Mackinac Island

Visitors have found this national landmark to be the ideal vacation spot. And USA Today prominently featured Michigan’s Mackinac Island as the best summer travel destinations for 2023. This Lake Huron-based continental island is  located between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Just Ferry boats arriving at the dock. And car-free streets full of horse-drawn carriages, and bicycles rolling through town, and unique shopping and diverse dining, awe inspiring sunrises and unforgettable sunsets, and the world-famous Mackinac Island Fudge layered on marble slabs, and no chain hotels. This ideal vacation spot is a paradise of exploration with incredible natural landmarks. And it’s named by Travel & Leisure Magazine as the #1 Island in the Continental U.S. Watch the below video of Mackinac Island , and start planning your Mackinac Island adventure and experience the Jewel of the Great Lakes yourself:

Journey to Mackinac Island will start with a ferry ride that depart from Mackinaw City at the tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, at the southern end of the Mackinac suspension Bridge Also know as the “Big Mac” or the “Mighty Mac”, the bridge stretches 8,614 feet, and it’s the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere. 

This bridge takes you to the ferry locations. Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry and Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry, and they have accessible parking available at both their Mackinaw City and St. Ignace locations. 

These Ferries are frequent, fun and friendly Hydro-Jet Ferry service with a direct line to and from Mackinac Island with rides that take 16 to 18 minutes and bring you right into the heart of town. 

When you get here to experience the peace and relaxation of Mackinac Island yourself, don’t worry about vehicles. You’ll be accompanied by horses and bicycles instead! Highway M-185, also known as Lake Shore Boulevard, is the only highway in the nation where vehicles are prohibited. 

For your convenience, many hotels operate horse-drawn carriages between the docks and the Hotels. As with all taxi services on Mackinac Island.

Since there are no cars allowed on the island, guests can chose to walk, take a horse-drawn carriage or bike their way around the island. 

Carriage Ride

Experience Mackinac Island from a horse-drawn carriage! No trip to the island is complete without a classic tour, via horse drawn carriage. Travelers will learn about the island history, sight see and enjoy a relaxing hour and 45 minutes in the carriage. Tours are generally one hour and forty-five minutes and include different stops along the way. Carriage tours depart regularly from the office across from the Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry Dock 1.

Prepare yourself for a tour like no other! What you will experience is by far the most enjoyable and authentic way to view the island. It gives you a glimpse of what the island is like!

 Keep in mind there are no set departure times. You will be on the next available carriage once you have purchased your ticket at the ticket office. Reservations are not accepted for the regular public tour.

Bike Ride

Biking the 8.2 miles around Mackinac Island is a popular activity for visitors. If you decide to make your way around the coast of Mackinac Island, walking will take approximately 2.5-4 hours without stopping. You can also bring your own bicycle or rent one from one of the many bicycle shops located on Mackinac Island. It will take you approximately 1 hour to bike without stopping. However, Mackinac Island is best enjoyed when you’re able to slow down and take it all in. Be sure to add some buffer time for stops along the way. It’s easy to understand why when you see the vastness of Lake Huron, listen to the waves crash against the rocks, and have one of the world’s longest suspension bridges, the Mackinac Bridge, as a backdrop.

Arch Rock

The most famous of the rock formations on the island, this arch towers above the water and is more than fifty feet wide. It attracts the vast majority of the tourists to the island, and can be reached by foot, taxi, carriage or bike. It can also be viewed from below, on the perimeter tour of the island.

Kayaking

Sunsets are truly a sight to behold. One of the best things to do on Mackinac Island is relax and take in the colors at the end of the day, from your favorite vantage point. What better way to take in a sunset than on a kayak? Explore the waters around the island, and watch the sunset via single or tandem kayak with a guided tour to enjoy views of the island and the waters with a guide.

Walking

Each and every extraordinary attraction on Mackinac Island is within walking distance. Enjoy the views as you pass the quaint shops, historic places to stay and beautiful homes that make up Mackinac Island. As you begin your walking, imagine downtown Mackinac Island 100 years ago. You would have heard the clip-clop of horses, cannon fire from Fort Mackinac, and the bustle of people both walking and on bicycles as they make their way from one place to another. That’s exactly what you’ll hear when you visit Mackinac Island today!

Shopping & Dining

Downtown Shopping & Dining On Mackinac Island, you’ll find old-fashioned (quaint) shops, dazzling art galleries, and locally owned restaurants. Head to Main Street to walk through local shops from the Artists Market of Mackinac Island. Because many of the buildings on Mackinac Island were constructed over 100 years ago, some have steps or narrow doorways limiting accessibility and easy entry into shops and businesses.

Fudge Making

Just as Mackinac Island was at one time the center of the world’s fur trade, it now attracts people from around the globe to taste world-famous Mackinac Island Fudge! Visitors get to enjoy delicious samples from the many fudge shops downtown and also see the fudge making process in action. That is truly a theatrical production! Downtown shops make 10,000 pounds of fudge each day in season. 

Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory

Wings of Mackinac is a beautiful all glassed in Butterfly Conservatory. You can walk among hundreds of free-flying tropical and native butterflies. All ages are thrilled to see these beautiful insects flying all around you as if you were out in nature.

Learn about where our butterflies come from, their life expectancy, and why they are so important to our environment. You can’t help leaving without a great big smile and an appreciation for this colorful display of butterflies. 

There are so many different and uniquely beautiful insects, and you will have a couple land on you! And you could also spend as much time as you wanted here.

Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church

A museum that highlights the religious history of the Island goes back to the late 1600’s when the Island and America was in their infancy. It reflects upon the dedicated Jesuits Jesuet and Catholic immigrants that helped form the Island’s culture.

This ideal vacation spot is a paradise of exploration with incredible natural landmarks. Start planning your Mackinac Island adventure and experience the Jewel of the Great Lakes yourself!