Take a ‘Workcation’ in Detroit

Also, coffee is a must, and thankfully, Detroit is filled with a ton of coffee shops that have good seating, great WiFi, and even better coffee.

Dessert Oasis Coffee Shop

Dessert Oasis has three different locations in metro Detroit – one in Rochester, one in Royal Oak, and one located in Capitol Park near Downtown Detroit.

The shops are open early, so you can get started whenever you want, and stay open late in case you’re a night owl worker.

Their coffee is among the best in metro Detroit, and they also have a huge variety of desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth craving you get while working.

If you’re looking for entertainment, the shops sometimes have live music playing, and beautiful locally-crated art on the wall is often for sale.

Narrow Way Café & Shop

Located on Detroit's Avenue of Fashion, Narrow Way Café is a great spot to hang out and work while enjoying some delicious coffee and baked goods.

The shop has great décor on the inside and a ton of natural light with a garage door. They have tables, benches, chairs, and more for you to sit down at.

On top of the coffee and pastries, you can try more than a dozen different smoothie flavors.

When you’re done, make sure to grab a bag of coffee to take home!

Photo by Nick Hagan

Detroit Institute of Arts

The DIA is one of the premier art museums in the country, and it also offers a great place to spend a day working and exploring during your “workcation.”

Inside the museum is the Kresge Court – an indoor courtyard that will give you the feeling of Europe while sitting in the heart of the museum.

The court features soft seating and WiFi and has a full menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, small plates, and more.

If you need to take an edge off, you can get a glass of wine or a beer, or you can keep the energy up with coffee and tea available.

Instead of doing nothing when you take a break, explore the museum and see artifacts from around the world and some incredible paintings from famous artists.

Campus Martius Park

The weather can be hit-or-miss in metro Detroit, but usually, the warm months are perfect for spending outside. If you want to catch some rays while working, there are two parks in Downtown Detroit that will be great.

Campus Martius is in the heart of the city and is surrounded by the tall buildings of Detroit. In 2021, the Downtown Detroit Partnership added free WiFi to Downtown Detroit parks and public spaces.

That means you can grab your laptop, sit in the sun and take those zoom meetings with a beautiful background.

Nearby, there are also great spots to grab coffee, breakfast, or lunch and sneak away for a little break and a walk.

Capitol Park

Capitol Park is another great spot in Downtown Detroit to work outdoors. A smaller park than Campus Martius, there are different picnic tables, smaller tables, and more.

Nearby, there are great shops for coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, burgers, and more.

The Congregation

Near Detroit’s Boston-Edison District, The Congregation is a great coffee shop and bar in a restored church

The shop has WiFi, a variety of coffee and signature drinks, and pastries to start off your day.

As the lunch hour comes, you can take a break and sit on the patio or in their vast yard with picnic tables, grab a cocktail and a great sandwich, before getting back to work.

The Office Coffee Shop

About 15 minutes from Detroit, you can go to the office without going to the office. The Office Coffee Shop is a coffee shop and co-working community in Royal Oak.

The shop has private offices, tables for rent, networking events, business services, and more.

You can rent offices by the hour, and they have print, scan, and fax services available.

If you’re looking to hang out, they also have a full coffee bar and local foods to eat.

They also have what’s called “The Garage,” which is an off-site meeting space for up to 20 people.

Atomic Coffee

Another great spot in Royal Oak is Atomic Coffee. The huge space right in Downtown Royal Oak sells great coffee, raw juices, smoothies, and made-to-order food that is locally sourced.

The shop has ample seating so you can move around if you want a change of scenery, and the kitchen is open until 2 p.m. every day in case you need an afternoon snack.

Other Coworking spaces

If you aren’t the type of person to work from random places in the city and still want to have some sort of office or coworking space, Detroit still has plenty of those.

Bamboo Detroit, located downtown, was one of the first coworking spaces to open up in Detroit. They have locations in Detroit and Royal Oak, and monthly memberships start at $60 for a virtual office. That gives you conference room access, mail and package services, and more. If you want a coworking membership, that starts at $150 a month.

SpaceLab Detroit has a location in Downtown Detroit and offers a virtual office membership starting at $70 per month that gets you a mailing address, four hours of conference room access, and more. They have day passes where you can work from the bar or café or work at a desk, and that costs $20 per day.

Green Garage is a sustainable coworking space in Midtown Detroit near the Cass Corridor. The space has a variety of membership types, with the shared table seat starting at $75 per month. An individual desk costs $199 per month, and they come with mail and package services, access to meeting rooms, and more.