Jinx & Wayne Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 We just crossed Lake Michigan from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI on the SS Badger. It was a great trip and avoided driving around or through Chicago to get from NW WI to NW Lower MI. We are 57 feet and change and the cost was about $480 for us, vehicle and trailer. If you have a Toad you will have to drop it. They will park it. The crossing is four hours. The ship's crew moves your vehicle on and off of the ship. it is a big ferry and was originally designed to haul railway trains across Lake Michigan. We enjoyed trip. Info can be found at SS Badger. There is a charge for a vehicle, each passenger and a per foot charge for RV's. The per foot charge for towed RV's is measured from your back bumper. If you are towing be sure to explain that - the person I spoke with though RV's were only motor homes. It makes a difference on price. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ Quote Jinx and Wayne 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms60ocb Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 Thanks for the Info. Did you have to make a reservation? That crossing is on my Bucket List Hopefully 2022. I would like to visit the Ford Museum and continue to the Northwest. Clay 2015 FL Sports Chassis, 2016 DRV 38PS3 Quote Clay & Marcie Too old to play in the snow Diesel pusher and previously 2 FW and small Class C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 Just now, ms60ocb said: I would like to visit the Ford Museum and continue to the Northwest. The Henry Ford Museum near Detroit is well worth your time. We spent 2 days there and could have spent more. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 29 minutes ago, Kirk W said: The Henry Ford Museum near Detroit is well worth your time. We spent 2 days there and could have spent more. Another great automobile museum is the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, IN. Quote LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 And yet another auto museum is the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, MI which is north of the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area. Unsurprisingly Michigan has a lot of auto museums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, LindaH said: Another great automobile museum is the The Henry Ford museum is not an automotive museum. It does have some cars in places, but that is a very small part and very few are Fords. It does have the limo that Kennedy was shot in and the one Reagan was taken to the hospital in after he was shot. It also has a couple of Indy & NASCAR winning cars. Cars probably make up less than 5% of the entire indoor museum. It also has complete trains, old farm machinery, historic clocks, the chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in at Ford's Theater when he was shot, and other things too numerous to list. The outdoor part, Greenfield Village is made up of historic buildings that were saved from destruction and moved there. Buildings like Thomas Edison's laboratory, a rebuilt plantation house complete with slave quarters, Robert Frost and Noah Webster's homes, the cabin George Washington Carver grew up in, the bicycle shop once owned by Wilber & Orville Wright, a grist mill, a sawmill, a carding mill & weaving shop, and far too many more to list here. Edited June 30, 2021 by Kirk W add link Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 It's worth mentioning the CBS Sunday morning show "Innovation Nation" is derived from the Henry Ford Museum. Quote 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 The Henry Ford Museum may not be an "auto museum" in the traditional sense, but the 1952 Wienermobile on display made the whole visit worth it for me! :) Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 Is that where the Edison lab museum from NJ is now located? I have been to the winter home and lab in Florida and would sure like to see the one from NJ. Anyone seen both? If so what did you think. sorry for the partial thread hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 Just now, bigjim said: Is that where the Edison lab museum from NJ is now located? I have been to the winter home and lab in Florida and would sure like to see the one from NJ. Anyone seen both? If so what did you think. sorry for the partial thread hijack. Yes. It is really something to see. We also loved the glassmaking work going on during most days they are open. Really something to see. Quote Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 8 minutes ago, bigjim said: I have been to the winter home and lab in Florida and would sure like to see the one from NJ. It is at Greenfield Village. Edison & Henry Ford were neighbors in FL and close friends. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinx & Wayne Posted July 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 21 hours ago, ms60ocb said: Did you have to make a reservation? We made a reservation. I don't know if it was necessary because you cannot see the vehicle deck from the passenger area. We called two weeks ahead because it was the week before July 4. The ferry itself wasn't too busy but there were some big trucks an oversized load semi and two chase vehicles. There were three HUGE oversized load vehicles (est 90' length) waiting on the dock in Ludington going west. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ Quote Jinx and Wayne 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ropeshaft Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 We have crossed Lake Michigan 3 times on the Badger and it was always a pleasant experience for us. In 2016 the Department of Interior officially designated the Badger as a National Historic Landmark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ms60ocb Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 Another Museum I really enjoyed is at South Bend, IN Studebaker National Museum Also called the; www.historymuseumSB.org Clay Quote Clay & Marcie Too old to play in the snow Diesel pusher and previously 2 FW and small Class C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo18 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 (edited) If you visit Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford museum, you might also want to take the assembly plant tour offered at the Henry Ford Museum. These are three separate places and three separate charges, but all are worth the money. One of my favorite things in the museum is the "camper" that Henry Ford used when he and his friends, Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, and Harvey Firestone took when they went camping. They called themselves the Vagabonds, but what is often left out is the detail that the group also took along several heavy vehicles containing camping equipment, a full kitchen, and several servants to cook and manage the trip! They also took a team of photographers, of course!! https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-resources/popular-topics/the-vagabonds The best tour is the Rouge tour where you can see F-150s being made. https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/ (Check ahead to make sure the factory is working on the day you want to tour.) Edited July 5, 2021 by Solo18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 10 hours ago, Solo18 said: These are three separate places and three separate charges, but all are worth the money. When we were there you could buy a package of any 2 or all 3 at a discount from what each one individually cost. We didn't get the factory tour but have since been told that we should have done so. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo18 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 The other interesting place in the Detroit area is Belle Isle. It is on the opposite side of the city from Dearborn, but it is basically an island in the middle of the Detroit River. It is now a state park and has an entrance fee, but once you are on it, you can visit the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Scripps Conservatory, an aquarium, and the Nature Center. You can also picnic there and just park along the river and watch the big lake freighters go by. Best to go on a weekday, by the way, to avoid crowds. Turn right as soon as you go over the bridge and drive all the way around the island on the outside circle drive. Also, the island was in horrible shape until the state leased it for a state park in 2014. Thousands of Detroiters got involved, and volunteers did most of the cleanup to make this place shine again!! https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=736 The island was settled by French colonists and has a great, long history, which is described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Isle_Park_(Michigan) And, yes, I admit to being born in Detroit and lived in the area almost all of my life. Other great places to visit are the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Motown Museum, Eastern Market near downtown, and the downtown riverfront parks, especially if there is an ethnic festival going on. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g42139-Activities-Detroit_Michigan.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsallyh Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 Solo 18, since coming out west from Penna. about 18 years ago, we haven't been back to Michigan. But watching the Indy Car race from Belle Isle last month that sure looks really nice. And of course the Motown Museum, I don't think was up running yet. I would have really been in Hog Heaven. "My Girl, My Girl"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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