Wednesday Tour A:

Durant-Dort Carriage Office Building Tour - A once-forlorn three-story brick building, a survivor from the 19th century near downtown Flint, Mich., is today restored as a National Historic Landmark. It was elegant when built in 1895-96 as headquarters of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, said to have been the country's largest volume manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles by 1900. The firm produced up to 50,000 carriages a year and Flint was widely known as "The Vehicle City." The building is best remembered as the place where William C. "Billy" Durant, co-founder of Durant-Dort, made his transition from carriage "king" to a pioneer leader of the automotive industry. Durant boosted the careers of many famous Flint-based auto pioneers - including David Buick, Louis Chevrolet, Walter Chrysler, Charles Nash, AC Spark Plug founder Albert Champion and Flint’s major philanthropist, Charles Stewart Mott.

Durant-Dort Factory One Tour - The birthplace of General Motors, Durant-Dort Factory One is where bold, innovative visionaries William “Billy” Crapo Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort helped put the world on wheels and the city of Flint on the map. GM’s renovation of Factory One brings their story – and the building where it all began – full circle, preserving the shared heritage of GM and Flint as a learning tool and gathering space for generations to come.

Charles W. Nash House - A Queen Anne-style house, built circa 1890, was owned by automotive pioneer Charles W. Nash. Born in Illinois, Nash was hired by the Flint Road Cart Company as a cushion stuffer at $1.00 a day in 1890. He later became general manager and vice president of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, general manager of the Buick Motor Company (1910) and president of Buick and the General Motors Corporation (1912). In 1916 he formed the Nash Motor Company.

Charles Nash and Walter P Chrysler Statues at Flint Bishop International Airport - Life-size bronze statues of Charles W. Nash and Walter P. Chrysler welcome visitors in the baggage claim area at Bishop Airport. These statues, created by local artist Joe Rundell, celebrate key leaders in business, industry, and labor whose vision, ingenuity, and determination became an integral part of the heritage and culture of the "Vehicle City."

Sloan Museum at Courtland Center Mall - Courtland Center is the temporary home of over 30 vehicles representing a cross section of Sloan Museum's automotive collection. A variety of vehicles are on display, including concept cars, trucks, and classic cars dating from the early 1900s to the late 1980s. All of these vehicles have historic ties to Flint and Genesee County. Whether it was assembled in the area, entirely Flint-built, or features Flint-made parts, each vehicle helps tell a story about how the automotive industry shaped life in Flint—and how Flint helped put the world on wheels.

Thursday Tour B:

Gilmore Car Museum via motor coach - It’s America’s Signature Collection. The Gilmore Car Museum is North America’s largest auto museum with over 400 vehicles on display, over 100 vintage pedal cars, one of the largest displays of automotive mascots and name badges in North America, with more than 1,500 items on display, and over 190,000 square feet of exhibit space. The Museum’s 90-acre Historic Campus features numerous vintage structures including a restored and fully-functioning 1941 Silk City Diner, a recreated 1930s Shell Station, and six onsite Partner Museums. Here, visitors shoot the breeze in an old-fashioned gas station. Children stand inches from a 1930 Rolls-Royce from a Disney® movie. Grandparents share stories about a ’57 Chevy, as their smiles are reflected in the car’s chrome. Stroll the campus. Eat lunch in our authentic Blue Moon Diner. Walk right up to an amazing collection of vintage automobiles, motorcycles, and memories.

Friday Tour C:

Montrose Historical & Telephone Pioneer Museum - The Montrose Telephone Museum utilizes a building built in the fifties to house the Public Service Telephone Company of Montrose. See a large collection of antique wall telephones and early style, candlestick desk phones. Displays created within a 1930 time-frame by the Montrose Area Historical Association give dimension and context to the telephone exhibits.

