2026100 Mackinaw Island & Michigan adventure

Day 1

Today we will head toward Michigan with an overnight stop in Ohio with rest stops on the way.

Day 2

Breakfast is included at the hotel.
8:00 AM Depart for the Fisher Building, Detroit, MI
9:30 AM Arrive Detroit. Meet your guide at Fisher Building to meet your guide for a minitour of Detroit enroute to the Packard Proving Grounds. Experience the Come-Back City. A city tour of Detroit offers a captivating journey through its vibrant culture and history. Marvel at architectural gems like the Guardian Building and the Fisher Building and Campus Martius Park. Stroll along the Detroit Riverfront and discover the historic charm of its neighborhoods. Collectively, it showcases a city rich in spirit and attractions. Next step back in time to experience automotive history at the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site. In 1925, The Packard Motor Car Company realized that testing their products on Detroit's streets had its limitations and that it was time to build a proper testing facility. It began buying farmland in rural Shelby Township, Michigan and retained renowned industrial architect Albert Kahn to design and oversee the construction of a grand showplace, befitting one of the most prestigious and successful auto companies of the golden-era classic production designed by Albert Kahn, the Packard Proving Grounds was a private location used to test new vehicles and future tech for the luxury car brand. It consisted of a 2.5-mile, high-speed concrete oval track with timing tower, miles of test roads of various conditions and more. You will tour the home, go inside one of the buildings to look at some vintage cars and other vintage items stored there and take a ride in a vintage Packard Car.

5:00 PM Arrive Thunder Bay Resort. This resort offers the beauty of Northern Michigan combined with a friendly staff to give you a matchless Northern Michigan experience. This evening step back in time as you board a horse drawn carriage that takes you over the Thunder Bay River and into the woods at Thunder Bay Resort to see the magnificent elk. Enjoy the scenery, the smell of pine, and the ever-changing face of the Thunder Bay River as the horses make their way deep in the woods to the beautiful Elk Antler Log Cabin. A blazing fire in a massive split stone fireplace welcomes you. Wonderful aromas mix with the scent of ardwood smoke and emanate from two antique wood cook stoves in full view. This elegant cabin maintains its rustic appearance while providing every amenity. Warm yourself by the fire and savor the delicious aromas put forth by the twin antique wood cook stoves as staff prepares your gourmet meal. Throughout your dinner, sample wines from nearby wineries.
Your Gourmet Dinner Includes: Pear & Apple Crepe, Shrimp Cocktail, Jan’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Thunder Bay
Sweet Napa Salad and Croissant, Crown Roast of Pork with Roasted Red Skin Potatoes, and White Chocolate Mousse Filled
Pizzelles with Fresh Raspberries

Day 3

Breakfast
9:30 AM Meet author Mike Fornes in Mackinaw Crossings for a fascinating ride across the Mighty Mac. At one time this was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Hear the dramatic tales of the brave iron workers who built this massive structure. He will provide more than hearsay in many cases these are eyewitness accounts of local history.
10:30 PM Board the ferry to Mackinac Island on Shepplers Ferry. As you step upon the island you will feel like you have stepped back in time. Horse drawn vehicles transport everything from supplies for businesses on the island to passengers.
11:00 AM Taxi to the Grand Hotel For 135 years, the Grand Hotel has overlooked the Straits of Mackinac. It has been the setting for
Hollywood films, and a favorite vacation spot each summer. The Grand Hotel has been named a national historic landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Now go behind the scenes at this idyllic resort with author Mike Fornes. Travel back to the past as Mike reveals its iconic history and be amazed at today’s world of Mackinac Island finery. Visit the many elegant gift shops on the hotel’s lobby level. See memorabilia and displays from the two films Hollywood created with Grand Hotel as a backdrop 1947’s This Time For Keeps, starring Jimmy Durante and swimming star Esther Williams, and the 1979 romantic fantasy drama Somewhere in Time, that featured Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer. Expect the unusual
with behind-the-scenes production stories! Continue outdoors, famous for exotic landscaping, many varieties of flowers and the Esther Williams Swimming Pool. Discover a particularly photogenic stop in the Secret Garden.1
12:30 PM Experience the Grand Luncheon Buffet in the main dining room. This lunch is fit for a King/Queen!!
2:30 PM Board a carriage for a tour of the island. For anyone who has seen the movie Somewhere in Time there will be moments of déjà vu during the tour of this picturesque island. The tour concludes at the Bicycle Street Inn where you will overnight located on the main street of the city. This evening is free to do as you please on this beautiful island.

Day 4

Free morning to grab a bite for breakfast at many places surrounding the hotel, do some island shopping or just relax and enjoy the scenery.
2:30 PM The ferry departs for Mackinaw City. The dock is across the road from the Lake View Hotel. Be sure to arrive at the docks by 2:15 PM.
3:00 PM Arrive Mackinaw City and depart for Cross in the Woods.
3:30 PM Arrive at the National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods. The highlight of the shrine is a large wooden cross carved from a single redwood tree. Standing at 55 feet tall, this impressive structure has a unique connection to biblical times, as the redwood that forms it was a sapling around the time of Christ. The bronze figure of Christ (the crucifix) that is mounted on the large wooden cross was created by Marshall Frederiks. This 28-foot tall sculpture, titled "The Man on the Cross," was dedicated in 1959.
4:15 PM Depart
5:00 PM Meet your guide for a tour of Petosky. The guide will provide an educational, informative and fun tour of the Petoskey downtown area, the historic Bay View Association, the Bay Harbor community and the Little Traverse Bay waterfront. Learn about the native American residents, the earliest white settlers, the impact of the railroad and how Petoskey as we know it came to be. Get a glimpse of a Methodist Chautauqua and see examples of Victorian architecture which
include over 450 cottages, many of which were built before 1900. Visit the area’s newest resort community of Bay Harbor which emerged in 1993 on the site of a former cement plant. Learn about Ernest Hemingway’s connection to the Petoskey Area and how Petoskey got its moniker as the Land of the Million Dollar Sunsets which is still used today
6:45 PM Return to the Stafford’s Perry Hotel for an included dinner. For over 122 years, the Perry Hotel has proudly stood at the corner of Bay and Lewis streets, overlooking Little Traverse Bay; welcoming visitors to the crown jewel of Michigan’s Gold Coast. Join in the heritage of its hospitality. Enjoy the restored elegance of the main lobby and of course the breathtaking vistas that first gave inspiration to the expression Million Dollar Sunset for which Petoskey is now famous.

