Our vacation-Mackinac Island

The Coffee Shop
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Most people are familiar with this location because of the fudge. Some people know about it because it was the location of the movie Somewhere in Time. But it is really a very cool (and romantic) place to visit, especially for a long weekend.

We took a quick little 2 day trip up there. No automobiles allowed. You must take a ferry across. On the Island you can walk, ride a bike, ride a horse, or take a horse carriage. There are paved roads throughout the Island including an 8 mile loop around it.

For athletes, it is an outstanding place. Obviously, the Island is surrounded by Lake Huron, that just begs to be swam in. You can bring your own bike or rent them, however, I am not sure that I would go there thinking that I was going to get in really decent bike rides. There are a lot of people riding and most of them are on the single speed cruisers or even some of the Big Wheel Victorian specials. The running is out of this world. There are some back trails with some sensational climbs.

The Island has a lot of history. In fact, anyone who is interested in the Victorian period of history MUST go visit as they try to maintain a Victorian air about the place, especially at the Grand Hotel. At the Grand, dinner is formal every night, and you should expect formal tea in the afternoons. We had the kids so we didn’t stay there, but for the full experience. It was populated by the French, the English, and the Americans at different points in its history. There is a Colonial Fort that can be toured. Other attractions are the Victorian Gardens at the Grand Hotel, the Butterfly House, the English Battlefield from the War of 1812 and Ste. Anne’s Church. You could also spend hours walking through the streets and just look at the Victorian houses and architecture.

If you need a romantic get away it is hard to imagine a better place. But also if you are touring Michigan and only want to stop in for a day trip, you could do that too. I took some pictures, and I thought I would share.

View of the Mackinac Bridge from the ferry. It is the longest extension bridge at 5 miles.
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Pics from the Butterfly House
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Fort Mackinac
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Cannon demo-6 pound shell
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Bike ride-Critique My Fit!!!
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Mrs. Slowbern and I at John Nicolet’s Watchtower
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Grand Hotel garden pics
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Grand Hotel with the famous porch
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/bernbros/grandhotel.jpg

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It was cool to see those pics. I haven’t been there since I was a kid.

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Wow, great pics.

If you have to take a ferry across, where does the bridge go to?

A friend of mine grew up on the UP, I would love to visit there someday.

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Great pictures. It’s been on our short list for a visit, I think it just moved a little up the list.

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QR girl,

The bridge goes to the UP. The Island is in the straights between the two.

My wife and I went there with our young son a couple of times 6-7 years ago. We stayed at the Mission Point Resort and had a great time. The little guy liked the ferry ride, horses and sea gulls. We towed him around the Island with a bike trailer.

In 05 we took him to the upper peninsula to go snowmobiling. There aren’t many little California kids that get to do that. After all the crowds out here it’s neat to ride through the woods for hours and see nothing but forest.

Paul

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As was said earlier the bridge goes to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan (UP). This is actually a big year for the bridge as it is 50 years old. Prior to the bridge being built people relied on ferry or “ice bridge” to cross. A funny bit of bridge lore. While the bridge was being planned, there were some real estate speculators that purchased a bunch of property in the UP in the hopes that they would be able to sell it for big profit after the “accessibility problem” was fixed. Much to their dismay, after the bridge was built, more people moved down to the LP than moved up to the UP. There is a lesson in there somewhere!

Anyhow, Mackinac Island is great because I think there is something there for a lot of people. Some people go on vacation in order to relax and do nothing. There is plenty of opportunity to do that there. And as I said there is plenty of active stuff to do too, even if you just like walking around and people watching. Plus, since the Island is not that big, splitting up and meeting back at a given time is really easy to do.

I guess I am just feeling the love or something.

Bernie

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Cool pictures! I’m glad to see the charm there hasn’t changed. We used to go there every summer as my dad did the Mac Race and we would meet him at the finish. Haven’t been there in years, but maybe we’ll get up there this summer!

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That’s so awesome! And you two look like a gorgeous and happy couple! Gotta admit, Slowbern, you always have such great wisdom on ST, I thought you were older. It’s nice to see how young and handsome you are! (and that’s not a come-on…)

Where is Mackinac Island again? Michigan? (pardon my ignorance, but everyone here in DC thinks the country revolves around it… :wink:

Thanks for posting!
Lauren

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Yes, Mackinac Island is in Michigan. It’s at the top of the Lower Peninsula (the mitten). The bridge goes between the mitten and the strange world called the Upper Peninsula (or U P).

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Lauren,

What can I say? I have an old soul! Thanks for the nice compliment though…I think it must be the scenery or something.

No ignorance. Like I said, most people probably couldn’t tell you where Mackinac is. As efernand stated it is in Northern Lake Huron just North of the Lower Penninsula of Michigan. And they really do make fudge there!!!

You would probably think it was pretty cool with your interest in that time period (circa 1890-1900). While they have embraced some modernization, things like air conditioning are pretty recent. No cars. In fact there was an article in their newspaper that the Mackinac Island City Council just voted to continue the ban on Segwes (those electric stand up 2 wheeled scooter thingies, I know you know what those are!!!).

Walking through the gardens is absolutely amazing, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Bernie

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“You would probably think it was pretty cool with your interest in that time period (circa 1890-1900). While they have embraced some modernization, things like air conditioning are pretty recent. No cars.”

