While the Michigan Historic Preservation Network has run various programming in Sault Ste. Marie over the years, 2025 marked the first time its annual statewide conference was held there. Janet Kreger, one of the network’s founding members and immediate past president, says the city was a great fit for the approximately 275 people who participated in the gathering May 15-17.
With conference headquarters at Lake Superior State University (LSSU), attendees encountered the best of all worlds, Kreger says. “They had a wide variety of classrooms that were very nice because they could either be left big or cut up by dividers,” Kreger says. “They had the dining facility right in the building, and for our larger gatherings when all 275 people needed to be seated, we walked across the street to the Arts Center—just lovely facilities.” Overnight accommodations were nearby, and participants also could choose from several tours to get a flavor of the area. And there was no lack of historic architecture to see. “It was absolutely perfect,” Kreger says. Her feedback aligns with the way Linda Hoath, executive director of the Sault Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, describes the city as a convenient hot spot for meetings and events.
One reason Sault Ste. Marie appeals to meeting and event groups, Hoath says, is the city’s accessibility from Interstate 75. Chippewa County International Airport is about 20 miles away and serviced by United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, with flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Chicago. Hoath explains, “It’s a great hub. And it’s an easy drive for Michiganders.” Kreger illustrates it this way: “Once you get across the [Mackinac] Bridge, it is just one cup of coffee away.”
Sault Ste. Marie’s historic roots also lend to its desirability. The oldest city in Michigan, it was originally inhabited by Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda, and Anishinaabe tribes. They were attracted to the bounty of fish and fur to be found along the St. Marys River, which today divides Michigan and Ontario. “The river is the first reason we are here,” says Hoath. Later came French missionaries and fur traders, with the French and British often fighting over land and the right to trade with Native Americans in the 1700s.
Today, Sault Ste. Marie is home to the Soo Locks, which provide passage for freighters and other watercraft across the 21-foot elevation change between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The busiest locks in the world, they’re a major tourist attraction and currently the site of construction for The New Lock at the Soo. It is being built in the footprint of a smaller, older lock and will enhance capacity while ensuring continued operation should one lock break down.
And the city’s downtown is thriving. “You can walk to everything downtown,” Hoath says. The area abounds with continually expanding hiking and biking trails, and winter brings activities like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling—Sault Ste. Marie is known for the iconic International 500 (I-500) Snowmobile Race. The I-500 track is currently undergoing renovations, transforming it into a year-round facility that hosts concerts and other events.
Your Pick of Places
When it comes to traditional convention space, Kewadin Casino Sault Ste. Marie is a prominent option for planners. It serves as a one-stop shop for large gatherings, with more than 30,000 square feet for events, including 15 meeting rooms and full-service banquet facilities. The on-site hotel has 305 guest rooms, 268 of which are fully renovated. “Our two largest meeting spaces are The Grand Ball Room, which offers more than 5,000 square feet of space and accommodates 250 to 500 attendees, depending on the room arrangement, and The DreamMakers Theater, which seats up to 500 attendees for dinner or 1,500 theater-style for meetings or concerts,” says Kewadin Casinos Advertising Manager Christina McKerchie.
LSSU also boasts large meeting spaces. Its Walker Cisler Student & Conference Center features eight conference rooms, an attached patio, a cafeteria, the Galley Grill featuring coffee and convenience store items, and catering. “We host meetings of all sizes,” says Sara Nicholls, conference center coordinator. Those meeting at LSSU can choose from a variety of lodging options. Some opt to stay at The Hotel Ojibway, Trademark Collection by Wyndham. With 71 guest rooms, it is downtown and within walking distance of restaurants, bars, shops, and other attractions.
Best Western Sault Ste. Marie includes 53 guest rooms and is a few miles from downtown. “We have two meeting spaces,” says General Manager Theresa Witkop. “One is our boardroom—it’s our smaller one and holds 15 to 20 attendees comfortably. Our bigger room is the banquet room, and that would probably fit 65 to 70 people.” Other hotels with meeting space include the 95-room Holiday Inn Express Sault Ste. Marie, which recently underwent a major remodel, and the 82-room Hampton Inn Sault Ste. Marie. “We did a complete gut, all the way down to the studs, of all guest rooms and public spaces,” says Holiday Inn Express Sault Ste. Marie General Manager Farrah Wright. “Everything is brand-new.”
Beyond that, the sky’s the limit, says Hoath, who says planners can shake things up by moving around to different locations and meeting in nontraditional settings. “We have done meetings where [groups] gather in different businesses—one portion [of the meeting] in one business, another in another,” Hoath says. “This gets people around downtown and [feeling like they are] part of the community. There are all kinds of different things that can be set up.” For example, groups have met upstairs at Island Books & Crafts and at The Lockview Restaurant, which Hoath notes has a large upstairs area that overlooks the locks. “You can be watching the lake freighters,” she says. “I don’t know how much work you get done while staring outside, but it’s a beautiful spot.” Soo Brewing Co. and 1668 Winery is another popular venue and features a rooftop outdoor area for gathering.
Getting ready to open is The Del-Mar, a downtown restaurant with designated event space. Co-owner Lynde Blair says The Del-Mar’s lower level will accommodate up to 150 amid 5,000 square feet. “There are a few places around that have the space, but then you have to find your own catering,” Blair says. “We will have the liquor license and the food all in one.”
Out & About in Sault Ste. Marie
It’s rarely all work and no play in Sault Ste. Marie. Many meeting groups opt for tours of the Soo Locks, calling on Original Soo Locks Boat Tours or Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours. The River of History Museum downtown showcases exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of the area’s evolution. Sault Historic Sites is the museum’s operator, which also manages the Tower of History that features views from its observation platforms and Museum Ship Valley Camp, a 1917 lake freighter available for group tours, Hoath says.
Meanwhile, the great outdoors is constantly calling. Ken and Wilda Hopper operate Bird’s Eye Outfitters, which has evolved over the past 10 years to become a hub for nature enthusiasts with a full-service bar, restaurant, and an outfitter on-site to guide kayaking, hiking, and more. One group recently scheduled a kayak outing through the lock system on the river’s Canadian side, and the outfitters’ “St. Marys Archipelago Tour” takes participants through a chain of islands with opportunities to get out and hike.
The Hoppers have been instrumental in efforts to build Sault Ste. Marie into a destination for hiking, biking, and water trails. One of the city’s major projects is a new, approximately 10-mile hiking and mountain-biking trail within the city limits expected to break ground next spring. “Peer-reviewed journals and psychological studies about the best way to conduct a meeting or retreat come back and say, if you expose yourself to the outdoors, it refreshes you,” Ken says. “[When you do that,] you’re more adept at gathering and recalling information and being more interactive in your sessions.”
