What Birmingham Residents Need to Know Before the Dream Cruise

Whether you're shining your classic muscle car or preparing to head up north, Birmingham residents can't do much to stop the Woodward Dream Cruise or its younger local version, the . 

If you will be staying in town, however, there are a few things you might want to know:

The basics:

• Woodward Dream Cruise: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday between Ferndale and Pontiac
• Birmingham Cruise Event: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, closing off South Old Woodward between Merrill and Lincoln.
• Parking: Unless you plan on cruising yourself, best leave your cars at home and walk to Woodward. If you're coming into town for the event, Birmingham has five parking garages downtown, all of which are on the west side of Woodward. Parking is free for the first two hours and $1 an hour after that. Parking garages take credit cards, while city meters use coins and .
• Seating: The rule is generally bring your own — whether that's your lawnchair or picnic blanket. There will also be bleachers just north of Lincoln, in the grassy space south of the 555 building.
• Bathrooms: While some businesses may let your use their restrooms — if you buy something, of course — your best bet for finding a restroom along Woodward is one of the hundreds of portable toilets along the route.
• Need the police? The is located inside Birmingham City Hall at 151 Martin St. Police can also be reached at 248-530-1870.

For a complete line-up of events scheduled up and down Woodward beginning Thursday, check out .

You might want to avoid:

Woodward: This seems like a no-brainer, but if you have errands to run on Saturday, you might want to find a way around the famous avenue that runs right through Birmingham.

• On the west side of Birmingham, try Southfield Road/Southfield Freeway or Telegraph — two north/south routes with access to nearly all points west of Woodward.
• On the east side, Coolidge might be one to avoid as it runs right into Woodward south of 13 Mile, though it could be useful for getting to I-75 and other points north. Crooks and Livernois will take you south into downtown Royal Oak. Meanwhie Campbell, which begins at 14 Mile Road just outside of Clawson, will take you all the way to Ferndale. 

Old Woodward: South Old Woodward closes between Merrill and Lincoln Saturday morning, though downtown Birmingham isn't too tricky to avoid. Heading west on Maple, then turning onto Southfield, will take you straight to Lincoln.

Certain businesses, city institutions: Several Birmingham businesses and landmarks will be closing up shop for the Birmingham Cruise and Dream Cruise.

• and the will be closed Saturday, re-opening on Sunday and the following week at normal hours. 
• Businesses like Birmingham's have also announced that they will be closed on Saturday. Call or check your favorite restaurant or shop's Facebook page to see if they'll be open.

Woodward gas stations: Of course, three of Birmingham's most popular gas stations — the , and the newly-reopened (with a Tim Hortons inside) — are located along Woodward.

If you need to get gas, Birmingham has several gas stations east and west of Woodward. On the east side, visit the near Adams and Maple. West of Woodward you'll find the at West Maple and Cranbrook, and the at 14 Mile and Pierce.

Big names in Birmingham:

Last year, . This year, Chevrolet — a Dream Cruise sponsor — returns to South Old Woodward with their annual display. This year, they're bringing:

• A life-sized Corvette timeline, including milestone Corvettes and engines from the brand's 60-year history
• Detroit graffiti artist, Shades, will be painting a large Corvette-inspired graffiti mural throughout the day
• A Chevrolet military display
• Chevrolet "Modern Family" display, showcasing Chevrolet's vehicles and accessories
• Heritage and specialty vehicles

Also on Saturday, will be partying all day long right on Woodward. Elvis (played by Fred Wolfe) will be in the building from 11 a.m.-close while Toppermost, a Beatles tribute band, will be rocking from 1-4 p.m.

But Hunter House will be rocking all week long. For a full line-up, visit .