, as well as the Michigan Firehouse Museum.
  5. Visit an Indoor Waterpark – If your children are like mine, a visit to the waterpark is the perfect cure for a rainy day. While we have a few nicer waterparks like The Hawk in Farmington Hills, a day trip to Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel & Water Park is well worth the visit. If you can plan ahead, then we recommend Great Wolf Lodge – Traverse City and Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park – Boyne Mountain as two great staycation ideas for families.
  6. What to do when it’s raining? Create some art – We love that there are so many new businesses dedicated to allowing children to explore their creativy. Check out The Bee’s Knees Pottery in Northville, The Art Shack in St. Clair Shores and also Arts and Scraps in Detroit.
  7. Play your favorite Sport – You can find so many places to drop in and play your favorite sport in Metro Detroit. check out local ice arena’s for ice skating, or check out High Velocity Sports in Canton Township.
  8. Visit a local library – Metro Detroit is home to some amazing libraries, with even more impressive children’s areas. The Troy Public Library is home to a fantastic children’s section. Not only do they have a great section of books across many different genre’s and reading levels, they also have an entire section dedicated to Universal Access.
  9. Check out a Gymnastics Center – most gymnastic centers offer open gym times. Some of our favorites include Troy Gymnastics, American Gymnastics in Chesterfield, and The Ninja’s Edge in Plymouth.
  10. Drop in for some Climbing Fun – For the ultimate challenge, check out a local rock climbing gym like Planet Rock, DYNO or Gripz Gym.

What To Do at Home When it’s Raining

  1. Have a dance party at home. You can use Amazon Prime (try it for free here) and create the perfect kids dance party channel.  Kids can use scarfs, balloons, ribbons, and other props during their dancing.  Parents can join in too, it is the perfect time to strut your stuff and bond.
  2. Build an obstacle course in your living room. Use cushions, step stools, laundry baskets, whatever you can find, to create an indoor obstacle course for your children.  You can also use masking tape or washi tape on the floor as part of the course. (either as a tightrope, hopscotch, shapes to jump into or avoid).  You can have the children take turns and time them to see who is the fastest or see if they can beat their own quickest time.  Children can do the course forward, backward, on one foot, they can tiptoe, crawl, be creative and have fun.
  3. Build a fort. One of our favorite things to do when it is raining. I remember spending hours upon hours in my blanket for under the kitchen table.  It was the coolest thing ever to me.  But, the best memories were when my mom or dad joined in the fun and climbed inside with me.
  4. Pretend to Ice Skate. If you have hard floors, invite the children to put on socks and pretend to skate.  If you only have carpet, you can place plastic bags around their feet.
  5. Play a game that requires movement. There are so many fun games to play. Try Simon Says, Duck Duck Goose, Mother May I, Follow the Leader, and also Hopscotch. Don’t Let the Balloon Touch the Floor, Hide and Seek as well as Hot Potato are some of our favorites.  Find tons of great games here: http://www.gameskidsplay.net/
  6. Bake something delicious. Find your favorite recipe and get baking. Cooking with your kids teaching them so many valuable lessons. Plus… when you are done, you get to eat!
  7. Invite a friend and their child over for a playdate. Nothing is better for changing up the pace like having a friend over to pass the time. It is a win-win for you and your child.
  8. Quiet time activities. If you are asking yourself what should I do when it’s raining? Then try some of my favorite quiet time activties include puzzles, reading, and arts & crafts. We have a stash of art supplies ready to go whenever we need a boredom buster.
  9. Hide and Seek. This is a favorite in our house when it’s raining. Especially when an adult is helping the children find creative places to hide. If you don’t want to hide people, you can also hide an item (or a few items).
  10. Lip Sync Battle or Karaoke. Youtube has unlimited resources of songs with lyrics as well as some decent karaoke tracks. If you love music like we do, this can keep your family busy for hours.
Amber Louchart
Author: Amber Louchart

Amber is the proud mother to four beautiful children, Damian (27), Rosaleigh (14), Carlyn (11), and Naomi (8). Her family also includes four cats. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and feels blessed to be able to care for her children full-time and provide them with so many opportunities through Metro Detroit Mommy. In addition to Metro Detroit Mommy, Amber has a passion for hosting karaoke with Malibu Entertainment.  She enjoys the metro Detroit nightlife especially, singing, dancing and meeting new people.