The pinnacle of our summer and now a six-year tradition, our visit to Mackinac Island commences when we board the ferry in St. Ignace (we cross the Mackinac Bridge for fun), a component of the trip I convinced Brett was important in creating that “far away charm.”
“Seems like a lot of effort to get there,” he mentioned as we passed our bags to the ferry staff and confirmed they’d be delivered to our hotel (by horse and carriage, of course).
“It wouldn’t be so special if it was easy,” I reminded him.
I can’t help but write about Mackinac as anything but a persuasive essay. There are these corners of the island where the magic of summer feels so intoxicating, I want to bottle it up and give it away to the people I love.
I’ve shared many posts about Mackinac Island in the summer here over the years, but if you’re new, here’s my tour guide summary:
– Mackinac Island is a small island (3.8 square miles) in Lake Huron, located between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.
– The island was a pivotal center of commerce during the Great Lakes fur trade leading to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island during the American Revolutionary War. Two battles were also fought there during the War of 1812.
– Incredible efforts have been made to preserve and restore the historical integrity of the island, and it is listed as a National Historic Landmark. You can definitely feel that in every corner of the island. Motor vehicles are banned on the island (with the exception of an ambulance and fire truck I believe); so horses, bikes and boats make up all transportation. More than eighty percent of the island is also preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.
– The most famous structure on the island is The Grand Hotel, a historic coastal resort with the largest porch in the world. The film Somewhere in Time was filmed there, and many U.S. presidents and dignitaries have stayed there. All hotel renovations have preserved the history and story of the hotel, and while it costs $10 simply to walk inside, it’s worth it to sit on the porch with a drink or explore the ball rooms, libraries and restaurants–like stepping into a movie. Conde Nast Traveler “Gold Lists” the Grand Hotel as one of “The Best Places to Stay in the Whole World” and it’s been noted as one of the top 100 hotels in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine.
And now that the informational part of this travel guide is through, I’ll gush about why I really love the island. You’ll find the majority of tourists walking about Main Street during the day which, yes, offers taverns and fudge shops, a charming grocery store, gifts from local artists, carriage tours, bike rentals and enchanting views of the bay; but the real magic of the island can be found beyond the lively tourist stretch in the quieter corners of the island–the library, the Grand Hotel lawn, the hill on Marquette Park, Mission Point or my favorite–the side streets and trails behind the main stage, where cottages are lined up with flowers spilling over window boxes and the most inviting front porches you’ve ever seen.
I like how many families you see here–everywhere you look: kids pedaling behind their moms and dads in a trail of bikes, happy babies being pushed in strollers, toddlers entranced by horses and the taste of their very first fudge.
We walk all day on the island.
We walk, but no one complains because there’s so much beauty to take in while we walk and because our walk rhythm makes room for breaks–
Walk, walk, fudge.
Walk, walk, fly a kite.
Walk, walk, putt-putt.
Walk, walk, tavern.
If you are Dash, every step of your walk includes horse research.
This includes studying their every move–noting their color, their size, the sound of their clip-clop; taking pictures of them; asking carriage drivers for their names; leaning over to take a closer look at their droppings.
We topped last year’s record for horse names collected–115 this year. Dash learned how to record the names himself this year (thank God because that was a lot of writing) with the talk-to-text notes feature on the phone. His final list revealed his precious interpretations of the names he heard including “Dilbert & Adorable” for the horse duo Wilbur & Orville and my personal favorite, “Bowls & Rice” for Rolls and Royce.
This year we stayed at Mission Point which is located at the far end of the island and offers some of the most beautiful views of Lake Huron. We had so much fun exploring the grounds and found so many hidden nooks–libraries, hidden hallways and this mammoth empty sitting room where Lainey put on her own show.
Other favorites–our walk to the library (stopping at the toy store to pick up a new kite to fly on the neighboring lawn):
Sunset at the playground behind the little public school on the lake:
Our serendipitous timing of walking by the old church on Main Street as the 11:00 evening service was beginning–I heard voices singing and saw the light behind those stained glass windows and couldn’t walk in fast enough. Brett laughed and walked back to the hotel, but my cousin and I sat in one of the back pews through the sweetest choruses while Nella fell asleep in my lap.
The best part, by far, of our island stay this year though was a secret of the island I cannot believe I waited six years to discover–Woods, a Hansel & Gretyl-ish tavern tucked in the woods far from the populated part of the island. It took a 30-minute carriage ride to get there–an enchanting experience in itself as our horses carried us along the lake shore through wooded paths where hidden cottages emerged with their glorious summer charm and the setting sun put on a show. I could not stop with the “Oh my Gods,” and I heard Brett whisper from the back of the carriage, “Well, this did it for me. This is everything.”
