Macinac Island, Michigan
 

My husband & I will be attending our nephew's wedding which will be held in St Clair Shores, Michigan.(this will be the end of August). Since we will be flying to Michigan from Florida, I would like to make this our vacation. I was thinking of visiting Macinac Island & then going to Quebec City & Montreal. Does anyone know how far Macinac Island is from St. Clair & then how long a drive is it from St. Clair to Quebec City? Thanks so much for any info you can give me.

St. Clair Shores is a suburb of Detroit, in SE Michigan. Mackinaw City is at the very northern tip of the lower peninsula. You would catch a ferry from Mackinaw City to go to Mackinac Island.

From www.mapquest.com it is 289.39 miles between the two cities, estimated at 4h21m drive time. This is probably a reasonable estimate, unless you are trying to drive it late on a Friday afternoon in summer, when it has been known to take 6-7 hours.

Also from www.mapquest.com it is 713.73 miles from St. Clair Shores to Quebec City. I don't see why there is any benefit to going to Quebec during a vacation in Michigan. Michigan has a lot to offer, so I would suggest choosing either Michigan or going straight from the wedding to Quebec (preferably by plane!) and enjoying Canada.

It's a very long drive from Mackinac Island to Quebec. I think that you could do a drive through Ontario to Toronto. Toronto is a dynamic and beautiful city and in August it is full of festivals and fairs, or at least it used to be. Great theatre and restaurants, beautiful gardens, excellent shopping and museums.


Mackinaw is wonderful for two days maybe at the Grand Hotel. Another option would be to do some of the resort towns in northern Michigan: Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Mackinaw. That is a vacation in itself.

LMF

How much time will you have? Jenifer and Lil both have very good suggestions for you. I live in Michigan and have done the drive to Quebec and beyond. It is a very long way and the speed limit is less than the states and closely controlled by the Ontario police.

That said, if you have a lot of time, you can drive about 4 hours from Detroit to Toronto and spend several days in this beautiful city, take a slight detour down to visit Niagara Falls, then proceed to Montreal for a few days before heading to Quebec. You may have to have one of the relatives drive you to Windsor to rent a car though. I don't think you can rent a car in the states and take it into Canada. (I might be wrong on this though.)

There is another option and that is to take the train. This might be a really good stress-free way to see the countryside and hit the large cities along the way. You really don't need a car in any of these three cities anyway. Unlike Michigan, Canadian mass transit is excellent.

We used to take the train from Windsor to Toronto and paid for the club car. They had bar and food service and it was an easy trip. If it were my vacation I'd skip Mackinaw, drive up the St. Clair River and cross over to Canada at Port Huron. I'd drive to Stratford and attend at least one play. The Shakespeare Festival is here and it is wonderful. They also have other smaller theatres doing other plays. Then I'd drive on to Toronto and finish my vacation there. I'm not much on Niagara Falls but you could drive for the day, no sense in crossing to the American side. The Canadian side is much prettier and less touristy. There is a lovely town on Lake Ontario where the Shaw Festival takes place: Niagara on the Lake. It is a very charming town with excellent theatre as well. Toronto is a great city for culture, shopping, dining and gorgeous parks. Excellent public transportation and a melting pot of ethnic cultures providing great dining experiences. LMF

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. Maggi, the wedding is Aug.28th (we will be arriving on 8/26) & we will be going home on Sept.5. I've always wanted to see the old Quebec City, but apparently that is not doable. (or is it???) Jennifer, I appreciate your info on the time frame to Macinac Island...I don't know if I want to spend 4 hrs. going there. I love European type cities...are there any close to where I will be?

Marcia, I don't know exactly what you mean by "European-type cities" but I always feel I am back in Europe on my frequent trips to Canada. In my opinion, Toronto is the best of both worlds, with old world charm and cosmopolitan allure. Quebec is just so far to drive. If you are willing to fly there you might look into flying out of Windsor on a Canadian airline. The other reason to go to Canada is the excellent exchange rate. Just make sure you have your passport or birth certificates with you, in case you decide to go. Border crossings, coming and going, are stringent!

We want to rent a car in the states...if we want to go to Canada, can't we take the car into Canada?
Thanks again for your great info!

Going to Mackinac Island on those dates is great timing. Everything is open, the weather will probably still be good and the crowds are way down.

During early August the Island is packed during the days, but as the end of the month approaches, the numbers fall way off. (Though there is a huge spike back up on the Labor Day weekend)

At that time, I bet you can find some great deals on rooms or room packages.

Keith

Marcia:

I am renting a car in Buffalo, NY & going to Niagara Falls, ON.

I was specifically advised that I could take the rental car into Ontario only (because it share a BORDER with NY) but NOT into Quebec Province.

Thanks to all of you who helped me with my question. I have decided to forego Quebec City :-( since it's too far to drive from where we will be in Michigan. I would like to rent a car while we are in Michigan & then do some sightseeing ("where" is the question now!) & then probably go to Toronto based on your recommendations. Can't I rent a car in Michigan & drive it into Toronto? Has anyone done this or should I contact a car rental agency there?(in Mich.)
Thanks again for your help.

LaurieB....did you get your car rental info from a rental agency about only being able to take the car to Ontario province?