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"For decades, millions of people came to the only place on Earth where they could see the entire auto- making process in one day, in one place. Tour groups included everyone from schoolchildren to movie stars to heads of state."
Tim O'Brien, Vice President, Ford Real Estate
"We are delighted to be able to bring Detroiters and our global visitors back to the Rouge with a new world-class attraction for our community and the industry. This will be a brand-new tour - an experience unlike anyone has ever seen."
Steve Hamp, President
Henry Ford Museum & GreenfieldVillage
Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village are working together on a new visitor experience at the Ford Rouge Factory Tour that begins in 2004.
- Tours of the Rouge Center, culminating with a behind-the scenes tour of Dearborn Truck Plant's (DTP) Final Assembly building, begin and end at Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.
- The Visitor Center will give guests an overview of the historic Rouge site, detailing its rich history and exciting vehicles.
- This one-of-a-kind experience will offer two multi-screen theaters, and numerous touch-screen interpretive and hands-on displays.
- An observation deck will overlook the world's largest living roof, which is growing on the Dearborn Truck Plant Final Assembly building.
- Visitors will be able to see firsthand how the new Ford F-150 pickup truck is built at the new DTP Final Assembly building.
Once the Ford Rouge Factory Tour opens, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village will operate the scheduled tours from the museum. Visitors will travel by motor coach to Visitor Center. They will enter Theater One and view a short film chronicling the storied history of the Rouge and celebrating generations who made it an industrial icon.
Inside Theater Two, seven large screens will surround viewers with the total excitement of the manufacturing experience. Visitors will be immersed in the art of vehicle assembly with sights, sounds and sensations permeating the theater.
On the observation deck, interpretive displays will explain the living roof and other important environmental innovations at the Ford Rouge Center.
An enclosed pedestrian overpass will connect the Visitor Center with DTP Final Assembly. Once inside the plant, visitors walking along the mezzanine will get a bird's-eye view of the new Ford F-150 being built below.
At the end of the tour, guests will walk past a parade of legendary vehicles made at the Rouge, from the Model A to the new Ford F-150.
"The Rouge Center has a terrific track record as a place where people study what it means to be a leader in manufacturing," said Tim O'Brien, vice president, Ford Real Estate. "Resuming the Rouge tours will provide educational opportunities for a new generation of students and provide an economic boost to the region by enticing more tourists to visit."
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village is America's greatest history attraction. Founded in 1929 by Henry Ford, it is here where transforming experiences of ordinary and extraordinary individuals are celebrated and shared. Here that genuine artifacts give the keys to seeing how the past shaped the present. And here that the ongoing story of American innovation truly comes alive.
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