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Mackinac Island Trip Review (Picture Heavy)
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:26 pm
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:26 pm
I owe the board a trip review from my fourth of July trip to Mackinac Island in MI so here we go.
Day 1- Flew from FL to Charlotte to Traverse City. Looked up the best way to get to Mackinac and found flights on American through Charlotte. We ended up getting award tickets for 9,000 miles/each one-way up there, great deal. We ended up attempting to land 3 times at TVC due to a TFR (temporary flight restriction) at the airport due to the airshow practice for the military jets. Finally made it in and then waited for another half hour because a plane was at our gate...
Picked up the rental car and began driving along the lake up to Mackinac Island. We chose Shepler's Ferry and ended up parking in St. Ignus. You can take a ticket at the ferry dropoff point, have someone grab the luggage, ask which hotel on the island you're staying at, and then go park in the overnight lot. It's a 1 minute drive to park and the shuttle was there waiting for me to head back. Once at the ferry spot, there was regular and 'premium' loading for the ferry. On a busy weekend, I could easily see needing the premium tickets to cut the line but it wasn't needed.
View from the ferry line looking back towards the main ferry terminal
Boat ride was pretty quick, about 15 minutes. Nice views of the island on the way in
The ferry drops you off right in the center of town. At the ferry dock, since our luggage was already tagged, we chatted with the luggage guy and he said he would bring our luggage directly to the hotel. It was very busy in town since it was the third
Grabbed dinner at Patrick Doud's and the service was terrible. Food was good, but would not recommend. From there, we grabbed some fudge at Murray Fudge and it was excellent. Note- There are tons of fudge and ice cream places in the downtown area.
Only walking, bikes, or horse drawn carriages in town
The views were great walking to the hotel (Mission Point Resort)
The resort grounds were very nice, lots of great landscaping and views of Lake Huron.
Our room was in the Straits lodge and it was not worth the $500/night. They had portable AC units in the room and it was super noisy. We turned it off during the night and then couldn't sleep due to being hot...
Day 1- Flew from FL to Charlotte to Traverse City. Looked up the best way to get to Mackinac and found flights on American through Charlotte. We ended up getting award tickets for 9,000 miles/each one-way up there, great deal. We ended up attempting to land 3 times at TVC due to a TFR (temporary flight restriction) at the airport due to the airshow practice for the military jets. Finally made it in and then waited for another half hour because a plane was at our gate...
Picked up the rental car and began driving along the lake up to Mackinac Island. We chose Shepler's Ferry and ended up parking in St. Ignus. You can take a ticket at the ferry dropoff point, have someone grab the luggage, ask which hotel on the island you're staying at, and then go park in the overnight lot. It's a 1 minute drive to park and the shuttle was there waiting for me to head back. Once at the ferry spot, there was regular and 'premium' loading for the ferry. On a busy weekend, I could easily see needing the premium tickets to cut the line but it wasn't needed.
View from the ferry line looking back towards the main ferry terminal
Boat ride was pretty quick, about 15 minutes. Nice views of the island on the way in
The ferry drops you off right in the center of town. At the ferry dock, since our luggage was already tagged, we chatted with the luggage guy and he said he would bring our luggage directly to the hotel. It was very busy in town since it was the third
Grabbed dinner at Patrick Doud's and the service was terrible. Food was good, but would not recommend. From there, we grabbed some fudge at Murray Fudge and it was excellent. Note- There are tons of fudge and ice cream places in the downtown area.
Only walking, bikes, or horse drawn carriages in town
The views were great walking to the hotel (Mission Point Resort)
The resort grounds were very nice, lots of great landscaping and views of Lake Huron.
Our room was in the Straits lodge and it was not worth the $500/night. They had portable AC units in the room and it was super noisy. We turned it off during the night and then couldn't sleep due to being hot...
3
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:27 pm to CuseTiger
Day 2- Fourth of July Woke up after a crappy night sleep and wanted to explore the island. From the resort, we went to the Arch Rock.
