Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel

Guests step into the golden age of America's history when they enter the 23 acres of the Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel of Dearborn (Mich.). Designated an historic site in 1983, this retreat was built by Henry Ford in 1931, and features furnishings and fabrics that reproduce the 18th and 19th centuries. Crossing the street, guests can visit the Greenfield Village and the beginning of the Industrial Age, at the country's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex. This 81-acre complex dates back to 1929, when Henry Ford founded it to pay tribute to American inventions and America's past.
At this museum, guests can witness the Wright brothers as they gain access to the skies, or witness Thomas Edison's lab as electric light dawns, then watch costumed re-enactors work on an old-time farm. Special events like candle making and sheep shearing are seasonal. Also on the grounds are replicas of famous homes, including those of Patrick Henry, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman. Guests can tour the complex on foot, on a vintage locomotive, by horse-drawn carriage or even a Model T Ford. Seasonally, an authentic paddle steamer is available for water cruising.

While the setting is distinctly in the past, the amenities of this hotel are conveniently modern, with 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting space with high speed Internet access, and a business center with PCs, printers, faxing and photocopying services. At check-in, guests can select the hotel's "Wired for Business" program, which provides unlimited local and U.S. long-distance calls and high-speed Internet access for one daily fee.

Active guests can enjoy the outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts or a workout in the fitness facility.

Guests can dine in Colonial style in the Early American room, which offers dinners of regional cuisine, or visit the Ten Eyck Tavern for breakfast lunch or dinner of standard American fare. The Golden Eagle Lounge serves beverages and snacks daily.

Each of the 223 guestrooms feature Marriott's Plug in Technology to connect laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras and video game systems to flat screen televisions.