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The online version of the popular regional travel book
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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA
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A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P.
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Soo Locks Park & Visitor Center. This is the place to get really close-up views of giant freighters, plus see some interesting exhibits ... more

Soo Lock Train Tours. Great intro to Soo. Smart, funny 1-hour narrated tour of historic sites. From International Bridge, look down 135' on all 5 locks. ... more

Soo Locks Boat Tour. This 2-hour excursion provides a dramatic look at the big locks, the quaint Canadian locks, and the Twin Soo's waterfronts. ... more

River of History Museum. Compelling life-size dioramas bring to life scenes from Sault Ste. Marie's long history and prehistory. ... more

Riverfront walk along Water Street and Brady Park. See upbound boats waiting at the locks at beautiful Brady Park, site of the 19th c. fort. See interesting historic monuments from Sault Ste. Marie's aspiring years, including idiosyncratic Chase Osborn, the only U.P. governor. ... more

Bingham Avenue historic buildings. An avenue of grand 19th-century buildings, from a time when locals saw a grander future for the city than actually unfolded ... more

Tower of History. An oustanding geographical of the area from a 21-story tower. ... more

St. Mary's Pro-cathedral. This 1880s cathedral has a wonderful interior, with richly colored stained glass and striking wall accents ... more

Schoolcraft, Johnston and Baraga houses. Three of the earliest and most significant houses in Upper Peninsula history ... more

George Kemp Downtown Marina . A nice picnic area at a beautiful marina ... more

Museum Ship Valley Camp . A 1917 Great Lakes steamship is the vehicle for an interesting maritime museum ... more

St. Mary's River Lighthouse Cruise. A 4-hour journey past landmarks like the lighthouse at the entrance to the St. Marys River ... more

Edison Sault Power Plant & Alford Park. This 1902 quarter-mile-long landmark never attracted the industries it was built to serve, but still generates electricity ... more

Mission Point, Aune Osborn Park & Sugar Island Ferry. It's been called the #1 place anywhere to see Great Lakes freighters in motion ... more

Sugar Island. Once a favorite Chippewa sugaring spot, the island still has many maples and still is a popular stop for migrating birds ... more

New Fort Brady/Lake Superior State University. Begun in 1893 as an Army fort and barracks for 20,000 troops, this overlook now is the site of 3,300-student Lake Superior State University ... more

International Bridge. Connecting the 5,000-mile Trans-Canada Highway with 2,000-mile I-75 to Florida, this 1962 bridge does much more than connect the two Soos ... more

 

 
 
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN
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Mission Point, Aune Osborn Park & Sugar Island Ferry

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The riverside park at the east end of Portage Avenue is "the #1 place anywhere in the Great Lakes for boatwatchers to see boats in motion," says Roger LeLievre, editor-publisher of Know Your Ships, the annual boat-watcher's bible - and he's been just about everywhere on the lakes. "Vessels come closer there than pretty much anywhere else."

Generations of local boat-watchers have enjoyed spur-of-the-moment outings driving down to the park to see what's coming at this point where the St. Marys River bends south on its way to Lake Huron. One hitch: sometimes there are so many boatwatchers (they come here from all over the Great Lakes) lining the riverbanks and taking pictures that they obstruct the view.

A nice bonus: Clyde's Drive-In is right by the park. A Soo institution since 1949, it's known for its fresh grilled C burgers, trimmed as you like. A burger from Clyde's is "a must thing" for Roger on every visit to his home town.
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The Sugar Island Ferry (906-635-5421; $6/car round-trip) runs year-round and makes two round-trips an hour. The Sugar Islander II leaves the mainland on the quarter hour and leaves the island on the hour and half-hour. It's larger than the old ferry, and better suited to withstand icy conditions.


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