A Trip to Mackinac Island

This week we took our last family adventure for the summer... sigh... But it was a really fun one! We went to Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw), one of Michigan's most beautiful landmarks. Mackinac Island is a small island covering about 3.8 square miles and is located between the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas. (See map here). In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony, and still is today. It attracts hundreds of people each day during the summer. We've been to Mackinac Island twice before. The first time was only a few months after we moved to Michigan (September 2000). We heard that it was a fun place to go and decided to check it out. We went on Labor Day weekend which was a very busy weekend on the island. Spencer was only 4 years old and Jessica was just 2. We had a fabulous time and fell in love with the island! The next summer after that (July 2001), we decided to go a second time, but this time we brought my sister Kim and her husband with us ... That was 7 years ago and I was pregnant with Alexander. How time flies!! Since Spencer and Jessica were so young at the time and don't remember anything about those trips, we decided to go again this summer. Mackinac Island is one of our favorite Michigan destinations and we want the kids to remember it too.

Here is our little family on the ferry the first time we went to Mackinac Island. Spencer was 4 and Jessica was 2.

Spencer and Jessica on the shoreline of Mackinac Island

So, this post is about our most recent Mackinac Island trip ... On Wednesday morning, Joshua and I packed up the car and put our bikes on our mounted bike rack, then drove for about 4 hours before we arrived. We checked into our hotel in Mackinaw City. We stayed at the Quality Inn and Suites. It is right along the beach and we could see Mackinac Island across the lake. The kids explored the beach beside our hotel, and then we went to dinner at a pizza place somewhere within "Mackinaw Crossings", an outdoor entertainment/shopping/dining complex just down the street.

Relaxing on the beach

Throwing rocks in the water

Mackinaw Crossings

When it got dark that evening, we took the kids to "Pirate's Adventure Water Park". Our hotel gave us free passes which we took full advantage of. We spent 2 hours there that evening. The kids had a blast!






The next morning, we woke up early so we could catch an early ferry to Mackinac Island. The island can only be reached by boat or ferry. During the summer tourist season, three separate ferry services shuttle visitors to and from the island. The last few times we've been to Mackinac Island, we've always taken the "Arnold Transit" ferry service. It's always been the closest one to our hotel in Mackinaw City. For a small fee, we also brought our bikes on the ferry so we could use them on the island. It's a lot cheaper than renting them. In Michigan, it's a pretty well known fact that there's a ban on almost all motor vehicles on the island, with the exception of snowmobiles during the winter. The few residents that remain on the island make a pathway with Christmas trees across the frozen water to the mainland for their snowmobiles since the ferries obviously can't run. Besides that, the only way to travel on the island is by foot, bicycle or house-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area. Bicycles, roller blades, carriages, and horses are all available for rent. We rented our bikes the last two times, but this time our pocketbook was glad we brought our own!

Our family on the top deck of the ferry on our way to Mackinac Island

Logan and Alex loved watching the boat's propellers shoot water behind the boat

The Mackinac Bridge -- It connects Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas

We're getting closer....

While on the ferry, we passed the island's famous "Grand Hotel"

Our family as we approached Mackinac Island's harbor

There is a road that follows the island's perimeter, and numerous roads, trails and paths that cover the interior. The road that encircles the island (8 miles in circumference) and pretty much hugs the shoreline is state highway M-185. It is the United States' only state highway without motorized vehicles. Just about everyone who comes on the island enjoys riding and exploring the M-185 highway around the island. It is always our favorite part of the trip! After getting off the ferry, we started our trek around the island. We stopped frequently to explore the shoreline and island.

Josh, Jessica and Spencer with their bikes

Riding on highway M-185

I pulled this little load behind my bike. It looked a little tight, but it worked!

The kids on some rocks with the Mackinac Island bridge in the background

The boys loved climbing the shoreline rocks

Since I take most of the pictures, Josh wanted to take one of me.

Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration. As a result, the entire island is listed as a national historic landmark. It is well known for its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous "Grand Hotel" which was made famous by the movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. We saw a marker by the side of the road where, if you are familiar with the movie, Richard meets Elise for the first time by a grove of trees by the shoreline. Jessica and I love the movie. We watched it earlier this year, so Joshua took a picture of us by that spot. We also have one of us outside the "Grand Hotel" where the majority of the movie took place. Jessica felt jipped that we couldn't go inside unless we were guests staying at the hotel. Or, you could pay $10 to tour the lobby and grounds. We didn't think it was worth it, although from what we could see of it, the grounds looked quite beautiful.




As we rode around the island, we saw trails and stairs that lead to interesting places. We stopped and walked several of these trails. Our favorite was the Pontiac Trail on the southwestern ridge of the island. We first went up a giant staircase and then walked a narrow trail located in front of many privately owned summer Victorian-style cottages. Most of these homes were built in the 1880's by wealthy industrialists who wanted a summer cottage along the island's bluffs for extended stays. These homes have been well-maintained and still have a beautiful grounds and a historical Victorian look. I would've loved to tour the inside of some of these homes.

The staircase up to Pontiac Trail

At the top along the southwestern bluffs of Mackinac Island

Along the Pontiac Trail



We passed some Victorians homes with beautiful grounds along the western bluffs
Some other private summer Victorian cottages

On the island, there are also some very interesting geologic formations such as 'Arch Rock', a natural arch where an ancient lake had cut through the limestone. It rises about 150 feet above the ground. We had to climb a bunch of stairs to get to it, but the view was breathtaking at the top. I must say though, as a mother, I was a little unnerved when my kids got too close to the edge of the 150 foot drop! Joshua thought I was silly when I freaked out about it, but I can't help my excessive fear that my children would fall off the ledge when they got too close. Even though there were railings all around the cliff, I was still very shaky and over-excited about it, but I couldn't help it. I weighed the odds in my head -- Mother Hen vs. Falling 150 feet -- Mother Hen wins hands down!! Anyway, besides that, there were several other popular geologic formations we saw which included 'Devil's Kitchen' and 'Skull Cave'.

The kids in front of "Arch Rock"

Arch Rock

The overlook above "Arch Rock" -- This is where I was especially anxious!

Mom and Dad on the overlook above "Arch Rock"

Spencer inside "Devil's Kitchen". Apparently this geological site was formed in ancient times by waves cutting into the rocky cliff. There is an interesting story behind it's name HERE.

We rode our bikes inland to see Skull Cave

Fort Mackinac was an active military fort until the end of the 19th century. After that, much of the federal land on Mackinac Island was designated as a National Park in 1875, just three years after Yellowstone was designated as the first National Park. The fort was, therefore, well preserved since it had never had a chance to fall into ruins. Today, people in period dress provide history tours inside the fort. We didn't get a chance to take a tour since it closed earlier than we thought it would, but we did hear a rifle demonstration from within the walls and heard cannons blasting at closing time.

Jessica and Spencer outside the wall of Fort Mackinac

Alex and Logan on the cannon

The downtown streets are lined with many retail stores, candy shops, restaurants, hotels and B&B's. An extremely popular item in the candy shops is the locally produced "Mackinac Island Fudge", leading to tourists sometimes being referred to as "fudgies". Many shops sell a variety of fudge (there are almost a dozen fudge shops on the island), and some have been in operation for more than a century. We bought several kinds of fudge at Joann's Fudge -- We bought Double Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Truffle, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge. YUMMY! The popularity of the fudge has lead to the marketing of Mackinac Island fudge not only throughout Michigan, but outside the state as well.


When it started to rain at about 5:00, we made a mad dash back to the ferry since we knew it would be leaving at 5:15 to go back to Mackinaw City (a ferry left every 45 minutes). Then after packing up our things and bicycles, we settled in for another 4 hour drive. We were sad about leaving but had a great time and now have some wonderful memories which hopefully will be remembered for a long, long time.