Day 5

Breakfast at hotel then depart for Charlevoix. Meet your guide at the Charlevoix Visitor Center.
9:00 AM A local guide will show you the architectural diversity of this lovely city. Highlighted are the more than thirty homes designed by local architect Earl Young. Dating from 1921 to the 1950's, these unique, “mushroom houses” are built out of native stone and sport cedar shake roofs. Tour of Charlevoix. This picturesque city is located on three bodies of water: Lake Michigan, Lake Charlevoix and Round Lake. Your local guide will show you the architectural diversity of this lovely city. Highlighted are the more than thirty homes designed by local architect Earl Young. Dating from 1921 to the 1950's, these unique, “mushroom houses” are built out of native stone and sport cedar shake roofs.
10:00 AM Depart for Castle Farms to enjoy a tram tour of the picturesque grounds and a walking tour through buildings that showcase the grandeur of the French Chateaux styled buildings. Your tour guide will delight your group with the rich history of Castle Farms, from its original construction 1918 as the Loeb Farm, to the Van Haver art studio and gallery period, as well as the music concert era, and through the extensive restoration process from 2001 to present. The completed buildings and landscaped gardens are breathtaking. Lunch is included at Castle Farms.
1:30 PM Depart for the Drury Inn and Suites
5:30 7:00 PM Enjoy the Drury Kickback.

Day 6

Breakfast is included at the hotel.
8:30 AM Depart for Frederick Meijer Gardens
8:45 AM Arrive Frederick Meijer Gardens.
9:00 AM Tram tour of the outside gardens. The sculpture program at Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is composed of both a world-renowned ermanent collection and dynamic exhibition programs. The permanent collection features more than 180 works, including important works from Auguste Rodin and Edgar Degas, to Henry Moore and Alexander Calder, to Mark di Suvero and Andy Goldsworthy. Works are sited in both interior settings such as the conservatories as well as featured outdoors across the gardens and grounds. The greatest concentration of work is featured in a 30-acre sculpture park, which hosts both colossal and more traditional scale works sensitively sited in a natural environment. Of special interest is the colossal sculpture, The American Horse by Nina Akamu, as well as masterworks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Alexander Liberman and Richard Hunt Guided tour of the conservatory. The Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory is a five-story, 15,000 square-foot facility featuring rock landscapes, a waterfall and a variety of exotic plant selections.
The conservatory houses tropical plants from around the world, including fig trees from India, exotic orchids from Central and South America, Asiatic bamboo and banana trees. Additional indoor gardens include the Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House, Earl and Donnalee Holton Arid Garden (featuring Saguaro cacti), the Earl and Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden, and the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse. Depart Tram. Free time to visit Gift Shop and use the restrooms. The Tram skirts the edge of the Japanese Garden, for those who would like to walk through the garden, they can depart the tram at the garden instead of back at the main building. It is approximately a 2 block walk from the Japanese Garden to the café.
11:30 AM Depart Frederick Meijer Gardens where you will enjoy a box lunch .
2:00 PM Arrive the Gerald Ford Museum.The museum contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career and the Office of President. Candid photographs of Ford interacting with his family and colleagues offer the visitor a personal glimpse of the president. The main floor includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency. Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and Mrs. Ford's role during her husband's term in office. Other exhibits, which are the core of the museum's program, enable visitors to travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe; take a holographic tour of the Ford White House; and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. A Watergate gallery includes a six-minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in and a display of the actual burglary tools. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Visitors can see gifts presented by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, as well as personal gifts to Ford from the American people. The award-winning film, "A Time To Heal," is shown hourly in the museum auditorium. A section of the Berlin Wall stands in the museum's lobby.
3:00 PM Depart for Angelos Northwoods Villa Supper Club for dinner. What history there is at this genuine "Supper Club." It's been around since 1921 and has a long history as a hangout for the Mafia, the Purple Gang, bootleggers, mobsters and thugs. Much of the place is the same as it was in the 1920's. Once known as 'Fritz's and Alfredo's' it was a notorious gambling spot in the 1920's. Still sparkling like diamonds are the crystal chandeliers and tiny white lights throughout the main dining room. The concave brass ceiling over the balcony had lookouts so someone could keep their eyes on the illegal gambling below. Men even patrolled the railings on the balcony with machine guns to watch the card games and slot machines. During prohibition the Supper Club had low windows installed so illegal liquor could be accepted and then transferred to the crawl space under the floor. Expansive mirrors are set against one wall which covered the hidden doors leading to another room with the crap tables in the 1930's. Be sure to check out their authentic 'cigar room' and bar where more illegal card games were constant. After dinner depart for your final night at the Courtyard by Marriott Rossford, OH

Day 7

Breakfast is included and we will head for home with fond memories of or Lake Michigan Island experience.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, MR=Manager Reception