BrisaBar

We grabbed a few drinks here and can report: yes, there is a real beach in the middle of downtown Detroit, and yes, you can put your toes in the sand while holding a cocktail. BrisaBar is the seasonal open-air bar at the heart of Campus Martius, and the whole trick of the place is the double-take — you’re settled into the sand, drink in hand, feeling entirely on vacation, and then you look up and the skyline reminds you exactly where you are. It’s got the vibes, and it commits to them: tropical cocktails, sun loungers, DJs taking over Friday and Saturday nights and again at Sunday brunch, plus a weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 if you’d rather have the beach mostly to yourself before the after-work crowd rolls in.

And if the sand isn’t your scene, no problem — the rest of the park has plenty of seating where you can enjoy the same drink with the same view, no shoe-emptying required. When the occasion calls for actual tablecloths, Parc, run by the same group, is a few steps away.