Dash Getaways Travel - Tours & Gift Shoppe

06/18/2026

🍎🗽 We’re all set for our second SOLD OUT New York City adventure! Our Dashers’ goodie bags are packed and ready to go, complete with chilled Dash Getaways water bottles that have been cooling overnight. We’ll also be bringing plenty of ice water along the way to keep those bottles filled throughout the trip. By using our reusable bottle program, we’re helping keep thousands of plastic water bottles out of our landfills each year. 🌎💙

Our day begins bright and early with our first pickup in South Bend at 7:30 AM, followed by Plymouth and then Fort Wayne, where we’ll welcome the last of our Dashers before heading east to the Big Apple! 🚍🍎

This exciting week-long adventure will be hosted by our Founder & Owner, Lana Ball, and we can’t wait to share photos and updates throughout the trip as our Dashers experience the sights, sounds, and excitement of New York City.

🏬 While we’re away, our beautiful retail shoppe at 201 Water Street in downtown Plymouth will remain open with our regular business hours! Be sure to stop by and browse our growing selection of travel totes, gifts, home décor, apparel, and travel accessories. We are so excited by the wonderful response to our new location and are thrilled that so many of you are enjoying both our expanded space and the unique items we have available in-store and online.

Thank you for supporting Dash Getaways Travel Tours & Gift Shoppe. We look forward to welcoming you to the shop and sharing our New York City adventure with you over the coming week!

🗽✨🍎

06/12/2026

If you’ve enjoyed following along on our recent adventures to New York City and this week’s trip to beautiful Mackinac Island — along with our upcoming New York City trip departing June 18 — be sure to like and follow our page! 💙💚

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing back BOTH destinations in 2027 with TWO motorcoaches for each trip due to their popularity! 🗽✨

Our 2027 trips will be released in the coming weeks, and many of these trips sell out quickly, so stay tuned for all the fun adventures ahead with Dash Getaways⁠!

06/12/2026

Our last day was the highlight everyone had been waiting for — beautiful Mackinac Island — and it certainly did not disappoint! We had absolutely perfect weather with sunshine and blue skies welcoming us for our final full day together.

We boarded the ferry for the island, although apparently the boat itself had a little drama along the way. You know those locked electrical doors marked “Restricted Area” that make you curious? Well, today we finally got to see one opened when an engineer disappeared below deck to check why one of the motors wasn’t performing quite up to par. Thankfully, most of us never even noticed anything was wrong and enjoyed the ride across the water!

Once on the island, we climbed onto horse drawn carriages and our Dashers enjoyed a wonderful guided carriage tour of Mackinac Island including going by the infamous Grand Hotel before being dropped off at the Mackinaw State Park for another entertaining and informative guided tour. Our guides kept everyone laughing while sharing the rich history of the island, making the experience both educational and fun.

After the tours, everyone enjoyed free time exploring Main Street, shopping the charming stores, grabbing lunch at favorite restaurants, and of course many left carrying fudge boxes, ice cream and shopping bags back to the ferry. 🍬

We gathered together for our final dinner of the trip where we celebrated several special occasions! Happy anniversary to Nancy & Stan Miller, Pat & Nancy Greer, and happy Birthday to Karmen Duke! We marked the occasion by bringing in special cakes for everyone to share with the group, making the evening even more memorable.

After one last little bit of shopping, we headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest before making our way back home to Indiana in the morning. What a wonderful trip filled with laughter, friendship, beautiful views, and memories we will never forget. 💙💚

🌲 Did You Know? Mackinac Island State Park 🌲

Did you know that Mackinac Island State Park was established in 1895 and is actually Michigan’s very first state park? Even more impressive, over 80% of Mackinac Island is protected park land! The park is filled with beautiful forests, historic landmarks, scenic overlooks, limestone formations, and miles of trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding. One of the most famous spots inside the park is Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch that stands nearly 150 feet above the shoreline and has become one of the island’s most photographed landmarks.

06/12/2026

Today our Dashers spent the day up in beautiful Sault Ste. Marie visiting the famous Soo Locks! Did you know the Soo Locks were first opened in 1855 and allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes by bypassing the rapids of the St. Marys River? It’s one of the busiest lock systems in the world and an important part of shipping history here in the Great Lakes region.

We enjoyed an interesting ferry boat ride through the locks while learning all about the history of the area and the waters surrounding us. On one side was Canada and on the other was the United States as we cruised along the St. Marys River connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

Of course, we also squeezed in a little retail therapy and enjoyed delicious lunches at the charming local shops and restaurants. The sun was shining and it truly was a beautiful day!

