Mackinac Island & Lake Huron – Elks & Islands

Visit the Great Lake Huron and Mackinac Island in Michigan! Dine in luxury at a Lumber Baron's Mansion, explore the Henry Ford Museum, Ford Rouge Factory, and hear your old favorites during your Detroit Music City Tour. Hit the water and take a Ferry Ride & Shipwreck Cruise. See the Castle Museum and much more!

Duration
10 Days /9 Nights

Group size
35+

Customization
Available!
Estimated Tour Pricing Inclusions: 9 nights’ accommodation; 9 breakfasts; 4 lunches;  8 dinners; admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity. Except gratuity for guide fees is not included on adult tours unless otherwise requested.
Highlights:
  • Grand Hotel
  • Henry Ford Museum
  • Greenfield Village
  • Ford Rouge Factory Tour
  • Mansion Guided Behind the Scenes Tour
  • Detroit Music City Tour
  • MGM Grand Casino
  • Elk Viewing
  • Wine Tasting
  • Ferry Ride
  • Shipwreck Cruise
  • Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center & Museum

Sample Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive to Michigan
  • Depart for Dearborn, MI.
  • Enjoy a dinner buffet included at an eatery with the vibe of being in a 1920’s service station/prohibition bar with old style brick, dark colors, rich wood and hand-hammered copper bar top, with many other unique features. 
  • After dinner, check-in to your hotel. (Meals: D)
 
Day 2 - Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, & Ford Rouge Factory Tour
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Meet in the hotel lobby and depart.
  • Arrive with your All-Access Tickets at Henry Ford Museum and Tour, Greenfield Village and Ride, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, and Giant Screen Experience.
  • Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation:  Step into a world where past innovations fuel the imagination of generations to come. A vibrant exploration of genius in all its forms, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation allows you to experience the strides of America’s greatest minds while fully immersing yourself in their stories. Step inside the bus where Rosa Parks took a stand by taking a seat. Play pilot as you explore flight innovations, starting with the Wright brothers' achievements, or make yourself at home inside Buckminster Fuller’s circular Dymaxion House. Put yourself in the place of the movers and shakers who blazed the trail to where we stand today. And in doing so, discover your own path.
  • Greenfield Village:  Experience firsthand the sights, sounds and sensations of America’s fascinating formation, where over 80 acres brim with resourcefulness and ingenuity. Here, 300 years of American perseverance serve as a living reminder that anything is possible. Step foot in the lab where Thomas Edison had his lightbulb moment or the workshop where the Wright brothers taught us to reach for the sky. Take a ride in a real Model T, or a walk through four working farms. Rub shoulders with world-class artisans, and explore the place where America’s can-do spirit inspires you to go out and get it done.
  • The rides at Greenfield Village not only transport you—they hold stories, even mysteries, about America’s past. Whether you’re a passenger on the Weiser Railroad (pulled by one of the oldest steam engines) or a carousel rider atop the giant green frog (famous for its red pants), get ready to discover wonderful historic rides.
  • Ford Rouge Factory Tour:  Pop open the hood on game-changing technology, sustainable design and sheer American grit at America’s greatest manufacturing experience. Get an inside look at the making of America’s most iconic truck, the Ford F-150, and immerse yourself in modern manufacturing’s most progressive concepts. Experience the awe-inspiring scale of a real factory floor as you rev up your inner engineer. This is where big ideas gain momentum.
  • Enjoy lunch on own while visiting museum.
  • Return to hotel for rest prior to an included dinner at a vibrant steakhouse offering Italian favorites such as homemade pasta plus a curated wine list. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 3 - Henry Ford Museum and Tour & Mansion Guided Behind the Scenes Tour
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
  • Meet in the hotel lobby and depart.
  • Arrive at Henry Ford Museum and Tour, enjoy All-Access Tickets to the Museum, Greenfield Village and Ride, & Ford Rouge Factory Tour.
  • Enjoy lunch included at a Tudor revival style mansion built between 1926 and 1929 by Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge, and her second husband, Alfred Wilson. It represents one of the finest examples of Tudor-revival architecture in America.
  • Take a Guided Behind the Scenes Tour of the 88,000 square foot house, exploring rarely-seen areas of The Hall including staff wings, bathrooms, closets and playrooms.  
  • Return to hotel to refresh prior to an included dinner at an iconic Lumber Baron’s Mansion with an exquisite garden serving upscale New American cuisine.
  • Depart and return to hotel for the evening. (Meals: B, L, D)
Day 4 - Detroit Music City Tour & MGM Grand Casino
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to departing with GUIDE.
  • Arrive in Detroit and enjoy a Detroit Music City Tour.
  • Visit the Tuskegee Airman National Museum. See model aircraft, equipment, supplies, uniforms, photographs and a continuous video presentation depicting participation of Blacks in aviation during WWII and their achievements following the War until the Armed Forces were integrated.  
  • Next, is the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, a former factory located in the Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit, built in 1904.  It is a symbol of Detroit’s ability to invent, innovate and interpret automotive heritage. 
  • See the Motown Museum, the first headquarters and former photographer’s studio nicknamed “Hitsville U.S.A.”  It was purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959 for his residence and recording studios.
  • Enjoy lunch with live entertainment during the tour. 
  • Depart for free time and dinner on own at MGM Grand Detroit Casino where a premier gaming experience is draped in modern luxuries, luxe décor, and places to relax and play. Return to hotel after exploring. (Meals: B, L)
 
