Michigan & the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island | June 22-30

June 22 – Detroit| Welcome to Michigan! Your Universal Travel representative will meet you at the Detroit airport and assist you with your transfer to the hotel. After some time to freshen up, enjoy a welcome to Detroit dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Detroit -(D)

June 23 – Ford Rouge Factory, The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village | After breakfast this morning, you will visit the Ford Rouge Factory. Henry Ford had a vision of an ideal automotive “ore to assembly” complex, where every aspect of production could be processed, manufactured, and assembled in one place. From start to finish, the Ford Rouge Factory self-guided tour offers awe-inspiring encounters with America’s celebrated manufacturing past, present, and future. Next, visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. The museum allows you to experience the strides of America’s greatest minds, while fully immersing yourself in their stories. See the world’s premier automotive exhibition, the JFK Presidential Limousine, an original camp bed used by George Washington, and the Rosa Parks Bus. Just a 2-minute walk away, enter Greenfield Village and experience firsthand the sights, sounds, and sensations of America’s fascinating formation. Here, 300 years of American perseverance serve as a living reminder that anything is possible. Whether you want to experience a ride in a Model T, hop on for a ride on the Hershell-Spillman Carousel, take a ride on Weiser Railroad, or ride in a 1913 Ford Model AA Bus, you’ll enjoy all the included rides at Greenfield Village! This evening return to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight: Detroit – (B)

June 24 – Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park & Gerald Ford Presidential Museum| This morning you will leave for the  Capital of Michigan, Grand Rapids. Upon arrival you are in for a real treat! Ranked in the top 100 most visited art museums worldwide, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has grown to become an international destination. The sculpture program features more than 200 works in the permanent collection sited both indoors and outdoors on the 158-acre main campus. Enjoy lunch on your own in the Taste of the Gardens Café with its dazzling glass ceiling sculpture by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Your narrated tram tour gives you an excellent overview of the outdoor gardens and sculptures. Next stop is the Presidential Museum and burial site of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, and his wife Betty Ford. This afternoon, check in to your hotel in Grand Rapids with the remainder of the evening at your leisure.

Overnight: Grand Rapids – (B/D)

June 25 – Sleeping Bear Dunes & Mackinaw City

Early this morning, journey northbound and arrive at the Sleeping Bear Dunes – Philip A Hart Visitor Center. After a quick comfort stop, you enter the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, recently voted as most beautiful place in America by Good Morning America. The constantly shifting Dunes can be as high as 400ft! After an included lunch, you will travel along the shores of Lake Michigan to Mackinaw City and check in to your hotel for overnight. The remainder of the evening is at your leisure.

Overnight: Mackinaw City – (B/L

June 26 – Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island

This morning visit Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, an 18th-century French, and later British, fort and trading post at the Straits of Mackinac. Next, take the ferry to Mackinac Island where no cars are allowed, so you’ll ride a horse-drawn carriage to the world’s largest Summer  hotel and among the most celebrated hotels in America, your home for the next two nights, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island! Sitting in a rocking chair on the world’s longest porch with views of the Straits of Mackinac is a must during your stay! The historic Grand Hotel served as a summer getaway for celebrities, such as Mark Twain, Jimmy Durante, Christopher Reeve, and five U.S. presidents since its opening in 1887. Dinner on both nights is included in the elegant main dining room. Here, dressing up for dinner is a tradition! After 6:30PM in the main dining areas of the hotel as well as in the main dining room, gentlemen are required to wear coat, tie, and slacks. Woman in a dress skirt or pantsuit.

Overnight: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island – (B/D)

June 27 – Mackinac Island

Today is yours to enjoy beautiful Mackinac Island. Your day starts with a horse-drawn carriage tour with stops at  the Surrey Hill Carriage Museum, Mackinac State Park incl. a stop at Arch Rock (one of the most photographed spots on the Island and breathtaking views of Lake  Huron), and historic Fort Mackinac. The Fort was founded during the American Revolution. Believing Fort  Michilimackinac at what is now Mackinaw City was too vulnerable to American attack, the British moved the fort to Mackinac Island in 1780. This afternoon, you’ll have free time to explore the island’s Historic Downtown with its plentiful retail stores and candy shops. You might opt to explore the Grounds and Gardens of the Grand Hotel. Century-old lilacs, white  cedar, and maple trees provide dramatic structure, while perennials and annuals by the tens of thousands contribute bursts of color throughout Grand Hotel’s season, thanks to the  ideal climate of a Mackinac summer. There are over 150 varieties of flowers, including geraniums,  roses, peonies, coleus, garden heliotropes, cosmos, lilies, daisies, and begonias. Cool off and take a swim or relax on a lounge chair with a cocktail overlooking the pool and the Straits of Mackinac. The choice is yours today! Your evening at the Grand Hotel begins with the sounds of music while you enjoy dinner in the hotel’s Main Dining Room. After dinner, a harpist performs classical standards and popular songs in the Parlor during demitasse. Before your evening ends, enjoy a nightcap and dancing in the Terrace Room to the sounds of the Grand Hotel Orchestra.

