This weekend I visited the Manistique Community Treehouse Center for a summer afternoon of fun creative activities including a native plant swap.
Located in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, the Manistique Community Treehouse Center has gardens, native plants, a birding area, stunning wood pavillion, and the beautiful fountain you see in this blog post.
From their About page:
Our mission is to help our youth and community gain mental and physical well-being as well as a well-rounded view of life with an understanding of their environment and culture.
We will empower youth with independence, and collaboration skills.
Adjacent to the center is the Passage to Wellbeing Alley, one of nine Arts Alley projects the City of Detroit installed in 2025.
It was my first time visiting the center and I was impressed! I met people from the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood as well as folks from other Detroit neighborhoods and Grosse Pointe.
Many people learned about the afternoon event from road signs and decided to stop in.
My thanks to Tammy Black, who left a comment on my spring 2026 plant swap post about their special day with activities for everyone: community art project, denim restoration station, and pollinator education.
I was glad to meet Tammy in person and hope we can stay connected so I can learn more about the community center’s focus on wellness, good mental health and access to nature.
