Arch Rock Lots of…read morepeople here. All waiting for a photo. There is a restroom nearby also. You can walk/ride bike to this location or you can ride by horse carriage. Horse carriage is the easiest because you don't need to climb the 207 steps. Highly Recommended

Whatta sight! On an island full of beautiful geological formations, Arch Rock stands out from the…read moreothers because it overlooks the water and spans at least 50 feet. It's a beautiful rock! You'll want to make the effort to get up the hill to see it. You can walk up to Arch Rock, but keep in mind that it's all uphill! Or you can bike (again, uphill) or do what I did and take a horse-drawn carriage. Arch Rock, and the adjacent Milliken Nature Center are one of the stops on the horse carriage tours. You only get about 15 minutes to check it out, but how much time do you need to look at a rock formation, no matter how pretty it is? There's a deck that takes you out a little closer to Arch Rock, and from here, you can take lots of beautiful photos of the water peeking through Arch Rock.

This is Michigan's 1st state park. The landscape is characterized by high limestone bluffs,…read morebeautiful vistas of sparkling water, vibrant forests & mystical geological formations. Cars have been banned since 1898, this is a a quieter way of life away from interstate noise of cities. Over 80 percent of Mackinac Island is within this park. The island is sacred to the Ojibwa & Odawa Great Lakes Indian tribes.

It is definitely worth spending at least several hours if not half a day at Fort Mackinac. You can…read moretake your time to leisurely look about or you can take the period-dressed docent led tours and educational talks. There are rifle shooting displays as well as cannon loading & firing displays. You can stop in the restaurant for lunch and a beverage while enjoying fantastic views of the island.

Two close friends were married here, what a great little place…read more If there is not a service going on take a look inside this 100+ year old church on your way around the Island. Certainly worth the few minutes to poke your head in.

gorgeous old church very close to the Grand hotel. We were there on a Sunday afternoon and the…read morechurch was open so we stopped by and took a quick peak. It was such a cute church.

I was made aware of Fort Mackinac when I heard a loud boom coming from the direction of a hill. I…read morethought something had exploded on the island, but no: it was just Fort Mackinac doing their thang. Apparently, they have rifle and cannon firing demonstrations here, which are scheduled, so if you want to see one while you're visiting the fort, make sure to meet at the allotted time. This is a living history museum, and you'll learn a lot about American and British military history. I mean, you probably will, because you'll read the signs and information that's posted. I mostly looked around and admired the architecture and the view, and took photos of pretty or interesting things that I saw. So from my perspective, Fort Mackinac is a cool and visually interesting place to spend an hour or two. You are basically walking into and out of different houses and structures on what used to be a military outpost. Each building has something new to learn about military life, with exhibits that appeal to all ages. I was surprised by how many interactive and hands-on exhibits there were for kids. Keep in mind that some of the buildings are very airy, so if you visit on a cold day, it might be a little chilly. Plus, you're walking in and out a lot, so if you visit during the fall like I did, you might need a jacket. The gift shop is pretty big, with lots of souvenirs to remember your visit not just of Fort Mackinac, but Mackinac Island, as well.

Went to Fort Mackinac during our trip to Mackinac Island. Sadly not impressed…read more It was raining and cold, which made it more miserable - but that is not the fort's fault of course. It seemed pretty run down, not a lot of exhibits, minimal information on the exhibits, a lot of meh rooms. Sadly not impressed. Because of the rain there was no riffle/cannon demonstration. Got through it rather quickly. The staff was pleasant. Pricing is ok, around $17.50 I believe. The climb to get to the fort is rough.

I absolutely love following the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau social media channels throughout the…read moreyear to get a taste of Mackinac! On the island, the Visitors Center is directly across from Marquette Park. The building is part museum/education on the history of the island and part gift shop. There are free public restrooms as well as a water bottle refill station. The staff at the welcome desk are happy to answer any questions you have about the island. On the day I stopped in, the staff member was a longtime year-round resident, and I enjoyed chatting with her about what it's like to winter on the island.

