Mackinac Island in late July
Jun 7th, 2010, 05:49 PM
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Mackinac Island in late July
We will be spending the day at Mackinac Island on July 23. The Festival of the Horse will be going on while we are there. We are staying in St Ignace and taking the boat to the island. What are the must sees while we are there? Recommendations for places to eat? We have the entire day and evening to spend there if we choose. What about getting around? I have read about carriage tours or renting bicycles. Is the island walkable or will we have to use bikes or the carriage?
We appreciate any suggestions anyone can offer.
We appreciate any suggestions anyone can offer.
Jun 7th, 2010, 07:20 PM
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The must sees are the fudge shops (yum), the fort and the Grand Hotel. Lunch at the Grand Hotel is nice, dinner is overpriced and overrated.
It is easy walking most of the time, but there are some hilly sections and it can be a long walk if you go all the way around the island.
Really can't recall any other standout restaurants, maybe some other poster will.
In St. Ignace, the only place I recall is the Galley Restaurant.
We enjoyed the bicycle built for two and then rented a carriage. The horse knew where he was going without any real guidance from us.
It is easy walking most of the time, but there are some hilly sections and it can be a long walk if you go all the way around the island.
Really can't recall any other standout restaurants, maybe some other poster will.
In St. Ignace, the only place I recall is the Galley Restaurant.
We enjoyed the bicycle built for two and then rented a carriage. The horse knew where he was going without any real guidance from us.
Jun 8th, 2010, 05:17 AM
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The down side of going to the Island from St. Ignace is you don't get near as good a view of the Mackinac Bridge and Straits of Mackinac as you do when you travel from Mackinaw City. The exception to this is Shepler's 9AM & 10AM departures. That time of year, the 9 & 10AM Shepler's ferries take a side trip under the Mackinac Bridge. It adds about 10 minutes to the ride.
Get your tickets for the ferry online and save $3/person.
On the Island, do the downtown things first thing, as the day progresses and more ferries arrive, that part of the Island will get crowded.
Take a carriage tour. It will get you into the hilly island interior and take you to several attractions that most other people do not see. If you are planning to visit Fort Mackinac, the carriage can drop you off by the back entrance and you can avoid the steep climb up the hill.
Rent a bicycle and at least ride around the Island along the shore. Even if you are not used to riding, it is flat and fun. If you are in better shape, you might go into the previously mentioned hilly interior.
The Grand Hotel is impressive. Admission to the Grand Hotel and its grounds is $10, but includes a $10 credit toward a purchase.
I usually use that credit for lunch, or a drink up in the cupola bar. But there are also shops. A couple of years ago, the a gift shop in the Grand Hotel even had the most reasonable price that we saw for postcards.
The lunch buffet at the Grand is spectacular, an experience from another time. The elegant room with a great view of the Straits has table after table of salads, cheeses, meats, seafood and more than 20 varieties of fresh-baked pastries. At $40 ($30 after your credit for the admission), it is an expensive lunch, but that includes service and tax.
If that is outside your budget, the second most impressive lunch on the Island is at the Tea Room in Fort Mackinac. It is also operated by the Grand Hotel and has the best view of any restaurant in Michigan.
If your schedule permits, plan on staying into the evening. Come 6PM or so, the crowds die down as ferry loads of people depart for the mainland.
There are many options for supper. A simple but good one is the Village Inn. They do a particularly good job on fresh perch and other fish.
http://www.mightymac.org/island.htm has my photos and other tips about MackinacIsland.
Keith
Get your tickets for the ferry online and save $3/person.
On the Island, do the downtown things first thing, as the day progresses and more ferries arrive, that part of the Island will get crowded.
Take a carriage tour. It will get you into the hilly island interior and take you to several attractions that most other people do not see. If you are planning to visit Fort Mackinac, the carriage can drop you off by the back entrance and you can avoid the steep climb up the hill.
Rent a bicycle and at least ride around the Island along the shore. Even if you are not used to riding, it is flat and fun. If you are in better shape, you might go into the previously mentioned hilly interior.
The Grand Hotel is impressive. Admission to the Grand Hotel and its grounds is $10, but includes a $10 credit toward a purchase.
I usually use that credit for lunch, or a drink up in the cupola bar. But there are also shops. A couple of years ago, the a gift shop in the Grand Hotel even had the most reasonable price that we saw for postcards.
The lunch buffet at the Grand is spectacular, an experience from another time. The elegant room with a great view of the Straits has table after table of salads, cheeses, meats, seafood and more than 20 varieties of fresh-baked pastries. At $40 ($30 after your credit for the admission), it is an expensive lunch, but that includes service and tax.
If that is outside your budget, the second most impressive lunch on the Island is at the Tea Room in Fort Mackinac. It is also operated by the Grand Hotel and has the best view of any restaurant in Michigan.
If your schedule permits, plan on staying into the evening. Come 6PM or so, the crowds die down as ferry loads of people depart for the mainland.
There are many options for supper. A simple but good one is the Village Inn. They do a particularly good job on fresh perch and other fish.
http://www.mightymac.org/island.htm has my photos and other tips about MackinacIsland.
Keith
Jun 8th, 2010, 06:04 PM
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Thanks so much to both of you for the advice. I had read about the early ferry departures that go under the bridge and will try to do that if I can get my daughter up and moving. She is very much into photography so I think she would enjoy the beautiful views of the bridge. We are staying in St Ignace because I'm not sure about driving across the bridges. I don't care much for long bridges.
I will check further into the places you recommend for eating. The lunch buffet sounds great, but I'm too cheap to spend that much for lunch for 2 of us. My daughter works with someone from Michigan who raves about the fudge. We will definitely have to try it, even though I'm sure we don't need the calories. Maybe we can walk them off. The flat bike ride sounds like something we would enjoy. I don't think I'm up to riding up hills. It sounds like a carriage ride would be in order. We definitely want to see the Grand Hotel. I didn't realize they charge admission, but that's okay. Surely we can find something for our $10 voucher.
Thanks for the suggestion to stay later in the evening. We have nothing planned for that evening, only going to spend the night in St Ignace before going on to Sault Ste Marie.
Keith, thanks for the links to your pictures and info. I will check them out.
I will check further into the places you recommend for eating. The lunch buffet sounds great, but I'm too cheap to spend that much for lunch for 2 of us. My daughter works with someone from Michigan who raves about the fudge. We will definitely have to try it, even though I'm sure we don't need the calories. Maybe we can walk them off. The flat bike ride sounds like something we would enjoy. I don't think I'm up to riding up hills. It sounds like a carriage ride would be in order. We definitely want to see the Grand Hotel. I didn't realize they charge admission, but that's okay. Surely we can find something for our $10 voucher.
Thanks for the suggestion to stay later in the evening. We have nothing planned for that evening, only going to spend the night in St Ignace before going on to Sault Ste Marie.
Keith, thanks for the links to your pictures and info. I will check them out.