R.E. Olds Transportation Museum - At the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, explore Oldsmobile from the very first prototype to today's streamlined automobiles. Discover Lansing's rich transportation history – the REO Motor Car Company, old-time bicycles and aviation endeavors. The Museum has thousands of irreplaceable items in the archives along with over 60 vehicles that range from 1886 through 2003. A recommended lunch stop following the museum visit is the nearby Nut House Restaurant on Michigan Ave.

Michigan History Museum (optional) - The Michigan History Museum offers a walk through Michigan's rich past, from the time of the state's earliest peoples to the late 20th century. Located in downtown Lansing, the museum features more than 25 galleries of permanent exhibits, special exhibits and a three-story-high topographical map of the state.

Durand Union Station (optional) - This 115-year-old historic building is one of the most photographed train depots in the United States. The depot is also the home of the Michigan Railroad History Museum. The museum gallery pays tribute to the colorful heritage of the railroader and to the contribution of Michigan’s railroads to lumber, mining, agriculture, and industry. Included in the collection are photographs, ledgers, technical railroad information, union materials, and a variety of other documents pertaining to railroading in Michigan.

Additional Self-Guided Tours (anytime):

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland - If you love the joy and excitement of the Christmas season, then enjoy those special feelings all year long at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the world's largest Christmas store. The sights, sounds, and spirit of Christmas completely surround you at this amazing store, which is the size of one and a half football fields. Bronner's is overflowing with 50,000 trims and gifts. Bronner's is located in Frankenmuth, Michigan's "Little Bavaria."

Bay City Motor Company - The Bay City Motor Company's legacy in the automotive industry dates back to 1904. In 2005, they dedicated themselves to serving the needs of classic car enthusiasts. Current inventory usually ranges from 20-30 vehicles for sale. Bay City Motor Co is located by the water in downtown Bay City in the heart of Michigan's largest antiques district.

Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum (Home of the USS Edson) - The USS Edson was first launched on January 4, 1958. For the next two decades, Edson served as a valuable member of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, earning a reputation as a Top Gun ship and the nickname, “The Destroyer.” Her ship’s crest included a skull copied from the shoulder patch worn by then Colonel Edson’s First Marine Raider Battalion. The museum is located in Bay City, MI.

Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum - The Bay City Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum is home to over 60 motorized fire trucks – the largest collection of fire trucks in the world. The museum also contains more than 12,000 antique and collectible toys, many of them fire, police and rescue vehicles. Also included in the Toy Collection are toys and models from Tonka, Buddy L, Nylent, and Hess to name a few. For the NASCAR fans, one room is dedicated to all things NASCAR.

Friday Indoor Vending - Vendors selling Nash car parts and memorabilia will set be up in a Bavarian Inn meeting room.

Friday Club Members Meeting - Meet the Nash Car Club board members and learn the latest club happenings. The meeting will be followed by a Charles W. Nash history presentation by Jim Wheary.

Friday Ice Cream Social - Enjoy a Sundae Bar at the Bavarian Inn Lodge following the Nash Car Club Membership Meeting.

Saturday Outdoor Vending - Vendors selling Nash car parts and memorabilia will set be up on the Bavarian Inn grounds.

Saturday Car Show - The 2021 Grand Nashional Car Show will be held on the grounds of the Bavarian Inn. Cars will be judged and trophies awarded to Car Show winners at the banquet.

Saturday Night Banquet - The 2021 Grand Nashional Banquet will be held at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. Club members will enjoy an all-you-can-eat family-style chicken dinner followed by the Car Show Awards Ceremony.

Sunday Post-Grand Nashional Rambles

As you depart the state of Michigan, head directly south 100 miles to The Henry Ford. At The Henry Ford, you'll discover America—its culture, inventions, people and can-do spirit—and hundreds of hands-on ways to explore it, enjoy it and be inspired by it. Prepare to be astounded by attractions and resources: Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, and Benson Ford Research Center.

Alternatively you may visit the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum also located 100 miles south of Frankenmuth. The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan is a unique automotive museum that is home to cars from the local Willow Run Plant and cars from Hudson Motors. The collection includes the original Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a Tucker automobile movie prop from the movie Tucker: The Man and His Dream.