Mackinac Island's only industry is tourism. Not just dominant, but only. There are stores and restaurants and hotels and services, but they all exist to support tourists. There are only a few hundred permanent residents and they all support the tourist industry. The result of this is there are no competing demands on infrastructure. Everything is always focused on the visitor experience, there is no other industry competing for, say, maintenance services or transportation. The odd thing is that there is nothing big or bombastic to do on the island. There is no grandiose adventure. It's all about that peaceful, easy feelin'.
Practically speaking, there is no cheap and easy way to get to the island. Famously, there are no cars allowed on the island, in fact there are no motorized vehicles (except scooters and such for the disabled, and a handful of emergency vehicles). So to get to the island, from least expensive to most, you will be:
Driving to the ferry dock in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace, parking your car, and taking the ferry.
Flying into little Pellston or Sault Ste. Marie airport where you will have reserved a shuttle to the ferry.
Flying into the small landing strip on the island from Pellston or Sault Ste. Marie and taking a horse drawn taxi town.
For the second two, Delta has a daily flight to and from those little airports (Pellston, Sault Ste. Marie) from Detroit. At both airports you can arrange either a flight to the island or a shuttle to the ferry or a rental car from Avis (don't assume they will have cars available -- reserve well in advance). This will take some forward planning and coordination.
The closest hub airport is Detroit, which is a four hour drive away. Chicago is nearly eight hours. Traverse City has a regional airport and is about two hours away. From any of these airports you will be renting a car and driving to the ferry dock.
The bottom line on all this is that if you are coming from afar, write off a full day on either end of your journey for travel.
The Ferry. There are two cities where you can catch a ferry to the island -- St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula and Mackinaw City in the Lower Peninsula. If you are driving in from any of the airports I mentioned except Sault Ste. Marie (which is in the Upper) Mackinaw City will be closer, however an extra half hour will give you the opportunity to cross the Mackinac Bridge, which is probably worth it unless it is backed up, and take the ferry from St. Ignace.
Aside: note how the island and bridge are Mackinac with a "c" and the city is Mackinaw with a "w". There is no good reason for this and confusing them will mark you as an outsider. To further confuse things, both are pronounced as if it was a "w" -- MACK-in-awe.
There are two ferry operators -- Shepler's and Star. Service is comparable. They run boats hourly during season, sometimes half-hourly at the busiest times. Round trip tickets are under thirty dollars -- less for kids and there are other ways to get small discounts. You can buy your ticket pretty much anytime, you're not assigned a departure date or time, your ticket is good for any departure. Just don't lose your stub because that's what will get you back.
When you arrive at the dock, you drop your bags -- they will be tagged with your island hotel and they will be brought directly to your hotel (more later). Then ask about parking options. They are plentiful, from super-expensive valet to free off site parking. If you choose the free/cheap off site parking there is a shuttle that will bring you back to the dock.
So now your car is set and your bags are loaded. Hop on the boat and it's a sub-20 minute ride to the island. Take a deep breath, the hard part is over.
On the island, you will land pretty much in the heart of the main commercial district. It will be buzzing with activity. Horse drawn carriages (taxis) will be waiting. Folks will be wandering the shops and restaurants. Bicycles will be gliding up and down the street. Take a moment to look around. If you see something that looks interesting -- a shop, a bar -- make a visit, but your next job is to make your way to your hotel. In all likelihood your hotel is less than a fifteen minute walk away. Stroll there.
To square the circle of your arrival, the larger hotels will have already arranged to transfer your luggage from the dock (and possibly put it in your room). At the smaller ones, just ask them to send a porter to the dock for your bags.
A word about hotels on the island. (When I say hotel I am also including B&Bs.)
There are no chain hotels. Most of the hotels are in older buildings -- buildings with "character", one might say. A majority of them have sitting/socializing areas and offer breakfast. They often have beautiful porches with chairs overlooking well manicured gardens. Think of them as callbacks to a more civilized time. They range from B&Bs with a handful of unique rooms or budget rooms with shared bathrooms to large-ish resorts with multiple buildings and extensive meeting space. But again, no Hiltons or Hyatts or Holiday Inns.
Some notables:
The Grand -- Famous from the movie Somewhere in Time. Famous for what is the longest porch in the world (or something like that). Famous for its beautiful gardens. Famous for its old fashioned tradition of requiring coat-and-tie level dress after 6 pm. And infamous for charging non-guests just to visit. It is surely a remarkable place. I have never stayed there but am island-savvy enough to have been illegally inside on a couple of occasions. It's as lovely as they say. Still, you need to consider a couple of things before you stay there. First, it is about a 400-yard, steep-ish uphill walk to get there from town -- inactive people may struggle, although they do have a shuttle. Second, the dress code means that if you want to hit the bars in the evening you'll be bar hopping in your Sunday go-to-meetings in a town that is completely and utterly informal. For a romantic getaway, though, it is absolutely world class.
