Sault Ste. Marie Canada - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Sault Ste. Marie Canada - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Ontario city of 70,000) ome to giant Algoma Steel. Outstanding: bush-plane museum, quaint, Canal National Historic Site by rapids. Good restaurants. "> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="18%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left"> <b><font size="-2" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <font color="#FEE384">We welcome<br> your comments<br> experiences &<br> corrections.<br></font> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=10 height=8 alt="---"><br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> </font> </b> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="63%" height=82 bgcolor="#306799" align="center" valign="top"> <table cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="/images/online_words.gif" width=386 height=13 alt="The online version of the popular regional travel book""><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=2 alt="---"><br> <nobr><font color="#FFFFFF" size="+2" face="Georgia,Times New Roman,Times"><b>Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA</b></font></nobr><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=7 alt="---"><br> <img src="/images/candid_words.gif" width=391 height=13 alt="A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P."> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" rowspan=3>  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=9 height=25 alt="|"></td> <td width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <a target="_top" href="/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/click.pl?nextfile=http://hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html"><img src="/ads/Small_map_ad_ver_6.gif" border=0 ALT="UP Travel Map ad" width=160 height=418></a> <p>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Back to Sault Ste. Marie</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e950"><b>Agawa Canyon Tour Train and Snow Train.</b></a> 114 miles up into the wilderness, with panoramas viewed from the comfort of a passenger train ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_agawa_canyon_tour_train_and_snow_train.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e951"><b>Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site.</b></a> A close-up look, with historical and technological perspective, at the 1895 Canadian canal, built next to but well after the American locks ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_sault_ste__marie_canal_national_historic_site.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e952"><b>Lock Tours Canada.</b></a> A 2-hour boat tour past not just the locks but eerily looming Algoma Steel Works ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_lock_tours_canada.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e953"><b>St. Mary's River Boardwalk.</b></a> A beautiful mile-long downtown riverfront boardwalk, dotted with fishing platforms and interpretive markers about key events in area history ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_st__mary_s_river_boardwalk.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e955"><b>Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre.</b></a> In a 1940s hanger, see the planes that pioneered fighting forest fires from the air ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_canadian_bushplane_heritage_centre.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e956"><b>Ermatinger/Clergue Heritage Site.</b></a> An 1814 stone house, once a fur trading post, has been brought back to life with period furnishings and costumed interpreters ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_ermatinger_clergue_heritage_site.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e958"><b>Art Gallery of Algoma.</b></a> Stimulating art (24 shows/year) and a cool museum shop and sculpture garden in a beautiful riverfront setting. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_art_gallery_of_algoma.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e957"><b>Sault Ste. Marie Museum.</b></a> In an unusual and interesting 1906 post office, tour a museum that illuminates local Indian, maritime, military, and industrial history ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie_canada_sault_ste__marie_museum.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr>  <tr> <td align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Region: Sault Ste. Marie</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <table align="right" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=250> <tr> <td> <a href="sault_ste__marie_map.html" target="_top"><img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/154.gif" width=250 height=149 alt="Sault Ste. Marie minimap" border=0></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <a href="sault_ste__marie_map.html" target="_top"><b>Click to enlarge</b></a> </font> </td> </tr> </table> This Canadian steel-making city of 79,000 dwarfs its older American counterpart across the St. Mary's River. The Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie is home to giant Algoma Steel, a complex that dominates the view up the St. Mary's River from the Michigan side. The steel mill was created shortly after 1900 as part of American entrepreneur Francis Clergue's idea to use power generated by the Falls of the St. Mary's to turn the twin Saults into major industrial centers. He got more investors on the Canadian side than the American. The same Canadian investors built the Algoma Central Railway north into the wilderness to ship iron ore for the new steel plant and to develop the forest resources of the hinterland. The Algoma Central still hauls freight and timber but is more famous as the Agawa Canyon Tour Train (the Snow train) taking visitors to look at the wilderness in fall and winter.