Detroit Trip Idea: River Days Festival

Celebrate summer in Detroit with a stroll along the revitalized Detroit International Riverfront. Marking the first official day of summer, June 21, the fourth annual Detroit River Days Festival is scheduled this year for June 18-21. Enjoy an eclectic mix of land- and water-based events that include dog acrobatics, a tugboat parade, coastguard search-and-rescue demonstrations, live music, and a big fireworks display over the Detroit River. The family-oriented festival is organized to showcase the city’s newly renovated RiverWalk as well as celebrate the close ties between communities in Detroit and Windsor across the border in Ontario, Canada.

Photo credit: Detriot, Michigan (Corbis)

Get Wet in Detroit

You might know it as “Motor City,” but let’s not forget that Detroit, Michigan, is the maritime gateway to both Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie to the south. Little wonder, then, that water activities abound, including sailing, fishing, water-skiing, sailing, jet-skiing, and more. Northerly Macomb County, part of the greater metro Detroit area, offers 31 miles of shoreline and more than 100 marinas, earning it the moniker the “Nautical Mile.” One final piece of watertight Detroit trivia: the world’s only floating post office, the J.W. Westcott II, can be found on the Detroit River.

Photo credit: Sailboats on Lake Erie (courtesy, Michigan Tourism)