If you live in America and have not been to Mackinac Island, pack a bag and come. In fact if you don’t live in America and have not been to Mackinac Island, pack a bag and come. This place is like stepping into a picture postcard. From first sight as the ferry approaches the island, with its quaint hotels and church steeples nestled amongst the trees, it captures your imagination and is like stepping back in time.
Michigan’s Mackinac Island (pronounced: MACK-in-awe) is located in Lake Huron. We left Ruby for a well deserved rest at the Star Line Ferry terminal in Mackinaw City and took the 20 minute ride over to the island. Stepping off the boat, the first thing we noticed were the hundreds of bikes available for hire. The second thing we noticed was as we stepped onto the main street: horses and carriages making their way up and down the street and not a car to be seen. Mackinac Island banned almost all motor vehicles in 1898, the exceptions being construction and emergency vehicles. The only motorised vehicle we saw in the time we were here was a ride-on mower on the golf course. That being the golf course which has 9 holes on one side of the island and then you catch the horse buggy to the back 9 holes across the island.
The main street is lined with charming boutiques, mouthwatering eateries and a plethora of shops selling popcorn, nut brittle and the fudge for which the island is known.
We took a horse and carriage tour around the island. Great commentary was given from our horse driver with loads of information about the island’s history, buildings and day to day life on the island today. The tour took us to a butterfly conservatory, Arch Rock and to Fort Mackinac sitting above the harbour. The Fort was a military outpost for the Americans and British and played a pivotal role in controlling the Great Lakes fur trade. Now preserved with its original buildings intact, there are rifle demonstrations and canon firings every half hour which can be heard around the island.
A bike ride around the 13km/8.2mi perimeter of the island tested Pri’s already questionable sense of balance but brought views that were simply dazzling. We love that the road encircling the island is the same main road that runs through the town and is classified as State Highway M-185.
A huge shout out to Stephanie, Trish, Justin and Summer at Yankee Rebel Tavern. Other places on the island were great with really good food but we kept finding ourselves drawn back to this fine establishment and their amazing service, food and beverages.
After a super couple of days on Mackinac Island we now return to the mainland and Ruby, ready to continue our road trip ☺️
S&P
