PARADE – MOTOWN – FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Day 1 – Home to Schaumburg, IL
Spend this Thanksgiving with the R&J Family! Our tour starts off with a travel day to Schaumburg, IL, where we’ll get to know one another as we gather for a pizza party at the hotel.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Home 2 Suites
Day 2 – Schaumburg to Allen Park, MI
After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll make our way across southern Michigan, with coffee and lunch stops on your own along the way. Arriving in Detroit, we’ll enjoy a flavorful dinner at a Mexican restaurant, complete with fried ice cream! Then we’ll check into the Best Western Greenfield Inn in Allen Park for the next four nights.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Best Western Greenfield Inn (4 Nights)
Day 3 – Detroit
Breakfast is served at the hotel before we experience the magic of Motown during an interesting, guided driving tour of Motown’s sights and homes. First, we’ll visit Aretha Franklin’s father’s church, New Bethel Baptist Church. We’ll tour the sanctuary, see the history room, and visit the dining room where Motown legends dined. Our tour also takes us past incredible murals and some of the legendary homes of former Motown celebrities. Next we will be transported through time as our guide takes us to “The Little House that Rocked the World” – the Motown Museum, also known as “Hitsville USA!” We’ll see the actual apartment Berry Gordy lived in with his family during the label’s earliest days, along with original recording equipment and the legendary Studio A, the recording studio where Motown artists recorded some of the greatest songs of all time from 1959 to 1972. With its catchy melodies and universal messages, the Motown Sound has become one of the most significant musical accomplishments and stunning success stories of the 20th century. Detroit is home to America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, so after lunch on our own, it’s only fitting that we tour the Parade Company Studio! We’ll enjoy seeing the floats that will make their grand debut in just two days, learning how they are constructed, and more. Afterwards, we’ll experience another great thing Detroit is known for: Ford Motor Company! We’re head to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, which was built in 1904 as the company’s first purpose-built factory. As the birthplace of the Ford Model T car, the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is recognized as one of the most significant automotive heritage sites in the world. Here we will see select vintage automobiles that will be driven in the Parade. We will spend the rest of our day immersed in Polish culture! First we’ll get a feel for the past at the Hamtramck Historical Museum as we learn about local Polish history and influence. Right next door is the Polish Art Center, offering us a great example of Polish pride in Hamtramck. We’ll end with a delicious, cultural dinner at Polonia Restaurant, serving Polish and Eastern European fare in an Old World-style atmosphere. What a grand day we’ve had!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 – Detroit
Breakfast at the hotel prepares us for an automotive morning. First, we’ll rev up our inner engineers and discover our drives during a tour of the legendary Ford Rouge Factory in Dearborn. We’ll walk through the Legacy Gallery and Electric Vehicle Display, looking back at the iconic vehicles manufactured at the Rouge complex, all while looking ahead to automaking’s electric future. At the Legacy Theater we’ll learn more about the history of Ford Motor Company. Then we’ll feel the force of modern engineering in the multisensory Manufacturing Innovation Theater. Traveling up to the observation deck for sweeping views of the historic Rouge Complex and one of the world’s largest living roofs will be quite the sight! A highlight will be stepping into the elevated plant walkway for a look at where the legendary Ford F-150 is assembled. Our time with the Ford Motor Company continues as we visit the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation next. Here we’ll step into a world where past innovations fuel the imagination of generations to come, like the Wright brothers’ achievements. Enjoy lunch at your leisure at either the Museum’s Plum Market Kitchen or Lamy’s Diner. Afterwards, we’ll make our way to the Eastern Market for some shopping time and to see the restored Unity Bell. The bell was originally housed inside the old city hall and every New Year’s Eve, thousands would gather to celebrate and come together for the ringing of the bell. Our next stop takes us outside (so dress warm!) to view custom-designed architectural and ornamental metal work like gates and fences at C.A.N. Art Handworks. Mid-afternoon we make our way to Woodward Avenue where you may wish to shop and enjoy watching the floats being loaded for tomorrow’s big parade! A special soul-food dinner is planned at Bert’s Marketplace. Miller London, one of the restaurant owners, will speak to the age of Motown. This sharing time will be a treat as he use to work at the original Motown Recording Studio!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 – Detroit
Happy Thanksgiving Travelers!! Breakfast is served at the hotel before we make our way to our reserved grandstand seating for the 98th America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Founded in 1924, the Parade is a one-of-a-kind spectacle of fantasy, holiday spirit and community enthusiasm including more than 75 parade units, featuring floats, balloons and marching bands in procession. We’ll thoroughly enjoy this live holiday experience! After lunch on our own, a guided sightseeing tour of downtown Detroit is planned, including photo stops at several historical locations as well as of Detroit’s outstanding murals. We’ll then return to the hotel to freshen up. Since it’s Thanksgiving, we must have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner feast! Perhaps the only question is which pie is our favorite!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 – Allen Park to Schaumburg, IL
We depart after breakfast and travel back to Schaumburg, with coffee and lunch stops on your own along the way. This afternoon we get settled into our hotel before making a short drive to the Medieval Times Dinner Theatre for a fun evening! It will start off with a four-course feast fit for royalty. Then the tournament begins and we’ll be cheering on our knight as he jousts and competes in hand-to-hand combat. Who will the Queen deem worthy of earning the title: Defender of the Throne? The beautiful horses and fierce falcons will also enthrall us!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Home 2 Suites
Day 7 – Schaumburg to Home
We’ll enjoy one last breakfast together before boarding the coach for the final stretch home. It’s been a memorable tour to Detroit with our new travel friends experiencing America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Motown, Ford & more!
Included Meals: Breakfast
Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information
Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
12 Meals, Hotels and activities & events as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach
11/24/2024 11/30/2024
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
* 4 Nights in Allen Park, MI
* Motown’s Sights & Homes Driving Tour
* Motown Museum - “Hitsville USA”
* Parade Company Studio Tour - watch the Parade Floats being constructed!
* Ford Piquette Avenue Plant
* Hamtramck’s Polish Experience including Hamtramck Historical Museum, Polish Art Center, & Polonia Restaurant
* Ford Rouge Factory Tour
* Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
* Eastern Market including Unity Bell
* C.A.N. Art Handworks
* Dinner & Sharing Time with London Miller, original Motown Recording Studio Worker!
* 98th America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Reserved Grandstand Seating
* Detroit Sightseeing Tour
* Thanksgiving Day Dinner Feast
* Medieval Times Dinner Theatre
