Michigan Old U.S. 27 Motor Tour

August 19th-25th, 2024

Join us on the 18th year of the tour!!!

ABOUT THE TOUR

Every 3rd week of August we do a 13 City 6 day Motor Tour of Historic Old U.S.27 in Michigan.

We hope you can join us for this fun event…

Take your vacation in your Cruiser. Explore Historical Old U.S.27 in Michigan.

Craig Parrish 1953 - 2021

The Old U.S. 27 Motor Tour was the brainchild of one very remarkable man, Craig Parrish. Craig was born in Lansing, Michigan to a family deeply embedded in the car industry and his love and passion for automobiles grew from that family heritage at a very young age (at the age of 4 he could identify cars by their tail lights). In his teens, like most, he would drive his car to downtown Lansing and “Cruise the Gut”. Later in life, while reminiscing about how much fun they had on Friday nights “Cruisin the Gut”, he came up with the idea of restoring the cruise in the form of a car show during each summer months. He worked tirelessly with the City of Lansing and the downtown merchants to organize and host the Cruises during summer for ten years.

In the early 2000s, Craig had the idea to have Old U.S. 27 in Michigan become designated as a historic highway and went about making that happen. In 2010, that dream became a reality as the Michigan House of Representatives passed a resolution sponsored by Lansing Representative Joan Bauer to officially designate the route as a historic highway.

As part of the historic designation of U.S. 27, Craig had the vision to create a Motor Tour along the route from Coldwater to Cheboygan, like the Route 66 experience, driving a piece of US history. He went to communities along Old U.S. 27 to ask if they would be interested in having their town participate in a week long traveling car show with a police escort from one town to the next. He told them, “I will bring the cars and the people, you bring the party”.

The Tour began in 2006 and has evolved into a summer highlight in the State of Michigan for car enthusiasts as well as anyone looking to come out, view the amazing cars that come into town, and capture a bit of history.

Throughout the years, the Old U.S. 27 Motor Tour has helped to bring life to the small-town communities in Michigan as well as to bring people together to drive the old road, forge strong friendships and have fun together.

We are forever thankful too Craig for his vision and his passion. Craig lost his battle with cancer on July 29, 2021, but his dream lives on.

We want to thank our brave officers in blue who help to make this event safe and enjoyable!

Itinerary

Registration fee is $20.00 per vehicle, payable at the city you join the tour (registration is open the first hour we are in each town) - receive the event lanyard and gift. Please keep your lights on while driving!

Stay close behind the car in front of you to ensure we are one long continuous parade of cars and there are no gaps (this helps the police escort in determining the end of the line). If there are large gaps the police escort will leave and the cars behind are left with no police escort. Be kind and courteous of the car in front and behind you, as well as the volunteers parking cars
Monday
Aug 19th
5 - 8 pm
Cruise-In

Kilgore International, 595 W Chicago St. Coldwater

Overnight in Coldwater

Quality Inn hotel – host hotel while in Coldwater

Tueday
Aug 20th
9 am
Leave for Waterloo on Old 27
10 am - 1 pm
Lunch

The historic train depot Waterloo. Indiana on Old US 27

3 - 5 pm
Adventure Zone

125 W. Chicago Rd. Coldwater (Go-Kart races, Putt-Putt)

5- 7 pm
Cruise-In

Performance Plus Quick Oil Change | 775 E Chicago St. Food Trucks on Site.

7 - 8:30 pm
Ice Cream and Root Beer, Shorts Root Beer Stand

378 W Chicago St, Coldwater, MI
Passport Stamping: on-site at each activity

Overnight in Coldwater

Quality Inn hotel – host hotel while in Coldwater

Wednesday
Aug 21st
10 am
Poker Run and/or Scavenger Hunt

Meet @ Quality Inn Lobby 

12 - 2 pm
Lunch

Broadway Grille. 19 S Monroe St. Coldwater

2:30 pm
Leave for DeWitt

With police escort

4 pm
Leave Potterville

Rest stop with MSP escort

5 - 7:30 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Dewitt
Passport Stamping: at street intersection
Overnight in DeWitt
Overnight in DeWitt
Thursday
Aug 22nd
8-8:20 am
Drivers Meeting

DeWitt Meijer's on Old US 27

8:30 am
Leave for St Johns

With police escort

9 - 10:45 am
Cruise-in Downtown St Johns

Passport Stamping: Pictures Home - 104 N Clinton
Adornmint - 223 N Clinton

10:45 am
Leave for Ithaca

With police escort

11:15 am - 1 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Ithaca
Passport Stamping: Under Pavilion (next to welcome table) 
1 pm
Leave for Alma

With police escort

1:30 - 3 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Alma

Passport Stamping: TBD

3 pm
Leave for St. Louis

With police escort

3:15 - 5 pm
Cruise-in Downtown St Louis

Live Band - Leave for Clare with police escort 

Passport Stamping: Flegel Tech Repair/Mom N Dad’s – 134 N. Mill St 

Room 132 Gifts – 132 N. Mill St

Peters Hardware – 128 N. Mill St

5 pm
Leave for Clare

With police escort

6:15 - 8 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Clare

(Boy Scout bellhops for the Doherty Hotel)
Passport Stamping: Ideal Theater – 609 N. McEwan St.
The Evening Post Bar & Grill – 114 W. 4 th St.