<br><br> <B>Algoma Steel</B> is one of Canada's largest steelmakers, with some 2,900 employees, plus 400 in its related tube mill. It manufactures 2..8 million tons of per year,<br><br>Rolled steel for making auto bodies is a major product, as is structural steel plate for construction. The<B> <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie__michigan_soo_locks_boat_tour.html" target="_top">Soo Locks Boat Tour</a></B> and <B>Locks Tours Canada</B> through the Soo Locks provide visitors of the plant, almost surreal in size., The boat tour gives passengers p-close riverfront views.<br><br>The steel plant attracted many Italian immigrant workers early in the century. Today Italians make up over one third of the city's population. Their most visible presence is the many <B>Italian restaurants</B>, some of them quite good (see below).<BR><br>The Canadian Sault's other big industry is<B> </B>400-employee <B>St. Mary's Paper</B>, just east of the <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie__michigan_international_bridge.html" target="_top">International Bridge</a> along the river. Clergue founded it as a pulp mill in 1896. Into the plant by train come tons of logs daily, and out come 240,000 tons per year of the shiny paper used in magazines and advertising supplements for customers like Kmart and Target. <br><br>Kids today can still get excited about visiting Canada—for many their first trip abroad—with its different-looking coins, kilometers instead of miles, different spellings and words on signs, gas measurekment (liters) and different cereal, candy, and crackers in the supermarket. A pocket calculator helps figure out costs (multiply Canadian dollar by .8 for an approximate U.S, equivalent), gas prices (a liter is .26 gallon and about $! more per gallon than American), and distances and speed limits (a kilometer is .62 miles). <br><br>Canadians still celebrate <B>Queen Victoria's birthday</B> (May 24) .A number of restaurants offer <B>afternoon tea</B>. And from October to mid-April they play curling, that odd game involving sliding a stone on ice, its target guide by furious broom sweeping and a bellowing teammate guide them. Call the<B> Soo Curlers Association</B> (705-945-6174) for details. <br><br>Add a souvenir with a Canadian maple leaf for a lasting memory! It can be interesting for adults, too, to see the differences between the two North American countries, from styles of residential construction to bookstores and radio stations where the government's insistence on Canadian cultural content can be seen and heard. <br><br>In the wake of 9/ll, getting into Canada and especially getting back into the U.S. has become more complicated. Backups aren't that bed; 15 minutes is typical. Long waits occur most on peak days in summer for 2005. American customs officials are far more paranoid about the possibility of terrorists sneaking across, hence the longer wait returning to the U.S. You may be asked for a birth certificate or <B>picture ID for each child</B> (hard to figure the rationale for that)). Adults only need a driver's license.<br><br>Station Mall in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with over 125 stores. One-of-a-kind shops and restaurants are on <B>Queen Street</B> between between East and Gore. Don't expect bargains. <B>Charity gambling </B>was introduced in 1999 to give gamblers at Kewadin Casino a reason to cross the river and gamble in Canada. The casino, first of its kind in Ontario, is strategically located next to the Ontario Travel Information Center (705-945-6941) at the <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sault_ste__marie__michigan_international_bridge.html" target="_top">International Bridge</a> exit. <br><br>The Canadian Sault is also the point of departure for canoe, kayak, and fishing trips to Lake Superior's scenic north shore and the Algoma Highlands. Spectacular red cliffs join #POI#Lake Superio at the edge of the rugged Canadian Shield, North America's oldest rock. Rocks and lake make a trip along the shore road to <B>Wawa, </B>120 miles northwest of Sault, Ontario, a memorable experience for the most seasoned traveler—especially during <B>fall color</B> season. Wawa is an iron-mining and resort town of 5,000. Agawa Bayou and <B>Lake Superior Provincial Park</B> are popular places to stop along the way. Fishing, kayaking, and beaches are big draws. Ancient petroglyphs etched in rock add a cultural dimension. The Sault Michigan CVB's free travel guide has a good itinerary for a <B>one-day drive</B> along Superior's Canadian shore. For guided trips and group outings, see "To Find Out More" in the introduction. <br><br>A number of residents in and near Sault, Ontario, live here because it's so close to the wild, unspoiled north country. Managers and owners of fly-in resorts spend winters here. Some men are willing to accept dirty, unpleasant work at Algoma Steel for the tradeoff of being able to get right out into the wilderness on weekends and vacations. ("I'm here for the boosh," says a man from the Maritime provinces in a thick French accent.) <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <p align="right"><a href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Back to Sault Ste. Marie</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> In a city much bigger than any in the U.P., you can find many appealing choices. Here are two we especially like.