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After leaving Interlochen State Park and the Traverse City area we headed north so we could visit Mackinac Island. This place was one of the TOP recommended Michigan spots from friends, family and our readers, so we knew we couldn’t miss it!
Mackinac Island is a small island located in Lake Huron off the northern tip of the “mitten” of Michigan. It has a fascinating history which you can read about here. Today it serves as a resort and tourist destination.
The island can only be reached by boat, ferry, aircraft (and snow machines in the winter over an ice road). You might find it interesting that motorized vehicles are prohibited on the island – that’s right, no cars! You’ll find only bicycles and horse drawn carriages for transportation.
There are a few different ferry companies that will take you from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island – we recommend taking Star Line Ferry – it’s the ferry we took and we loved it. You can expect to spent between $12 – $23 for a round-trip ferry ticket to the island (after visiting the island I can say it’s totally worth it).
We got to the Star Line Ferry dock early to take one of the first ferries of the day over to the island – we wanted as much time as possible to explore the island. You can choose between a direct route to the island or take a little detour and go under the Mackinac Bridge.
We opted for the tour that went under the Mackinac Bridge – a suspension bridge connecting Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. It’s the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere (16th largest suspension bridge in the world). It serves as a visual for the “separation” between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
After the short ferry ride we were dropped off on Mackinac Island. It’s unlike any place I’ve been before. Not a car in sight – just lots of bicycles and horses with carriages. Many people bring their bikes over to the island and tour the island via bikes.
We opted for a horse and carriage tour of the island. The Visitor’s Center recommended Mackinac Island Carriage Tours – it’s about a 2-hour tour and it takes you all over the island with a knowledgeable tour guide narrating along the way. I’m very glad we did this – we learned a ton and were able to see some beautiful parts of the island.
One of the places we stopped along the tour was the Wings of Mackinac – a Butterfly Garden (you pay a couple extra dollars with your tour to get into this). Now there are butterfly gardens all around the country, and I’m not sure anything about this one makes it unique to Makinac Island – but we really did enjoy it, especially the kids!
I’ll spare you the 100+ photos I took of butterflies, but here are a few to get an idea. . .
So many pretty butterflies – we really enjoyed watching them fly around, land on everything (including us) and seeing all the different varieties.
The next stop on the carriage ride was at the Arch Rock – a natural limestone arch – apparently a rare find in North America. The tour guide shared many stories and legends about the arch and we loved the views!
The next (and final) stop on the carriage tour is Fort Mackinac – we didn’t tour this one because it was an additional fee and it was getting to be around lunchtime. Maybe next time!
After the carriage tour we headed back to the main street to find some lunch. . .
We stopped into Island Slice Pizzeria and ordered a deep dish barbecue chicken pizza with bacon, caramelized onions, fresh cilantro and BBQ sauce. Ummm. . . it might be the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. We ended up taking leftovers home for dinner. So delish!
After lunch we did some window shopping before boarding a Starline ferry and heading home mid-afternoon.
The weather had warmed up considerably since the morning trip over – so this time we opted to ride on the top deck of the ferry – what a view! Not long after taking this photo my daughter crawled into my lap and fell sound asleep for the rest of the ferry ride – a rare treat for this mama. She was just worn out from all the fun on the island and the hum of the ferry knocked her out!
Mackinac Island certainly was a treat to explore and we’re so glad we included it in our travel plans.
Have you been to Mackinac Island? If so, do you have favorite places on the island? Leave a comment and let us know!
Sponsorship disclosure – We partnered with Star Line Ferry. In exchange for ferry tickets to Mackinaw Island we agreed to share our honest experience and review with our readers. All photos, opinions and content are ours.
I remember going to Mackinac Island when I was really young. I remember no cars and the bridge. I must have been five or six in the early sixties. I thought it was amazing to have no cars. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing! You are giving us lots of great vacation ideas! Safe travels to you and your family.
Mackinac Island is my FAVORITE place in the world! We live four hours downstate in Michigan. Hubs and I spend our anniversary weekend in June there every year! We have a family member that owns a cottage there so we stay free in exchange for lawn mowing and dusting. Our favorite is to bike the island and we have geocached the island too. And the shopping is superb! But mostly I enjoy the time away alone with hubs along with the uniqueness and nostalgia of the island.
Years ago someone recommended that I travel to Mackinac Island but I haven’t done so yet. After reading about your trip I’m putting it on my dream list. It sounds interesting and fun to take carriage rides and bicycles. I’m so glad you included pictures of some of the butterflies you saw. I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t included some. I really enjoy reading about your adventures. The kids look like they are having a lot of fun.
Mackinac Island is one of my favorite places in Michigan. I live on the west coast of Michigan about 3 1/2 hours away and my family and I were just to the island a couple of weekends ago. We were fortunate enough to go the weekend we were getting gale force winds from hurricane Joaquin. Let’s just say it was a bumpy ferry ride!
When we have been in the past we like to ride our bikes around the island. It was too windy and cold this time. We went into the fort this trip as this was my youngest’s first time to the island. It is a fun experience as we spent about two hours in there!
We always buy fudge! I hope you guys did as well! The caramel corn from Joann’s was amazing! The Grand Hotel is probably my favorite. I have never been inside. Only on the front porch when I was a little girl before they charged you.
We love to ride our bikes up and down the streets and check out all the cottages and island life in general. So different without cars and having to watch out for horses and bikes. But so fun! Our three girls love it and so do I. We are planning on staying on the island next trip.
Thanks for sharing your all your adventures!
I love that we can both go to Mackinac Island and have completely different experiences! Just shows how diverse and awesome the island really is. And thanks for the recommendation on that pizza. It seriously was the BEST pizza we’ve ever had!
Jess – So glad you liked the pizza! Yes, so much to see – I bet if we went back again, our experience would be different then, too!