48 hours in Port Huron

What’s this… an entirely new area I haven’t explored yet in Michigan!? That’s not in the Upper Peninsula!? 😆 I have a few posts coming at you from the Blue Water Area aka; Michigan’s “Thumbcoast”! I’ve explored a bit north of here years ago, in Port Austin, Harbor Beach and Port Sanilac, but mostly just to pass through to see lighthouses to check off the list. But I had a few more to see south of here, and decided to just make a week of it… and explore Port Huron, St. Clair and Marine City. So here’s my blog post from Port Huron, 48 hours total, and it was such a lovely trip… and such a lovely area. They call it the “blue water area” for a reason… the river is so blue! And I knew freighters passed through here, but I didn’t get the gravity of how CLOSE they are, and how MANY you’d see when you’re visiting this area. Anyway, I already want to go back and explore more. I want to go more north in the Thumbcoast, and also I need to go south down to Algonac and Harsens Island (more lighthouses!), but for now… here’s Port Huron!

Walk along the St. Clair River & See the Freighters

The first thing I did in town was settle into my hotel (stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton right on the St. Clair River, had a very cool balcony view) and then headed out for a walk, which is my favorite way to explore a new area. Thankfully I was right along the boardwalk and was able to walk, check out a few of the memorials (the Storm of 1913 monument, the John S. Martin plaque, and take some photos of the very scenic Blue Water Bridge. I was so geeked out about seeing the freighters pass by so closely heading from the St. Clair River out into Port Huron.

see the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

After a walk along the boardwalk and dinner at Freighters (see more below on where I ate and drank during this trip), I drove (even though it’s absolutely close enough to walk to) to Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. I’ve seen this one before, in 2013, but was thrilled to go back, see it again, and also return the next day to take the actual tour, where you can climb the 94 steps to the top of the tower and see the amazing views of Lake Huron and the river. Fort Gratiot Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Michigan, built in 1829! The lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper’s house is beautifully maintained, along with the grounds. It’s absolutely worth a visit to learn about the history of the area and to take in the beauty of this place!

Where I ate & Drank

My first night in town, I decided to keep it easy, and ate at my hotel’s restaurant called Freighters. Surprisingly, it was one of the best meals of my entire trip. I had the fish and chips, which is Michigan craft beer battered perch, charred lemon, yuzu tartar sauce (omg so good) with hand cut fries. The vibes inside are cool, but the patio is really where it’s at, and you can watch freighters while you enjoy your meal! The next morning, I also went to Raven Cafe, which was the most popular/recommended to me place. It was such a cool vibe inside, the decor is so eclectic, I had a delicious coffee and a pretty good breakfast sandwich. And then for lunch, I ended up at Bootlegger's Axe Co. (everywhere else was closed for Labor Day which I didn’t realize!) but it was such a cool stop, right along the channel, the outside patio is awesome, and I had the brisket fries which were delicious (ask for the BBQ sauces on the side!)

Tour the Lightship Huron

I visited this spot a couple of times… during the day to take the official tour, and in the evening to snap some golden hour photos. The Lightship Huron is a retired lightship, launched in 1920, which is permanently docked at Pine Grove Park, and turned into a museum. Lightship Huron is one of many lightships that were used on the Great Lakes. Lightships were used where it wasn’t easily accessible or too costly to build a permanent lighthouse, so this lightship was stationed out at Corsica Shoals in Lake Huron. It was neat to step right on deck and learn about its role as a floating lighthouse! The tour guide was very knowledgable, and I’m glad I waited for that vs. taking the self-guided tour.

Port Huron Museum

The next day before heading out of Port Huron, I went to visit the Carnegie Museum or the Port Huron Museum. It was one of my favorite unexpected finds… housed in a beautiful 1904 Carnegie Library building. The exhibits all dive into the history of Port Huron, from shipbuilding and local industry and freighters and shipwrecks to… rotating art and cultural displays. You can wander through stories of the Great Lakes, check out historic artifacts and get a feel for the community’s roots, all in a gorgeous historic space. Plus, I loved the interactive exhibit they had where you can steer a freighter through different scenarios… I collided and was lost at sea during the Storm of 1913! 😆🌊

Hope you enjoyed my itinerary in Port Huron! If you have any other tips or recommendations for this town, be sure to leave them in the comments… I’d love to go back again someday! Next up, I headed to St. Clair. I’m not sure I’ll do an entire blog post from there, since I mostly relaxed, took advantage of a very lux resort, lived in their fancy pool and hot-tub along the river and mostly worked on a video, but we’ll see. Either way, Marine City will be a full blog post, for sure!