One of Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations is Mackinac Island. The island is a very fun place to visit and explore. We usually stay somewhere in Mackinaw City and take a ferry over to the island for the day. Mackinaw City has some nice attractions as well and we like to enjoy both the City and the Island when we venture ‘up north’.
Mackinac Island is a national landmark and a fantastic vacation spot. There are no cars or hotel chains on the island. It is famous for its Mackinac Island Fudge and historic Fort Mackinac. There is so much to do and see on the island, I would recommend at least 3 full days to experience it all. You can rent bicycles and ride around the island. (There is a road that goes around the perimeter of the island, but you can ride anywhere on the island) You can go for a horseback or private carriage ride around the island. You can take a guided horse drawn tour with stops at all the scenic outlooks and rock formations. There are several bed and breakfasts and other local hotels right on the island where you can stay. The sunsets and nightlife are amazing. Most of the ferry’s last departure from the island is around 10:30pm weekdays and 12:00am Friday and Saturday nights during peak season. (Please be sure to check your ferry schedule) You do not have to stay on the island to experience the nightlife and sunsets. We usually stay at a campground or a hotel in Mackinaw City. The City of Mackinaw has some very fun activities to enjoy as well!
The first few times we visited Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, we stayed in hotels near the ferry docks. They are all pretty nice with free breakfast. I do not recommend one over the other as we haven’t stayed in the hotels recently. There are a few indoor water parks attached to some hotels and they are shared between most of the hotels. You get a wristband when you check in and they give you a map of the water parks that are included. That is handy on rainy days with kids. The last two times we visited, we stayed at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. We thoroughly enjoyed both camping experiences!
We absolutely LOVE Mackinaw Mill Creek campground. We stayed in a non-electric site which is in a loop pretty close to the camp store and pool. The pool is nice and clean. It isn’t super big, but we didn’t have any issues with overcrowding. There are two different types of showers available. Both are near the pool area. The bathroom building has some private shower rooms on the pool side of the building, the other side only has bathrooms. About 10 steps away from that building is a shower house building. This has a lot of shower stalls separated by cloth-like curtains. Not my favorite, but still clean. (One side for men and the other side for women.) The camp store has everything you might need for camping. They also have hot coffee, food, and ice cream! You can also get discounted Star Line ferry tickets at the camp store with a free shuttle to the ferry dock.
It isn’t hard to spend a lot of time at the campground, setting up camp and enjoying the amenities of the campground as well as Independence Day fireworks! This is a very large campground and it is nice to walk around down by the lake. There is a public grassy area at the lakefront with some fire-pits that are first come first serve. This is where everyone congregated for the fireworks on the 4th of July. You should claim a spot early because the good ones go fast. We didn’t know this but still had a pretty decent view of 2 out of 3 fireworks. You can see the fireworks from Mackinaw City, St. Ignas, and Mackinac Island.
The campground, shuttle, ferry, island, and city were very dog friendly! Some ferry’s take a tour under the Mackinac Bridge, not all of them include the bridge tour so check the ferry schedule if this is something you want to do. We spent the entire day on the island, hiking the trails and seeing all the beautiful views. We went to a few stores and the kids sampled fudge in every single fudge shop! We had packed our lunch, so we ate that on the lawn in front of Fort Mackinac. It was a very nice view. On previous trips, we had rented bikes and rode around the entire perimeter of the island and toured Fort Mackinac. That was a very fun experience. With having the dogs with us, we weren’t able to do that this time. After we did a little more hiking, we decided to get a little bite to eat. Again, having the dogs with us limited us on where to eat, but there was a very nice restaurant called Kingston Kitchen at the Village Inn. The restaurant had a small porch full of outdoor seating where we could take the dogs. My oldest daughter and I had a nice cocktail and we all shared a few burgers/appetizer platters. Not too pricey and very good service. Portions were definitely sharable as well. After Dinner we enjoyed a little relaxing time strolling down the boardwalk area and sitting by the water before heading back to Mackinaw City.
Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park is just down the road from the campground. It offers nature trail hiking, Sawpit and sawmill demonstrations, guided walking tours, Exhibits in the Visitors Center, and the Adventure tour which includes rock wall climbing, zip line, and a treetop footbridge. (The website states that the Adventure Tour is not available for the 2020 season due to In 2019, we paid about $20 per person for entry and the tour. You could easily spend most of the day here.
Among the Mackinac State Historic Parks is Colonial Michilimackinac. This is a reconstructed 18th century fort and fur trading village. There are historic tour guides throughout the village dressed in vintage clothing telling stories and teaching you about the time you have stepped into. There are several exhibits and buildings to tour as well as performed demonstrations. The village is located on the shore of the Straits of Mackinac. (Find the foot of the bridge in Mackinaw City and it’s there) While we were there a couple years ago, they had a live Archaeological dig going on. According to the website, you can still witness this dig early June until mid-August.
Downtown Mackinaw City has some great shops and fudge! There is an OK pizza place, Mama Mia’s Pizza, where we like to eat because it’s not very expensive and it also has a Mackinac Bridge museum on the second floor. It is very interesting and a good way to wait for your pizza. However, I personally think the Pizza at Pizza Palace is much tastier. If you are looking for great breakfast, head over to the Pancake Chef. Have only eaten here once but it was a mighty delicious breakfast! We also like the restaurant called Nonna Lisa’s Italian Ristorante’ for a nice meal. The theme in this restaurant and décor is very cool. There are so many places to eat; you will likely not have a bad experience at most places.
While you are shopping around Mackinaw Crossings be sure to check out Mack City Chips! OMG THE best homemade style seasoned potato chips!!! Seriously… you can get a taste test then buy a bag or two. Or three. I just learned that you can also order online!!! I may have to do that soon, just thinking about them is making my mouth water.
There are about ten thousand fudge shops around Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. There is even a dispute of who is “the original”. Everyone has their favorite and some are just disgusting. Be sure to taste test at EVERY fudge shop before you decide to buy at any one particular store. Otherwise you may be going home with fudge to last ten years. Our personal favorite is Murdick’s. My personal belief is that if it is not Murdick’s, Joann’s, or Ryba’s then it isn’t real Mackinac Island fudge and you might as well just buy it at a gas station. On the Island, there are about 4 Ryba’s fudge shops, One Murdick’s shop and one Joann’s shop. In the City, you will find all kinds of fudge shops all over… be careful. But you will also find Murdick’s and Joann’s. So if you forgot your fudge on the island, or you ate it all and need more, then you can always get it in the City. I do believe that Ryba’s is only found on the Island.
If you have never been to the Mackinaw area, or if it has been a while, I strongly recommend that you plan a trip there soon. There is a reason Michigan has their Pure Michigan campaign. It’s pretty fascinating and fun. Comment below any questions you have about Mackinaw/Mackinac or any suggestions and tips you might have for someone planning their Mackinaw area vacation. Thank you for reading!
To start planning your trip, Visit Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau and the Mackinaw Area Tourism Bureau websites.
The Mouse Traveler 