Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Sunday • Departure – Dearborn, Michigan

Our journey begins as we arrive fly into Detroit International Airport to begin our tour of Made in America. We tour the Motor City, seeing the mansions of manufacturing giants along Woodward Avenue, and the soaring headquarters buildings of automobile companies. We visit the Motown Museum to learn how Detroit influences the music of the nation. Finally, we see some of the stunning architecture of the downtown area. We continue to Dearborn where we have our welcome dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Monday • Dearborn, MI

Our day starts with a tour of the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge Manufacturing Plant. In the Legacy Theater, we get a close-up view of the manufacturing process. We continue to the observation deck and a walk through the plant that currently produces Ford F-150 trucks. This is followed by a visit to the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. We end our day with dinner as a group.

Day 3: Tuesday • Indianapolis, IN

We have something a little bit sweet, and something a little bit sour, on the tour today. Our first stop is at the Sechler Pickle Showroom in St. Joe, Indiana. This factory has been producing over 50 varieties of pickles and relishes for more than 100 years. Then, we tour the DeBrand Chocolate factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After time for lunch on our own, we take a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval from the original 1909 track surface. We learn about the “Kissing the Bricks” tradition for winners as we tour motorsports’ hallowed ground, and see the 36-inch strip of those original bricks at the start/finish line. We stop for dinner this evening and continue to our hotel for a good night’s rest.

Day 4: Wednesday • Columbus, OH

Our morning travel takes us to Jackson Center, Ohio and The Airstream Factory. We have an in-depth, two-hour walkthrough of the actual mile-long production plants where they make silver bullet trailers by hand, as well as fine quality touring coaches on the chassis of Mercedes-Benz sprinter vans. Lunch is at Bob Evans Restaurant, the casual American chain started on an Ohio farm and known for family-style meals & a country vibe. We have two contrastingly unique factory tours this afternoon. First is The Phoenix Bat Company, located just outside Columbus. They have been making premium maple, yellow birch, and white ash bats for over 22 years. Born in a garage, Phoenix produces state of-the-art, custom wood bats and are approved for use by major league baseball players, many of whom prefer Phoenix Bats for their tremendous pop and power. Following that is a guided tour of The American Whistle Factory. Since 1956, and despite the high-tech innovations of the past century, these highquality solid brass whistles remain effective safety tools for everyone and deliver a consistent high frequency, rich demanding alarm that commands attention. Tonight, we have a variety of options for dinner on our own at a local retail mall.

Day 5: Thursday• Sugarcreek, OH

Today’s feature is an Ohio Amish Country Back Roads Tour. We stop at Heini’s Cheese Chalet first. Foodies love the unique experience of the Copper Kettle Room with samplings and demos of jams, jellies, smoked meats, sauces and fresh roasted peanuts. Then it’s a visit to Wendell August Forge known for its metal production. Artisans have been handcrafting metal giftware, one at a time, since 1923. Next is lunch, a plated meal at the Berlin Farmstead Restaurant. This afternoon you have time to shop at the 60,000-square-foot Walnut Creek Foods warehouse, serving over 1,400 wholesale customers who sell their products in their stores. You likely find a slow parade of Jersey cows headed for pasture as we continue to our hotel. Dinner tonight is at the Dutch Valley Restaurant. Carlisle Inn.

Day 6: Friday • Sugarcreek, OH

Another unusual manufacturer is on for today. At the age of five, Ernest “Mooney” Warther found his first pocketknife and began whittling. As a teen, he began carving in walnut wood and bone. He became frustrated with store-bought knives because they would not stay sharp, so he started Warther Cutlery and began to design and make his own knives and creating his own techniques to keep the edge sharp. Luncheon today comes with a Winery Tour & Tasting at Gervasi Vineyard, a Tuscan-inspired winery resort in Italian village ambience. Next, we experience the exquisite aroma of fresh gourmet chocolate and get an exclusive look at conveyers with luscious delights of every kind as we go behind the scenes at Harry London Chocolates. This evening enjoy a plated meal at Dutch Valley Restaurant, prior to a theater performance at the Ohio Star Theater.

Day 7: Saturday • Cleveland, OH

Our first visit the J.M. Smucker Company Store. For 120 years, Smuckers trusted brand and quality products, has helped to make family meals memorable. Next, we visit Grandpa’s Cheese Barn & Sweetie’s Chocolates for an early lunch. It began in the early 1900’s when Grandpa Yarman sold his only possession, a portable RCA radio, for his first wheel of Ohio Swiss and started “Yarman’s,” a meat and cheese house. We stop for a midafternoon pick-me-up at the Harry London factory, where we see Fannie May candies being produced. We continue to Cleveland, OH and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This world-wide genre of music got its start right here in the Midwest. Explore your favorite artists, listen to the music and find new facts about the history of Rock and Roll. We have our farewell dinner at a local brewery.

Day 8: Sunday • Return

It’s time to wrap up our manufacturing in the Midwest tour. We stop in Toledo along the way, with a tour of the Libbey Glass Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art. The city has long been a magnet for glasswork in the United States. We have a short time at the Libbey Glass Outlet. Our coach delivers us (and our American-made purchases) to the Detroit International Airport for our afternoon flights home.