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    Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

    4.3 (24 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

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    Trenton S.

    This lighthouse is in a beautiful property on the beach. Of course it's a historical landmark. The lighthouse is no longer in service, it was taken out of service because of the mackinaw bridge. We did the lighthouse tour so we could go to the top. Sadly views weren't that good because it was raining and the windows were covering in the rain. It's a little pricey but was cool to go to the top. Also got to catch a fog siren demonstration.

    Danielle P.

    This was a very nice tourist attraction with a excellent view of the Mackinac Bridge. The staff was very friendly and the tour of the lower lighthouse was excellent. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the lighthouse, and the grounds was well maintained. It was very easy to navigate this attraction with the use of a GPS device or Google maps. There is a parking lot on site that can accommodate small and large vehicles, so there is no issues with parking.

    View of the lighthouse building
    Brandon M.

    I stopped by September 7th and don't recall if if was closed for the season or not. It's located within Michilimackinac state park. The outside is well kept and very photogenic. There are picnic areas, grills, benches, a gazebo and restrooms. Great views of the bridge just a little noisy due to it's proximity. I would definitely stop by if you're in the area.

    Lighthouse
    Chelsea D.

    Such a fun tour! We loved going up into the lighthouse to see such a great view of the lake. We also enjoyed the shipwreck museum, super interesting! Highly recommend! P.s. the stairs to the top of the lighthouse are pretty steep, so just be careful!

    Mackinac Bridge from the top of the lighthouse
    David R.

    The lighthouse is a legitimate attraction when you're looking for something to actually "do" in town rather than just eat fudge and window shop. For eight bucks you get a solid history lesson and a great view. The history lesson is twofold: first the lighthouse itself, with living quarters mocked up to resemble 1909, and another series of museum rooms covering topics such as the construction history of the facilities, the men and women who served here, and the technology of lighthouses. The second aspect is the shipwreck museum, which covers several wrecks from the vicinity. Somber but fascinating. For the view, you must climb. It is not high (actually this is a very short lighthouse), but the spiral staircase is very narrow and ends in a short portion which one must duck sharply or risk a stoved skull. Then you climb a short ladder and soak in the vista. You have to go up with a tour guide, and I believe they kick off each session every fifteen or twenty minutes. The tour guide solicits questions at the top of the tower and seems to have quite a bit of local trivia stored up. He also gave a foghorn demonstration. He reminded me a lot of my high school physics teacher, but that is neither here nor there. Plan to spend about an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're leisurely. Bonus points to the gift shop for educating us on the local fauna: those relentless swarms of insects are harmless midges, not mosquitoes. Seriously, that was a real relief for the last two days of our trip because I could stop worrying about Zika and West Nile.

    Inside the shipwreck museum.
    Victoria M.

    Great little museum. We spent about 2-2.5 hours here. The museum has a beautiful landscape of the Straits of Mackinac and plenty of history to soak up. Admission was $8.00, no student discount and tickets you purchase in the gift shop area. You can also buy your ticket for the Fort. You are also asked if you have the appropriate shoes to climb the lighthouse - so leave your flip flops at home. Lighthouse: The museum has the lighthouse, a smaller building that has a 15 minute or so video of the history of shipwrecks, and then the shipwreck museum. The lighthouse is very interesting, especially half of the lighthouse on the main floor is set up to be the keeper's quarters with his family. You see the kitchen, dining area, and living room as it would be set up back in the day. There is a worker who is dressed as the lighthouse keeper who is within the house to answer any questions. I wish he offered to just share information because I honestly did not know what to particularly ask? The second floor area is roped off and I was told that they are working on re-doing the upper area (or close to getting funded to restore it), as the lighthouse was a duplex for the keeper and then his assistance. We were then summoned by the worker and whoever wants to go up the lighthouse itself to meet inside the house. There was about 7-9 of us that were going to go up and I did not know what to expect. We were given some ground rules about climbing up the original spiral staircase. It is a bit claustrophobic especially with people in front of you and behind you going up the tight quarters. The climb is not bad, I climbed the spiral staircase within the Elliott Tower located at Oakland University (151 feet), so the lighthouse steps were not bad at all. The top of the staircase is worth the beautiful view, especially if you are there on a clear day. The worker gave us some history of the lighthouse and other lighthouses on the straits. Lots of awkward silences when the group did not have questions - again I wished the worker/keeper just threw out information to all of us. We then went back down the stairs and when back on our way to explore the rest of the lighthouse. The rest of the lighthouse had more of the history and some artifacts of the lighthouse and keepers. The actual light for the lighthouse was there on loan and it was gorgeous. The historical background section of the house took about 30 minutes - however, I read pretty much everything while my husband breezed through it. Shipwreck short video building: This building is set up like a school house with not much in it except some benches for people to watch the short video. The video is on a loop and goes into the history of people who dare to sail on the straits - starts with the American Indians and goes up until the most recent tragedy of a freighter that collided with another vessel and sank in the '60's. Hearing about the shipwrecks is a bit somber and emotional as you realize the beautiful water you see on the shore is a grave site for many. I suggest watching the video before going into the shipwreck museum because you can make the connections when you are in the museum of the ships you just learned about. Shipwreck museum: The museum was nice and cool on a hot summer's day and decently sized. The museum is a big room full of historical information and lots of interesting information to read and look at. There was an interactive piece of all the shipwrecks in the straits that you can explore and learn about. The museum is a must see and I learned a lot. We were told that your admission is good all day. This was good to know because we did need to make a pit stop to the restrooms. Restrooms are within the park and not within the museum area. Good little place to visit full of history, especially architectural history of the lighthouse which has kept its glory. The museum also gave me a great respect of the Straits of Mackinac and the brave souls who travel it and the lighthouses that have tried to keep those safe on the water.

