<p>My H and I will be going to Michigan (Detroit suburbs) for my stepson’s wedding in mid-October. We were thinking of doing a Pacific NW driving trip in September but are now thinking we should take a week or so in Michigan instead. Any thoughts on where to go that time of year? Specifics would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>RE52, do you want to stay in MI the whole time, or are you interested in renting a car and branching out beyond a bit? This makes a bit of a difference in planning…for example, do you want to drive to Cleveland (only about 3-3 1/2 hours from Detroit) to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Or do you just want to stay in the Detroit area?</p>
<p>No, we are definitely planning on driving. We are probably most interested in driving north to the lake area, unless it is too cold or desolate that time of year.</p>
<p>3 hours west of Detroit is Lake Michigan, one of the jewels of the US; the area is usually gorgeous in October. Let me know if that interests you and I’ll go into greater detail.</p>
<p>Traverse City and Petoskey on the west side of the state are very nice. Alpena is quieter but also a nice area. Mackinac Island is more touristisy but always fun to do. If you have time, the upper peninsula is also a great place, very quiet and the scenery is beautiful. It will be chilly there in October.</p>
<p>If you like amusement parks, Cedar Point is 2 hours away and hosts their Holloweekends, a popular Halloween celebration.</p>
<p>West coast of Michigan and especially Traverse City area are GORGEOUS during the fall. I suggest a few day trip just up and down the west coast of the state.</p>
<p>I second Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula area (including Sleeping Bear Dunes). You could spend the day meandering along the Lake Michigan coastline, take a hike at Sleeping Bear Dunes, visit a few lighthouses, and sample some of the wineries in the area. The leaves could be gorgeous (depending on the kind of fall we have!) </p>
<p>Petosky/Harbor Springs are nice too and close to Traverse City.</p>
<p>A trip up the west coast of Michigan would be beautiful. Start somewhere around the Sagatuck area (a comfy sailboat-artsy type place) and head up the coast/Lake Michigan up to Sleeping Bear Dunes area and then you’re just a short drive to Traverse City/Bay which will be gorgeous and nicely peaceful that time of year.</p>
<p>Just thought of another alternative. Since you are starting out on the Detroit side, you might consider crossing the border into Canada. You could do a great week trip heading up to places like Stratford (famous for it’s “Stratford Festival” performances which go into October - wonder plays and you’ll miss the summer crowds - check out their website), London and Toronto - you could even do Niagara Falls!</p>
<p>I grew up about an hour and half west of Detroit, and still visit often. Here are a few suggestions:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village in Dearborn (Detroit suburb) is a favorite for my whole family. Plan a whole day, there is a lot to see and do. My personal favorite things are Thomas Edison’s workshop (moved from its original location), the huge steam engines, and the glass blowing demonstration (and glass gift shop items).</li>
<li>You can take a tour of the Rouge auto plant through the Henry Ford museum. I haven’t done it, but family members say it is fascinating, especially if you can go while the plant is running. I think the Henry Ford museum site has more info, you take a bus from there. Not sure if you could do it along with the museum and village in the same day.</li>
<li>If you like food and books, head for Ann Arbor. Lunch at Zingermann’s deli (look at the menu online before you go if you can), and check out the original Border’s bookstore in downtown Ann Arbor (a FAR better bookstore than any chain Borders store, much like a huge independent bookstore).</li>
<li>If you pass through Jackson, try the Parlour ice cream restaurant, it is a few miles off I-94. Might be another location or two around Michigan now, I am not sure.</li>
</ul>
<p>I will post again if I think of additional items.</p>
<p>Mid Oct may be a bit cold and past the peak colors in the UP (hey, you could come visit us in WI if you’re going that far- what’s a few more hours of the same rustic scenery?). Visiting the Dunes would be nice but have alternate city plans if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Toronto would be an easy drive from Detroit and it’s fun to experience Canada- you do notice you have switched countries. Many of the other choices are good- if the weather isn’t too cold (you define cold, and it can change day by day). There are many Michigan ads on TV right now- summers are best for planning outdoor activities in the Upper Midwest.</p>
<p>Mid-October should be peak leaf season in western Michigan. I’d suggest I-96 out of Detroit through to Muskegon, then ambling up the coast through Ludington, Manistee, and Frankfort to Sleeping Bear Dunes, followed by a leisurely exploration of the Leelanau Peninsula before hitting Traverse City, the recreational and commercial hub of the area. The Upper Peninsula is gorgeous but may be quite cold by mid-October.</p>
<p>October is also apple cider season in Michigan. There are a number of historic cider mills that do it up right with cider & donuts, hayrides, etc during the fall, plus pick-your-own apples.</p>
