Start your adventure with an upscale hotel stay near Navy Pier. Visit Chicago’s famous landmarks such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and Navy Pier. Savor a gourmet rooftop dinner and take a leisurely evening stroll along the pier.

Kick off and conclude your adventure in the lively Windy City, known for its impressive architecture and exceptional culinary offerings.

Less deep, and less cold than its Superior counterpart, Lake bluffs borders this freshwater Michigan, the second largest Great Lake by volume is the only one whose borders lie entirely within the United States. This lake is a conduit for water travelers seeking to visit iconic lawrencemontrealAmerican's largest freshwater island in the cities - of Milwaukee, Muskegon, and Chicago.

You’ll awaken in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. With no cars allowed on the island, your horse-drawn carriage tour is a great way to experience the Victorian ambiance of this National Historic Landmark. Learn about the island’s history and see turn-of-the-century summer homes built by early captains of American industry. High atop a bluff overlooking the Straits of Mackinac, your tour of Fort Mackinac delves into its strategic importance during the War of 1812. Then take in the views from the Grand Hotel’s verandah, the longest in the world, and enjoy the hotel’s famous Grand Luncheon Buffet. Back in town,
you’ll have time to browse galleries and boutiques. Before sailing this evening, the Grand Hotel’s resident historian Bob Tagatz will come aboard for a colorful talk on the history of Mackinac Island and its world-famous hotel.

You’ll awaken in the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. With no cars allowed on the island, your horse-drawn carriage tour is a great way to experience the Victorian ambiance of this National Historic Landmark. Learn about the island’s history and see turn-of-the-century summer homes built by early captains of American industry. High atop a bluff overlooking the Straits of Mackinac, your tour of Fort Mackinac delves into its strategic importance during the War of 1812. Then take in the views from the Grand Hotel’s verandah, the longest in the world, and enjoy the hotel’s famous Grand Luncheon Buffet. Back in town,
you’ll have time to browse through galleries and boutiques. Before sailing this evening, the Grand Hotel’s resident historian Bob Tagatz will come aboard for a colorful talk on the history of Mackinac Island and its world-famous hotel.

Marquette is on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, bordering Lake Superior. It has a population of 21,000 and is a major port known primarily for shipping iron ore. Marquette is also the home of Northern Michigan University and in 2012 was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. In the 17th century, the region to the east and west of Marquette was well known to French missionaries and in the 19th century to trappers seeking furs. However, development of the area did not begin, until 1844, with the discovery of iron deposits. 1850 the name was formally adopted to honor Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary who explored the region. In the late 19th century, during the height of iron mining, Marquette became nationally known as a summer haven for visitors brought in by Great Lakes passenger steamships, filling the city's hotels and resorts. Visit the Michigan Iron Industry Museum which interprets the extraordinary story of this core US industry. The museum is in suburban Marquette on the site of an original Iron forge. Closer to town you will visit the working harbor and see the impressive 1000 feet long Iron ore dock where material is currently loaded onboard working Great Lakes freighters. En route, drive by the impressive dome of Northern Michigan University (NMU) that resembles a gigantic igloo, with visits to the Maritime Museum and lighthouse.

The Keewenaw Peninsular jets out into Lake Superior and is known for its massive deposits of high-grade copper, upon which the economy of both Horton and Hancock are based. Nowadays the Hancock Houghton Canal - also called The Keweenaw Waterway - is a convenient shortcut to and from Duluth, Minnesota. In its heyday, this canal was a hive of commerce as freighters arrived with supplies for the local communities and departed full of copper. The waterway itself
is partly natural and partially artificial combining Portage Canal, Portage Lake Canal, Portage River, Lilly Pond, Torch Lake, and Portage Lake. The upper part of the Peninsula is also called Copper Island as it is separated from the mainland by the canal. Make your way to the Quincy Copper Mine for a closer look at how this region prospered. Visitors can enter the mine itself and have an appreciation of how miners moved around beneath the earth and extracted this valuable resource. The mine operated from 1846 to 1945 but there was also some additional mining activity until the 1970’s. Visit the Internationally recognized A.E. Seamen Mineral Museum located on the grounds of the Michigan Technological University. This is the official Michigan State Mineral Museum, which houses an extraordinary collection of minerals including a fascinating collection of phosphorescent deposits.