Mission Point -- Also about a quarter mile outside of town, in the other direction. Mission Point is an ideal family resort. The main building is made like a deep woods lodge. It has a magnificent green lawn peppered with white adirondack chairs looking out onto Lake Huron. A spa and small fitness center, a theatre that shows kid-friendly fare, a pool and a hot tub, multiple restaurants, and multi-bedroom suites if you have the whole family. I've stayed many times and find it top notch.
Bicycle Street Inn -- Right in the heart of the town, it is the closest thing to a modern hotel in that it was built in the last 5 years and is the only place that will have modern fixtures and furniture. That can be good or bad, depending on how you feel about "character". I would say it is comparable to a Hilton Garden Inn or something of that ilk. A great, no hassle place. I have stayed here several times and always found the service to be excellent. The location can't be beat -- right in the center of everything, all shops and restaurants are steps from your door.
Iroquois and Bayview -- these are separate properties but I lump them together as two pinnacle B&Bs at either end of the commercial waterfront. If you are looking for postcard perfect, quaint, romantic lodging on the lake, one of these will suit you. Both are on the main street of town and make for a five minute walk to commercial activity.
Chippewa -- a fine hotel, but the bar/restaurant associated with it is a destination in itself -- The Pink Pony. It's also famous for its waterfront hot tub. It has a reputation as the party spot, but it's fine even if you don't want to carouse. This is not Spring Break-style of partying.
Market Street B&Bs -- Market Street is the street one block (say, fifty yards) inland from the main street. There are five or six B&Bs on this street. They are quieter and, if anything, even more quaint than the properties on the main street. Many of these have loyal followings of folks who come back year after year. You might become one of them.
There are many more. I have stayed in quite a number of different ones and I have to say I have never had a bad experience. I take that back, last year I had one of them cancel my reservation out from under me at the last minute because they didn't have the staff needed due to Covid. I had to cancel my trip. I won't name that one, because I have to give them the benefit of the doubt, but that's the only time I have had a remotely negative experience.
Final thoughts on hotels:
You will find limited choices on aggregators such as Expedia and Hotels.com, some of these places don't even have online booking. The best thing I've found to do is search for "Hotels on Mackinac Island" in Google Maps, click the ones that interest me and then go directly to their website to check prices and availability.
Speaking of prices, they will be very high. In general most hotels are open from late-April/early May through October 31st. The only time you will ever find something reasonably priced will be mid-week, very early (before Memorial Day) or very late (after Labor Day) in the season. And you'll want to book in advance as much as possible. A last minute reservation on a high-season weekend will be rare and dear.
Beware of properties far from town. This includes Stonecliffe (about 2 miles out) and Sunset Condos (about 3 miles out). Accommodations will be fine but, remember, you will not be driving into town. You'll either be walking, biking, or calling on a horse drawn taxi. If that doesn't deter you, Stonecliffe is a wonderful country manor-style resort with a couple of solid restaurants nestled in a beautiful wooded setting. Sunset Condos are just that: basic condos, but they are close to Stonecliffe so you won't be completely isolated.
So now you're on the island and settled into your lodgings. What's next?
If you just have one day, I'd suggest the standard carriage tour, which will get you to the major sites and give you a good narrated overview of the island along the way. Next up would be Fort Mackinac, the enormous white structure that dominates the bluff above town. The Fort has some decent historical exhibits and runs regular canon firings and rifle practice that can be fun to watch. There is also a small cafe with what are probably the best views of the harbor at the outdoor tables.
The next thing everyone wants to see is the Grand Hotel, and it's certainly worth a visit. Note that they will charge you ten dollars to access the property if you are not a guest. The Grand is as lovely as everyone says. You can enjoy the world glass gardens or lounging about on the longest porch in the world (an odd claim, I know, but it is very nice), and there is the Cupola bar that has what is one of the best views to the west and Mackinac Bridge. They also offer a formal afternoon tea service that is very popular.
Then there are the typical active-lifestyle options. Renting Kayaks is popular. Hiking the miles of trails that criss-cross the interior is a verdant joy. For the kids, there is the Butterfly House, horseback riding, a little series of putting greens in front of Mission Point (I won't call it miniature golf, because there are no obstacles; it's really just putting greens), there are also free family movie nights at Mission Point, and kite flying across from the Lakeview Inn at the shoreline.
That is the major stuff. I should take a moment here to discuss restaurants and food.
Mackinac Island is not a foodie destination. The only edible it's really famous for is fudge. The fudge is excellent and the various fudge shops all have their advocates. (Personally, I can't tell the difference.) But in the end, it is just good fudge. That is all. Still, you should have some fudge. You should also bring some back for your friends and family and office workers.