Wow…

There are places with little air conditioning… like San Francisco. When i was there a couple of years ago, the hotel didn’t have any, and I was told that few houses did either. The no-cars is interesting. Even Colonial Williamsburg allows cars at night. That’s cool about Makinac…

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The Grand Hotel was the setting for the movie Somewhere in Time.

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The Grand Hotel was the setting for the movie Somewhere in Time.

FLA Jill,

Very true. Interestingly (and I just learned this on my last trip to the Island), it was filmed mostly at Mission Pointe Resort. I’m not sure why though.

I have always wondered if Somewhere in Time was a really popular movie, or if they make a big deal about it here in Michigan because it was set on Mackinac Island.

Bernie http://forum.slowtwitch.com/images/clear_shim.gif http://forum.slowtwitch.com/images/clear_shim.gif http://forum.slowtwitch.com/images/clear_shim.gif http://forum.slowtwitch.com/images/clear_shim.gif

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For a different perspective, check out Macinac Island in the winter. A few bars, restaurants, and a hotel or two stay open. We paid $14.00 each for a one-way 5 minute flight across the strait (about 10 years ago). The plane had skis. A horse-drawn sleigh took us from the landing strip to the town. The hotel attendant told us we were the only ones in that night and after 10:00 we should go see the owner of the tavern next door if we needed anything. We brought our XC skis along and toured the island that way. There are a number of snowmobilers on the island but we were able to find quiet places to ski. If you enjoy the back-in-time feel of the island in the summer, it is even more intense in the winter.

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You are right that would be really cool (literally and figuratively). Maybe I’ll surprise the wife and take a short trip this winter. Thanks for the idea.

Bernie

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Did you play croquet on the lawn of the Grand Hotel?? (you can see the post in the background of your picture). Been going to the UP for 30 yrs and explored Mackinac island every couple years (about to go in 2 weeks, actually). You can sneak into the Grand Hotel from the set of stairs that is behind you in that picture so you don’t get charged the $10 or whatever it is just to stand on the front porch! For any of you that have not been, slowbern is right on. The only catch is, you have to get off the main street of the Island…that is honestly the worst part! Get your fudge sample and head on up into the amazing hiking trails and amazing views from the top and middle of the island! There is so amazing places to explore on the Island that most folks never see because they get stuck in the fudge shops. If you rent a bike, head up in the middle of the island… so much to see, and so unpopulated, for the most part, unlike the 8mile loop around the outside. I am getting excited to show my BF around the island!

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Did you play croquet on the lawn of the Grand Hotel??

The kids played. We watched. I don’t think they were playing when the picture was taken.

You can sneak into the Grand Hotel from the set of stairs that is behind you in that picture so you don’t get charged the $10 or whatever it is just to stand on the front porch!

No sneaking that day. They had that placed sealed tighter than Fort Knox. We paid the money so the kids could go to the pool (which was pretty cool). This fee also got us partial access to the Grand Hotel Gardens. I really wanted to see the Labrynth and the 2 really nice gardens but apparently they are for GH Patrons only. I even tried to go through the “bush” and they had Nazi-like guards stopping you at every turn. They were pretty serious. I think if I had been better dressed it may not have been an issue, but jeans and a polartech sweatshirt are only going to get you so far!

**If you rent a bike, head up in the middle of the island… so much to see **

Our kids wanted to see “Skull Cave” which sounds pretty cool. Of course it is also the second highest elevation on the Island. My wife was asking the Mission Pointe people and various other locals, and no one really had much to say about it. She tried to convince the kids that it was probably pretty lame, but try and convince a 12 year old that something called Skull Cave is lame. HA! The kids were on tandems with their friends. My wife and I were on rented cruisers. My wife sprained her ankle descending from Arch Rock, and she was worried that she would be unable to make the climbs necessary to go from the perimeter of the island to the center. So we ended up trading for one of the tandems with the kids. Long story short, I carted my wife on the tandem all the way up. Certainly not impossible, but I am sure I had my heart rate up there!

Have fun when you go.

Bernie

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“Long story short, I carted my wife on the tandem all the way up. Certainly not impossible, but I am sure I had my heart rate up there!”

Oh yea…those hills can be steep! Nice work :slight_smile:

I am actually hoping to check out some of the hiking trails. In all the years I have gone up there, I have barely touched them. I think I read there are 83 miles of hiking trails? Seems a bit much given the size of the island…but I am sure is worth a shot at some of them.

The joke in my family, actually, for the last 12 years or so is that I am going to get married on the lawn of the Grand Hotel, because the flowers are so gorgeous… my aunts have been waiting to plan it all this time. I think they size up every guy I date hoping it is their big opportunity.

I am guessing the place is like fort knox after years of hoodlums like me and my brother sneaking around the joint and ending up on the upper floors of the Grand Hotel with out paying a dime. sorry about that… :slight_smile:

Anne

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So was Skull Cave cool???

Don’t leave us hanging, (oh ya and this is ST, so we need pics)

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I guess it depends on what you think is cool. The story goes that there was a renegade on the Island (I think a deserter) and he holed up in the cave (which is more like a big rock with an indent in it) for a couple of weeks. They call it Skull Cave because when they caught the guy he told them that it was filled with bones that he presumed to be Native Indian remains. Other than the marker that is there you would probably go right by it. So I guess the short answer is, “No.”

Bernie