Duluth was a trading post more than 300 years ago and is now an International Port located in Northeastern Minnesota. The city is nestled in the hills overlooking Lake Superior, which contains 10% of the world’s fresh water. Originally settled by the Sioux and Chippewa, Duluth was claimed for France in 1679 by Daniel Greysolon Sieur du Lhut, the city’s namesake. Your visit to Duluth starts with a drive past the Aerial Lift Bridge, which guards the harbor, then along the North Shore Scenic Drive for an excellent overview of the city and its environs. You then climb Hawk Ridge to experience the unique phenomenon of the “Raptor flight path” - as these hunting birds migrating from the Arctic come to a screeching halt, as they crest the ridge and wonder how they will cross the breadth of Lake Superior far below. Enjoy a scenic walk along the waterfront to Leif Erikson Park, which houses a replica Viking ship, and then down to “The Depot” which houses an exceptional collection of trains and carriages from a bygone era. The afternoon is free to explore Canal Park and the wonderful, restored ships and exhibits from Duluth’s past.

"Amid the vast conifer forests of Northwestern Ontario lies the City of Thunder Bay. Nestled along Lake Superior's beautiful western shore, the land here is etched by jagged rock outcroppings and graced with a splendor of smaller lakes and streams” The gateway to Canada's great outdoors, Thunder Bay is situated on the shores of the world's largest freshwater lake, embraced by the Nor'Wester Mountain range, Thunder Bay is a vibrant urban community in a wilderness setting. The largest city on Lake Superior, Thunder Bay is only 90 minutes by jet aircraft from the major international airports of Toronto and Minneapolis. With the Trans-Canada Highway alongside the city, Thunder Bay's central location in the center of the continent and at the head of the Great Lakes made it a natural meeting and trading site as far back as the Paleo-Indian civilization 11,000 years ago. The first Europeans arrived in the 17th century and established a series of fur trading posts at the place they named Baie de Tonnere or Thunder Bay. In 1798, the North West Company built Fort William near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River, which quickly became a lively community of Scottish traders, French voyageurs, and Native trappers. Today, that era is revisited at Fort William Historical Park, one of Canada's Top 10 Visitor Attractions.

Lake Superior lives up to its name not only in its place as the largest of the Great Lakes but also by its surface area - the largest of any freshwater lake in the world. A traveler on these waters touches nearly 3,000 cubic miles of water. With an average depth of 500 feet, it features a nautical playground for a variety of marine life.

Located at the mouth of the St. Mary’s River, the twin - “Soo’s” - of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Michigan was originally established as one settlement by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century and remained so until the War of 1812. Today the locks on the American Soo side bypass the St. Mary’s Rapids that fall over 20 feet connecting Lake Superior to Lake Huron and Michigan. The Soo locks are the busiest in the world in terms of tonnage, accommodating 1000-foot freighters. Traveling upstream and arriving at Mackinac Island, the ship will dock on the Canadian side of the river at Roberta Bondar Place, named for Canada’s first female astronaut. In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, you will visit The Bush Plane Museum and Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site. The collections and exhibits of the Bush planes tell the story of how these brave Canadians battled Ontario’s many forest fires. At the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site, you’ll find stone buildings and period gardens from the 1800’s. In Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan you will visit The Valley Camp Museum Ship which houses over 100 exhibits in her 20,000 square feet of cargo holds which contains hundreds of interesting artifacts, paintings, shipwreck items, models, and exhibits of objects related to maritime history. In addition, The Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit holds the two lifeboats from the stricken vessel. Torn away during the sinking, these lifeboats are two of very few major artifacts recovered after the tragic demise.
 

