8 Day Michigan's Lakes & Mackinac Island with Chicago
Starting at $2,849
Destinations & Sightseeing
Itinerary and Meals
Accomodations
800.528.9300
Destination & Sightseeing
- Flights Newark-Detroit, Chicago-Newark
Other departure cities available. Click on date of departure for selection and prices - Airline taxes & fuel surcharges
- 7 nights accommodations
- 2 nights Detroit
- 2 nights Mackinac Island
- 1 night Traverse City
- 2 nights Chicago
- Hotel taxes, fees & service charges
- Hotel porterage
- 12 meals: 7 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners
- Sightseeing per itinerary in modern air-conditioned motor coach
- Services of English-speaking tour manager throughout
- Entrance fees per itinerary
- Comfortable wireless earphones for enhanced touring
Special Features
- Tour the Henry Ford Museum and Rouge Factory that commemorates the achievements of American inventors
- Mackinac Island, a wooded paradise encircled by pristine waters
- Sightseeing tour of peaceful Mackinac by horse-drawn carriage reveals grand Victorian cottages
- Visit Fort Mackinac, built by the British to guard the Straits during the American Revolution
- In Traverse City, tour the Music House Museum’s rare collection of antique musical instruments
- Stop at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the nation’s most significant sculpture and botanic experiences
- Dune ride through the wild and untamed dunes of Michigan's western shores
- Chicago, a sensational city boasting some of the world’s best architecture and museums
- Gaze at the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome inside the Chicago Cultural Center
ITINERARY
DAY 1, Friday - Arrive in Detroit
Arrive in Detroit. Transfer independently to the hotel. Time to settle in before tonight's Welcome Drink and briefing with your Tour Manager and fellow travelers. Your tour will begin with an orientation meeting with your Tour Manager at approximately 7 PM on the day of arrival. We recommend that you select flights which arrive at your destination no later than 5 PM on Day 1 of the itinerary or earlier, if possible
Overnight: Detroit
DAY 2, Saturday - Rouge Factory Tour, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, City Tour of Detroit
This morning, enjoy the Ford Rouge Factory Tour where you will view the history of America's manufacturing. After your tour visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, a National Historic Landmark that commemorates the achievements of American inventors. Here, see historic trains, automobiles, and airplanes that clearly define the innovation from 1800 to 1950. This inspirational collection contains rare exhibits, including Kennedy, Reagan and Roosevelt's Presidential Limousines, Abraham Lincoln's chair from the Ford Theatre, a replica of Thomas Edison's laboratory and the Wright Brothers workshop. After, depart for a city tour of Downtown Detroit. Driving past the major sites, see a combination of theaters, a thriving cultural art district and live entertainment venues that showcase artistic genius and diverse history of this unique city. This evening's Welcome Dinner celebrates your arrival
Overnight: Detroit
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 3, Sunday - Travel to Mackinaw City, Ferry to Mackinac Island
This morning journey on a scenic drive to Mackinaw City. After lunch on your own, a ferry transports you back in time as you arrive at delightful Mackinac Island where no cars are permitted on the island! Dominated by Mackinac State Park, Mackinac Island is a wooded paradise encircled by the pristine waters of Lake Huron. Arrive at the Grand Hotel, a National Historic Landmark, home to the world’s longest front porch. Tonight, gather together for dinner at the hotel, while enjoying the sounds of the Grand Hotel Orchestra
Overnight: Mackinac Island
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner**
DAY 4, Monday - Mackinac Island Carriage Tour
This morning, a horse-drawn carriage tour reveals the history and beauty of this peaceful island. Enjoy a leisurely visit to Surrey Hills Carriage Museum displaying historic carriages. Stop at Arch Rock, natural limestone formation set against striking views of Lake Huron. See the sights and sounds of living history preserved at Fort Mackinac Avenue of Flags. Continue to Fort Mackinac, the oldest building in Michigan, with 13 other historical structures and exhibits explaining everything from military training and battles to medical treatments to family life within the fort. Afternoon is at leisure to explore the island and Downtown, brimming with unique specialty shops and art galleries. Visit one of the many fudge shops for a taste of the island’s most famous sweet treat. Perhaps, stop by Doud’s Market, America’s oldest family-run grocery store or return to the Grand Hotel and admire the views of the Straits of Mackinac from a front porch rocking chair. Dinner together at the hotel
Overnight: Mackinac Island
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner**
DAY 5, Tuesday - Travel to Traverse City, Music House Museum
Early morning departure from Mackinac Island by ferry. Travel to Charlevoix. Enjoy a guided tour of renowned Earl Young's Mushroom Houses. Each of Young’s houses is unique and was designed to blend in with its surrounding landscape, and feature indigenous materials, like stones found along the shores of Lake Michigan and hand-selected by Young. Continue past the stunning Victorian summer resorts, across the famous drawbridge, and into the heart of the bustling community. Lunch at leisure before departing for the Music House Museum. On the site of a historic farm, view a rare collection of antique musical instruments and music-making machines from 1870 to 1930. At the press of a button the nickelodeons, music boxes and pipe organs come alive! Arrive in Traverse City for an evening at leisure to independently explore the area
Overnight: Traverse City
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6, Wednesday - Travel to Chicago, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Dune Ride
Depart Traverse City for the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the nation’s most significant sculpture and botanic experiences. Meijer Gardens includes Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory and works of art from renown artists like Dale Chihuly, Joan Miro, and Augustin Rodin. Continue to Saugatuck for a dune ride. Enjoy history and nature while cruising through the sand dunes in an open-air vehicle. After, depart for Chicago. You'll be greeted by some of the city's most impressive architecture along the Lake Michigan waterfront. Tonight, the options are endless for nightlife and fine cuisine in this "foodie" capital of the Midwest
Overnight: Chicago
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7, Thursday - Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Architecture River Cruise
Journey to Millennium Park and see the elaborate city skyline with one of Chicago's most popular outdoor sculptures. Created by a seamless series of highly polished steel plates, it has been nicknamed "The Bean" by locals who think it looks like a giant chrome bean. Cross over Michigan Avenue, known as the Magnificent Mile, and enter the Chicago Cultural Center. Gaze at the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, as well as beautifully ornate multicolored mosaics, marble, and molding. Continue on a panoramic tour of the city, by bus, that takes you along sights and sounds of the city's signature lakefront before lunch at leisure. Afterward, embark on a cruise along the Chicago River. Get an insider’s glimpse into the buildings, architecture, and engineering that made Chicago famous as the birthplace of the skyscraper and home of modern American architecture. Tonight, during the Farewell Dinner share wonderful stories of your journey with your newfound friends
Overnight: Chicago
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8, Friday - Return Home
Transfer independently to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast
**Please be aware, that evening wear is required in all areas of the Grand Hotel after 6 PM
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