So much history here! The artistic features are so well done! Flint should be very proud--wish I…read morehad seen it sooner!

I brought a family member here for their appointment…read more We arrived 15 minutes early. Check in was quickly and efficient. There were just a handful of people in line ahead of them. Their appointment was handled with courtesy and politeness. We were out of there before the actual appointment time. This was 5 star service and efficiency.

Great for any history buff…read more Tours through this beautiful historic home in Flint are always a treat. Walking through Whaley House is like taking a step back in time. It's beautiful and contains so many lovely object d' art and grand furnishings from years ago that you feel moved by the way the house and its rich history temporarily transport you to a bygone era when Flint was king of the burgeoning automotive and lumber industries and the docents do an excellent job of regaling patrons with old stories and little anecdotes about Whaley's history. It's like a walking, interactive history lesson! It's a real showcase of Flint's history. This stately, Gilded Age home, named after the prominent Whaley family, is filled with period furnishings and artifacts from its heyday. Walking tours are held regularly and the Christmas tour is one of the best things going on in Flint. It's a real treat for any lover of history or architecture. The home has been lovingly maintained throughout the years and has been open as a public museum for many years. I fondly remember going on walking tours of Whaley House when I was a child. Tours are reasonably priced, designed for a family-friendly budget. It's a great little museum for both kids and adults alike. Donations are always welcome as Whaley House is always undergoing some type of preservation to main the original structure.

This beautiful Gilded Age home showcases Flint's history in a family friendly way! I am a big…read morehistory buff and there is always something new to see because they rotate their exhibits. The house itself is full of artifacts and on tours the docents do an amazing job of bringing the past to life. The entire first floor of the home is handicap accessible (which is great since some historic houses aren't!) and it my group of fifteen people felt very well taken care of. The first time I went to the house was last fall during the House in Mourning program. It was very educational, and it was interesting to learn about how Victorian customs have carried over to today. The house even attracted actor William Ragsdale (from CSI, Justified, Desperate Housewives, Herman's Head) to visit when he was in Flint for the Zombie Walk. That was totally cool! I also visited last December and the house was decorated for Christmas. It's amazing to see this beautiful home full of twinkling lights - you feel just like you are in Dickens' A Christmas Carol! I brought my family to take our Christmas picture in front of the big tree in the front parlor and it was gorgeous. They even co-sponsor a vintage baseball team in the summer that plays by historical regulations with authentic uniforms. There truly is something for everyone! I plan to visit again on a Saturday for a tour and then have lunch downtown with my husband for a date. It's a great place to take a picture with your sweetie. :-)

Around here, you don't get Kidney Stones. You get something way worse. From the water. You get…read moreFlint-Stones. You lose your wilma to live, and your life ends up in rubble. It comes out of nowhere like Bam! Bam! Then the Flint stones turn to Jelly, and you have Jelly Stones. Bad times. 5 stars for the city, the people, the spirit, the working class mentality, the real America. 1 star for what they've done to the city, the people, the spirit, the working class Americans. The 1% will someday pay for their crimes. We all know what you are and what you have done to all of us. Of course we all know what happened here with the water. I want to give them one star for poisoning their people and killing so many people but Buffalo has been doing the same thing and I gave them five stars and nobody even knows about it. The city itself is pretty dangerous in parts and pretty cool in others. It's a nice Michigan city that has some redeeming qualities. But almost everything is made with water so how do you not drink the water? Let's be real here. It's in f***ing everything Flint is an old relic of the past with a lot of problems not least the one that you read about regarding the water. I've always enjoyed driving through here and the diners and the food stands. It's like old time America but has a lot of the problems of new time America and in particular industrial America. Now I'm in like flint, time to get out of this review before the water gets me.

Spent a few days recently... Loved the people I encountered…read moreand met. Real, working class. Of course the city has numerous issues (abandonment, water, poverty, crime). There is also quality places to stay, terrific bars. Looking forward to yearly visits.

I had a group of friends going for the Skies Over Michigan show they have running currently and I…read morewas debating between going vs taking a nap. Luckily I didn't have to choose between the two because the thing was a SNOOZEFEST (literally multiple of us fell asleep). What was particularly annoying about the show is that very little had to do with astrology and instead was heavily focused on Greek mythology, which is neat and all, but not at all what the name of the show implied or what you would expect to get at a planetarium. It was also bizarrely presented live (instead of a recording) and while the presenter was decent, he stumbled a few times. Seems super odd they wouldn't just have a well-run, recorded show. A couple positives: 1. The show ended with a rollercoaster ride immersive experience, which we all agreed was the best part 2. The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can get little souvenirs for as little as $0.50 (I know this because I did). Maybe our expectations were too high, but I definitely wouldn't recommend the planetarium based on our experience.