Less deep, and less cold than its Superior counterpart, Lake bluffs borders this freshwater Michigan, the second largest Great Lake by volume is the only one whose borders lie entirely within the United States. This lake is a conduit for water travelers seeking to visit iconic lawrencemontrealAmerican's largest freshwater island in the cities - of Milwaukee, Muskegon, and Chicago.

The city of Green Bay is in the state of Wisconsin in a large sub-basin of water to the south end of Green Bay itself – at the mouth of the Fox River. Green Bay is the third-largest city in the state and is well known as the home of the National Football League team, the Green Bay Packers. In Green Bay, you will also find the National Railway Museum of America, which is dedicated to preserving the nation’s extraordinary railroad history. The museum is fortunate to have the Dwight D. Eisenhower command car, Union Pacific’s #4107, the largest steam locomotive ever built, the Pennsylvania RR#4890 electric locomotive, and the futuristic “Aerotrain”. There is also a special exhibit to display the chinaware from Jay Christopher’s collection including silver service plates and china used on railroads, steamships, and the early airlines. Traveling further back in history you'll visit Heritage Hill State Historical Park, a 48-acre open-air museum operated
in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The site contains more than 30 historical structures, most moved from other locations. The structures include log cabins from the fur trade era, buildings from Fort Howard, and stores and public buildings from the late 19th century. Live historic interpreters, wearing period-style clothing, populate the park during summer operations. Previously the property was used as a prison farm with orchards tended by prison labor.

The city of Green Bay is in the state of Wisconsin in a large sub-basin of water to the south end of Green Bay itself – at the mouth of the Fox River. Green Bay is the third-largest city in the state and is well known as the home of the National Football League team, the Green Bay Packers. In Green Bay, you will also find the National Railway Museum of America, which is dedicated to preserving the nation’s extraordinary railroad history. The museum is fortunate to have the Dwight D. Eisenhower command car, Union Pacific’s #4107, the largest steam locomotive ever built, the Pennsylvania RR#4890 electric locomotive, and the futuristic “Aerotrain”. There is also a special exhibit to display the chinaware from Jay Christopher’s collection including silver service plates and china used on railroads, steamships, and the early airlines. Traveling further back in history you'll visit Heritage Hill State Historical Park, a 48-acre open-air museum operated
in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The site contains more than 30 historical structures, most moved from other locations. The structures include log cabins from the fur trade era, buildings from Fort Howard, and stores and public buildings from the late 19th century. Live historic interpreters, wearing period-style clothing, populate the park during summer operations. Previously the property was used as a prison farm with orchards tended by prison labor.

Less deep, and less cold than its Superior counterpart, Lake bluffs borders this freshwater Michigan, the second largest Great Lake by volume is the only one whose borders lie entirely within the United States. This lake is a conduit for water travelers seeking to visit iconic lawrencemontrealAmerican's largest freshwater island in the cities - of Milwaukee, Muskegon, and Chicago.

This morning you’ll board the USS LST 393. Launched on November 11, 1942, in Newport News, Virginia, this historic transport ship logged more than 51,000nautical miles - including its service in June of 1944 when it made 30 round trips to the beaches of Normandy. Now a museum filled with fascinating wartime artifacts and historical documents, your guided tour will also show the shipboard technology and living conditions endured by our World War II soldiers. Enjoy a narrated sightseeing drive through the handsome historic district of Muskegon and continue to the charming town of Holland to visit the DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delft Factory. You’ll have a chance to engage with the artists who craft the only authentic blue and white delftware made in America and to see wooden shoes being carved on machines that were imported from the Netherlands. Before returning to the ship, you’ll also see an authentic 250-year-old working Dutch windmill and meet the artisans at Nelis’ Dutch Village where carefully constructed buildings recreate a 19th-century Dutch village.

Conclude your roundtrip adventure in Chicago. Take one last stroll along Navy Pier, visit the iconic Willis Tower for breathtaking city views, and explore the vibrant neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Bucktown. Reflect on your incredible experience before disembarking.