Day 5 - Elk Viewing & Wine Tasting
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to checking out.
  • Depart for Hillman, MI.
  • Enjoy free time and lunch on own in Hillman, a village in Alpena.
  • Check-in to your resort. One of Northern Michigan’s most unique destinations, known for its award-winning Elk Viewing, carriage/sleigh ride, gourmet dinner and wine tasting event.  
  • Enjoy dinner included and elk viewing. 
  • Begin your elk viewing journey by boarding a horse drawn carriage lead by massive draft horses. You will be whisked "over the river and through the woods" to the resort's elk preserve to view Rocky Mountain elk in their natural habitat. Then you will be treated to a five course gourmet dinner and wine tasting event!  
  • You will be greeted at the Elk Antler Cabin by a warm fire and enchanting aromas where culinary artist Spencer has prepared a five course gourmet dinner on 125 year old wood cook stoves. During dinner, experience up to six wines from the Sunrise Side and be entertained with storytelling from your hosts. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 6 - Trolley Tour of Mackinaw City, Ferry Ride, & Horse-Drawn Carriage
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to checking out. 
  • Depart for Mackinaw City, MI.
  • Enjoy free time and lunch on own in Mackinaw City, a village on the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, where the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.  Mackinac Bridge crosses the Straits of Mackinac to the Upper Peninsula. Colonial Michilimackinac is a reconstructed 18th-century fort and fur-trading post. Founded in 1889, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse has restored quarters and views from the top. Wilderness State Park includes stretches of Lake Michigan shoreline, trails and campsites.
  • Depart on a Trolley Tour of Mackinaw City. 
  • Take the Ferry to Mackinac Island on Sheplers Mackinac Island Ferry, Mackinaw City Dock to Island Dock #1.  The five-mile ride across the Straits of Mackinac takes around 15-20 minutes.  As a crossroads between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, the Straits of Mackinac was once of great strategic importance for the French, British and American forces that fought in the Midwest during the 18th and 19th centuries. Fort Mackinac, located on Mackinac Island, was a stronghold for both the British and Americans, while Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City was first a French trading post, and then a British fort. Both forts are now operated as museums open to the public.
  • Depart for dinner included at a local favorite. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 7 - Narrated Carriage Tour of Mackinac Island & Grand Hotel
  • Enjoy breakfast included at the hotel. 
  • Depart for a Narrated Carriage Tour of Mackinac Island.  Experience the history and charm of Mackinac in the most enjoyable and authentic way.  Your tour includes the following stops: 
    • Surry Hills Carriage Museum
    • Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory:  Stroll among hundreds of butterflies dancing and chasing each other in this climate controlled conservatory filled with lush flowers.  
    • Arch Rock:  View the beautiful natural limestone formation which is one of the most photographed spots on the Island, with breathtaking views of Lake Huron.  
  • Visit the Grand Hotel and enjoy a luncheon on own.
  • Enjoy dinner included this evening. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 8 - Ferry Ride, Shipwreck Cruise, and Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center & Museum
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to checking out.
  • Take the Ferry to the mainland, Island Dock #1 to Mackinaw City Dock.
  • Depart to Alpena, MI. Enjoy a boxed lunch while en route.
  • Arrive in Alpena and enjoy a Lady Michigan Alpena Shipwreck Cruise in a glass-bottom boat.  See magnificently preserved shipwrecks and scenic shorelines of Thunder Bay.
  • Dock, depart, and visit the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center & Museum where there is a shipwreck gallery, theater and archaeology lab. It includes a full-size replica wooden Great Lakes schooner and shipwreck where visitors can walk the decks, feel a Great Lakes storm, and touch the massive timbers of the boat resting on the lake bottom ... without getting wet!
  • Enjoy dinner included this evening at a local favorite restaurant.
  • Depart for Saginaw, MI. Check-in to your local area hotel. (Meals: B, L, D)
 
Day 9 - Saginaw Castle Museum
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to checking out.
  • Meet in the hotel lobby and depart for the historic Saginaw Castle Museum, previously known as Castle Station or Saginaw Post Office, where you can explore exhibits dedicated to the story of the people of Saginaw region.   
  • Depart to Independence, OH. Enjoy lunch on own en route.  
  • Arrive and check-in to your hotel.
  • Enjoy dinner included at an elegant and sophisticated mainstay boasts a range of gourmet Italian-American dishes, cocktails, & deck seating. (Meals: B, D)
 
Day 10 - Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and Grand Estate Guided Tour
  • Enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to checking out.
  • Meet in the hotel lobby and depart for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, a Class III railroad operating diesel-electric and steam-powered excursion trips through Peninsula, Ohio, primarily through scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park. 
  • Board at Rockside Station to Akron Northside Station.
  • Arrive at Akron, OH. and visit the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, a country estate that is one of the largest in the country, featuring a 65-room Tudor Revival Manor, curved eave Corbin Conservatory, Gate Lodge (birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous) and approximately 70 acres of artistically landscaped grounds and formal gardens.
  • Enjoy free time and a box lunch in the Carriage House prior to departing for home. (Meals: B, L)
 

Base rate does not include motor coach transportation, airfare, airport transfers, driver gratuity, guide gratuity, (student groups exempt) or any upgrades or add-ons unlisted from itinerary as stated. Pricing may vary based on day of arrival or other conditions. Personalized itineraries with custom pricing and/or additional transportation can be created and added based on client needs and upon client’s request. MARS will customize quotes or personalize itineraries for FREE.

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