2021 Tours!!
July 13, 2021—
RELIGIOUS TOUR OF DETROIT-(9:00-4:30)- ($55)
SCHEDULE–
9:00——— Leave Eastpointe
9:15–10:30–TOUR ASSUMPTION GROTTO CHURCH –(LINDA DAVIS- TOUR GUIDE
11:00-12:00- TOUR HISTORIC TRINITY– TAMMY EBERHARDT-TOUR GUIDE
12:30- I:45—Lunch at POLISH VILLAGE CAFE STEWART PAYS!! (STEWART PAYS $17 for each meal!!!!!!!!)
2:00-3:00- We will visit a DETROIT ZEN CENTER in HAMTRAMCK. (Tour Guides- Pat & Emju)- Tour Buddhist Culture both inside & outside the Religious Structure.
Eat in STYLE—Kielbasa, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffed Cabbage, Sour Kraut, & Dill Pickle Soup!!!!!!!
3:15–4:00—TOUR THE DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE4:30——— Arrive Back in EastpointeITINERARY—-Take Stephens Road. to GratiotLeft on Gratiot to ASSUMPTION GROTTO CHURCHTake Gratiot to TRINITY LUTHERAN
Left on Gratiot to Vandyke
Left on Vandyke to Miller
Left on Miller to Mt. Elliott
Left on Mt. Elliott to Conant
Take Mt. Conant to Mosque
Take Conant to Hamtramck Dr.
Left on Hamtramck Dr. to Joe Campau
Turn right on Joe Campau to Evaline
Right on Evaline to Charest
Left on Charest to Polish Village Cafe
Take Yeman to Joe Campau
Turn on Joe Campau to Norwalk
Take Norwalk to Latham
Left on Latham to St. Florian
Take St. Florian to Brombach
Take Brombach to Holbrook
Left on Holbrook to Joe Campau
Right on Joe Campau to place where Historic Signs are.
Get off bus.
Keep on going on Joe Campau to Dan Street
Turn left on Dan and see the Baseball Park – (Art *Pinky” Deras was: “The Greatest Little Leaguer there ever was”)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (HAMTRAMCK——“THE WORLD IN TWO SQUARE MILES”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep going on Joe Campau to The Bridge (My T-SHIRT is just like that painting on the bridge)
Turn right on Hamtramck Dr. to Grand Boulevard
Take Grand Blvd to Woodward
Turn left on Woodward to Clifford
Right on Clifford to Griswald
Left on Griswald to the DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE
Take Griswald to Michigan
Left on Michigan to Larned
Left on Larned to Randolph
Right on Randolph to Jefferson
July 29, 2021 –
DETROIT CELEBRITY & HOME TOUR ($50) (9:00-4:30-5:00)
We will go by about 35 homes. Francis F. Coppola, Marvin Gaye, Henry Ford, M & M, Mike Wallace, Mary Wilson (she just died), Walter Ruether, Malcolm X, Jimmy Hoffa, Berry Gordy Jr., (Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross) John Delorean, John Dodge, Florence Ballard, Robert Wagner, Danny Thomas, George C. Scott, Gilda Radnor, Stevie, Wonder, Dave DeBusschere, Jerome Bettis, Ty Cobb, Ivan Boesky, Ron Leflore, Rudy Tomjanovich, Casey Kasem, Sonny Bono, Carl Levin, Dennis Archer, & Elijah, Mohammed.
August 10, 2021-
Henry Ford Museum -August 10- $50. I am going to get tickets to the Henry Ford. (Old name was Greenfield Village!!!!!!!!) We will leave Eastpointe at 9:00 AM & spend the whole day at this FANTASTIC MUSEUM!!!!! We will leave the Henry Ford at about 4:30. The cost for the day will be $50!! Bring money for lunch.
