Michigan Heritage Tours

We see it in films. We read about it in books. And we hear about it from those who were there. But experiencing history for ourselves is what Michigan's heritage tours are all about. They guide us through the buildings where the automotive industry began. They lead us to the sites where battle lines were drawn and where international borders were formed. They even show us the way to the places where the sands of time literally began, the windswept dunes of Pure Michigan.

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The Gateway to Freedom Monument, Detroit

The Gateway to Freedom Monument, Detroit
As one of the national forerunners in the anti-slavery movement, the First Congregational Church of Detroit has a rich history in the Underground Railroad and is registeredas a historic site.  Photo courtesy of Midwest Living

Alfred P. Sloan Museum – Flint Cultural Center

Alfred P. Sloan Museum – Flint Cultural Center
Explore history, science and technology at the Sloan Museum. Enjoy hands-on activities, award winning traveling exhibits, informative state-of-the-art displays and diverse educational activities year round.
Photo courtesy of Flint-Genesee Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau

Civil War Muster Festival, Jackson

Civil War Muster Festival, Jackson
The Civil War Muster at Cascades Park hosts Michigan's largest battle re-enactment each year. The re-enactors stay in camps open to visitors, where you can see period tents, costumes and utensils. Photo courtesy of Jackson Co CVB

Colonial Michilimackinac

Colonial Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac, a recreated 18th century outpost and center of the Northern Frontier fur trade, sits beside the Straits of Mackinac. British redcoats stage demonstrations and fire cannons.  Photo courtesy of Mackinac Historic State Parks.

Come to a Model A Ford Car Show

Come to a Model A Ford Car Show
Photo courtesy of Gilmore Car Museum

Doughboy Sculpture

Doughboy Sculpture
There are many museums and historical attractions in the Bay City area. Photo courtesy of Bay City CVB

Edmund Fitzgerald Exhibit, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Edmund Fitzgerald Exhibit, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The museum exhibit gallery building, built in 1986, is used to house many museum interpretive displays, and has expansion wings to house a theatre and changing exhibits gallery. Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society

Tower of History, Sault Ste. Marie

Tower of History, Sault Ste. Marie
At a height of 210 feet, step onto the open air decks for a 360 degree view of the Soo Locks, the world's busiest inland shipping channel, St. Mary’s River and the Canadian wilderness. Photo courtesy of Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau  

Tour the State Capitol, Michigan Activities

Tour the State Capitol, Michigan Activities
Add a trip to the State Capitol building to your "To do List" when touring Lansing. Lovingly restored to its Victorian grandeur, it must be seen to be truly appreciated. Photo courtesy of Greater Lansing CVB

  • Michigan Heritage Tours

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    Sparks of Creativity: Following the Trail of Automotive Innovators and Entrepreneurs. An automotive heritage tour of southeastern Michigan.

    This self-guided driving tour of southeastern Michigan will help you discover some of the early innovators and leaders in the development of the automobile—and the impacts they have had on our world. 

    US 12 Heritage Trail
    Centuries in the making, the US-12 Heritage Trail is a road connecting man, animals, commerce, culture, and nature. Bridging southern Michigan's east and west shores, the US-12 Heritage Trail is an unconventional destination that encourages the traveler to journey its winding roads, meet its people, explore its places, and uncover its hidden treasures.
    Osceola Quilt Trail

    Part of a national grassroots art movement, the Osceola Quilt Trail (OQT) is a self-guided tour through Osceola County, with over 80 giant, boldly painted quilt blocks on barns, businesses and other structures.

    U.P. Hidden Coast
    The U.P. Hidden Coast Recreation Route runs from Menominee, the gateway to the Upper Peninsula, through to the northern city limits of Gladstone; 64 miles along the western shoreline of Lake Michigan in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
    US 23 Huron Shores Heritage Route

    Your pathway to Michigan's Sunrise Coast with nearly 200 miles of spectacular scenic views of Lake Huron and an astounding array of large public forest, park and recreational properties await travelers on the Huron Shores Heritage Route (US 23). 

    Blue Coast Artists Driving Tour

    Travel the scenic Blue Star Highway and back roads between South Haven and Saugatuck to discover a distinctive and diverse community. The Blue Coast Artists cultural heritage tour is a treasure trove offering a behind-the-scenes look into the studios talented working artisans, agri-tourism farms, wineries and sites within quintessential towns.

    Echoes of the Edmund Fitzgerald

    At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, 1975, the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin, loaded with 26,116 tons of iron ore. She overtook the Arthur M. Anderson just beyond Two Harbors, Minnesota. The two captains discussed the worsening weather and decided to take the northerly route across Lake Superior to Whitefish Bay and the Sault Locks. Our maritime heritage tour follows the progress of the two ships from the south shore of Lake Superior, where stories of shipwrecks and survival draw visitors to museums, glass-bottom boat tours, lighthouses and the big lake itself.

    Gerald R Ford Tour

    Celebrate the life of the man named Jerry that served as a sailor, congressman, Vice President and Thirty-Eighth President of the United States by visiting the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.

    Great Waters Lake Michigan Trail: “Windswept Dunes and Hidden Lakes,”

    The Lake Michigan Trails, “Windswept Dunes and Hidden Lakes,” can offer you a panorama of earth and sky above the Cut River or the quiet majesty of bald eagles and trumpeter swans at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge.

    Great Waters Lake Superior Trail Tour: Rugged Shores and Falling Water

    The Lake Superior Trail, Rugged Shores and Falling Water, will lead you on a quest inland through deep forests to the mighty Tahquamenon Falls or along the shore to secluded, historic lighthouses and the glorious cliff-side display at Pictured Rocks.

    Historic Harbortowns: Exploring Michigan's Beachtowns

    Since the last ice age—about 10,000 years ago—pounding surf and incessant winds have created the largest freshwater dune system in the world along Lake Michigan’s eastern shore. There the rising sands eventually blocked the original river mouths and created inland lakes. Then new channels broke through the sands to the big lake. When Southwest Michigan’s early European settlers looked at the sheltered lakes and the channels, they imagined towns, safe harbors and commerce—and Southwest Michigan’s Historic Harbortowns were born.

    Lake Huron Trail Tour: Sheltered Bays and Ancient Paths

    North, south, east, west…it doesn’t matter which direction you head in the Pure Michigan waters. There’s always a North Woods adventure waiting around the corner. 

    River Country Heritage Water Trail

    Navigate the streams and rivers of St. Joseph County in southwest Michigan and catch a glimpse the past, discover historic and natural sites, and charming small towns.  It’ a lazy or not so lazy day going with the flow.

    Tour Hemingway's Michigan

    Follow the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway in Michigan. Presented by the Michigan Humanities Council and the Michigan Hemingway Society.

    Western Upper Peninsula Heritage Trail System

    Uncover the stories of a region called the Western Upper Peninsula. Along the trails discover the stories, and the historic and cultural sites that are scattered throughout the natural geographic features of the landscape in the Western UP.

     
     
    © 2012 Michigan Economic Development Corporation. 300 N. Washington Sq., Lansing, MI 48913