311boogieman
Well-known member
Was in Michigan about 3 weeks ago for vacation and had a wonderful time. My wife and I flew up there to visit some family on my Dad's side. It is a very beautiful state - as I'm sure most are aware.
I have never been up there before. The closest I've been to Michigan prior to that includes trips to upper Minnesota (boundary waters fishing), The Dulles in southern Wisconsin (skiing), Chicago (annual sales meetings back in the day and site seeing with family), Indiana (family), Pennsylvania (family), and Toronto (family).
Below are some pictures but we visited family in the Ann Arbor area and toured the Univ of MI campus and the impressive library they have as that is where family went. We then spent a day at the Greenfield Village which includes an incredible Thomas Edison exhibit and the massive Henry Ford museum. Greenfield village also has Model T's you can ride in as well as watch actual period correct baseball games. While we were there there was a large muscle car convention just outside the complex that I missed but it was mostly Mustangs so no biggie. Also I did not know that the original Independence Hall was relocated to Greenfield Village - as were so many other buildings and objects. The Independence Hall actual courthouse where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated before being moved to Philadelphia is located here. It was relocated to Greenfield Village stone by stone.
Many old homes, buildings, cars, inventions and artifacts were moved to this Greenfield Village by Henry Ford. He really spared no expense on this place. It also has period correct restaurants, blacksmithing, glass blowing, etc. I don't have as many photos of this place as I'd like but you can look it up. The most impressive exhibit to me at this location (not including the Henry Ford Museum) was the Thomas Edison exhibit. Worth the price of admission right here. Lots of his inventions were either moved here or recreated here including massive machines he built and his office and chemical lab.
The Henry Ford Museum of Innovation is practically its own separate day and separate thread - there is so much to see. Safe to say in short is that there are actual Presidential Limousines (including Kennedy's), massive steam locomotives, many cars, trucks, trains, boats, etc., of all shapes, sizes and histories. It has things for kids as well as the actual chair Abraham Lincoln was shot in. It had a Rosa Parks exhibit, furniture from the past, race cars, old clocks, and there was prep for an actual wedding too. Too much to list but you get the idea. If you ever make it up to this neck of the woods, this is worth the visit.
Next up was we rented a car and drove up to Northern Michigan (not the Upper Peninsula unfortunately - that is for another day). Stops include Frankenmuth, Traverse City, Glen Arbor, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Suttons Bay, LeLand and that general area right there. If you are from this area or have visited you know what's up. And no we did not slide down Sleeping Bear Dune but you can see several pics of it I took from different angles/locations.
In this area we spent time at a winery, cherry farm, several lighthouses, marinas, museums, shops, beaches and other places of interest. I was surprised at how much humidity they had that far north and luckily we missed most of the Canadian wild fire smoke from weeks before. If you have any questions - fire away.
Speaking of Lighthouses, I did a little experiment for VonBonFire. At the Grand Travers Historical Lighthouse we were walking around down at the beach first. This was one of several places where you could look out at Lake Michigan and not see the horizon. I had binoculars. But when we went to the top of the lighthouse and looked out with the binoculars in the same direction siting various land masses guess what? I could see further as well as see items in more detail than at the beach due to lake mirages and optical variances.
That last pic is of the first rechargeable batteries as displayed in the Thomas Edison exhibit. Look at the size of some of these machines he built.
I have never been up there before. The closest I've been to Michigan prior to that includes trips to upper Minnesota (boundary waters fishing), The Dulles in southern Wisconsin (skiing), Chicago (annual sales meetings back in the day and site seeing with family), Indiana (family), Pennsylvania (family), and Toronto (family).
Below are some pictures but we visited family in the Ann Arbor area and toured the Univ of MI campus and the impressive library they have as that is where family went. We then spent a day at the Greenfield Village which includes an incredible Thomas Edison exhibit and the massive Henry Ford museum. Greenfield village also has Model T's you can ride in as well as watch actual period correct baseball games. While we were there there was a large muscle car convention just outside the complex that I missed but it was mostly Mustangs so no biggie. Also I did not know that the original Independence Hall was relocated to Greenfield Village - as were so many other buildings and objects. The Independence Hall actual courthouse where both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated before being moved to Philadelphia is located here. It was relocated to Greenfield Village stone by stone.
Many old homes, buildings, cars, inventions and artifacts were moved to this Greenfield Village by Henry Ford. He really spared no expense on this place. It also has period correct restaurants, blacksmithing, glass blowing, etc. I don't have as many photos of this place as I'd like but you can look it up. The most impressive exhibit to me at this location (not including the Henry Ford Museum) was the Thomas Edison exhibit. Worth the price of admission right here. Lots of his inventions were either moved here or recreated here including massive machines he built and his office and chemical lab.
The Henry Ford Museum of Innovation is practically its own separate day and separate thread - there is so much to see. Safe to say in short is that there are actual Presidential Limousines (including Kennedy's), massive steam locomotives, many cars, trucks, trains, boats, etc., of all shapes, sizes and histories. It has things for kids as well as the actual chair Abraham Lincoln was shot in. It had a Rosa Parks exhibit, furniture from the past, race cars, old clocks, and there was prep for an actual wedding too. Too much to list but you get the idea. If you ever make it up to this neck of the woods, this is worth the visit.
Next up was we rented a car and drove up to Northern Michigan (not the Upper Peninsula unfortunately - that is for another day). Stops include Frankenmuth, Traverse City, Glen Arbor, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Suttons Bay, LeLand and that general area right there. If you are from this area or have visited you know what's up. And no we did not slide down Sleeping Bear Dune but you can see several pics of it I took from different angles/locations.
In this area we spent time at a winery, cherry farm, several lighthouses, marinas, museums, shops, beaches and other places of interest. I was surprised at how much humidity they had that far north and luckily we missed most of the Canadian wild fire smoke from weeks before. If you have any questions - fire away.
Speaking of Lighthouses, I did a little experiment for VonBonFire. At the Grand Travers Historical Lighthouse we were walking around down at the beach first. This was one of several places where you could look out at Lake Michigan and not see the horizon. I had binoculars. But when we went to the top of the lighthouse and looked out with the binoculars in the same direction siting various land masses guess what? I could see further as well as see items in more detail than at the beach due to lake mirages and optical variances.
That last pic is of the first rechargeable batteries as displayed in the Thomas Edison exhibit. Look at the size of some of these machines he built.