August 26, 2021–
FRANKENMUTH-($50) (9:00-8:30) A beautiful coach bus with HENRY!! WILLKOMMEN!!! In German, that means WELCOME!! I cannot believe that I have never taken a group to FRANKENMUTH. As you can imagine, that is about to change. Of course, the FOOD is the thing that most of us think of when Isay FRANKENMUTH! Let’s get started! I was listening to WJR radio about two years ago on the Frank Beckman (retired in March 2021) show& they were talking about an event at the Heroes Museum in FRANKENMUTH. That really woke me up! Let’s go there, enjoy the cuisine, (20 total restaurants) & the other amenities in this charming town. The trip begins at 9:00 AM at a Military Museum in Eastpointe (16600 Stephens Rd.). Frankenmuth was founded in 1845 by a group of 15 German-Lutheran Missionaries to teach Christianity to the Chippewa Tribe. LOT OF HISTORY ON THIS TRIP!! The first thing we are going to see is the Historical Museum ($3.00) or FREETIME!! After the Museum we will walk to Zehnder’s or the Bavarian Inn for LUNCH (or another restaurant of your choice). I am going to list some of the highlights of FRANKENMUTH—-
1- Bronner’s–World’s Largest Xmas Store
2-The Chippewa Indian Memorial
3- Heroes Museum-They HONOR VETERANS
4-Explore FRANKENMUTH by Boat ($12)
5- Glockenspiel Tower (Pied Piper of Hamelin) 6:00-PM-we see the Glockenspiel Tower Program & then we leave for Detroit.
Details of trip may change after Stewart drives his car to Frankenmuth.
SEPTEMBER 9
Ford Rouge Factory Tour–Sept. 9—-$40–Morning-we leave the Military Museum at 8:30. We will be on this tour for about 3 hours.
Fair Lane–What is it?? It was the home of Clara & Henry Ford when they lived in Dearborn. However, it was more than just a home. It was a place where they took simple ideas and turned them into actions that opened the highway to the future. More than 100 years later, we are bringing back Fairlane to be a place of discovery, exploring & inspiration.
SEPTEMBER 23-26 — -MARYLAND
(Harriet Tubman) & WASHINGTON D.C. (African-American Museum)
Double Room-$325 Single Room–$725
Henry comes first. (Best Driver in World!!) We then look at Stewart’s handouts, answer questions, make sure you bring lunch so we do not have to stop for that. See relevant Videos. Look at the list on this page at the bottom. We will stop about every two hours for a potty break & EXERCISE! We will check into a New Day’s Inn & Suites in Cambridge, Maryland for the night.
September 24, We will see the Harriet Tubman Museum in the morning. We will be overwhelmed with what the Museum has to say about Harriet!!!! What a brave, fearless, & incredible WOMAN!! (but she didn’t get on the $20) Lunch is a toss-up! We could eat here in Cam- bridge or in DC. I think I would suggest eating here. What to do in Washington? I think seeing the Smithsonian would be GREAT!! It is FREE and there are about 19 MUSEUMS fairly close together.
September 25— We go to the African-American Museum for the day. If you are not doing the African-American Museum let me know about 2 months before the Tour. (let me know by July!!!!!!!!!!!) The Washington Monument is now open after being closed for about 10 years.
September 26-We head home after seeing some other sites. Stewart has many wonderful videos that will HELP THOSE MILES GO BY—coming & going to Washington!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOME OF THE VIDEOS INCLUDE-
1- The Africans-Many Rivers to Cross- by Henry Louis Gates (on PBS in 2017)
2- Underground Railroad- Hosted by Alfre Woodard
3- Uncle Tom’s Cabin-by Harriet Beecher Stowe Starring Josiah Henson
4- Unfortunate Blackness-The Rise & Fall of Jack Johnson-Directed by Ken Burns
5- AMAZING GRACE-THIS IS THE BEST!!!
6- William Still Story- President of the UGGR in the EAST!!
7- Maya Angelo–“And Still I Rise” (The Better Hour) Legacy of William Wilberforce
8- The Civil War & Reconstruction- Henry Louis Gates–2019
October 13, 2021 —
EDSEL & ELEANOR FORD HOME & THE FORD PIQUETTE PLANT-($55) (9:00-4:30-5:00) The home is an authentic witness to the past. It inspires, educates, & engages visitors thru exploration. The home is located at 1100 Lake ShoreDrive. The home became the new residence of Edsel & Eleanor Ford in 1928.
They had their first home at 2171 Iroquois less than a block from Stewart’shome at 2136 Seminole. Their second home was on the site of the UAW Solidarity Home at Jefferson & Van Dyke. You can see a structure just to the right of the UAW House. That used to be the place where they kept their boats.Today it is a storage place for the UAW. Now, back to Eleanor & Edsel Ford’swonderful home. The architects were Albert Kahn & Jens Jensen. Jensen wasa Landscape Architect. The Architectural Style is English Cotswold. With our guide we will walk around the grounds, tour the home, & enjoy the BEAUTY! Edsel & Eleanor had four children: Henry the 2nd, Benson, Josephine &William Clay. Stewart has been in the GP (Grosse Pointe) Home many times. When you enter, it is like GOING TO EUROPE! There are many impressionist & post-impressionist paintings in the home. They include–Van Gogh, Renoir,Degas, Cezanne & Matisse. You do not want to miss this trip.
