Looking for an under-the-radar Michigan adventure? Try a river cruise

Several companies in Michigan offer boat tours of rivers
Vessels depart across the state, from Port Huron to the Keweenaw Peninsula
Tours include lighthouses, chocolate tastings and tiki themes

Michigan’s river tour options extend far beyond the iconic Detroit Princess Riverboat or the green and white sightseeing tours offered by Diamond Jack’s on the Detroit River.

The destinations range from Port Huron to the Upper Peninsula and include vessels that can fit anywhere from six to 1,000 people. Trips go past lighthouses, offer chocolate tastings and go through the Soo Locks.

“Exploring Pure Michigan’s tranquil waterways is a memorable and relaxing travel experience,” said Kelly Wolgamott, vice president of Pure Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “River cruises offer a front-row seat to our state’s breathtaking natural beauty and rich maritime heritage.”

While tour options abound, the state’s river boat fleet has shrunk recently. The Michigan Princess, which sailed the Grand River for 35 years, was dismantled earlier in this spring after the boat reportedly snapped in half while being transported to water after repairs. And the business that used to run Tahquamenon Falls Riverboat Tours shut down in 2024 when the owners retired.

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Still, several companies offer boat tours on Michigan rivers around the state. Scroll down for some of the highlights.

Ride a former car ferry turned princess on the Saginaw River in Bay City

A boat passes under a lift bridge — Bay City Boat Lines’ Princess Wenonah traveling on the Saginaw River in Bay City. (Courtesy of Todd Shorkey)

Princess Wenonah, a former car ferry, presides over the Saginaw River as Bay City Boat Lines’ flagship vessel. The company had been run by the Fournier family since 1998, but ownership transferred to local entrepreneur Jordan Dice this year. The Saginaw River tour in Bay City features a live tour guide highlighting sights along the river including wildlife, historical landmarks and a lighthouse. Concessions, soft drinks and beer and wine are available onboard.

Sample wine and chocolate on the Cass River in Frankenmuth

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Taste wine paired with handmade chocolates while cruising the Cass River as part of a tour with Frankenmuth FunShips. If that sounds like too much sugar for you, the company also offers one-hour and 30-minute river tours sans chocolate with à la carte beverages.

Note that FunShips isn’t the only river tour in town. The Bavarian Belle Riverboat also offers daily cruises.

Cruise the Portage Canal between Hancock and Houghton

Copper Country Boat Tours offers trips down the Portage Canal between Hancock and Houghton. (Courtesy of Dominic Snell)
The Sweet Afton offers dinner and brunch cruises on the Portage Canal between Hancock and Houghton. (Courtesy of Keweenaw Boat Tours)

Multiple cruises explore the Portage Canal and other parts of the Keweenaw Waterway — a partially natural, partially manmade body of water that runs between Hancock and Houghton in the Upper Peninsula. The Portage Canal is not technically a river (although there is a Portage River in the waterway), but the canal certainly gives off river vibes.

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Enjoy drinks and a catered meal on one of the Keweenaw Boat Tours’ brunch or dinner cruises aboard the 60-foot Sweet Afton. Or go on the company’s more intimate, private tour past a lighthouse and sandstone cliffs.

Copper Country Boat Tours has partnered with Keweenaw Waters Resort to offer a tour on a tritoon (like a pontoon but with three tubes) that points out sights and features tales of the area’s copper boom. There’s also a tour to the Lift Bridge on a quiet, fully electric boat.

For a much louder experience, future tours may be offered on a hovercraft gliding over water, snow, ice and land.

Take a tiki boat out on the Detroit River in Detroit

People pose for a photo on the deck of a boat — It’s BYOB when you bring your party aboard one of Aloha Tiki Tours’s boats on the Detroit River in Detroit. (Courtesy of Jody Blaszczyk for Aloha Tiki Tours)

Aloha Tiki Tours offers the opportunity for you to cruise the Detroit River under a thatched roof with a drink with an umbrella in your hand (if you bring it yourself — the tours are BYOB). You can rent a 30-passenger tiki boat, an 18-passenger Big Kahuna boat or a small, six-passenger tiki boat as part of the private excursions.

The Grand Lady on the Grand River outside Grand Rapids

Although she was built in the 1990s, the Grand Lady captures the look of the paddle steamers that once served the Grand River in the 1800s. The 105-foot vessel has twin paddlewheels and accommodates nearly 150 passengers and crew. Guests can book sightseeing and live music tours with beverages and snacks available for purchase onboard.

Cruise two rivers and a Great Lake in Port Huron

A boat passes a lighthouse — The Huron Lady II passes Fort Gratiot Lighthouse as it leaves the St. Clair River and enters Lake Huron. (Courtesy of Sara Munce Photography)

Huron Lady II sightseeing tours in Port Huron run through the Black River to the wider St. Clair River and into Lake Huron, sailing by a lighthouse along the way. No passport is required for the narrated trip, which includes views of the Michigan and Canadian shorelines and passes under the Blue Water Bridge. The company also offers specialty outings like dinner cruises, sunset cruises, fireworks cruises and a Redneck Yacht Club event.

Float past freighters on Soo Locks tours in Sault Ste. Marie

Two boats pass under a drawbridge — Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours tours the Soo Locks on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie. (Courtesy of Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours)

The Soo Locks raise and lower boats so they can safely make it through different water levels in Sault Ste. Marie. What better way to explore the locks than on a boat itself? Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours take passengers through the locks and narrate the history of Great Lakes shipping as guests travel along the St. Marys River. The company — which claims to be the only remaining locally owned and family operated boat tour in Sault Ste. Marie — also offers a Sip & Sail cruise, a lighthouse cruise, a fireworks tour and a haunted river boat tour. Original Soo Locks Boat Tours also offers river cruises in the area.

Explore Downriver on a relatively new tour

A boat on a river — Straits of Detroit Cruise Co.’s Samuel D. Buchanan departs in Trenton and explores the Downriver area of the Detroit River. (Courtesy of Straits of Detroit Cruise Co.)

Explore the Detroit River from Downriver with public or private outings offered by Straits of Detroit Cruise Co., which got its start in 2020. Its 30-passenger vessel, the Samuel D. Buchanan, is named after the owners’ father. Trips depart from the Detroit River National Wildlife Refuge in Trenton and navigate around Grosse Ile and the lower reaches of the Detroit River.

Michigan’s beautiful, troubled rivers

Michigan has more than 76,000 miles of rivers, creeks and streams. They’re ideal places to fish, boat, snorkel and otherwise enjoy our state’s natural beauty, but many rivers are heavily polluted and the future of others is in question as dams age with limited oversight. This spring and summer, Bridge Michigan is exploring the troubles and opportunities of Michigan’s rivers. Catch up:

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