Greenmead Historical Park — Attraction in Livonia

The Sunday tour that I attended was okay. The docents are certainly not well-versed in the history of the individual buildings. Docents in different buildings will tell you conflicting stories and timelines. I assume the only correct information I received came from those docents that religiously referred to their physical handbooks when I asked a question -- those that spoke from memory were useless. But if you just enjoy looking at old buildings, it's easy to look past that failing and just enjoy the walk around.

The open buildings included: Simmons/Hill house (both first and second floor), Farmhand's house (first floor only), Kingsley house (first floor only), Shaw house (first floor only), Newburg school, Newburg church (first floor only), A.J. Geer Store (which has some bottled water and soda for sale, some resale items like antiques for sale, and Greenmead-branded bags for sale), and the DUR station (train station). The Hinbern House is likewise open, but is first floor only and set up as a gift shop. The gift shop is also where you'll purchase your tickets for the tour ($3 per person) and receive your admission sticker that you'll wear so that docents know you're a part of the tour groups. The tour is self-led from one building to another, but the docents do lead you through each building. The Bungalow home was closed the day I attended, but it is regularly open.

The following are not included in the tour: the caretaker's house, the north and south barns, the "blue office" (garage), the meeting house (which is available for rent for private events), the old schoolhouse that doesn't have a sign and is currently cordoned off and in disrepair, the "blue house" (the grand house that they hold events in), and the parsonage for the church.

No photography is allowed within the buildings. Main parking is off Newburgh Road, just south of 8 Mile Rd, in front of the grand "blue house" (which is tan lol), but there is parking available elsewhere in the park. The vast majority of the buildings are not...

I was recently married at Greenmead (Newburgh Church and then reception at Alexander Blue House). Maureen is a very knowledgeable and her number one concern is the integrity of Greenmead. She is willing to do as much as she can with what she is able. The price point is perfect for a rustic feel, and my one piece of advice is make sure you ask as many questions that you can, so that you are not surprised by anything day of your event. Maureen does not work the actual events (on weekends), so make sure you have everything set up and ready to go... I would suggest meeting with the people who are working your event... if you want to iron out any details. Nothing happened that ruined the day, but a few hiccups tainted it a bit for people who were involved in the planning process. Also, I would suggest having all vendors in contact with Maureen, to make sure they are within protocol for the grounds. I had a personal issue with the women working the reception portion, but Maureen was helpful in making sure that it would not happen again. I would for sure have another event here, just be better prepared to ensure that there are no bumps... because when you go through so much, you want it to go perfectly. I am very happy overall, and would recommend this beautiful place for anyone to have a...

We took our third and fourth grade classes on a field trip. We spent the morning in the school house. Greenmead provided us with reference materials and period texts so that we could present lessons from the 1920s. Of course, we actually spent a great deal of the time answering the children's questions about what school was like back then! Fortunately, I was adequately prepared from having read the material, and one of our chaperones was also quite knowledgeable about one-room schoolhouse! It was the best sort of experience, where the children could lead their own learning!

Then we toured four of the buildings on-site, and the docents were highly knowledgeable and great with the kids. Everyone from planning to the end of our trip was friendly, helpful, and organized. We had time constraints because of when the bus had to be back to do its normal route, so we could not stay as long as I would have liked, but everyone helped keep us on schedule!

I highly recommend a trip to Greenmead. It's much more focused and personal than a trip to Greenfield Village, and less walking!

If you're just taking a tour on the weekend,...