Slow down on Mackinac Island. You really don't have a choice!

Mackinac Island in northern Michigan has not been on my travel radar until last year.  It has, however, been in my wife’s travel plans for years.  So we went.  And I’m not sorry we did.  Actually, it became a 3 night stop on a circle drive around Lake Michigan that started and ended in Chicago.

To describe it as quaint is basically an understatement.  In the last century some far sited citizens decided to ban car and trucks on the island.  So they rely basically on horse drawn carriages, bicycles, and walking to get around including delivering everyday supplies used on the island. 

Access to the island is by ferry, private boat, or small plane except in winter when the lake freezes and creates an ice bridge.  But, I’m not sure I want to be on the island in the winter when the population shrinks to a few hundred since tourist season is closed.  Temperature then hovers too close to zero degrees for me.

But come the thaw and its “Katy bar the door!”  Visitors flock to the island from all over the world to enjoy sailing, golfing, shopping, eating and lazing around.  Thousands arrive daily during the temperate summer months and for island events.  We arrived the weekend following the end of the high tourist season.  For some establishments, the Labor Day Weekend is the end of the season.  Starting the next week the horse population begins to shrink as the owners move them inland, the people in the service community have either left or are planning to leave, and life on the island begins to slow way down.  Fortunately for me several of the famous fudge shops were still open.

The whole place is a movie set and you’ll have “déjà vu” moments often, especially if you’ve watched Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves in the movie “Somewhere in Time.”  The long porch of the famous Grand Hotel screams out to come sit, sip, and chat.  Walking the streets past Victorian era houses and hotels, each dressed out in splendid colors and blooming gardens, will harken back thoughts to when only horses and mules were the only transportation on the island anyway.

Since our stay came as the island was beginning to turn out the lights for the season, there was not a crowd anywhere we went.  Our apartment accommodation for 5 was located about 2 miles from the docks and shopping.  We loaded up on groceries at the only true grocery store open on the island before hopping on a scheduled run of a horse drawn taxi.  If you lodging is away from the downtown I do recommend that you plan on a lot of walking renting a bike since the taxi conveniences are sporadic. 

The island has history and Fort Mackinac is well preserved.  It has a fantastic view over the island and out across the lake.  It’s well worth the visit.  It’s an interesting ½ day diversion before slipping down to the main drag for a cold one at one.

An impressive site as your ferry pulls up to its berth at the docks are the thousands of bicycles parked for rent.  This is proof that off-season does have it advantage: what if all of the bikes were out at one time during the high season?

Probably the most popular ways to get around is with horse-drawn carriage tours with an entertaining and well-informed guide for an intimate and informative experience. Drive-your-own buggies are also available for vacationers who prefer to direct themselves.

There are plenty of walking and bike trails. And there’s plenty of ground to cover, with over 70 miles of natural and paved trails to keep you occupied all day long.  Some of the hills are a test for us folks of moderate exercise habits but manageable.  Mackinac Island State Park, which covers more than 80% of the Island, is open for your exploration. 

I didn’t play golf while we were visiting here but you can hear the whisper of a challenge walking along fairways and by greens near the walk paths.

This is a well-known and popular destination but it’s not mandatory to stay in one of the 1,500 plus available rooms on the island to enjoy it.  It easy to stay at one of the hotels in and around Mackinac City on the shoreline across from the island.  You can valet park at the ferry launch and take a day trip.

The Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau has an excellent and easy to navigate web page to keep you up-to-day on the island year around.  We used it for planning our trip and recommend it highly.

Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau
7274 Main Street, P.O. Box 451
Mackinac Island, MI 49757
(906) 847-3783

General Inquiries

Email: info@mackinacisland.org
Telephone: (800) 454-5227
Local: (906) 847-3783