Motor City majesty
The Detroit Experience Factory, the site of one of the city’s
welcome centers, has designed a set of public tours to con-
nect visitors to its places, projects and people. The Art &
Architecture—Downtown Walking Tour leads groups through
downtown buildings, many bursting with history and housing
trendy restaurants, shops and residences.
“It’s a wonderful tour for an introduction to Detroit’s history
and an easy way to learn more about our beautiful historic
buildings and see some of the vibrant public art throughout
downtown,” says Matt Chung, Detroit Experience Factory’s
deputy director, who adds that Detroit is also the only U.S.
city to receive UNESCO’s City of Design designation.
Sites included on the two-hour tour are The Belt, the Spirit
of Detroit, One Campus Martius and the Guardian Building.
The latter, which is one of the most significant art deco sky-
scrapers in the world, was completed in 1929 and housed
the Union Guardian Trust Company. Visitors step inside a
Guardian Building
kaleidoscope of colors, learn about its unique materials like
the tangerine brick later marketed by the manufacturer as
“Guardian brick,” and check out Aztec- and Native American-
inspired designs.
The Detroit Experience Factory staff can plan custom tours
for groups. For more information, visit detroitexperience
factory.org or call +1.313.962.4590. —K.F.
Oh boy, it’s St. Croix
Wisconsin’s St. Croix National Scenic Riverway provides
travelers with access to more than 200 miles of pristine
water and thousands of acres of forested landscape. Located
in the northwestern corner of the state along the Minnesota
border, the National Park Service site includes both the St.
Croix and Namekagon rivers.
The best way to experience the park is to get out on the
water, and the best options are kayaking, fishing and pad-
dling tours. Ranger-led programs, including guided paddles,
take place at the visitors centers in the cities of St. Croix
Falls and Trego.
Another popular activity is bird watching. The area is
home to more than 250 species, ranging from bald eagles
and red-billed hawks to Baltimore orioles and blue herons.
Hiking trails or paddling routes offer the best access to view-
ing areas, depending on what birds visitors want to see.
In the winter, many of the park’s trails double as paths for
snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
To learn more, call +1.715.483.2274 or go to nps.gov/sacn.
—P.H.
When the city’s not bustling with summertime tourists,
Myrtle Beach is home to the dazzling Dickens Christmas
Show and Festivals. Marking its 36th anniversary this year,
the event features a Victorian holiday marketplace and is
held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Myra Starnes, president of Leisure Time Unlimited Inc. and
the event’s mastermind, sought to attract groups to Myrtle
Beach during the off-season. She says it’s not your common-
place arts and crafts show; it’s constantly changing, yet con-
sistently unique—like an authentic Victorian marketplace.
Visitors can find an array of gourmet foods, jewelry, cloth-
ing, plants, antiques, imported gifts, crafts and décor, all
while vendors and performers don Victorian-era attire. They
can learn holiday traditions from around the world, talk
with characters from a “A Christmas Carol” and, of course,
see Santa. The event also offers a high tea and luncheon tea
for groups in a Victorian holiday setting that features music
and period-clad wait staff.
Holiday tours are slated each year for the show, and the
2017 tours are still in the works.
The Dickens Christmas Show and Festivals will be Nov. 9–12.
The event has free bus parking as well as group discounts.
For more information, visit dickenschristmasshow.com or
call +1.843.448.9483. —K.F.
I’ll be [in Myrtle Beach]
for Christmas
NTAonline.com
23