Leave New Baltimore on M-29 and make the drive up the Blue Water Route toward Port Huron—it’s about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes if traffic behaves, a little longer if you hit lakefront weekend traffic or slow spots through Anchor Bay and the small shoreline towns. This is one of those drives where the point is the route itself: windows down, water flashing in and out on your left, marinas, beach parks, and little main streets along the way. If you can, head out by late morning so you roll into Port Huron with enough daylight and energy to wander without rushing. Parking downtown is usually easiest in the public lots near the riverfront, and once you’re in the core, you can do most of the rest on foot.
Start with Fort Gratiot Light Station on the north end of town, near the Lake Huron shoreline. It’s Michigan’s oldest lighthouse and a great first stop because it gives you the history, the views, and a real sense of where the lake meets the river system. Plan about an hour here; admission is usually modest, and the grounds are the kind of place where you’ll want a few extra minutes just to look around and take photos. From there, head back toward downtown and spend the late afternoon on the Blue Water River Walk, where the path follows the St. Clair River with freighters passing by and a clear view toward Canada. It’s an easy, flat walk—perfect after a lighthouse stop—and you can stretch it as much or as little as you want.
Before dinner, pop into the Knowlton Ice Museum if the timing works; it’s one of those wonderfully odd local stops that makes Port Huron feel distinct, with old industrial equipment, ice-making history, and a very “only in this town” atmosphere. It usually takes about 45 minutes, so it fits nicely as a short pre-dinner stop and gives you something different from the lake-and-river scenery. Then head to Fuel Woodfire Grill downtown for dinner—expect roughly $20–40 per person depending on drinks and entrées, and it’s a good idea to go a little early on a summer Saturday since downtown can get busy. After dinner, if you still have gas in the tank, take one last slow pass along the riverfront before heading back out; the return drive on M-29 is straightforward, and leaving after dark is usually the smoothest way to get back toward New Baltimore without feeling rushed.