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Saturday, August 6, 2016

A Sampling of Mackinac Island


The first stop on our late July 2016 trip to sites along Lake Superior was at the confluence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron at Mackinac Island. We arrived in Mackinaw City on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in the afternoon and, after checking in at our hotel, quickly boarded a ferry to Mackinac Island. After a quick ride across the Straits of Mackinac, we arrived on the island. Transportation on the island is limited to horse-drawn carriages and bicycles. We chose to just walk to the few places we had time to visit. We spent some time on Main Street eating, browsing in the shops, and buying some fudge. We then headed south on Main Street before turning inland on Market Street and then following Cadotte Avenue up the hill to the Grand Hotel. The hotel charges $10 per person to enter the lobby for non-registered guests. In addition, after six o'clock men must wear a coat and tie and women must not wear pants. As our attire was not appropriate, we headed back down the hill to catch the sunset ferry back to Mackinaw City.

There are many other places to see and roads to explore on the island, but we unfortunately didn't set aside the time to do so.

Star Line Ferry arriving at Mackinaw City

Mackinac Bridge

Hydro-Jet® Ferry rooster tail

Parasailing near the bridge

Channel marker at Mackinac Island

Fort Mackinac guards the harbor

Horse-drawn carriage

Luggage is also transported by carriage

Main Street

Huron Street Pub & Grill is located on Main Street

Beautiful flower baskets lined the street

Hotel Iroquois

Round Island Lighthouse

Star Line's Marquette II enters the harbor

Public Library

Another view of the library

Roadside flower garden

Mackinac Bridge from Lake Shore Drive

House on Cadotte Avenue

Michigan Governor's Summer Residence

Another view of the fort

Grand Hotel

Grounds and gardens down the hill from Grand Hotel

Entrance to Grand Hotel

View of the bridge from West Bluff Road

The long porch of the Grand Hotel

House on West Bluff Road

Landscaping around the Grand Hotel

Bicycle parking at Grand Hotel

Woodfill Park

Commemorative plaque and bench at Woodfill Park

Little Stone Church

Leaving the island

Sunset behind the bridge

The Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau website is https://www.mackinacisland.org/.

Ticket prices and schedules for ferry boats vary. Discounts are often available at local lodging establishments. The three ferry services are Arnold Mackinac Island Ferry, Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry and Star Line Mackinac Island. We utilized the Star Line Hydro-Jet® Ferry departing from Mackinaw City.

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