2 Michigan Car Shows Named Top-10 in the Nation

They don't call Detroit the Motor City for nothin'.

Ford, General Motors and Chevrolet were all born in Michigan. The center line of the highway and the tri-colored traffic light were invented here. Those stand as just a few reasons that Michigan and the Detroit area hold such exceptional pride for the automotive history engrained in our slice of the United States.

Of course, vehicles - be it cars, trucks, ATVs or motorcycles - much like music, has a taste for everyone with the slightest bit of interest. Seemingly everyone has a favorite make, model or function when it comes to how they get from point A to point B.

We all know someone who takes joy in getting covered in oil and grease to make those fine tunings to performance. Others take the utmost care in the appearance of their vehicle.

Regardless of the rhyme or reason, those gearheads can take further pride in Michigan's recognition for providing two quality events for passionate motorists. USA Today's 10Best featured car shows this week and Michigan made the list twice. Only California made the list as many times, though that was to open the list.

Michigan took the middle range, with two Detroit-area shows taking the 6th and 5th rankings.

At No. 6, USA Today named the Woodward Dream Cruise. Since 1995, this show happens once a year, hosting some 40,000 classic cars and 1 million attendees. That's enough to be recognized as the largest single-day automotive event in the world.

The show lasts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. across a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue passing through a number of metro-Detroit areas including Pontiac, Birmingham and Royal Oak. This year's event is on August 19. The event is completely free to attend. Details on the show are available on the Woodward Dream Cruise website.

Get our free mobile app

Coming at No. 5 is the monthly Cars & Coffee event in Pontiac, Michigan, at M1 Concourse. On the first Saturday morning of every month, the concourse is loaded with classic rides, great coffee and a community environment that feels like Pure Michigan.

Each event is themed, with the coffee and cars matching the theme. Next week's theme on May 6 is GM Brands and Black Ghost, which sounds right up my ally. The event is held from 8 until 11 a.m. and is always free to attend. Details on the monthly event can be found on the M1 Concourse website.

You can check out the full top 10 list from USA Today here.