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e959"><b>A THYMELY MANNER</b></a><br> (705) 759-3262 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> One of Canada's best restaurants, some say, is in an elegant 1920s house downtown. Since 1972 Rosetta Sicoli and her mother, Maria, have been cooking and serving continental cuisine and homemade breads and desserts here. The setting is at once comfy and elegant, ideal for special occasions. The menu changes often according to seasons and availability of ingredients. Interesting preparations of fresh Lake Superior fish are always favorites with summer visitors. More game farms in the area mean that sometimes bison ribeye steak is on the menu (with fig marmalade, for instance), or rosemary venison au jus, or fresh duck breast with plum preserves. Entrees ($17-$34 Canadian, about $14.50-$29 US) come with pasta. Figure about $75-$100 Canadian for a meal for two with wine. Many appetizers, pastas, and sides are meatless. Rosetta's parents' garden supplies tomatoes, baseil for pesto, and special things like fresh zucchini flowers, stuffed with basil, ricotta, and other cheeses, then baked. A small pantry shop offers sweets, pastas, and delicacies like truffle oil are for sale. Reservations highly recommended, especially on weekends. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>Downtown at 531 Albert Street East. (Go left off the bridge; Albert is the first right. Continue on thru 6 or 7 lights. It's on right, after Spring, before East.) Open for dinner Tues-Sat from 5:30 to 10 or later. Not wheelchair-accessible. Service too leisurely for children. Full bar; good wine list.</i> <p> <a name="e960"><b>GIOVANNI'S</b></a><br> (705) 942-3050 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Great smells come from the kitchen at this busy, casual family restaurant. The owners are from Italy. Their menu of Italian specialties includes homemade pastas, steaks, fresh fish, and some light entrées, with a good number of wines, Italian and otherwise. Value is excellent, considering the quality. Dinner entrees with garden salad are $15-$30 Canadian (about $13-$26 US). Lunch specials $7-$12 Canadian ($6-$10 U.S.). Dinner reservations suggested. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>516 Great Northern Rd./Hwy. 17 a little north of Second Line, well north of downtown. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Wheelchair-accessible. Family-friendly. Full bar.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> Especially for kids who haven't become blasé, visiting a foreign country and picking out all the little differences can be fun. For experiencing more Canadian atmosphere, stay near the waterfront downtown or in a homestay B&B. Fall is the premium season because of Agawa Canyon color tour.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e961"><b>HOLIDAY INN</b></a><br> (705) 949-0611; (888) 713-8482 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Every room here has a striking <B>view</B> of the waterfront looking out over Michigan - either up (toward the locks) or downstream. The 8-story, 195-room hotel is downtown right on the river and the Boardwalk, next to the Roberta Bondar Park (scene of concerts, farm markets, and more). Station Mall is across the street. There are river views from the indoor swimming <B>pool </B>and whirlpool, the outdoor <B>patio</B>, and the <B>restaurant </B>and<B> lounge</B>. Quoted rates for summer non-holiday weekend: about $124 U.S. Rooms have dataports, coffeemakers, cable TV, pay-per-view movies. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>Downtown at 208 St. Mary's River Dr. Some rooms wheelchair-accessible. Children: under 18 free, under 12 eat free from kids' menu. Dogs in some rooms.</i> <p> <a name="e962"><b>BEST WESTERN GREAT NORTHERN</b></a><br> (705) 942-2500; U.S. (800) 563-7262 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> For families this place is a great bet, especially in winter. It combines a 211-room hotel in a 7-story tower with what amounts to a vast indoor resort. There's a 5-story <B>waterslide</B> (free for guests), a 9-hole wilderness <B>miniature golf course</B>, <B>pools</B> indoors and out, a <B>fitness center</B> with sauna and whirlpool, a <B>game room</B>, restaurant, <B>lounges</B>, and a tunnel to a 24-lane computerized <B>bowling alley</B>. Summer noncorporate rate for 2 about $96 American, includes with a free game of bowling and minigolf. Ask for packages. 3 whirlpool rooms. Reserve at least a month ahead for fall, otherwise a week ahead is usually OK. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>5 minutes north of downtown at 229 Great Northern Road (the northern extension of Pim downtown). Some rooms wheelchair-accessible. Children under 18 free with parents. Dogs permitted in some rooms.</i> <p> <a name="e1385"><b>AMBASSADOR MOTEL</b></a><br> (705) 759-6199; (888) 274-2183 reservations. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> This very pleasant, 16-room family-run motel has an unusual setting. It's at the north edge of Sault Ste. Marie's busy commercial strip, close to many restaurants. It's also closer to the Goulais River Valley or Searchmont. There's a small indoor pool, sauna, and hot tub. The large back yard has room for an outdoor tub and, in winter, a skating rink and in summer basketball and horseshoes. Rooms are large, with a walk-out patio door. All have coffee, a mini-fridge, and phone with free local calls. There's a free morning paper, too. Non-smoking available. 2006 rates were $99 Canadian in summer (about $84 U.S.), $74 in winter ($63 U.S.). On snowmobile trail. Booking ahead two weeks is usually enough. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>1275 Great Northern, west side, just before Fourth Line. Open year-round. Handicap access: call. Children 10 and under free. No pets. </i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SAULT STE. MARIE CANADA<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 1997-2007 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>