Day 1 Schaumburg, IL

Spring is such a beautiful time of the year, flowers are in bloom everywhere and its a wonderful time to take a tour to the Holland Tulip Festival and Michigan’s “little Bavaria,” Frankenmuth! We’ll travel through Wisconsin then into Illinois for our overnight stay in Schaumburg, IL.

Day 2 Frankenmuth, MI

Willkommen to Michigan’s Little Bavaria, Frankenmuth! We’ll arrive here in the mid to late afternoon giving you some time to explore and shop. This charming town is renowned for its rich German heritage and delightful Bavarian architecture. We’ll check-in to our accommodations at the Bavarian Inn Lodge located just across the wooden covered bridge. We’ll gather for an included German dinner this evening followed by live music. (B, D)

Day 3 Frankenmuth, MI

A full day of fun begins as we are transformed into German bakers and will learn the art of proper pretzel-rolling. Then its our turn to make our own. While our pretzels bake we’ll board our bus and a local guide will give us a city tour of Frankenmuth. There will be time on your own to shop and have lunch before we visit Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland. Explore this festive store that is the size of one and half football fields. Next, we board the Bavarian Belle Riverboat cruising along the Cass River. The remainder of our day will be spent at the Frankenmuth Historical Museum. Experience life in the mid-1800s compared to life today. We will tour a Log House, dip beeswax candles and make butter during our time here. Tonight, enjoy German wine tasting before our included meal, the world famous Frankenmuth style “All-you-can-eat Chicken dinner. (B, D)

Day 4 Holland, MI

We’ll travel to Holland, Michigan today and celebrate the Tulip Festival. It has been held every year since 1929 and is currently the largest tulip festival in the United States. The area boasts nearly 4.5 million tulips. Upon arrival, we will visit the famous Windmill Island featuring a 248 year old working Dutch windmill “DeZwaan” (meaning graceful bird). The windmill reaches 125 feet at the top of the blades and it towers over 36 acres of manicured gardens. Tonight, we’ll feast on an included dinner before attending a show. (B, D)

Day 5 Holland, MI

We’ll begin our day with a tour of Holland by a Dutch-costumed guide who will board our bus. The tour includes Holland’s historic areas, city parks, Hope College, downtown and the tulip lanes. A boxed lunch is included before we spend our afternoon experiencing the Volksparade. The Parade is led by thousands of locals dressed in Dutch costumes. Focusing on traditions brought from the Netherlands, participants gather at the beginning of the parade for the official Street Scrubbing. Experience bands, floats, and Dutch Dance groups as they “Klomp” along the route in their authentic costumes complete with wooden shoes! Next, we’re off to Veldheer Tulip Farm, where we’ll find acres of beautiful blooms with over 5 million tulips. Included in our tour is the Wooden Shoe and Delft Factory, you can talk with the artists as they hand carve wooden shoes or hand-paint blue and white delftware. (B, L)

Day 6 Home

Board the SS Badger in Ludington and we’ll sail across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin and begin our trek back home Spend the last few hours reminiscing about our amazing tour these past few days. (B)