OVERVIEW
The Great Lakes region is packed with historical, cultural, and economic significance: the impact of the War of 1812; the influence of Ohio on the growth of the fledgling United States; the Erie Canal transportation revolution; and the vast industrialization of the region initiated by empire builders such as Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller.
Yet the significance of the region is delightfully framed by its natural wonders: placid tracts of Michigan farmland, laid back lakeside towns, and traditional enclaves like Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. The charms of Wisconsin’s pristine capital of Madison is a fitting finale.
NOTE: This tour is planned around the annual Labor Day Mighty Mac Walk over the Mackinaw Bridge connecting Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsula.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Lighthouses – more lighthouses are found along the shores of the Great Lakes than along our Atlantic and Pacific coasts. We drive past a host of them and visit at least 3 in Michigan on a lighthouse day drive along Lake Huron on Heritage Route 23
- Mackinac Island – with all day to explore the country’s second national park (now a Michigan State Park), after Yellowstone, accessed via a 20-minute scenic ferry ride with superb views of the legendary Mighty Mac Bridge
- The Henry Ford Museum – the phenomenal museum in Dearborn, Michigan memorializing the innovative spirit of Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the assembly line concept and made it possible for the average American to own an automobile
- Pictured Rocks National Shoreline Cruise – a 2-hour Lake Superior cruise along a shoreline famous for dramatic, water-sculpted, multi-colored sandstone cliff lakescapes
- Lake walks and more – walks along all 5 lakes (Ontario requires participation in the optional pre-day activities), 5 states, and 2 state capitals
