Tour patrons like the Soo/Mackinac area for several reasons. It is very historical and one of the first areas to be explored by the early missionaries. In fact,St. Ignace is the third-oldest continually inhabited settlement in the United States. Being surrounded by three of the Great Lakes gives the area a strong maritime heritage. In addition,the lakes, rivers and forests not only provide some great scenery but may also provide a refreshing change from hot, urban climates.

Tour planners like the area because it is reasonably compact. If you draw a triangle between Paradise, Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace/Mackinaw City, you will find that everything is within a 90-minute drive. Yet, there is enough here to keep a tour occupied for several days if that is your desire. During our brief visit, we saw tour groups from as far away as New York, Tennessee and Missouri. Here is a list of some of the more popular group attractions generally from northwest to southeast.

A few miles west of Paradise, Michigan on M-123 is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. There are actually two parking locations with the Lower Falls to the east and the Upper Falls four miles west. Both locations have a large parking area, restrooms, a gift shop and food. A vehicle permit fee is charged which can be used for both locations. The Upper Falls, one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feel across. Note that there are approximately 100 steps down to both the brink and base of the falls. The Lower Falls consists of five smaller falls around an island but there are no steps down to the falls from the main walkway. For more information phone (906) 492-3415.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at Whitefish Point, where the road north from Paradise ends. In addition to the paved northern parking lot, there is also a southern gravel lot suitable for buses and RVs. The museum does a professional and tasteful job of documenting shipwrecks in the area including artifacts brought up from the wrecks. Additional items on display are a collection of lighthouse Fresnel lenses and the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald that sunk only 17 miles off the point. Adjacent buildings include a video theater, a gift shop with modern restrooms, the Coast Guard Lifeboat Station, the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior, and a beautiful sand beach. For more information contact (888) 492-3747 or view the Web at www.shipwreckmuseum.com.

If you drive east from Paradise along a scenic highway on the shore of Whitefish Bay, you will soon reach Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley. In addition to a beautiful location on the shore of Whitefish Bay, Bay Mills provides exciting gaming, two restaurants, modern accommodations and a large parking lot. It has the unique advantage of being located almost midway between the Falls, Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. The big lake freighters pass behind the casino on their way between Lake Superior and the Soo Locks. For more information phone (888) 422-9645 or view www.4baymills.com.

Interstate 75 ends at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan,the location of the famous Soo Locks. Essentially an elevator for boats, the locks are necessary because Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than the St. Mary ’s River and Lake Huron. Due to a steep hill on Easterday Avenue at exit 394, local officials recommend that buses exit Interstate 75 at exit 392 and follow Business I-75 into town. The most popular attraction for groups is the Soo Locks Boat Tours. Two docks with big parking lots are located on Portage Avenue east of downtown on the St. Mary ’s River. The #1 dock is located further east while the #2 dock is near the bridge over the water power canal. A standard tour is about two hours and includes passing through the locks twice plus some sightseeing on both the United States and Canadian side of the river. Boats have restrooms, indoor and outdoor seating, and offer simple refreshments and food for sale. There also is an evening dinner cruise. For more information phone (800) 432-6301 or view www.soolocks.com.

Immediately west of the #2 dock is the Valley Camp, a former Great Lakes freighter now turned into a museum. Your tour patrons will be able to walk the spardeck and view the pilot house as well as the dining rooms, and rooms for the master (captain) and crew. The interior of the ship has been turned into a museum with a small aquarium and numerous displays of maritime history. Highlights include both lifeboats from the ill-fated Edmund Fitzgerald as well as a video on the ship. There is a ramp connecting the various levels but a few steps may be necessary to reach the pilot house and some crew areas. At the north end of the large parking lot is a gift shop and restrooms. For more information phone (888) 744-7867 or view www.thevalleycamp.com.

If you planned ahead and your passengers have passports or another acceptable document, you can cross the international bridge between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The bridge is the only vehicle connection between the United States and Canada for hundreds of miles and crosses over the western approach to the Soo Locks. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train is the most popular group attraction on the Canadian side. Leaving Canadian Customs, make a right turn and continue ahead as the street turns left into Bay Street and passes the casino. The Algoma Central train leaves from the appropriately-named Station Mall that will soon appear on your right. In addition to providing a Canadian shopping experience for your passengers, the mall also has large parking lots for your coach. In addition,there is a boardwalk along the river just south of the mall. For more information phone (705) 946-7300 or view www.agawacanyontourtrain.com.

Operating from June through mid-October, the train provides an all-day ride 114 miles north to Agawa Canyon and return. Along the way, the train winds its way through remote forest areas, runs along the shore of several lakes, and crosses two valleys over impressive trestles. At Agawa Canyon, passengers can hike, view waterfalls or pause for lunch at numerous picnic benches. There is a dining car on the train serving both breakfast as well as lunch, and picnic box lunches can be purchased. The scenery is ablaze with color in the fall. A snow train also operates on a very limited schedule from late January to early March but passengers are not able to detrain at Agawa Canyon. 

Approximately an hour drive south on Interstate 75 is St. Ignace, Mackinaw City and the big bridge over the Straits of Mackinac. Mackinaw City is larger while St. Ignace is more historical, but both communities offer restaurants and modern hotels. The most popular group attraction in the area is Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw even when it ends in a “c ”). Three different ferry boat lines connect both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City with Mackinac Island. However, since vehicles are not allowed on the island, your coach stays behind. 

Most groups going to the island will board the carriage tour. Your horse-drawn carriage takes you up the hill, past the Grand Hotel, and to the stables where you have the option of going into the Butterfly Conservatory. Continuing in a larger three-horse carriage, you ride through the center of the island, make a stop for photos at Arch Rock,and then pass Fort Mackinac on the way back. The historic fort has numerous preserved buildings for viewing plus regularly scheduled demonstrations including the firing of historic rifles and a canon. There are numerous restaurants, gift shops and fudge shops in town so you can also turn your group loose. Another option is to have lunch at the Grand Hotel.

The most unforgettable group experience on the island is spending a night or two at the Grand Hotel. Considered as one of the top 25 hotels in the world, the Grand Hotel boasts a record-setting front porch from which you can see the surrounding area and the big Mackinac Bridge. The multi-course dinner is a formal affair where the men wear a suit coat and tie while the ladies dress up. Both breakfast and dinner can be included with your rooms while guests frequently walk down the hill to town for lunch. For more information phone (800) 33-GRAND or view www.grandhotel.com.

Well worth considering is a drive of approximately 90 miles southeast from Mackinaw City to Hillman, Michigan,the home of Thunder Bay Resort . Increasingly popular with bus and group tours,Thunder Bay offers a carriage ride past an elk preserve followed by a gourmet dinner at a cabin. Nearby Alpena offers other group attractions and the Charity Island Dinner Cruise can be added to your itinerary in the summer months. For more information phone (800) 729-9375 or view

www.thunderbaygolf.com. ❑

Bus Tours Magazine / January, 2010