And then, Woods appeared…
…and when we walked in, my “Oh my Gods” turned into “Holy Craps” because my enthusiasm can best be expressed by only the classiest of exclamations.
There’s a one-lane bowling alley in the back of the tavern–so old, you have to walk down and reset the pins yourself, the kids’ favorite part.
So there’s my nugget of Mackinac tourism advice…Woods, Woods, Woods. You can’t visit the island without an enchanting escape to Woods.
The rest fills in nicely–ice cream at Sadie’s, fudge at Murdick’s, lunch at The Pink Pony.
Let the kids make pretend calls from the red phone booth on the Grand Hotel Lawn.
Stop at all the open grass to sit and drink it all in…
Take pictures with your camera to remember what you might otherwise forget.
Take pictures with your heart to preserve the rest (don’t worry, it will keep).
(Dash figured out an entertaining way to fill the time while we wait for the ferry)
And every year as the ferry pulls away, I whisper so many thank yous–to the island and its magic and for our family and another year of sweet summer memories together.
Chelle says
Love!! Question I’m sure you’ve probably answered before. Do you use your camera or your phone for your pictures? Trying to decide if I need to start carrying my big girl camera around or just get a better phone camera ????
Meghan Stewart says
I know… I want to know the same thing. I struggle lugging my 3 kids around and THEN my “big rig”… Kelle – give us some tips!!
Dava says
Wow! We’re headed to Mackinac in a few weeks but I’d never heard of Woods. I checked out the website; do you have any idea how possible it is to bike there (while towing three small children) or is the path too hilly or dirt-road to make that a reasonable choice? Thanks for the recommendation.
EMILY MECHAM says
We go up there with bikes each year with our three kids (ages 14,11, and 5). Once you past the massive hill up to and past the Grand, there are a few more smaller scale uphills, but also some flat paved and smooth dirt stretches of road. Its not easy, but do able.
Lynn says
Where do you recommend staying while visiting the island?
Somer says
YOU FOUND THE WOODS! My first time to the island, the group I was with discovered it. I fell hard for that place. I’m sending this link to my husband and booking a fall trip. Boom. A few hours north and we’ll be there. Huzzah!
Martina Frankovits says
I love your post about this visit each and every year. It is SO on my bucket list. Looks just down right magical!!!
Maria says
Ok..in the first family photo of the five of you, there is a little hand sticking out of Brett’s leg, and what appears to be a third leg between Nella’s calves. There’s also some hairy thing crawling up Brett’s thigh. It’s all very disturbing…LOL!!!
Kelle says
Ha! I noticed that. We are actually standing on a raised ledge, so there were people walking below us.
Diana Loach says
I have love Mackinac since I was a very little girl – there’s something otherworldly there, and I think that perhaps this is as life should be.
Thanks for helping me relive that joy as I imagine you, Brett and the kids discovering over and over again the perfect charm of this place.
Sarah says
Every year, this post brings tears to my eyes. Seeing my favorite place enjoyed so much by other families just gives me all the feels.We took my almost 7 month old baby there last fall. Even though she was so small, watching her take everything in was just incredible for me. I can’t wait for her to experience it the way your children do!
Ann says
Ive since added this place to my bucket list but we live much further. Id be interested in hearing about how much this type of stay costs. Are the carriage rides expensive? Hotels? Ferry ride? Etc. thanks!
Kelle says
Ferry rides are normally $25 for a round trip ticket for an adult, but on Valentine’s Day and the day after Thanksgiving, Starline sells them for half price. We bought all of our ferry tickets this year on Valentine’s Day and saved them at will call, so it was only $12 for adults round trip. We don’t ride carriages every year, but this year we did and it was $7 a person (no charge for kids) for a 30 min carriage taxi to the Woods restaurant (same back). To stay on the island, we book our hotels way in advance (like February) and find great deals. It is a little pricier than the average hotel, but if you book early and look for deals, it isn’t bad. I’m a Mackinac Island tourism deal stalker, so that helps! You can take a ferry, stay for the day and then ferry back at night too (hotels are cheaper if you stay in St. Ignace or Mackinaw City, but of course it’s really special to stay on the island). I hope that helps!
Ann says
Sure does, thank you!!! And not as bad as I was expecting!