Overnight: Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island  –  (B/D)

June 28 – Upper Peninsula

After breakfast this morning, you will make your way via horse drawn carriage ride to the pier and board the  ferry bound for St. Ignace, on the Upper Peninsula. Upon arrival, board your motor coach, and your first stop today is Sault Ste. Marie. Located just 50 miles north of the Mackinac Bridge, the town is one of the oldest French settlements in North America. It was at the crossroads of the 3,000 mi. fur trade route, which stretched from Montreal to Sault Ste. Marie and to the North country above Lake Superior. After some free time for lunch and shopping, embark on the Famous  Soo Locks Boat Tour, a boat cruise that provides an educational tour of historic Sault Ste. You will actually ride through the Soo Locks, experiencing the tour boat raising, or lowering, with 22 million gallons of water fed by gravity (no pumps) into the Poe Lock. Much like the Great Lakes themselves, the Soo Locks are vital to Sault Ste. Marie’s tourism industry. The Locks sit at the northern end of the St. Mary’s River, connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Next, visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, located along the coast of Lake Superior at the Whitefish Point Light Station. The museum displays artifacts from local shipwrecks including the bell from the world-famous SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Another highlight of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the historic light tower that has provided safe passage through the nearby waters since the 1800’s.  The original tower was made of stone in 1848 and used whale oil to fuel the light. However, due to its inadequacy in holding up to Lake Superior’s powerful storms, the tower was  upgraded to a steel structure in 1861 and still remains in use today. Later this afternoon, check in to your hotel in Mackinaw City.

Overnight: Mackinaw City – (B)

June 29 –  Frankenmuth, MI

After checking out of your hotel this morning, you will travel to Frankenmuth. Founded by German immigrants in 1845 and known for its Bavarian style architecture, the quaint town is mainly known for its world famous chicken dinner and the largest Christmas store in the world – Bronner’s. Enjoy a 45 min. tour of the city before checking in at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. Early this evening, you have reserved tables at the Bavarian Inn. Enjoy German entertainment with beer and wine, followed by the Restaurant’s world famous chicken dinner!

Overnight: Bavarian in Lodge – (B,D)

June 30 – Detroit City tour & flight back home

This morning after a hearty German breakfast, you will return to Detroit for a panoramic city tour (time permitting/ depending on your flight schedule). You soon will see why Detroit was called the Paris of the Midwest in the mid 20th Century with its many Art Deco Buildings in Downtown before you check in at the Detroit airport for your flight home. Fond memories of your time in Michigan will last forever. – (B)

*itinerary is subject to change

Inclusions:

• Roundtrip transportation to the airport
• Airfare from to Detroit and back home
• Eight days luxury motor coach transportation
• Eight nights hotel accommodations: 2-nights Detroit, 1-night Grand Rapids, 2-nights Mackinaw City, 2-nights Grand Hotel, 1-night Frankenmuth
• Eight breakfasts, one lunch & five dinners (incl. two dinners at the Grand Hotel’s Salle a Manger dining room)
• All sightseeing and admissions as listed on the itinerary incl. Admissions & Tickets for: Ford Rouge Factory Tour, The Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park & Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, Mackinac State Park, historic Fort Mackinac, Ferry ride to and from Mackinac Island, Horse Drawn Carriage tour and round trip Taxi Carriage Ride on Mackinac Island, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum & Soo Locks Boat Cruise, Frankenmuth’s World Famous Chicken Dinner & Bronner’s – worlds largest Christmas store.
• Panoramic City tour in Frankenmuth & Detroit
• Hotel taxes, meal taxes, and gratuities
• Service of a Tour Director
• Porterage of one bag per person (excludes airline baggage fees)
• All resort, service, and government fees
• All gratuities for drivers & step-on guides

$700.00 deposit due to confirm the reservation

Final payment due Feb 15, 2023. No penalties until Feb 20, 2023

50% non-refundable Feb 21, 2023

100% non-refundable Apr 10, 2023

Cash or Check Payments.