This Saturday, September 21st the American Association of University Women Northville-Novi Branch will be putting on their annual Tour of Homes. From 10am-4pm you can visit 6 homes with construction and interior design spanning 3 centuries in and around Historic Downtown Northville. Compare classic Victorian-Era architecture to that of today’s. Each home will have representatives from the AAUW to guide you through and point out interesting facts and features. All for just $20! For more information, visit the AAUW’s site here.

Located adjacent to Ford Field Park in downtown Northville, Mill Race Historical Village is a charming enclave of preserved 19th century buildings along with a couple of accurate reproductions. The site was originally a grist mill and then later a Ford factory.  In 1972 the site was donated to the City of Northville.

You enter Mill Race by crossing a rustic wooden bridge. There are different styles of homes and buildings including a school, church, and several homes. The setting is quiet, slow, and immensely calming as the history of each structure walks you backwards in time. I’m reminded of Greenfield Village but on a vastly smaller scale and without the crowds and rides.

Community features like this help make living in Northville so enjoyable. From nearby homes, you can walk to places like Ford Field Park’s play structure and fields, downtown shops and restaurants, or stroll through an architectural museum.

To learn more about Mill Race Historical Village, you can visit their website here.

Now open, the Comerica Community Connection project transformed a 19th century building into a downtown arcade that links Main St. businesses with an existing parking area. The façade of the building was restored to historic preservation standards while the interior possesses an outdoor open-air feel thanks to the windows above and the reclaimed brick wall. I can’t imagine a project like this was easy to bring to life so congratulations to those involved. I hope you are planning to do something with all that valuable wall space next…

One issue that many downtown Northville and Plymouth businesses face is the availability of nearby parking for customers and employees. Although it’s usually possible to find on-street parking during the daytime, evenings can be difficult. And as new businesses continue to open or expand with sidewalk cafes, etc., the demands on available parking continue to increase.

In downtown Northville, there is a new walkway under construction that provides better access to Main St. from a large surface parking lot.  Due to open in several weeks, the covered walkway will be a welcome convenience to all those that frequent downtown Northville’s shops and restaurants.

The City of Northville, Michigan offers residents and visitors a charming, relaxing return to small town America with its shops, restaurants, and events. Mill Race Village in downtown Northville located off Griswold Street was created in 1972 by the Northville Historical Society. The village showcase homes and buildings that were common to the area prior to 1900. Once the site of a grist mill, the village consists of an inn, blacksmith shop, school, church, gazebo, rustic wooden bridge, Interurban station and several homes reminiscent of an era gone by. For more information go to Mill Race Village, please visit their website at: