The Soo
Also founded by Father Jacques Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie is located just an hour north of St. Ignace. An easy drive up I-75, the Soo is the second most populated city in the Upper Peninsula. Bustling with activity from the local college, Lake State Superior University, as well as a vibrant tourism industry fueled by the world-famous Soo Locks, this city has something for everyone.
The Soo Locks, a “man-made engineering marvel,” allows freighters and other boats to navigate the 21-foot drop in elevation from Lake Superior into the St. Marys River and to ports of call in the lower Great Lakes and up the St. Lawrence Seaway. A stop at the Soo Locks Visitors Center in Soo Locks Park offers displays about the history and construction of the locks, how the locks work, and information about the boats that pass through them. An observation platform in the park provides a great vantage point for watching the giant freighters as they are raised and lowered. You can also see construction on the new lock that is being built, which will allow for more efficient traffic flow. The new lock is anticipated to be completed in 2030. For more information about the Soo Locks, visit www.saultstemarie.com, or call (906) 632-3366.
The old downtown is centered around the locks, with several options for coffee, dining, ice cream, and shopping within easy walking distance of the park. Enjoy a strawberry and Nutella crepe at Oh Crepe and Coffee, or grab a traditional diner breakfast at Frank’s Place before or after catching a freighter in the locks.
On a rainy day, you may want to take in a show at the Soo Theater. Their performance schedule includes youth theater, Broadway, opera, concerts, musicals, and dramas. Or, maybe you’ll visit the LSSU Arts Center Gallery to explore their collection of Native American and Western Art. From the LSSU campus, you also have a good view of the International Bridge that spans the St. Marys River to connect Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Be sure to also check out the Alberta House, home to the Sault Area Arts Center, located at 217 Ferris Street.
For shipwreck aficionados, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Society’s administration office is located downtown. The building offers a public exhibit, museum store, and access to the Shipwreck Society’s noted Great Lakes Images and Papers Collection. If a visit there only further piques your interest, travel another hour and a half northwest to Whitefish Point to see the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. This seasonal museum teaches patrons about the perils of maritime transport on the Great Lakes, and is home to the Whitefish Point Light Tower. This lighthouse has been in operation since 1861, making it the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. The Edmund Fitzgerald, the legendary freighter that vanished in a storm off Whitefish Point with her entire crew of 29 men on November 10, 1975, is honored here. The ship’s 200-pound bronze bell, recovered from the wreck on July 4, 1995, is on display inside the museum as a memorial to her crew. Whether you make it to the museum or not, Gordan Lightfoot’s song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” is a Yooper anthem and should be required listening at some point on your drive around the area.
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