Ann says
I have lots of questions too! But one is how long is the ferry ride over? Is it worth going over for the day? Thanks. I live vicariously through your posts.
Kelle says
It’s only about 15 minutes! So worth it! (although it’s especially magic to be there overnight!)
Dava says
For what it’s worth, we always stay at Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping in a cabin rental in Mackinaw City, and we LOVE it. We take a ferry to the island just for the day, and do the whole glamping, campfire thing at night. It’s less expensive than staying on the island and you can really do pretty much the whole island in a single day (it’s only 3.8 sq miles). We also bring our own bikes and don’t do the carriage rides. All of Kelle’s recommended activities are well worth it, and I’m sure staying the night is amazing.
Becky says
Two summers spent working at Mission Point – best summers of my life!
Vickie buchner says
I love reading about your beautiful vacations here! And from your pictures each year it seems that the weather is always amazing!! Can’t wait to check it out someday SOON and Woods looks so enchanting ????
Melissa joY says
Got engaged and returned to be married on the amazing island. Been back so many times since and a couple years ago, took our kids for the first time. A magical place indeed. <3 I loved reliving it all again with your post!
Suzie Payne says
This is one of my favorite posts I look forward to reading every summer!! Its seems like a dream to be there. It is definitely on my bucket list to visit there. Do you have any recommendations of where to stay or where to start planning? This post gives me all the “feels.” Thank you for sharing the beauty and joy of this place.
BARB says
I look SO forward to this post every year.
My Parents spent their honeymoon staying at the Grand Hotel :0)
We went every summer for years …..
Such Happy Special memories !!!!!!!!
Thank You …….
Elana Lanzetta says
I love (well, sort of) that you share Michigan’s little secret paradise with a wider public. We’ve been going every year for as long as I can remember on a big family trip with my father docking his boat in the marina and the rest of the crew booking hotels or a B&B. Even though many of my nieces are grown, they often join us with their own families. Night-Time glow golf and the ghost tour are among the favorites of the teens. And 2 years ago, my now son-in-law arranged a marriage proposal to my daughter with our whole family in attendance at the fountain of the Grand Hotel. They later celebrated with a lovely little carriage ride to the Woods for dinner. It’s a slice of heaven that holds a very dear place in our family’s collective history. And, every time we go, I look around hoping perhaps for once our adventures would overlap! This year we were only off by a week:-(
jeanie says
I love that you are enjoying one of the best parts of our beautiful state!
Allie says
Love!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I’m a Michigan girl too and love how you document it all.
Kiwifan says
Visiting the US from New Zealand in June, and driving cross country, we detoured up Michigan entirely so we could visit after reading your various posts about Mackinac. We only had time for a day trip, but it was MAGICAL. I’m so so glad we went – thank you!
Reenie says
One day I hope to make it there. 🙂
This cracked me up: . . .”leaning over to take a closer look at their droppings.” ha!!
MoNitw Gray says
Hi Kelle- We just returned from this magical place on Monday. I love the beauty you convey about the island, its deep history and its simplicity. Our youngest who has Down Syndrome is 6 and walked some but loved going into the Burley trailer for our big bike ride. It really is wonderful family trip. I went a few times when I was little and am grateful to share the experience with my own family.
Kim Busman says
My husband and me and our 11 year old grandson are heading there tomorrow. We have gone many times over the years, but have not heard about the Woods. We will check it out. Is it possible to ride our bikes there?
Emily Mecham says
Kelle, I would like to suggest something you may have not done. Walk up behind the Grand and walk the streets of homes on the West Bluff. We always include that on our way to the Woods and never regret it. You should also ask for a tour of The Inn at Stonecliffe. They were so wonderful to us and it was enjoyable to look inside some of their rooms.
J says
I grew up in Michigan and hate it, I’ve since moved away. I’ve been to Mackinac many times.
Your post is so sweet, I almost miss it……Almost.
🙂
Merrie says
Thank you for so much detail and beautiful pictures! I’ve dreamed of going there someday (thanks to my dad’s favorite movie that I love, too!) and you made me see there’s more than just the hotel. Thank you!
Dava says
We visited Woods on your recommendation and it was a major highlight of our entire week up north. My five-year-old overheard me saying that I’d gotten the idea from you, and afterward he said, “We should write a thank-you note to your friend for telling us about Woods!” So consider this your thank-you note 🙂
Kelle says
Aw, that is the sweetest compliment from a five-year-old. Isn’t it amazing?!