Mackinac Island

Several years ago, we realized that over the years we've managed to visit (not just drive through) most of the U.S., so we set a goal to visit each U.S. state at some point. Michigan is one of the states we hadn't gotten to, yet, so we decided to go.
We had sold our home and still had plenty of time before we leave for our mission, so, why not? On July 6, we flew to Michigan, then rented a car to take us to the ferry, which then took us to the island.

This is us on the ferry - on the way to the island.
We were blessed with beautiful weather while we were there!
No cars are allowed on the island (The ferry companies have parking facilities), so, one thing you notice is that its quieter than most places, You just have to watch out for lots of bicycles and horses when crossing the street.
When we first arrived, I noticed the smell of horse manure, but, they do a really good job of keeping the streets clean, so most of the time you don't notice that. There are men on bicycles, pulling small carts behind them, that sweep up throughout the day.
The horses you see in town are all hitched to carriages. There are places on the island that rent horses to ride, but, generally, you don't see them on the main streets of the town.
 We took a tour of the island with Daisy and Paisley and their driver, Blake.
Its a quaint place. Very relaxing - which is what I was looking for. 
It seems like every other shop on the main street sells fudge! And, we learned that visitors are called "fudgies" by the locals.
Of course, this is the island that became famous as the place where the movie Somewhere In Time was filmed. And, while there, we went to the Grand Hotel and enjoyed a nice lunch and a tour of the hotel and grounds.
This is us on the enormous porch of the Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel
Close up of the endtrance
View from the portico 

There were several historic buildings on the island - with enactors who shared stories of the early settlers.

We enjoyed this lovely scene on a morning walk.

The island has lots and lots of places to rent bikes - and I got a kick out of the "parking lot" of the local police station.

We had lunch one day at the Hotel Iroquois. Great food. Fabulous view. (We tried to stay here, but it was already booked, so we stayed across the street, at the Lake View Hotel.) After lunch, it was nice to sit on a bench by the water's edge and enjoy the day.
One last shot as we left the island. 
We had a wonderful, relaxing visit and would recommend it for a great getaway! This quote pretty well sums it up: "As a place of resort during the summer months, there can be none more desirable - none possessing more attractive features and health-restoring influences than this island of Mackinac." - New York Weekly Tribune, July 9, 1853.

1 comment:

Patti said...

Fabulous fun! I got all goose bumpy when I saw the hotel. I do love "Somewhere In Time" and cute little towns that sell fudge.