St. Clair's riverfront

The little city of St. Clair has one of the best front-row seats on the Great Lakes. Right downtown, Palmer Park stretches along the water with what the city proudly bills as the longest freshwater boardwalk in the world. Because of a shallow spot in the middle of the river here, the big lake freighters have to hug the near shore, so they pass the boardwalk close enough to read the names painted on their bows. People come just to sit on a bench and wait for a thousand-footer to glide by, and the city has set brass markers along the walk naming famous Great Lakes ships, so you can picture just how long they really are.

Overlooking the same stretch of river is the St. Clair Inn, a grand hotel that opened in 1926, back when the towns along here were turning out powerboats for the whole country. Said to be one of the first hotels anywhere with central air conditioning, it fell on hard times and sat empty for years, until a full restoration brought it back to life. Today it’s a working riverfront hotel once again, and a handsome reminder of the era of steamboats and summer visitors. You can find events and boardwalk details at stclairontheriver.com.