Grand and Great – Michigan

Cross this one off your bucket list!  The Grand Hotel, America’s summer hotel with the world’s longest front porch, is magnificent in the fall.  Surrounded by the Great Lakes, Michigan also boasts home to Henry Ford Museum and magnificent Ford Rouge Factory tour, Little Bavaria, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Fredric Meijer and many other fantastic sites!

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Michigan Tour Highlights

Michigan Group Tour Itinerary

Day 1 

Begin in Dearborn/Detroit – at the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation.  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.

The Ford Rouge Factory Tour – 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. You’ll experience game-changing technology, sustainable design and sheer American grit at America’s greatest manufacturing experience.

Dinner tonight at Andiamo – Reminiscent of a contemporary bistro in Milan, Andiamo Dearborn is proud to feature knowledgeable, friendly service and classic Italian cuisine with modern accents.

Overnight at the Doubletree, Dearborn or similar.

Day 2  

Travel today to Germany!  Frankenmuth is known as Little Bavaria, and when you are there you will understand. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland started from humble beginnings, quickly growing through several expansions to become the World’s Largest Christmas Store with beautifully landscaped grounds covering 27 acres. But for originator Wally Bronner, the journey has always been about “decorating hearts with peace and love.”

Stroll along the quaint Main Street downtown and enjoy the many shops or grab some fudge and taffy. Head to River Place Shops for a ride on the Bavarian Belle Riverboat tour, an authentic Stern Driven Paddlewheel riverboat.

At the Bavarian Inn learn to roll pretzels (and of course, taste them!) and then enjoy a delicious traditional Bavarian meal and their famous chicken dinner.

What is more Bavarian than beer?! Taste Frankenmuth’s finest beer at the Frankenmuth Brewery and take a tour of the facility.

Enjoy a world famous all-you-can-eat chicken dinner at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant or Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth!

Overnight at Bavarian Inn (or Drury’s)

Day 3

Mackinac Island is magnificently placed between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.  With neither cars nor buses, you are immediately transported to a gracious gentler and grander time.

The Grand Hotel is the bucket list destination for many and has been featured in many films including Somewhere in Time.  Exceeding expectations for decades, this is America’s Summer Hotel. After arriving to the hotel by horse and carriage, you will experience the tradition of Afternoon Tea in the Parlor, dressing up for dinner, nightly dancing to the sounds of the Grand Hotel Orchestra, and sitting in a rocking chair on the world’s longest porch with views of the Straits of Mackinac.

Relax and let the magic of this island paradise move you. Afternoon tea, rocking on the porch, an elegant dinner and the orchestra are the day’s activities.

Day 4   

After a scrumptious breakfast, your carriage will pick you up at the hotel and take you on a unique tour of Mackinac Island. Be sure to take photos along the way as your tour guide tells you about the island’s history. Lunch will be included in the village.

This afternoon is free to use any of the amenities the resort has – spa, swimming, golf, hiking, hotel history tour, tennis, croquet, or reading a book!

This evening another amazing dinner followed again by the Grand Hotel orchestra!

Day 5

After your breakfast, depart paradise by horse and carriage and ferry for more surprises.

Along Lake Michigan is the bay town of Harbor Springs. One of the most popular attractions is the M-119 Tunnel of Trees, an icon for the area’s natural beauty. This stunning drive along bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan is a colored filled fall foliage experience.

Petoskey is a charming lakeside community with unmatched beauty and charm.  It is known for its breathtaking views, Victorian architecture, historic Gaslight Shopping District. Along with the spectacular views of crystal-blue Little Traverse Bay, one of the first things to catch your eye as you arrive in Petoskey is the elegant Victorian architecture in the homes and buildings.  The Bay View community alone has more than 400 homes on the National Historic register. A walk through our neighborhoods and shopping districts is a return to a simpler, more refned time.

Further down the coast is the delightful town of Charlevoix with some unique homes.  Gnome Homes! Mushroom Homes! Earl Young was the famous eccentric builder/architect who lined the Park Avenue stretch in front of Michigan Beach Park with his wonderful creations. You’ve not seen anything like it.

Traverse City is your overnight destination!

Day 6

Sleeping Bear Dunes – named “Most Beautiful Place in America”. Thousands of years ago, glaciers created one of America’s most unique landscapes—a lake of seemingly limitless proportions and dunes that shift with the winds. Majestic beauty awaits you! Come fall, timbered ridges are splashed with brilliant color that reflects on still waters.

Historic Lighthouses and sandy beaches line the shores.  Just south of Ludington is a magical world of seventy-foot sand dunes and evergreen forests.  Here, burrowed amidst the Silver Lake State Park sand dunes, stands the spectacular Little Sable Point Lighthouse.

West Michigan’s rolling hills are breath-taking as the fall colors blaze through the countryside. Country Dairy is a one-hundred-year-old, fourth-generation family farm. Enjoy a tractor-driven wagon ride, visit the Show Barn to see how they pamper their cows, and enjoy some fresh home-made ice cream!

Grand Rapids is your home for the next two nights.

Day 7

Frederic Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is known internationally for the quality of the art and gardens. Meijer Gardens includes Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory, five indoor theme gardens, outdoor gardens, nature trails and boardwalk, sculpture galleries and a permanent sculpture collection, all on 158 beautiful acres! (Outdoor trams tours!)

Art has always been part of Grand Rapids, from the very first National Endowment of the Arts grant to today’s amazing art festival – Art Prize.  And you are here for Art Prize! Three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids become an open playing field where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art and why it matters. Art from around the world pops up in every inch of downtown. And everyone one is a judge! You decide which artists will take home the $250,000 in public vote awards.

Day 8

WELKOM to Holland!  Holland Michigan.  Named one of “America’s Prettiest Towns” by Forbes Magazine, downtown Holland’s cobblestone sidewalks line the streets with over 100 unique and locally owned shops, galleries, eateries, and brew pubs.

Now you are ready to depart home with Great and Grand memories.

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