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2010 Itinerary
8 days from $2490 per person
single supplement available
Day 1 - Welcome to Michigan!
A transfer is included from the Cherry Capital Airport to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Traverse City. During your two nights at this great resort, named among the top 50 domestic destinations by Condé Nast Traveler, you'll be in the midst of a charming town with a lively arts scene and lots of wineries. Meet your fellow travelers this evening for a welcome cocktail reception and dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Traverse City, Michigan
Day 2 - Wine, music and dunes
You might be surprised to learn on your Michigan tour that the state's western coast is a land of vineyards and sandy beaches as well as really impressive sand dunes... and music, which fills the air at the Music House Museum, displaying rare antique musical instruments and music-making machines from between 1870 and 1930... feel free to hum along during your visit. You'll see some of the spectacular Lake Michigan shoreline as you travel along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; ranging in color from the palest champagne to vibrant sienna, the constantly shifting dunes can be as high as 400 feet! This afternoon's private wine tasting at Black Star Farms reveals the high quality of Michigan's vines and wines, which you'll explore further during a private winery dinner for Tauck guests only.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Traverse City, Michigan
Day 3 - The Straits of Mackinac and more
Wind your way along the shoreline of beautiful Grand Traverse Bay as your Michigan tour continues toward the historic Straits of Mackinac. This strip of water connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron saw both booming commerce and some pretty spirited conflicts during the active fur-trading era. Stop in quaint Petoskey en route to Fort Michilimackinac, an 18th-century French - and later, British - trading post and fort on the southern shore of the strategically important straits. Today, the fort recreates life here in colonial times. This afternoon, a ferry carries you onward to Mackinac Island, where no cars are allowed... so you'll ride a horse-drawn carriage to your accommodation at the world-famous Grand Hotel, among the most celebrated hotels in America! This stately hotel's front porch, reputed to be the longest of its kind when it was built in 1887, is still a very popular gathering place for guests and local residents alike.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 4 - Magical Mackinac Island
This tiny treasure remains much as it was when the first Europeans settled the island centuries ago. Folks get around here by foot, by bicycle or by horse because motorized vehicles are not permitted on the island. Although the year-round human population is only about 600 residents, the horse population can be as high as 500 during the summer months! A sightseeing tour by horse-drawn carriage reveals all that is magical about Mackinac Island and is sure to be a highlight of your Michigan tour. You'll see Fort Mackinac, built by the British to guard the Straits of Mackinac during the American Revolution, as well as "downtown" Mackinac Island with many historic homes and grand Victorian cottages. The remainder of the day is yours to explore the island as you please; you're bound to discover things that capture your interest.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 5 - An architectural gem
Leaving peaceful Mackinac Island behind via ferry to the mainland, your Michigan tour continues on to Midland, where you'll explore the home and studio of noted 20th-century architect Alden B. Dow, son of the founder of the Dow Chemical Company, who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Dow's innovative use of geometric planes, angles and landscaping elements to integrate his home into its natural surroundings has earned the home the designation as a National Historic Landmark. Overnight in historic Bay City on the Saginaw River.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Doubletree Hotel Bay City - Riverfront, Bay City, Michigan
Day 6 - A "tall ship" adventure and a bit of Bavaria
French missionary priest Father Jacques Marquette was the first European to visit Saginaw Bay in the early 1600s, and the bay has a long history of travel by sailing ship. You'll do just that today on your Michigan tour as you board a tall ship for a private sail in the bay and up the Saginaw River on your own voyage of discovery. Later, you'll think that you've landed in Bavaria when you visit the little village of Frankenmuth, founded by German pioneers in the 1840s, for lunch and some free time to poke around. Continue on to Dearborn, a city instrumental in America's automobile culture, for a two-night stay on the Ford Motor Company grounds.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel, Dearborn, Michigan
Day 7 - The Henry Ford and a test drive
A visit to The Henry Ford is a fascinating, "must-do" experience on any Michigan tour. You'll enjoy a private guided tour through the American experience as seen in the living history exhibits including Greenfield Village; Dymaxion House, created by R. Buckminster Fuller; the homes and workplaces of ground-breaking innovators such as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Harvey Firestone; and much more. In true Tauck Style, when you take a spin in a Model T, you won't have to pay for the gas! The afternoon is free for your own further exploration and discovery. Please join us at our farewell cocktail reception and dinner this evening, and enjoy the opportunity to share your memories of your Michigan tour with those who shared the adventure with you.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: The Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel, Dearborn, Michigan
Day 8 - Homeward bound
Your tour ends in Detroit. Fly home anytime. A transfer from The Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel to the Detroit Airport is included.
Meals: Breakfast
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