If you haven’t heard of Mackinac Island yet let me give you little line about it: An Island right off of Michigan, this island (still part of Michigan) is know for being a town for family fun that doesn’t allow cars. Meaning when you’re on the island you’re walking, on a bike or taking a horse buggie to get around. In fact people take their own bikes, strolls and pets on the ferry boat over as most make this a day trip which I highly recommend. As the island is small enough that you can do there is to do in one day: tours, bike rides, shops and lots of fudge.
To get to the island you’ll have to take a ferry, be sure to arrive well before schedule! We arrived too close to the time and it took a while for the shuttle bus to pick us up from a parking lot which made us miss the ferry and waiting another 2 hours until the next one stopped by. Luckily if this happens to you, there is a bar where you can grab a meal and drinks until the next one arrives. Once you get on the ferry I would say it is about a half hour to a 45 minute ride to the island and back. You can sit anywhere, so if you want a certain spot be in front of the line as much as you can, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Once you’re on the island here is what I recommend you add to your to do list:
- Take a tour on a horse carriage
- Walk up (take a tour- $) around the Historic Island Hotel
- Take a bike ride around the island (you can rent or bring your own)
- Check out their little museums
- Learn about the history of the island
- See Arch Rock (pictured below)
- Buy all the fudge your heart desires
- Take a kayak out on the water
- Go golfing or do a spa day
- Grab a bite or drink in the strip
- Take a walk on the strip (and town) and admire this place caught in a moment in time
- Grab a pizza and sit out in any open area and watch the water (like Marquette Park pictured below) or Mission Point Lawn Resort
All info found here on Mackinac Island page!
If you need a few days to explore consider staying on the main land where you boarded for the ferry, prices there are usually cheaper that on the island. But as mentioned I really think you can hit most of these things on your list if you arrive there early and leave on one of the last ferries back. However long you visit the island for I really think everyone needs to visit Mackinac Island at least once.
Hope this helps and enjoy your visit as much as I did when we went.
As always, thank you for reading. Como siempre, gracias por leer.