Who knew Flint had a planetarium? I sure didn't until recently. When we came up here to spend the…read moreweekend in Flint to check out stuff, I realized it was immediately next door to the Flint Art Museum and less then a mile from our hotel. Both John X and I were ecstatic to go see it! Admission isn't all that much, and is discounted if you live in Genesee County. Since neither of us do, I think it was $7 a person to see the shows. They have shows literally every hour on the hour, each with different themes throughout the day, and they seem to rotate them often and frequently. We got there after 5 PM and we couldn't remember which show was next. We initially wanted to see the skies over Michigan, but they only had a 3 PM showing which we weren't able to watch since we were busy doing other stuff. The show we ended up watching was about the James Webb Telescope that launches on Christmas eve and is supposed to be kind of a big deal. As professional nerds, we were very excited about this. Okay, maybe me more then anyone else, but space and science is cool. The guy who lead the 45 minute show gave us tons of info and really did a great explanation of the telescope and he even said he had a graduate degree, so obviously he knows his stuff about space. Very informative and well worth the time and money spent here. The seats in the auditorium are super comfy and lean all the way back, for optimal viewing experience. I will also say, try not to fall asleep during the show! It's just so relaxing and fun when here. I will say, they do have a great lobby area, but we were hoping for more museum stuff. It's more of a waiting area for the shows with some displays and such but not much else. You could stare at the stuff in all of about 15 minutes, so don't plan on spending much time doing that. What I do like about the Planetarium is that it's geared for all ages and not *just* to kids. They have kid shows I'm sure, but it was nice to have "adult time" and not have to tune out screaming children during a show. Definitely an all ages experience!

my Grandchildren absolutely love this place. when I take them, we are here for hours!!read more

I took my 4grand daughters on April 1. Started off a great experience until a family came in with…read moreboys around 8 years of age. They were out of control. Throwing items from the grocery store, climbing and jumping on things , hitting each other with animals from the vet center, taking the mail from post office and throwing all over. Parents on cell phones not watching. When I informed staff member so no one got hurt, she acted like it was no big deal. We left because I didn't want my grandchildren to get hurt beca of this allowed behavior in the museum. What a shame that all staff sat at the desk chit chatting instead of stopping this behavior so everyone else could enjoy their day too.

If you've never visited the grounds of the C.S. Mott Estate, you probably should at some point in…read moreyour life. One of the most attractive and well-maintained properties in Genesee County, if not all of Flint, the estate is home to a rather lovely apple orchard and gorgeous gardens. If you're into horticulture/gardening on any level, then you will love the grounds. Occasionally, there are events hosted on-site for the public and I believe those are usually free. If you're any kind of Flint historian, you will note that a couple of scenes from Michael Moore's well-known documentary, Roger and Me, were shot on the estate. Here in Flint, we have the patronage and generosity of the Mott family to thank for many of our treasures in the cultural center and the family's donation of the Mott Estate is no exception. The C.S. Mott Estate is a definite must on any sightseeing tour around the city for tourists and is a cool place to visit from time to time for any local. It's definitely a bit of "local flavor" around these parts.

If you are in the Flint area and do not take advantage of the free weekend tours of the Applewood…read moreEstate, you are missing out. The Mott family has (and continues to) enriched the area so much through their generosity and dedication to the people of Flint. The estate and tours are just one example of how they do this. The tours of the house and garden are free (with reservations) during the warmer months. The docents are very friendly and knowledgeable and do their best to give visitors a feel for the family's charitable contributions to the area over the years. The house is warm and welcoming - the absolute opposite of the Biltmore Estate in almost every way. I, for one, view this as a great thing. Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous home but far more modest in scale and design than most of the other historic estates I have visited. You get a real sense of how the family lived - the guides will tell you during the tour that the home was designed for living rather than as a way to show off the family's wealth. The grounds are open to tour without reservations, but I strongly recommend making a reservation so that you get the most out of your time there. Very close to the Flint Art Institute (another local jewel).

I came here on a field trip with the littles. This was a place we had always intended on visiting,…read moreand well, I am finally here. It is like a small Greenfield Village, but smaller and way less expensive, except for the train, which is a bit pricey, but they ride is quite long. Not too many places for kids to eat during the field trip, so that was a downfall. I would have liked to have looked around the ice cream and treat area, sounded yummy. Most of the kids liked the train ride, but it was a bit long for the littles, they got bored. I enjoyed going around the area, it was fun for me. The kids then got to see a comedy magic show. They absolutely loved it, I have never heard small children laugh out loud so much, so please let the gentleman in the picture who performed know he now has many new fans. We were able to walk around about two small buildings before we had to leave, so I did not get to see much more. My child enjoyed our time there and would like to visit again. For me, it was fun, but I don't know if I need to come back except if my other child wants to check it out.

Watched my very first Halloween dance off in the apple cider barn, involving my very own 8 yr old…read moreson. Had a blast and who don't love their doughnuts

It is not worth it for the money. You pay a general cost for the regular museum which could use…read moresome help as it is crowded in the children's hands on area and lackluster in the other areas. Then you have to pay extra for the special exhibit which is not noted on their website. For 4 adults and a 6 year old it was over $100 for a lack luster museum. Would rather spend my money in Detroit or Grand Rapids.

While up here last December, I discovered this gem while visiting the Art Museum directly across…read morethe street. It was closed for renovations and I wasn't able to visit at the time, so I made a point of stopping in while in the area. This seems to be a family friendly museum with a large kids area for them to explore. There's also a large area of Flint's history with logging, automotive, General Motors and cars. Also, I didn't have to pay since I wasn't a Genesee county resident? Otherwise I think it's $12 to get in if you are. The car exhibit is fabulous to look at. It's pretty much General Motors since it was a major Flint employer for many years. Overall I didn't spend more than a half an hour here cruising through the place. I thought there would be more, but there wasn't. I was hoping to have spent at least an hour but couldn't pull it off. No, I didn't read every single sign because not everything here appeals to me, but it is a good spot to learn and expand your horizons at.