Thoughts on the St Clarie, MI area??

[doc73]

The DW thought about making a trip to this area this next season. She found a TT in the area and thought about also making a trip to the Detroit Zoo... Considering 2/3 of the people moved out of Detroit... My guess it is probably not a good idea... BUT, has anyone been to this area or know of some nice places to check out while out this way?? Thanks

[mcnabbwr]

FYI the zoo is not actually in Detroit, it's in the suburbs. It's location is in a very nice area just off of a major freeway.



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[doc73]

Thanks good to know. I looked on the Google and it looked that way but one can never know..

[Kevin & Judy]

Been at the Detroit Zoo twice this year, Very nice well kept and many new exhibits, No where near any bad areas. If you want to be on the St Clair river stay at Algonac State Park, Was also there 2 time this past season. Very nice park,
We live in Michigan is the summer months, about 1 hour from the zoo and the 1.5 hrs to Algonac State Park,

[Squatty]

If you are in the general area you should check out the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village-Dearborn , Mi

[rke]

The Detroit Zoo is in Royal Oak, MI 48067 at the corner of I-696 and Woodward Ave (M-1).

I also would suggest Algonac State Park, Riverfront side of the park which has a view of the St. Clair river. This state park is approximately 45 Minutes to an hour away from the Detroit Zoo.

If you would like to swim in one of the Great Lakes - Lake Huron, there is Lake Port State Park, just North of Port Huron. This state park is approximately 1.5 hours from the Detroit Zoo.

I would also suggest "The Henry Ford" Complex which has "Henry Ford Museum", "Greenfield Village" and also offers "The Ford Rouge Factory Tour"
https://www.thehenryford.org

[doormouse]

The River Crab Seafood Restaurant is a great place for Sunday Brunch.

1337 River Road (M-29)
St. Clair, MI 48079

[glfillion]

One other item of interest is, if you have children, or for the child in you, is the home of Lionel, in Romeo, which can be on the way between Detroit and St Clair. They have tours aND a museum.

[ebcobra93]

Not to sound like a broken record, but the Detroit Zoo is very nice. USA Today listed the Arctic exhibit (featuring polar bears) as #2 on their list of the top ten zoo exhibits in North America for 2015. It makes the list every year.

There are a lot of things to do in Detroit as well. Don't let the rumors about Detroit prevent you from seeing/doing things in the city. If you are focusing on outdoorsy things (since you're camping), check out the Belle Isle State Park and/or the Detroit River walk. There are plenty of other cool things to do and see in the area.

[Canadiancrew]

Yes a broken record but Detroit zoo is very worth seeing and very busy still at our recent visit. You will not notice the hard times of Detroit near the zoo. Henry Ford museum and Greenfield village are also worth seeing.

As for us we may be out on the boat fishing the river. We are regulars on the waters of the st Clair and live north of there on the Canadian side.

[doc73]

Thank you all keep it coming. We will be traveling with a 3.5 year old.

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[dwebster]

The Algonac State Park is a really nice place to stay. We love to camp close to the river so we can boat watch. All of the Great Lake freighters on the way to the upper Great Lakes pass by here. If you love to boat watch this is the place. Also visit historic Port Huron. Lots to see and do.

[djhutt]

If you are referring to Thousand Trails park in St. Clair, I was just there in August. Roads in the park were one lane (not one way) and washed out with bad ruts. I would check out some of the others suggestions on here.( it was free for me as I'm a member)

The Henry Ford, Greenfield Village and Zoo are must see and well worth the trip. Also stopped in Cleveland on the way to see the Rock & Roll hall of fame.

[rapiniii]

Originally Posted by dwebster

The Algonac State Park is a really nice place to stay. We love to camp close to the river so we can boat watch. All of the Great Lake freighters on the way to the upper Great Lakes pass by here. If you love to boat watch this is the place. Also visit historic Port Huron. Lots to see and do.

Great state park. Love staying here. Great food at the Fish Company marinecityfishcompany.com in Marine City

[patrickwstewart]

I also agree on the Henry Ford in Dearborn...Well worth the visit.

[Wolverine 1945]

If you go,,, Do Not miss THF !!!
Greenfield Village - The Museum - Imax & The Factory Tour is also interesting !!!
Would need 3 or 4 days to see it all !!! There are 2 campgrounds not to far away!!!

[doc73]

We are planning on a week in the area. Does seem to be a lot around. Thanks to you all.

We will be at the TT more than likely. Have a membership so the stay is free.

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[SusanML4650]

St. Clair is closer to Algonac State Park (about 10 minutes). St. Clair Shores is about 1 hour away along Lake St. Clair, The Boating Capital, they have more licensed boats in the State of MI. than any other place in the U.S. There are charter boats that will take you fishing, a Metro Park (Metro Beach in Harrison Twp.) Lots to do for Kids there. Also on the South end of Michigan Luna Pier has Campgrounds on and near Lake Erie. The Henry Ford in Dearborn is a MUST if you love History and Henry Ford Village has many Historical buildings including Thomas Edison's workshop, Henry Ford's original workshop and many interactive things to do for Kids.

Susan, Jack & Daisy
Surveyor 32RSDV
2013 Ram 2500
Currently in Clermont, FL.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by SusanML4650

St. Clair is closer to Algonac State Park (about 10 minutes). St. Clair Shores is about 1 hour away along Lake St. Clair, The Boating Capital, they have more licensed boats in the State of MI. than any other place in the U.S. There are charter boats that will take you fishing, a Metro Park (Metro Beach in Harrison Twp.) Lots to do for Kids there. Also on the South end of Michigan Luna Pier has Campgrounds on and near Lake Erie. The Henry Ford in Dearborn is a MUST if you love History and Henry Ford Village has many Historical buildings including Thomas Edison's workshop, Henry Ford's original workshop and many interactive things to do for Kids.

Susan, Jack & Daisy
Surveyor 32RSDV
2013 Ram 2500
Currently in Clermont, FL.

Greenfield Village is the only place I know where you ride in a Model T !!!
One of my favorite things Henry Ford said was,,, any one buying a Model T could have any color they wanted,,, as long as it was Black !!!

[ependydad]

I stayed at the Thousand Trails St. Clair in late July/early August. We have a 50amp camper and weren't crazy about any of their 50amp spots- the pull throughts were downright claustrophobic and the open field ones didn't appear to us. We picked a nice 30amp site that we had to shoe-horn ourselves into (42' rig; our fault, not theirs)- I didn't have a place to put the truck on the site.

The grounds are just sort of OK- they could use quite a bit of cleaning up. The bathhouses were pretty terrible. Not really unclean, just old and run down. The pool was good. WiFi was unbearably slow, even in the office. But AT&T service was just fine. The staff were all very friendly. Laundry was inside at the welcome center, so it was nice and air conditioned. Though, it was pretty small and a different washer was broken both times we did laundry.

There was a sign hanging in the office for a local guy who delivers wood- buy from him. You get 4x the wood at 1/2 the price.

In other news, I strongly agree with the recommendation for visiting the Henry Ford. Plan more than a day to take it all in. The Ford factory tour was AWESOME (though, no pictures allowed). Otherwise, we drove around Detroit late one night looking for an Urgent Care and then ended up at an ER (nothing major); I never really felt unsafe. Maybe we didn't venture into ugly areas.

Pictures from our stay:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougse...57654315085694