The Ultimate Experience: Great Lakes Fly Drive
The Ultimate Experience: Great Lakes Fly-Drive15 nights From £1553 per person
Price includes: Flights, accommodation and car hire
Day 1- Arrival Chicago.
Transfer to your Chicago hotel and spend the afternoon discovering the Windy City. This city offers excellent cultural and sports activities. This evening try a famous Chicago-style pizza and afterwards check out some of the many famous Chicago Blues and Jazz clubs.
Overnight: Chicago, Illinois
Day 2- Chicago to Madison - 196 miles.
Begin your morning with a walking tour of Chicago, noted for its architecture including the Loop, shopping the "Magnificent Mile" of Michigan Avenue and walking along the Lakefront of Lake Michigan. Get a bird's eye view of the city from the 360 Chicago Observation Deck or from the Skydeck Chicago at the Willis Tower. This afternoon drive to Madison, the Capital of Wisconsin, with beautiful lakeside views.
Overnight: Madison, Wisconsin
Day 3- Madison to Minneapolis / St. Paul - 270 miles.
Continue your travels across Wisconsin, America's freshwater playground to the twin cities. Suggested stops along the way include Baraboo to visit the Circus World Museum, and the resort town of the Wisconsin Dells. Here boat and duck tours of the Wisconsin River offer magnificent views of the Sandstone bluffs of the Lower and Upper Dells.
Overnight: St. Paul, Minnesota
Day 4- Madison to Minneapolis / St. Paul & Bloomington.
Enjoy this city of parks and lakes; this morning, take a tour of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and discover the uniqueness of these “twins”. This afternoon, “Shop ‘til you drop” at the famous Mall of America in Bloomington. With 520 stores, 50 Restaurants and Nickelodeon Universe with over 30 rides, there will be no shortage of activities.
Overnight: Country Inn and Suites at Mall of America, Bloomington
Day 5- Bloomington to Grand Rapids - 173 miles.
Today travel north through the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Nestled in tall timber on the western edge of the Mesabi Iron Range, Grand Rapids, the birthplace of Judy Garland, is rich with the dual heritage of iron mining and logging.
Overnight: Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Day 6- Grand Rapids to Bayfield - 175 miles.
Return to Wisconsin to Bayfield, the gateway to the Apostle Island National Lakeshore, a magnificent natural wilderness region. A cruise among the islands of Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world, will give you a memorable and lasting impression of this unspoiled area. Later today, take a ferry to Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands, to tour the old trading post and Indian burial grounds.
Overnight: Bayfield, Wisconsin
Day 7- Bayfield to Marquette - 185 miles.
Continue into Michigan and explore the picturesque Keweenaw Peninsula. See historic Fort Wilkens and visit the Delaware Copper Mine before travelling on, via the L’Ansse Indian Reservation, to Marquette.
Overnight: Marquette, Michigan
Day 8- Marquette to St. Ignance - 162 miles.
Follow scenic state road 28 to Munising. Take a cruise into Lake Superior past the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore to view the sandstone cliffs, caves, arches and columns. Afterwards drive to Tahquamenon Falls State Park near Newberry to view two striking waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River. In Paradise, stop by to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, where the original bell from the shipwrecked Edmund Fitzgerald is on display. The Whitefish Point Lighthouse in this Lake Superior “Graveyard of Ships” is also open for tours. Take State Route 123 to St. Ignace.
Overnight: St. Ignace, Michigan
Day 9
St. Ignace. Take the ferry to spend the day on Mackinac Island, a timeless resort island of the 19th century where no motor vehicles are allowed. Take a horse-drawn carriage or rent bicycles. Visit Fort Mackinac, perched on a bluff overlooking the harbor. Be sure to stop by the Grand Hotel to enjoy the magnificent view from the veranda. Return back to St. Ignace late afternoon.
Overnight: St. Ignace, Michigan
Day 10- St. Ignace to Detroit - 288 miles.
Journey through Michigan to Detroit, home of Motown and Motor City, USA. Stay in nearby Dearborn, home of Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. This living history museum explores the industrial revolution and achievements of famous Americans such as the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison.
Overnight: Dearborn, Michigan
Day 11- Dearborn to Cleveland - 140 miles.
Make your way to the ‘New American City’, Cleveland, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In the evening enjoy one of the many restaurants located in the riverside Flats.
Overnight: Cleveland, Ohio
Day 12- Cleveland to Pittsburgh - 133 miles.
Discover the cultural city of Pittsburgh, visit the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History, and the Warhol Museum. In the evening indulge in the cultural district’s many theatres.
Overnight: Pittsburgh
Day 13- Pittsburgh to Erie - 128 miles.
Travel along the Seaway Trail, stopping at the various wineries. End the day with the worldfamous sunset over Presque Isle. Overnight: Erie
Day 14- Erie to South Bend - 357 miles.
Drive to Indiana, the ‘Hoosier State’, to visit the Northern Indiana Amish Community. Then continue to South Bend, home of worldfamous Notre Dame University and home to one of America’s great industrial legacies, the Studebaker Corporation. Overnight: South Bend, Indiana
Day 15- South Bend to Chicago - 99 miles.
Stop at the pristine Indiana Dunes en route to Chicago. Spend your last afternoon shopping along State Street and Michigan Avenue before your final evening of exciting nightlife.
Overnight: Chicago
Day 16
Depart for home.
