Michigan's Lakes & Mackinac Island

7 night tour - starting in Traverse City, Michigan - ending in Detriot, Michigan

2016 Early Booking Offer - Book before the 28th February 2016 and enjoy a free pre or post nights stay on us! making this an 8 night tour.

A Tauck World Discovery Tour.

Celebrating 90 years in the travel touring business, Tauck offer the ultimate in luxury touring. Throughout the years, ingenuity and innovation, plus a focus on customer servce and authentic experiences, have grown Tauck into one of the world's leading travel touring companies. On your tour you can expect an itinerary carefully designed to create an unforgetable experience, ensuring the finest hotels, luxury motorcoaches and highly experienced tour directors.

Get set for a Michigan tour through beautiful countryside and along panoramic beaches with sand dunes stretching along Lake Michigan. Take a private sail on a "Tall Ship" up the Saginaw River and a private horse-drawn carriage tour on Mackinac Island; spend two nights at the famed Grand Hotel, where a historian shares unique anecdotes about this historic landmark. Explore two centuries of American history and innovation at The Henry Ford in Greenfield Village – with a ride on a Model T... discover fine Michigan wines at a private tasting and dinner at Black Star Farms... enjoy "Tower" rooms at the Grand Traverse Resort, and much more on Tauck's merry Michigan tour!

2016 Guaranteed departure dates:
June 11th & 18th
July 02nd, 09th* & 23rd
August 06th, 13th & 27th
September 03rd, 10th & 24th
October 01st
 
* Small Group Departures – Select small group departures averaging just 24 guests
 
TO BOOK THIS TOUR: CALL US ON FREEPHONE 0800 0336 335 OR EMAIL US RESERVATIONS@PURELYTRAVELGROUP.CO.UK
View Itinerary Details

Day 1: Welcome to Michigan!

Your marvelous Michigan tour begins at 5:30 PM at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. A transfer is included from the Cherry Capital Airport to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Traverse City. During your two nights at this great resort, named among the top 50 domestic destinations by Condé Nast Traveler, you'll be in the midst of a charming town with a lively arts scene and lots of wineries. Please join us this evening and meet your fellow travelers at our welcome cocktail reception and dinner.

Lodging: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Dinner

Day 2: Wine, music and dunes on the Lake Michigan coast

You might be surprised to learn on your Michigan tour that the state's western coast is a land of vineyards and sandy beaches as well as really impressive sand dunes... and music, which fills the air at the Music House Museum, displaying rare antique musical instruments and music-making machines from between 1870 and 1930... feel free to hum along during your visit. You’ll see some of the spectacular Lake Michigan shoreline as you travel along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; ranging in color from the palest champagne to vibrant sienna, the constantly shifting dunes can be as high as 400 feet! This afternoon's private wine tasting at Black Star Farms reveals the high quality of Michigan's vines and wines, which you'll explore further during a private winery dinner for Tauck guests only.

Lodging: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: The Straits of Mackinac, Petoskey and on to Mackinac Island

Wind your way along the shoreline of beautiful Grand Traverse Bay as your Michigan tour continues toward the historic Straits of Mackinac. This strip of water connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron saw both booming commerce and some pretty spirited conflicts during the active fur-trading era. Stop in quaint Petoskey en route to historic Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, which guided mariners navigating the strategically important straits. This afternoon, a ferry carries you onward to Mackinac Island, where no cars are allowed... so you'll ride a horse-drawn carriage to your accommodation at the world-famous Grand Hotel, among the most celebrated hotels in America! This stately hotel's front porch, reputed to be the longest of its kind when it was built in 1887, is still a very popular gathering place for guests and local residents alike.

Lodging: Grand Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Back in time on magical Mackinac Island

This tiny treasure remains much as it was when the first Europeans settled the island centuries ago. Folks get around here by foot, by bicycle or by horse because motorized vehicles are not permitted on the island. Although the year-round human population is only about 600 residents, the horse population can be as high as 500 during the summer months! A sightseeing tour by horse-drawn carriage reveals all that is magical about Mackinac Island and is sure to be a highlight of your Michigan tour. You'll see Fort Mackinac, built by the British to guard the Straits of Mackinac during the American Revolution, as well as "downtown" Mackinac Island with many historic homes and grand Victorian cottages. You'll also learn more about your celebrated hotel at a presentation by a local resident historian who shares unique anecdotes about this famous landmark. The remainder of the day is yours to explore the island as you please; you're bound to discover things that capture your interest.