Overnight in Clare
Friday
Aug 23rd
10 am
Drivers Meeting

Meet @ the intersection of 5th St & McEwan

Friday
Aug 23rd
10:30 am
Leave Downtown Clare

With police escort

11 am - 3 pm
Cruise-in at Harrison & Street Fair

Passport Stamping: at the welcome table

5 - 8 pm
Cruise-in American Legion

106 S James St, Grayling, MI

Passport Stamping: at the welcome table

6 - 7 pm
Cloggers Preform
Overnight in Grayling
Saturday
Aug 24th
8:30 am
Drivers Meeting

 High School in Grayling

9 am
Leave Grayling High School

With police escort

10 am - 1:00 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Gaylord
  Passport Stamping: 45th Life - 149 W Main St.
White Birch Outfitters – 302 W Main St
1:30 - 3 pm
Cruise-in Downtown Wolverine

Passport Stamping:  Korner Gift Shoppe – 1301 S Straits HWY (Old 27)

Downtown Market – 12961 S Straits HHY (Old 27)

3:30 - 5:30 pm
Cruise-in Cheboygan

@ the end of US 27 in Cheboygan

Passport Stamping: Cheboygan Brewing Company – 101 N Main St. 

Overnight in Cheboygan
Sunday
Aug 25th
8 – 10 am
Breakfast at Alice’s Restaurant

116 S Main St, Cheboyga

10 am
Enjoy Your Drive Home

Thank You So Much For Attending

Hotels

Coldwater

Coldwater

Quality Inn Coldwater

Host Hotel

1000 Orleans Blvd.
Coldwater, MI 49036
(517)278-2017
Website

Lansing

Lansing

Best Western Dewitt

1055 Aaron Drive
Dewitt, MI 48820
Phone: (517) 374-0000

Lansing

Candlewood Suites

3545 Forest Road
Lansing, MI 48910
Phone: (517) 351-8181

Lansing

Sleep Inn of DeWitt

1101 Commerce Park Dr.
DeWitt, MI 48820
Phone: (517) 351-8181

Clare / Harrison

Clare

Best Western – Clare

10100 S. Clare Ave.
Clare, MI 48617
Phone: (989) 229-3000

Clare

Historic Doherty Hotel & Conference Center

604 N. Mc Ewan Street (Old U.S. 27)
Downtown Clare
Clare Michigan 48617
Ph. 989-386-3441

Lakeside Waterfront Lodging
Harrison

Lakeside Motel & Cottages

515 E Park St
Harrison, MI 48625
Phone: (888) 999-1145

Clare

Lone Pine Motel

1508 N McEwan St
Clare, MI 48617
Phone: (989) 386-7787

Clare

Quality Inn

10318 S Clare Ave
Clare, MI 48617
Phone: (989) 386-1111

Best Western - Clare
Clare

Grayling

Grayling

Grayling Super 8 Hotel

5828 Nelson A Miles Pkwy
Grayling, MI 49738
Phone: (989) 710-2087

Call for special event pricing

Grayling

Ramada Inn

2650 I-75 Business Loop (OLD US 27)
Grayling Michigan 49738
Ph. 989-348-7611

Grayling

Woodland Motor Lodge

267 S I 75 Business Loop
Grayling, MI 49738
Phone: (989) 348-9094

Cheboygan

Cheboygan

Best Western River Terrace

847 South Main Street
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-5688
Toll free: 877-627-9552

Cheboygan

Birch Haus Motel

1305 Mackinaw Avenue
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-5862
Toll free: 888-543-3099

Cheboygan

Budget Inn Monarch Motel

1257 Mackinaw Avenue
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-2143
Toll free: 800-276-9382

Cheboygan

Continental Inn

613 N. Main Street
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-7164
Toll free: 888-543-3102

Cheboygan

Fleetwood Inn

889 S. Main Street
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-3126
Toll free: 888-705-4085

Cheboygan

LeDuc’s Creekside Motel

1380 Mackinaw Avenue
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-4696

Cheboygan

North County Inn

1355 Mackinaw Avenue
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-627-3129
Toll free: 866-745-6681

Cheboygan

Pine River Motel

102 LaFayette Street
Cheboygan MI 49721
231-268-3210

Cheboygan

Secrets On Main Bed & Breakfast

314 S Main Street
Cheboygan MI 49721
Phone: (833) 832-8963

Registration

Entry fee for the tour is a 1 time $20.00 fee, not per city.
You can register in person at any town on the tour you wish to start at.

Registration fees go towards the purchase of historic signage along the route, which was a dream of Craig’s. Please do your part and support the tour.