IN ITS MIDCENTURY boom years, when Motown ruled the airwaves and the big three ruled the roads, Detroit defined America. But, in the subsequent decades, no city fell farther, or harder. Now a much-publicized revival is unfolding there. Downtown is a hive of construction, its sidewalks buzzing with tech-bros and tourists on app-enabled electric scooters (at least until they randomly discard them). Neighborhoods like Midtown (née Cass Corridor) and the West Village are rebounding with ambitious new bars and restaurants, many served by urban farms which have sprouted where houses once stood. Though the hollowing out that made those farms possible is still an issue (the city’s population today is just below 700,000, sharply off its 1950s peak of 1.8 million people), rampant development has become an equally pressing concern for many Detroiters. Even the city’s industrial ruins, like the old Packard Plant, which have aged into beloved icons for many, are targeted for restoration. The time to appreciate them is now. Taking in everything that Motor City has to offer over the course of a long weekend is challenging. As the T-shirts say, Detroit Hustles Harder. You’ll have to adopt the same motto if you want to fit it all in, but feel free to opt out of our ambitious itinerary now and then.

Day One: Friday

5:30 p.m. Land at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and pick up a rental car. The Motor City’s spread pretty much demands you have wheels.

7 p.m. Check into one of the four rooftop cabins at the intimate El Moore Lodge in Midtown. From your deck, you’ll have views for miles. The hotel just created a small public park on the corner next door, and DJ Casey Kasem grew up where the El Moore’s greenhouse now stands (cabins start at $200 a night, elmoore.com). The city’s downtown construction boom has resulted in a surfeit of glitzy hotel options. Shinola, a company that has capitalized on “brand Detroit,” opened a highly polished luxury hotel this January, while the Siren has refurbished the Wurlitzer building to its deco glory (shinolahotel.com, from $255 a night, thesirenhotel.com from $139 a night).

8:30 p.m. Chef Kate Williams’s cozy Lady of the House occupies a former Irish pub in a residential corner of Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood (reservations recommended). Start with a dozen oysters and a martini, made with the restaurant’s own gin, from Detroit City Distillery, and don’t miss the “carrot steak” (1426 Bagley St., ladyofthehousedetroit.com).

11 p.m. In Detroit’s midcentury heyday, the clubs and bars atop downtown’s skyscrapers were the places to see and be seen. The new Monarch Club rekindles that tradition on the roof of the Element Hotel, about 10 minutes away. Get a Last Word cocktail and claim a spot on one of the bar’s three terraces. If there’s a Tigers game on, you can even see some of the action in Comerica Park from your 13th-story perch (33 John R St., monarchclubdetroit.com).