PLEASE READ BELOW FOR ANOTHER SURPRISE!!!
The PIQUETTE PLANT–BIRTHPLACE OF THE MODEL T The Piquette Plant is a former factory located within the MilwaukeeJunction area in Detroit. The Ford Piquette Plant in Detroit is “CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AUTO HERITAGE SITES IN THE WORLD” Built in 1904, it was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Company. Ford’s first factory was on the north side of Mack Avenue near Bellevue. Visiting the Ford Plant is a unique experience——it is the oldest auto plant open to the public ANYWHERE!! Another interesting thing is to see the world map & notice all the different countries people who visit the Piquette Plant. Next, the Piquette Plant is all about the VOLUNTEERS. So much HARD WORK!! And finally, the Piquette Plant may have not happened if it was not for Dr. Jerry Mitchell. As a matter of fact, Dr. Jerry Mitchell heard of the possible razing of the Piquette Plan the dropped out of Wayne State Medical where he was a Professor in medicine. Jerry believed that the PIQUETTE PLANT was and is the NUMBER ONE BUILDING IN THE WORLD.
October 29-31, 2021 —-Underground Railroad Tour (UGRR)- OHIO & KENTUCKY—
Double Room–$275 Single Room–$600
It is my 8th tour this year. The way things are these days, it makes sense that this must be HALLOWEEN!! But, I digress. Let us get on with what we are going to do. We are going to leave the Military Museum at 9:00.This 3 night-4 day adventure is my FAVORITE TRIP. On the bus I will go thru some of my literature which mainly is an overviewof what we are going to do. We will introduce ourselves (two minutes is the limit-unless you are really GREAT!!!) We will get to our Video’s which are related to the trip. We will get off the bus every 3 hours for exercise and use the restrooms. Please bring your lunch so we can make better time. I will have water & snacks. Our first major stop is Wilberforce. We see a video that relates to that subject. We go to a Museum at Wilberforce. We learnabout “Cry Baby Bridge” & visit the home of Charles Young a secret I will keep until the trip!! We go to the home of Sterling & Burt who live in a former home for escaped slaves. We eat in Springboro & go to Middleton for our Super 8 Motel–we stay here
for 2 nights. The second day we go to the spectacular home of Harriet Beecher Stowe in “Cincy”. For lunch we eat at a choice of restaurants near the Ohio River. After lunch we are going to visit for the afternoon the 2nd most significant building. It is thehome of the Underground Railroad!!! We will be there about 4 hours!!! After the UGRR we will walk outside & see relevant stuff. The most important incident we will see is the horrible incident where a women killed one of her children. We eat for the second time along the Ohio River before we return to our motel. The third day we drive east from “Cinci” along the Ohio River. We see small villages where we see examples of the UGRR.One of the villages is the Home of Ulysses Grant. We will see the town of RIPLEY!!!!!!!This is the place where so many BRAVE,people with COURAGE, and many shouts of BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIPLEY is the NUMBER ONE STOP!!!!!!!!
We will have a tour of John Rankin’s home (21 children!) (About 5 were Rankins!!!!)You will have a breathtaking view of the Ohio River & Kentucky from the Rankin Home. We will then have lunch at a wide choice of restaurants in Ripley. After lunch, we will follow Stewart’s tour on Main Street where we will see a number of “stations” (homes today). The last home is John Parker’s (Black)-an incredible &extremely brave abolitionist (Tour Parkers Home) After Ripley we will drive to Maysville. Once again, Stewart will guide us as we will walk along the levee on the OhioRiver & view all of the beautiful & historic murals. MURAL INFO FOLLOW1 In 1803 Meriweather Lewis(of the Lewis & Clark Expedition)picked up the famous & infamous John Coulter. Lewis was going from Pittsburgh to Louisville. Lewis met up with William Clark in Louisville. Coulter was the 1st white person to see Yellow- stone Park & their geysers?? (John Coulter left the trip early!!)(ran naked for 200 miles–an Indian issue!!)2-Lafayette made a trip back to the USA from France about 45 years after his French Army helped George Washington win the American Revolution. Lafayette was only 19 when he first came to the colonies.3-Thornton Blackburn was born in Maysville.(he was a black slave)His wife Lucie & Thornton left Kentucky & became famous in Detroit. His escape from a Detroit Jail started the first Detroit Riot. (Jail was where the Downtown Library is) He had been put in jail by slave catchers but, he & his wife Lucie were freed from jail by abolitionists & escaped to Canada. Thorton Blackburn owned the first taxi cab in TORONTO!!
