Mackinac Island

Hi K.,

My family is from Mackinac. I highly recommend Pine Cottage or Chateau Lorraine (across from one another, owned by same family) for accomodation. They're the best deal on the island, and very nice rooms. Not super fancy, but leaves you more $$ to spend elsewhere. As far as what to do--rent bikes for sure and take a ride around the island, see Fort Mackinac, and depending on your budget, take a carriage tour of the island. All the souvenir and gift shops are within a 1/4 mile of one another, and are right where you get off the boat. Your kids will never forget Mackinac--it's a magical place.

We stayed at the Mission Point Resort and my children loved it (8 and 10 years old) - it was a nice walk away from "downtown", so we didn't have all the hustle and bustle all the time. They have a pool, a nice golf course for the family and you can also rent bikes there so you and your family can go riding around the Island! There are lots of activities to do or just relax and enjoy the view. Hope this helps! Have lots of fun...

E.

K.,

I am from Michigan and have gone to Mackinac a number of times (in fact I got engaged there). We usually stay at the Island House. We have always gotten decent rates there. If you are worried about the cost, it is much cheaper to stay off the island, so you may want to stay on the island for one night for the experience and then the other nights stay off the island and take the ferry over. There are tons of hotels, restaurants, etc. in Mackinaw City (including an Italian restaurant with a Mackinaw Bridge museum in it that would be neat to take your kids to) and it is much cheaper. There is also a maritime museum on the Icebreaker (a ship) that your kids would probably like as well.

You may also want to check out http://www.mackinacislandvacationrentals.com they have condos for rent which might be a great option with the kids because then you can do some cooking yourself, if you are so inclined. I have been thinking about doing this for our next trip.

You should definitely rent bikes (your kids would probably get a kick out of a tandem bike) and ride around the island. You can also either go horseback riding or rent a carriage that you drive yourself, which would probably be fun for the kids as well. I don't know if your kids are too old for this, but there is a butterfly house/conservatory on the island as well, I think.

I think for the kids first trip to Mackinac you definitely have to go to the Tea Room. There is also a great restaurant that is owned by the Grand Hotel called The Woods that is nice and has excellent food. The atmosphere is great too, it is in an old hunting lodge. It is a bit pricey though and you will want to make reservations. Your hotel can probably make reservations for you, that is what we do at the Island House.

Have Fun!
D.

Hi K.,
The best rated hotel on the Island is Main Street Inn & Suites. I stayed there last year & it was wonderful. It's clean & beautifully decorated. The staff is helpful & friendly. It's also located in the middle of the downtown. As far as things to do on the Island, I would rent bikes, go horseback riding, go on a carriage tour & hike around in the interior of the Island. The wooded areas are really beautiful & you can get away from the busy downtown. Many of the victorian summer homes are located on the east & west bluffs & it's fun to walk around those areas as well. There is also a butterfly house & Fort Mackinac, as well as some other historic buildings. There is not a big choice of ethnic cuisine, but 2 great places to have dinner are (1)The Harbor View Dinning Room at the Chippewa Hotel & (2)The Woods located in the interior of the island. The Harbor View Room in on the water & has a wonderful view of the marina, they also have outside seating available. The Woods is lovely, but it is really out of the way. The Grand Hotel is fun to see, but I would not stay there. The Grand Hotel does have a great pool that you can pay to use if you are not a guest of the hotel. The Grand also has a high tea service everyday at 4:00. It's really fun, but a bit pricey. You do not have to pay to get into the Grand Hotel if you are going to do the high tea or eat at one of the restaurants in the hotel (otherwise they have a charge to just walk around if you are not a guest). The Grand Hotel also has a ballroom with a big band & my kids loved that. If you are going to be in the hotel after 6:00 pm, it's formal attire only (men & boys must wear a coat & tie & women & girls have to wear dresses or skirts). Don't forget to buy fudge (it's famous up there). We tasted all of them & our favorite was Joanns Fudge. Hope you & your family have a great time; we sure did.

The answer really depends on your budget and what you're looking for! We've been to Mackinac a couple times. The last time we were there was a couple years ago--we stayed at the Main Street Inn. At the time it was very reasonably priced (though I don't know what the price is like now) and well located. Also very clean and comfortable, sort of middle of the road (not too luxurious, but also not bottom of the line budget). We were very pleased with it.

Personally, we got a little bored by the end of our 2 day stay. We didn't have kids at the time, so factor that into our opinion. After we went swimming at the beach, biked the island a couple times, went on a carriage ride, shopped, etc. there wasn't much else to do. 2 days seemed like the perfect amount of time. I think if we were going to stay longer, I'd want to rent a condo or something. That might make it a little more fun.

Still, we really enjoy Mackinac and hope to take our kiddo back some day too. Hope you have a great vacation. :)

Depends on what you like to do. We stayed at the Grand Hotel and my kids LOVED the old world feel, getting dressed for dinner and the dancing afterwards

Hi K.- I got married on Mackinaw Island and have been going since I was little so I'm a fan. Last year we stayed at the Inn at Stonecliffe and loved it. Because it's not located "downtown", I found it to be less expensive. It's located in a very quiet, wooded area on the island but also overlooks the lake & Mackinac Bridge- a great place if you want to avoid the crowds. There is also a pool and plenty of lawn games on the grounds too. It's next to the Woods restaurant (which has a little one lane bowling alley- a hit with kids). You can rent bikes right at the Inn and their breakfasts are really nice. I think it's a great place for families.

Have fun,
P.