Lodging: Grand Hotel

Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: An architectural gem in Midland en route to Bay City

Leaving peaceful Mackinac Island behind via ferry to the mainland, your Michigan tour continues on to Midland, where you’ll explore the home and studio of noted 20th-century architect Alden B. Dow, son of the founder of the Dow Chemical Company, who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Dow's innovative use of geometric planes, angles and landscaping elements to integrate his home into its natural surroundings has earned the home the designation as a National Historic Landmark. Overnight in historic Bay City on the Saginaw River.

Lodging: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Bay City – Riverfront

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: A bit of Bavaria in Frankenmuth and a tour of The Henry Ford

French missionary priest Father Jacques Marquette was the first European to visit Saginaw Bay in the early 1600s. Continuing on from Bay City, you might think you've landed in Bavaria when you visit the little village of Frankenmuth, founded by German pioneers in the 1840s, for lunch and some free time to poke around. Continue on to Dearborn, a city instrumental in America's automobile culture, where a guided visit to The Henry Ford is a fascinating, "must-do" experience on any Michigan tour. Historic trains, automobiles, airplanes and more help illustrate the American experience of progress and innovation between 1800 and 1950 – along with Dymaxion House, created by R. Buckminster Fuller; and the homes and workplaces of ground-breaking innovators such as Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Harvey Firestone. Tonight you'll begin a two-night stay at The Dearborn Inn on the Ford Motor Company grounds. 

Lodging: The Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: The Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Detroit and a test drive in Dearborn 

Begin the day with a look at a state-of-the-art automotive manufacturing facility when you take the impressive Ford Rouge Factory Tour in Dearborn, connecting the innovation of the past with the technology of the present and future. Then head to Detroit, where a city orientation tour introduces you to the "Motor City," historic home to the American automobile industry; see the Renaissance Center, Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers), the Fox Theatre and more. Return to Dearborn, where the afternoon is free for your own further exploration and discovery amidst the living history and Americana of Greenfield Village; in true Tauck Style, when you take an included spin in a Model T, you won't have to pay for the gas! Please join us at our farewell cocktail reception and dinner this evening, and enjoy the opportunity to share your memories of your Michigan tour with those who shared the adventure with you. 

Lodging: The Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel

Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8: Journey home or extend your stay

Tauck's comprehensive Michigan tour ends in Detroit. Fly home anytime. A transfer from The Dearborn Inn, A Marriott Hotel to the Detroit Airport is included. Please allow two hours for flight check-in.

Breakfast

Your Tauck Tour Highlights


Two nights in Tower Rooms at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, set on 900 scenic acres
Private wine tasting and dinner at Black Star Farms
Private horse-drawn carriage tour of Mackinac Island
A private presentation by a local historian during a two-stay at the legendary Grand Hotel
Ford Rouge Factory Tour of state-of-the-art production facilities
City orientation tour of Detroit
Guided visit including a ride aboard a vintage Model T at The Henry Ford in Dearborn
Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as noted
17 meals (7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 7 dinners), service charges, gratuities to local guides, admission fees, taxes and porterage

Your Hotels....

Nights 1 - 2 : Grand Traverse Resort & Spa - Traverse City, Michigan

The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa near Traverse City, Michigan, was named one of the Top 50 mainland travel destinations by Condé Nast Traveler and is a Golf Magazine Silver Medal Resort. Your accommodations in the prestigious Tower are luxuriously appointed and feature beautiful views of the forests, orchards and rolling hills surrounding the golf courses as well as a wet bar, refrigerator, cable TV, hairdryer, a Jacuzzi whirlpool tub and more. There are three golf courses – The Bear designed by Jack Nicklaus, The Wolverine by Gary Player and Spruce Run by William Newcomb – as well as a 15,000-square-foot indoor water playground, a large tennis facility, a fully equipped Health Center and the Spa Grand Traverse vying for your attention during leisure time. At the Aerie on the 16th floor of the Tower, you’ll find the Aerie Lounge, which offers a phenomenal selection of beers and martinis as well as an extensive menu of desserts and after-dinner drinks, all served against the backdrop of stunning views.

