INCREDIBLE FULLY-LOADED TOUR includes:

• Motorcoach Transportation
• 6 nights lodging with 4 consecutive nights in LAKEFRONT lodging which includes heated indoor pool and whirlpool spa, beachfront bonfire with marshmallow roast and a FREE HOT breakfast. Luggage handling included.
• 12 meals: 6 breakfasts, 1 Lunch and 5 dinners
• Mackinac Bridge Narration and GREAT Stories
• Cheboygan River Front Range Lighthouse
• 40 Mile Point Lighthouse
• Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum
• Calcite Dock
• Ferry Ride to Mackinac Island
• Guided Tour of the Grand Hotel
• Carriage Tour of Mackinac Island
• See Arch Rock and Lilac Lane
• Free time to explore this quaint island and all the quaint shops
• See and drive over the Mackinac Bridge
• Guided Tour of Mackinaw City
• Visit Colonel Michilimackinac
• Visit Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
• Free time browsing shops of Mackinaw City
• Enjoy Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Dinner Show
• Guided Tour of History Museum at the Castle (Houdini’s)
• Visit Simon’s Specialty Cheese
• Daily Raffle Drawings
• On board Tour Leader

Welcome Aboard! We’ll depart our pick-up locations for a nice ride across the states to our en route hotel in Appleton, WI.  Then we will enjoy a nice Dinner (PRE-PAID). Then check into the hotel for the evening.

Water and snacks provided on coach.

This morning we will enjoy breakfast at the hotel before traveling to our Lakefront hotel in St. Ignace for four nights. Our hotel includes heated indoor pool and whirlpool spa, beachfront bonfire with marshmallow roast and a FREE HOT breakfast. It is also located within walking distance of the Mackinac Island ferries, shopping & restaurants. We will enjoy Dinner (Pre-Paid) before retiring to our hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the day for a tour to include: Cheboygan River Front Range Lighthouse, 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, Lunch (PRE-PAID), Great Lakes Lore Museum and Calcite Dock. Cheboygan River Front Range Lighthouse: In 1870 Cheboygan had a population of approximately 800 and a growing number of lumber mills along the shores of the Cheboygan River. The Army Corps of Engineers conducted their first survey of the Cheboygan River that year to evaluate the possibility of improving navigation within the river. Determining that the channel could be enlarged to a width of 200 feet and a depth of 14 feet, Congress responded to the Army Corps of Engineers recommendation with an appropriation of $160,000 to begin the improvement the following year. After dredging the river to the required depths, a free-standing “dummy” crib was placed to mark the outer end of the channel. 40 Mile Point Lighthouse: 40 Mile Point Lighthouse is located on the northern shoreline of Lake Huron in Presque Isle County’s Lighthouse Park, Rogers City, Michigan. At a cost of $25,000, the station was completed by the end of 1896. Its 4th Order Fresnel lens has been a welcoming beacon to sailors since May 1897 and is still operating today.  In 1996, the 40 Mile Point Lighthouse Society began restoring the lighthouse, outbuildings and grounds. Several years ago, the pilot house from the Steamer Calcite, built in 1912 and the first self-unloading steamer on the Lakes, was relocated to the reservation. Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum: The Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum offers an opportunity to learn about Great Lakes maritime commerce and the stories of men and women whose vocation is connected to this industry. Uniforms and personal possessions of ship captains and sailors, maritime tools, cabin furniture, foul weather gear, lockers, lifeboats and other items offer a glimpse into the daily lives of Great Lakes mariners.  Calcite Dock: Sometimes called Stoneport, or the Bradley Dock by old timers, in a more modern era the term Calcite Dock refers to the loading sight where present owners Carmeuse load many varieties of limestone from an enormous quarry onto ships that take the product throughout the world. The limestone is cut into many different grades from chicken feed to road gravel. Then back to hotel to relax and freshen up prior to dinner. Enjoy Dinner (Pre-Paid).

We will enjoy breakfast at hotel, then board the ferry for Mackinac Island. We will enjoy a ride to the Grand Hotel where we will take a tour.  After, enjoy Lunch (on Own) prior to our afternoon activities. This afternoon, we will take a Carriage Tour around peaceful Mackinac Island to see the splendid sites like the Arch Rock and Lilac Lane. After the carriage tour, you can enjoy some free time to explore this quaint island and all the quaint shops. Once we return from Mackinac Island, we’ll enjoy the evening and have Dinner (on Own) at one of the many restaurants in the area.

–  Let’s have breakfast, then depart. Our day today includes:  the Mackinac Bridge, the Mackinaw City Tour, Colonel Michilimackinac, and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Downtown Shopping. First, Mackinac Bridge, Michigan’s crown jewel. At one time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world – find out where there are bigger bridges today and why the “Big Mac” may still be a greater engineering feat! Hear the dramatic tales of the brave iron workers who built this massive structure, how several of them lost their lives in the process, and what safety procedures today are in place to protect motorists, workmen, and boaters. Our guide will provide more than hearsay – in many cases these are eyewitness accounts of local history! A perfect way to start your stay in the Straits Area! Tour of Mackinaw City’s story has always been one of transportation – and of being a meeting place for hundreds of years. You’ll see local landmarks where railroads, ships, and automobile travelers gathered. You’ll hear tales of an era long ago when those who walked this land wore moccasins, sold fur pelts, and built the early infrastructure of a village projected to become “the next Chicago.” The Straits of Mackinac has documented evidence of about 200 shipwrecks beneath its icy waves, and local divers have discovered 48 of them. Our guide has visited many of these wrecks, and  tell the stories of these ships’ demise in shrieking winds, foggy calms, and frozen darkness. Hear the mysteries of the wondrous sights of schooners unseen but by a select few since the day they slipped below the waves, and the hidden dangers that still lurk below. Then, we visit Colonel Michilimackinac, founded in 1715. Treasures from the past come to life at this 18th-century fort and fur trading village. Reconstructed based on historic maps and more than 50 years of archaeological excavations that continue today, Colonial Michilimackinac offers a one-of-a-kind experience from cannon and musket firings to hearth cooking and crafts. Have your picture taken next to a 2,000-pound iron stock anchor once used by a sailing schooner of the 1800’s, since recovered by divers from the Straits. Lunch (on Own). Time to visit Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Walk along a beach sidewalk where you can view the Mackinac Bridge, and hear the stories of those who worked as a marine reporter, a light keeper, or drove a water wagon through the village streets. Why did local residents buy water? You’ll know after this tour, and you’ll see the ingenious way that the business was made possible.  Then, we will have free time for shopping and browsing Downtown Mackinaw City before going to Dinner to enjoy the Gordon Lightfoot Tribute Dinner Show. A five-piece band that replicates the songs, styles and moods of the Canadian singer-songwriter’s best! Be ready for a visual, acoustic trip from the Great Lakes to the Canadian Rockies; through the pains of lost loves and haunting melodies.

– Let’s enjoy breakfast before begin our travel back. We will stop for a Guided Tour of the History Museum at the Castle. Affectionately known as the History Museum at the Castle, due to their location in a former Masonic Temple, the organization is a thriving cultural institution with deep ties to the local community. At the History Museum, they inspire people of all ages to discover and appreciate the rich history of Appleton and the Fox Valley. See why the world renowned magician called Appleton his hometown.  After, we will continue out travel to our en route hotel. Enjoy Dinner  (On Own) this evening.

Then we will depart for home…a perfect time to chat with your friends about all of the things we’ve done, the great sights we’ve seen, and where we will go on our next trip!