If Detroit has slipped off your meeting and leisure travel calendar, it’s time to reconsider. The dynamic river city is reestablishing itself as a magnetic destination, beginning with a full restoration of its iconic David Whitney Building. Built in 1915 with gold leafing, a glazed brick and terra cotta façade, the Neo-Renaissance design building houses a four-story atrium and a marble-trimmed skylight that welcomes guests to the new Aloft Hotel lodged within. Located near Grand Circus Park, the elegant, contemporary design extends to 136 guest rooms (with complimentary WiFi), live music at W XYZ Detroit Bar, drinks and games at Mix club, and the new Grand Cirque Brasserie, scheduled to open in August.

Adding to the city’s revival are important new exhibits including Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (March 15–July 12). The exclusive engagement offers a peek into the controversial communism-promoting couple, with nearly 70 works of art that include eight drawings by Rivera that were preparatory sketches for the Detroit Industry murals. At The Henry Ford Museum (May 9–April 7), Roadside America: From the Lens of John Margolies showcases seminal works by the author, photographer and lecturer on America’s commercial architecture and design.