Nights 3 - 4 : Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island, Michigan

Located on magical Mackinac Island, where cars are not allowed, this elegant grande dame has been welcoming sophisticated guests for over 100 years. The gracious hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Noted designer Carleton Varney has tastefully decorated each comfortable guest room in its own unique style. All rooms offer a minibar, in-room safe, cable TV, iron and coffee maker. The magnificent front porch, thought to be the longest in the world, offers rocking chairs and wicker furniture from which to take in the marvelous views. The 220-foot long, serpentine-shaped Esther Williams Swimming Pool, with its two adjacent whirlpools, is a popular gathering place for guests. The Jewel golf course, the clay tennis courts and the Grand Hotel Spa offer pleasant leisure-time diversions. Dining in the Main Dining Room is a gracious event for which jackets and ties are requested for gentlemen, with pantsuits or dresses being appropriate choices for ladies at dinner. The readers of Travel + Leisure consider the Grand Hotel one of the 500 best hotels in the world.

Night 5 : Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Bay City – Riverfront - Bay City, Michigan - Tauck Guests enjoy complimentary Internet access in guest rooms!

Set on the shores of the Saginaw River in historic Bay City, the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Bay City – Riverfront is just steps from the Riverwalk with its more than 100 specialty shops, antiques stores, restaurants and pubs. Comfortable guest rooms offer a remote-control 27-inch TV with cable channels, coffee maker, mini refrigerator, hairdryer, iron and ironing board and Neutrogena® bath amenities. A swimming pool and a fitness room are available for guests’ use. You might enjoy dining at the casual Riverfront Grille, featuring spectacular views along with American and regional cuisine.

Nights 6 - 7 : The Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel - Dearborn, Michigan - Tauck Guests enjoy complimentary Internet access in guest rooms!

Set amidst 23 landscaped acres neighboring Greenfield Village, this historic hotel was built by Henry Ford in 1931 on the grounds of the Ford Motor Company. The Dearborn Inn, a Marriott Hotel has been awarded 4 AAA Diamonds in honor of its charm, facilities and service. Guest rooms offer air conditioning, coffee maker, iron / ironing board, hair dryer and luxurious bedding featuring down comforters, custom duvets and cotton-rich linens. Recreational facilities available include an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts, as well as a fitness room with cardiovascular equipment. The quietly elegant, recently renovated Edison's serves traditional fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while the more casual Ten Eyck Tavern serves breakfast and lunch.

Tour Only Cost: All prices quoted below are per adult person, per tour in British Pounds (GBP)

Departure Dates

Single Twin/Double Triple Quad
2016: Small group departures*: 09th July £2571 £2119 £2007 Please call us
2016: All other departures £2299 £1829 £1760 Please call us

 

2016 Early Booking Offer - Taucks most popular tours fill very quickly. Don't be dissappointed, book before the 28th February 2016 and enjoy a free pre or post nights stay on us!.

Special Solo Traveller Savings – save up to £130 off the single room price on select departure dates – Please call us for more details. 
 
Children - may qualify for a discount when sharing a room with 2 adults - Please call us for details. 
 
Not included in your tour cost:
Flights – we can package your tour with flights at very competitive airfares using our airline partners. Please call us to discuss the best airline for your itinerary.
Pre or post accommodation - If you want to extend your stay at the start or the end of your escorted tour or add another destination to your booking please call us and we will be happy to provide a quote.
Meals, other than those listed in the itinerary.
The customary gratuities for the Tour Director and local drivers are not included.
 
FAQs:
There are many questions and considerations you might have when planning an escorted tour with Tauck Tours. For more information please click here.
 

TO BOOK YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS:

Please call us on FREEPHONE 0800 0336 335 or EMAIL us reservations@purelytravelgroup.co.uk we are open 7 days a week.

We will be happy to answer any questions, check the availability of your tour, offer a quote for flights and any pre or post nights you would like to add.

When you are ready to go ahead with the booking, a non-refundable deposit of 10% will be due at time of booking or the full balance if you are due to travel within 8 weeks.