If you are looking for top quality dishes, from my understanding and experience your best bets are:
The Woods -- this is a couple of miles outside of town (taxi ride) by the Stonecliffe resort.
The Jockey Club -- owned by, and across the street from, The Grand
The Yankee Rebel Tavern -- just off the main street, something of a hidden gem
The 1852 Grill Room -- centrally located in the Island House hotel
To my knowledge (which is not comprehensive) these are the places where you might find an interesting dish and some level of refinement. I'm pretty sure all these places take reservations also, which could be key to getting a table anywhere in season.
Most everything else is what I would call standard American fare, or pub food -- Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza, Salads, etc. My favorites are The Mustang Lounge and Seabiscuit. Both on the main strip, these are older, a bit cramped, and trafficked by locals as much as visitors. They are friendly places where a seat at the bar will net you conversations all night.
The Pink Pony is the storied destination for visitors. It contains three bars and multiple dining areas and its position on the waterfront adds to the atmosphere. A great place if you are with a celebrating group of friends. Worth a visit just to say you have been there.
There are no true brew pubs on the island, but there are a couple of good craft beer oriented bars: Great Turtle Brewery and Mary's Bistro Draughthouse. (Great Turtle is called a brewery, but the brewery is actually far off on the mainland in Traverse City.) For hard liquor we have Winchester's Whiskey and Bourbon Room along with the Mackinac Island Rum Co. A fair amount of drinking does occur on the island. Occasionally an unfair amount.
One thing to note is a lack of ethnic options. There is Smokey Jose's and the Amigo Cafe for quasi-Mexican. No Indian or Chinese or Thai or Greek or… In fact, the only stand out is the Kingston Kitchen which serves up Jamaican fare. A word about the Jamaica connection: high season on Mackinac Island is summer, which is also low season in Jamaica. Several of the properties on the island (not the least of which is The Grand) bring in Jamaican staff for the summer, housing them on the island. I am told it is considered a plum assignment in Jamaica. In any event, it explains the legit Jamaican restaurant.
Bottom Line: You can and will eat well on the island, but it's not a place for making food the center of your trip.
The charm of the Island only grows as you spend more time, or in my case, make multiple visits. You begin to find all sorts of little special corners and activities. A common activity is a hike (mostly a stair climb) to Arch Rock. It's a nice little site, but you soon discover if you venture further up you reach Fort Holmes at the top of the island, where the views to the east are second to none. It's probably where you want to be for sunrise.
Another favorite of mine is to grab a glass of wine or cocktail and sit in one of the picturesque white Adirondack chairs on Mission Point's perfectly green lawn and watch the freighters glide by. In time I also discovered that on the other end of town behind the local library there are chairs with an equally perfect lake view of the ferries as they shuttle back and forth.
Along the West Bluff between the Grand and Stonecliff is Hubbard's Annex, an extremely upscale old money neighborhood. The homes here have been in families for ages and are often surrounded by hedges dense and tall enough for total privacy. Here I stumbled on the short, but delightful, Pontiac Trail that seems to pass through the front yards of some of these folks, with views of the bridge out in the lake.
There are other experiences like that -- walking through Harrisonville and Great Turtle Park which effectively constitute the back-of-the-house for the island where the full time residents (yes, there are 100 or so) live; my first discovery of Sunset Rock in the woods behind Stonecliff; Tranquil Bluff Trail, along the East ridge was another gem. These are the trivial yet joyous discoveries that make the Island special to me.
Then there is what might just be called The Rhythm. The sound of horses hooves, the lapping of the waves, the sounding of the fort cannons and the playing of taps each night that can be heard throughout town, the ferries collecting and disgorging visitors every half hour, the sunrises and sunsets, the old victoria cottages, the shear picturesque beauty of the town from high on the bluff, the sense of calm after the last ferry leaves and the night descends.
So I find myself continually going back. Usually with a purpose (races, mostly, a wedding later this year) but the purpose becomes ancillary to visit once I'm there. I have visited a number of Caribbean islands which market themselves as chill purveyors of "island time" but none have made good on that promise like the unique little island in the northern reaches of Lake Huron, still with one foot in the past.
Addendum 1: Mackinac Island is a huge destination wedding site. Recently a fire in one of the historic buildings disrupted a wedding. What followed is a great story of folks stepping up to make sure the wedding and reception could continue. This is your feel-good read for the day.
Addendum 2: As I mentioned, accommodations on the island can be quite pricey so some folks try to economize by staying on the mainland near the ferry and just doing day trips. Totally legit to do that and, for many, the sacrifice in convenience is worth the savings. Still beware of a certain group of hotels in Mackinaw City. They appear to be run by graduates of the Fawlty Towers school of hotel management. While the manager in the video has been fired, I strongly recommend you check the reviews of local hotels before booking. Some are wildly bad. Tread carefully.