Next, we visit Washington, Kentucky a quiet & relaxed place. The whole place is like a museum. Walking around this place seems to take you back 200 years!! By far the most memorable event in Washington was when Harriet Stowe first saw enslaved people being sold–and it HORRIFIED HER!! The result-Harriet decided to start writing her book-Uncle Tom’s Cabin.(1800’s 2nd place) We then check into our Super 8 Motel, freshen up, & head to downtown Maysville for dinner. We are going to eat at a Black-owned restaurant at a place called Chandlers. October 31-Monday-Today we get up early for our departure from our Super 8. We are going to tour Augusta, Kentucky. I think we are going to take a boat ride across the river and back. Our boat ride will be quite different from those fugitives in the 19th Century. Those black people were SCARED TO DEATH, but their desire for FREEDOM outweighed anything else. About 10:30 we will leave Augusta & start our trek back to Ohio & the north. We will eat lunch at a Ponderosa Restaurant in Hillsboro, Ohio. After lunch, we are off for Wellington where we will learn about the “Wellington Raid”. That incident really put OBERLIN ON THE MAP!! We then arrive in OBERLIN–our last major stop of the trip. We will learn about its history & some of the AMAZING PEOPLE who walked on this campus. We will tour the historic sites in Oberlin. I cannot predict our timing for this day. I hope to get to Eastpointe by 9:00 PM. –hopefully earlier???!!!! MISCELLANEOUS- Most meals are on you own. Henry (Bus Driver) may take you out for breakfast. Call 313-922-1990 or Cell- 586-218-9042 —Stewart McMillin For Travel Insurance 866-729-5215 or TRAVELGUARD.COM
The following tours are MULTIPLE NIGHTS–(2022 Tours)
1-Creation Museum & Ark Encounter (Kentucky, 1 night)
2–Amish Tour ( Indiana, 1 night)
3–Mackinaw Island & Traverse City-(3 or 4 nights)
4- Canada UGRR Tour (1 or 2 nights)
5- Grand Rapids (2 night)
6 -Holland Spring Festival (1 or 2 nights)
7- Ottowa, Ontario Trip & Montreal, Quebec (3 or 4 nights)
The following are DAY trips for 2022-
1- Fort Wayne Tour
2 – Black History Tour
3- Woodward Avenue Tour
4- Pewabic Tour
5- Arab Tour
6- People Mover Tour (no bus)
7-Tour of East Ferry
8- History of Canfield Tour (no bus)
9- Stahl’s Auto Tour & “Brunch”
10-Elmwood Cemetery (no bus)
11-Woodlawn Cemetery (no bus)
12-Mount Elliott Tour (no bus)
13-Culture Center & Detroit Historical Museum Tour
MISCELLANEOUS- Stewart’s website is —-www.mcmillintours.comWe may get home at 9:00 PM. I hope it is closer to 8:00 PM
Call Stewart McMillin-313-922-1990—Call Stewart on cell phone at 586-218-9042
Stewart’s -E-Mail–stewart@mcmillintours.com Tours leave from 16600 Stephens Rd. City of Eastpointe. Stephens is the equivalent of 9 & one half mile road. It is less than one block from Gratiot.
Call Stewart at 313-922-1990. Tours leave from Eastpointe. A Military Museum is the departure point on 16600 Stevens Road just one block from Gratiot. Stevens is also known as Nine and a Half Mile Road. The museum has a phone. Its number is 586-872-2581.
Please E-MAIL me about your questions, comments, etc!!! I really need to know what you want to do? Phone-313-922-1990. Cell–586-218 9042. I prefer e-mails.
STEWART’S BACKGROUND-
This is his 54th year conducting tours. I taught Social Studies at East Detroit High School for 30 years. (1964-1993)
From 1994-2001 I taught Humanities at Wayne State University. Of course
TRAVELLING has also been very important to me. I also have been blessed to have visited all of the states and 142 countries!!! Please send checks to- Stewart McMillin–2136 Seminole- Detroit, Michigan 48236