Some T-shirts and gift items are for sale here. There is a woman selling tours. I enjoyed the…read moredisplays of the animals and the history of the island. We walked out onto the back porch. It's a beautiful view of the harbor.

The city has a total area of 18.84 square miles, 4.35 square miles is land and 14.49 square miles…read moreis water. The island population is about 583. The island has a large craft industry devoted to making fudge in a traditional manner, creating portions on cold marble slabs. Mackinac Island is the destination of both the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, and the annual Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race. A unique local ordinance passed in 1895 prohibits the use of any motor vehicles on the island. The only exceptions to this are city emergency vehicles (ambulance, police cars and fire trucks), city service vehicles & snowmobiles in the winter. Today the most common means of travel is by foot, bicycle, horse or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area.

"Gazing from my window to the streets below On a freshly…read morefallen silent shroud of snow I am a rock I am an island" (Simon and Garfunkel) Floating in the middle of Lake Huron is a 4.35 square mile resort city known as Mackinac Island. There is no bridge that takes you to there, in fact there are no cars at all on the island (they were banned in 1898), except for an ambulance. You'll have to board a ferry or hop on a small plane to get there. Oh, and if the lake freezes you can roll in on a snowmobile. Now THAT'S what I'd call making an entrance. Being that there are no cars on the island, I guess it was no surprise to see the municipal vehicles assigned to trash collection were horse drawn carts. It's a jam-packed tourist destination, with a swanky (some might say Grand) Hotel, a historic fort, a park, and hundreds of shops and restaurants. If you're a fudge fanatic, it seemed to me that every third store sold fudge. Bicycles are everywhere, and we saw a lot of bikes get offloaded from the ferry boats for their owners to use on the island. Is the island popular? Well in 2022 Travel + Leisure magazine gave it the title of "Best island in the continental U.S. to visit". They draw a million visitors a year. That's pretty persuasive evidence of the island's popularity, don't you think?

It's free to walk around Fort Holmes and there's a nice view to the lake from the top of the hill,…read morewhich is the highest point on the island. The house building is opened during the day and there are displays inside containing pictures and information about the fort. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) 2019

I have been to the island many times and after a while you run out of things to do besides the…read morestandard activities like riding bikes around the island, eating fudge, and shopping. Our last trip we decided to bike into the island rather than go around it and that is how we ended up at Fort Holmes. Local worker at the place we rented bikes also suggested we check this place out. He said going at night is even better to see amazing the stars. The bike ride up is a bit rough and you definitely need a mountain bike rather than a cruising bike. Once you get to Fort Holmes you have to take a lot of stairs - I will emphasize "a lot" again - to actually get to the fort. People were walking down the stairs and before we went up we asked them if the hike up is worth it and they said "yes". So we took all the stairs to the top and I must say it is worth it! Fort Holmes is the highest point of the island and the views are the best. We went during the day but I can only imagine what it looks like at night. We spent about an hour, maybe less here. The reconstructed fort is pretty cool, I wish there was a bit more historical context provided but it was neat to see what the fort used to be like. Benches are provided throughout the land and again the views are the best - at least 180 views of the island, maybe a bit more. Do not pass on visiting this gorgeous place, just be prepared to walk a lot of stairs - but it is worth it! Place is free, so cannot be beat!

Tons of beautiful artwork. Everything is inspired by the island…read more Most of the items in the shop are pictures. You can buy them as the prints, get them in a frame, or they even have a few of the original drawings available. Some of these pictures are photographs and some are drawn/painted. They have a variety of different artists displayed here.

This super cute art gallery features Michigan artists that seem to specialize in landscape. There…read morewere a lot of gorgeous floral pieces, and many northern Michigan lighthouses and landmarks. They had some stones and jewelry in cases as well. Worth a stop, especially if you are in the market to furnish a lake house or cottage.