    Personal vacation photo- exterior of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. As you can see, it was raining!
    Sara S.

    A little glimpse back in time... As a lover of all things "Pure Michigan," I try to get up north to the Mackinac area at least once a year. In fact, my family has been making its annual pilgrimage up north to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island as far back as I can remember. For years now, I've admired and visited the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. It doesn't hurt that my husband is fond of all lighthouses, so a tour of Old Mackinac Point is a must during every trip. For the relative bargain of only $7.50 (per adult), I can absorb a bit of culture and history at the same time and see how a lighthouse keeper and his family used to live years ago. From the furnishings and tiny reminders of daily life for these folks from another time to the informative (and usually entertaining) local guides, the tour is well worth its $7.50 fee. A tour of the lighthouse is a must for any history lover (particularly anyone interested in Michigan history). For me, the guided tour really helped paint a picture of life for a lighthouse keeper a century ago. My husband and I both thought the tour was chock full of interesting tidbits about the era, the history of Mackinac City, the way of life for an old lighthouse keeper and his family, as well as some local lore thrown in for good measure. I loved the interesting little anecdotes and the authentic period furnishings, etc. The guides don't mind if you take pictures inside, either, so I recommend doing so. It's strictly look, but don't touch, as is the case in all museums, but photos and questions are both encouraged. the guides are very nice and willing to chat a few extra minutes beyond the tour. The lighthouse itself and its furnishings are both well-maintained. It certainly appears to have been well-cared for by the state parks department over the years. I'm pleased that it was turned into a museum and not left abandoned to decay. If you can, ask as many questions as you can and take in as much as possible. You might regret it if you don't. Also, a visit to the top of the lighthouse is a must. Take note: it's very small and probably not the best for anyone really afraid of heights or who is claustrophobic, but I found it worthwhile. It's unlike anything else. Anyway, how often do I get to climb to the top of a lighthouse? Closed as a functional lighthouse for over 50 years, the building is situated on state park property, located very near the Mackinac Bridge and the beach. The view from the lighthouse is breathtaking. I snapped a ton of photos the last time I was up there. Be careful while taking pictures outside on the steps because I tripped and fell off while backing up to get a better shot and wound up spraining my ankle as a result. Dumb. Nonetheless, that wasn't enough to detract from my enjoyment of visiting this beautiful old lighthouse.

    Kevin S.

    Very historic lighthouse with a lot of impact for the area. Very clean. It was a quick but very informative guided tour. Several buildings to check out. One of which was air-conditioned and showed all of the local shipwrecks in the area. Kids had a great time. Also some great views.

    One of the prettiest views of the bridge is from the lighthouse parking area.  Here it is at sunset.
    MaryLou D.

    I don't go out of my way to visit lighthouses but this one is right there as you enter town from the east and has a wonderful view of the bridge so it is a favorite spot for stopping to take photos and just stand and admire the Mackinaw Bridge, especially when I first get here and want to soak up the view. It's pretty day or night but especially when the sunset glows against it in the evening. My last two trips, 2007 and 2011 have been in late October so the inside tours are over but I enjoy seeing the outside anyway. I noticed it sure ends up in a lot of my photos because it compliments the bridge and sets such a pretty backdrop.

    You can go through the gift shop to see the museum and step out onto the railing at the top

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    Definitely go up in the lighthouse. Lawson was an excellent guide. Informative and entertaining.

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    Review Highlights - Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

    . Shipwreck museum: The museum was nice and cool on a hot summer's day and decently sized

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Dousman’s Mill - Sawmill

    Dousman’s Mill

    4.5(19 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    We found the sawmill while driving along the coast from Cheboygan. We decided to stop as it said it…read morewas historic site and place to visit. This place was great! The tour guide was just very enthusiastic and really into milling. She was able to explain everything and it was quite fascinating to see. Well worth the price of the admission tickets. Definitely a must do when in this area.

    This is a historic park on route 23 - about 5-10 minutes drive SE of Mackinaw City. There are a…read morehandful of structures restored from the 1800s. The main focal point is a water powered sawmill that existed there - where one can see the engineering skills of the day. This was the first industrial-like setup of the time. There are scheduled demonstrations run by people who help out at the park to first explain the wood cutting, first the manual effort, then the new way. For our tour, the demonstrator asked for a small child to help - making it interactive in a way. Beyond the tour there are hiking trails - complete through the woods, around, up and down hills and around ponds. For $9 per person additional, there is an adventure tour - great for older kids. Includes ziplining, treetop walking, rock climbing, and a view from the tower. Be prepared though, we showed up at 3:30 (the adventure tours are on the hour) and the last tour (5:00) was already sold out. Very shaded throughout, well maintained... allow 90 minutes without the adventure tour unless you get ambitious and do hiking trails... Allow 2.5 hours otherwise (either hiking or adventure tour).

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    Dousman’s Mill - Inside sawmill

    Inside sawmill

    Dousman’s Mill - Play area

    Play area

    Dousman’s Mill - Welcome sign

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    Welcome sign

    Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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