Before dinner, some of our Dashers tried their luck at the casino — some walked away lucky while others maybe not quite as lucky. 😄 We wrapped up another wonderful day together back at our beautiful hotel gathered around the fire pit enjoying popcorn, s’mores, great conversation while the sun set over the beautiful water of Lake Huron. Another memory-filled day with our Dashers! 💙💚

06/12/2026

Our shoppe will be closed Friday as Lana is currently on charter heading back from beautiful Mackinac Island with our Dashers.

We’d also like to welcome home our New York City Dashers! We heard they had a wonderful trip filled with great memories and fun adventures.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Our shoppe will reopen Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

06/10/2026

Today our Dashers enjoyed a wonderful guided tour of historic Colonial Michilimackinac and the beautiful Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse where we learned so much fascinating history about Northern Michigan and life along the Straits of Mackinac.

Colonial Michilimackinac is a reconstructed 1700s French fur trading village and military outpost that once played an important role in the Great Lakes fur trade before the British took control during the Revolutionary War era. The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse helped guide ships safely through the busy Straits beginning in 1892 and protected vessels traveling between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

After the tour, everyone enjoyed some free time shopping and exploring the cute downtown Mackinaw Crossings area. Our guide gave lots of great lunch recommendations, and it sounds like everyone found some yummy favorites! Of course, many Dashers returned carrying fudge from Joanne’s — a Mackinac tradition!

Before heading back to the hotel, we had to make one more stop at the famous Krueger’s Fish Market at the request of one of our Dashers who wanted some of their delicious smoked whitefish. Before we knew it, several other Dashers spotted the stop and quickly hopped off the coach and headed inside too! Soon many were browsing the cases filled with smoked salmon, whitefish, and other Northern Michigan delicacies to take home and enjoy.

We definitely got rained on today, but it never dampened our spirits. After a nice dinner together, some of us took transportation provided by our wonderful hotel over to the casino, where a few Dashers even came home with their pockets a little heavier thanks to some lucky winnings! What a fun-filled day making memories together in beautiful Northern Michigan. 💙🌊

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Every one of our rooms has a beautiful beachfront view of Lake Huron 💙💚🌊. I left the screen door open all night just to listen to the peaceful sound of the waves rolling in. Definitely, this is the best view hotel we’ve had so far.

06/09/2026

We’ve officially arrived in beautiful Mackinac City! 🌊💙

Before heading over, we made a stop along the beach so everyone could snap some amazing photos of the iconic Mackinac Bridge. The views were absolutely stunning and the perfect way to kick off our adventure!

Afterward, our Dashers enjoyed a delicious dinner before settling into our beautiful hotel, where everyone has a room with an incredible beachfront view overlooking Lake Huron. This morning’s breakfast was absolutely delicious, and now we’re off for a guided tour to learn even more about this historic and charming area.

🌉 Did You Know?
The Mackinac Bridge — lovingly nicknamed “Mighty Mac” — opened in 1957 and stretches nearly 5 miles long, making it one of the longest suspension bridges in the Western Hemisphere! It connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas and spans the meeting point of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

🌉 Some Lesser-Known & Unusual Facts About the Mackinac Bridge (“Mighty Mac”)

* The bridge is so massive it actually changes length! During hot summer weather, the steel expands and the bridge can grow several feet longer.
* One lane of the bridge has an open steel grating instead of solid pavement. When driving over it, you can actually see the water far below through the road! 😳
* Because of strong winds and nervous drivers, the bridge authority even offers a special driver assistance service where trained staff will drive your vehicle across the bridge for you.
* The bridge swings slightly in the wind by design. It was engineered to flex and move safely during storms and heavy weather.
* At its highest point, the roadway sits about 200 feet above the water so huge freighters can pass underneath on the Great Lakes.
* More than 4 million vehicles cross the bridge every year connecting Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
* The bridge’s towers are so tall that if laid on their sides, they would each be longer than two football fields!
* Before the bridge opened in 1957, travelers had to wait for ferries to cross the Straits of Mackinac, and traffic backups could last for hours on busy weekends.
* The bridge is painted a special color officially called “Mackinac Bridge Green.” The shade was chosen because it blends nicely with the water and surrounding landscape.
* Workers who maintain the bridge are constantly repainting it. It takes years to complete one full paint cycle — and then they start over again! 🎨

06/08/2026

Our New York Dashers enjoyed one of their guided tours through New York City today and got to experience many of the city’s iconic highlights!