<p>You can also do wine tours, especially nice in the fall. Southwest Michigan and the Leelanau Peninsula are the prime spots. Quality of the wines is highly varied, but the best of them are quite good, if a little pricey. Michigan also produces some amazing fruit—cherries, grapes, peaches to die for, but October would put you well past the peak season. You might find some preserves and pies, though.</p>
<p>You should go to the Henry Ford museum which I believe is in Dearborn (not sure though). I was there a few years ago. This museum includes the history of trains, automobiles, motels - everything americana from old gas stations to furniture through the decades. They have the chair Lincoln was sitting in when he was killed at Ford Theatre, the limo Kennedy was in when he was assasinated, and a cot George Washington slept in. I highly recommend this. There is also an historic village - a smaller scale of Williamsburg - right next door.</p>
<p>I highly recommend the Metro Detroit museums (Henry Ford, DIA, Cranbrook, etc…) The GM HQs and the Riverfront are also nice places. If you’re into casinos, Detroit and Windsor have 4 altogether. There’s also Frankenmuth and Birch Run (for shopping) in mid-Michigan.</p>
<p>Definitely Western Michigan and travel up the coast line. Once you are north of Manistee M-22 is a beautiful drive running along the lake and can be wonderful color in early to mid-October. People have already hit the big tourist spots of Sleeping Bear, the wine region, etc. Depending on how long you have you can either drive out from the Traverse City region using that as a base or continue heading north from Traverse City to Harbor Springs. Regardless, the best advice is to leave the metro-Detroit area and head west if you want to experience the best of Michigan. The UP and Lake Superior is rugged…alot like northern Maine and by mid-October the color will be past peak and it is a haul of a drive and not for a “first trip.” I try to keep from bashing southeast Michigan, and really, you could piece some stuff to do traveling away from the metro-area, but it won’t give you a representation of what Michigan really is like.</p>
<p>Mid-October is a great time to come to Michigan. As other posters have said the colors should be close or in peak. As I remember peak colors in the UP are the first week of Oct. </p>
<p>The Traverse City area is very nice. M-22 is a road that runs along Lake Michigan and is a beautiful drive. You could drive from Traverse City to Suttons Bay and up to Northpoint. There is a lighthouse in Northport which is very nice and it’s a great drive up there. </p>
<p>If you go to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, which is about an 1 hour west of Traverse City and is very pretty, be sure to stop at Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor. Everything they sell is cherry related, cherry salsa, cherry wine, cherry cookies, cherry jam, you get the picture.</p>
<p>I second the Canadian suggestions! 
The shows at Stratford, the premier Shakespearean/classical theatre festival in North America, will still be going strong and there are some excellent choices this year. It’s a beautiful town, particularly in the fall.</p>
<p>[Stratford</a> Shakespeare Festival - Macbeth, West Side Story, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Importance of Being Earnest, Julius Caesar, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Bartholomew Fair, Three Sisters, Ever Yours, Osc](<a href=“Stratford Festival”>Stratford Festival)</p>
<p>You could then come on to Toronto where there are so many fun things to do, and, with any luck, our Jays will be in the World Series again. Fabulous shopping, great museums, a terrific zoo, probably the most multicultural city on the continent, excellent restaurants, wonderful theatre.</p>
<p>[toronto.com</a> - Toronto Restaurants, Events, Hotels, Attractions, Shopping, Movies, Bars, Clubs, Nightlife, City Guides](<a href=“http://www.toronto.com/]toronto.com”>http://www.toronto.com/)</p>
<p>About an hour from Toronto is Niagara on the Lake, a gorgeous town that is a popular spot to visit, for theatre, shopping, wineries. Great hotels and B&Bs. Fifteen minutes down the road is Niagara Falls, which is likely the tackiest place on earth but seeing the falls is worth it, and it’s best from the Canadian side.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.niagaraonthelake.com/[/url]”>http://www.niagaraonthelake.com/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com/[/url]”>http://www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.shawfest.com/[/url]”>http://www.shawfest.com/</a></p>
<p>If you’d like more detailed info, feel free to ask. Oh, and one last thing, your American $$ will get you further here than in Michigan. ;)</p>
<p>We went from one end of the UP, starting at the Porcupine Mountains through Sault Ste. Marie but it was mid-Summer. Great scenery up there and you have to see the painted rocks if you go.</p>
<p>Spend your entire trip in Michigan, there’s so much to do…
[Frankenmuth</a>, Michigan’s Little Bavaria](<a href=“http://www.frankenmuth.org/?Home&page_id=1]Frankenmuth”>http://www.frankenmuth.org/?Home&page_id=1)
and [Bronners</a>, World’s Largest Christmas Store](<a href=“http://www.bronners.com/aboutus.html]Bronners”>http://www.bronners.com/aboutus.html)
and the [St</a>. Julian Winery](<a href=“http://www.stjulian.com/]St”>http://www.stjulian.com/)</p>