Views on the walk to Arch Rock
Arch Rock was pretty cool
From there, we walked up to Fort Holmes. This is the highest point on the island
Did some more hiking around the area and got some nice views
Walked down the hill to Fort Mackinac. They wanted $15 to get in and we declined. Neither of us were history buffs so was not a requirement for us
View looking up at the fort
Back in town, started taking more pictures of the houses. I picture this is what Martha's Vineyard is like
View of the main area of town
Walked back to Mission Point and had lunch at the mini golf course. They have an 18 hole natural mini golf course and it was pretty good (slow greens)
Another view of the resort
Took a break after a ton of walking in the morning then went out to dinner at 1852 Grill Room. Food was excellent, service was great too. Had views of the water, was a really nice dinner (pricey but good)
People were chilling on the hotel lawn getting set up for fireworks
Another house on our way to also go see fireworks
Fireworks show was decent, sat by the mini golf course and watched as they shot off the fireworks over the bay
Views on the walk to Arch Rock
Arch Rock was pretty cool
From there, we walked up to Fort Holmes. This is the highest point on the island
Did some more hiking around the area and got some nice views
Walked down the hill to Fort Mackinac. They wanted $15 to get in and we declined. Neither of us were history buffs so was not a requirement for us
View looking up at the fort
Back in town, started taking more pictures of the houses. I picture this is what Martha's Vineyard is like
View of the main area of town
Walked back to Mission Point and had lunch at the mini golf course. They have an 18 hole natural mini golf course and it was pretty good (slow greens)
Another view of the resort
Took a break after a ton of walking in the morning then went out to dinner at 1852 Grill Room. Food was excellent, service was great too. Had views of the water, was a really nice dinner (pricey but good)
People were chilling on the hotel lawn getting set up for fireworks
Another house on our way to also go see fireworks
Fireworks show was decent, sat by the mini golf course and watched as they shot off the fireworks over the bay
This post was edited on 7/10/26 at 6:36 pm
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:27 pm to CuseTiger
Day 3- After walking 7.5 miles on the fourth, we tried taking it easy on the third day with limited luck 
. Ended up walking another 6.5 miles on this day. We wanted to make our way over to the Grand Hotel to check that out. Note- The grand hotel has a dress code after I think it's 630pm. We didn't care about dealing with that so went in the middle of the day. I think they try to charge you to enter but we acted like we were staying there and no one asked anything...
View from the porch area that is loaded with rocking chairs, very comfortable spot to sit
We started walking down towards the water on the lake michigan side from the hotel and had more views. Really nice view of the bridge
Another really nice house on the water
Exhausted from walking we decided to lounge back at the mission point resort pool
For dinner, we walked into town and went to Millies on Main. Food was really good here, would recommend. I got a pasty, it's like a meatpie
Got some fudge to bring back to my coworkers
Day 4- Ferry and travel back to Traverse City. Woke up and had to get back to the ferry terminal. No issues getting on the first terminal of the morning at 8am back to St. Ignace.
Shuttle was waiting for us at the ferry terminal to drop us back at the overnight parking lot. Would highly recommend Sheplers if taking a ferry over/back, they made it super easy to deal with.
Once at the car, I realized it was only 45 minutes to drive up to Lake Superior, the last great lake for me to see. We ended up driving to Brimley MI and stopping at a bakery in town, very good cinnamon roll
Made it to the lake and touched the water so can officially say I've been to all great lakes after this trip!
After this quick detour, we drove the ~3 hours back to Traverse City. Petoskey was a really nice town as was Charlevoix. Once in traverse, our flight was delayed an hr and a half so we stopped by the cherry festival. They had carnival rides and cherrys everything
We only spent an hour at the festival then made our way to the airport. Flew back through Charlotte and got out before a line of thunderstorms hit
Overall- Really enjoyed the trip up to the upper peninsula MI. The drive along lake michigan was beautiful, was shocked at how light blue the water was. Traverse city was a super easy airport to get in and out of. The upper peninsula I would love to go back to and rent out a lakehouse, was super peaceful up there. Mackinac island I'm good with my one trip there. We spent 3 nights there and that might have been one night too many. If the hotel room was more comfortable, then we might have enjoyed the time there a bit more but we weren't thrilled with the Mission Point hotel rooms. The houses on the island were great to look at all weekend. Lots of history on the island if you're into that, tons of walking or bike riding (we did not ride any bikes but there are a ton on the island).
. Ended up walking another 6.5 miles on this day. We wanted to make our way over to the Grand Hotel to check that out. Note- The grand hotel has a dress code after I think it's 630pm. We didn't care about dealing with that so went in the middle of the day. I think they try to charge you to enter but we acted like we were staying there and no one asked anything... View from the porch area that is loaded with rocking chairs, very comfortable spot to sit
We started walking down towards the water on the lake michigan side from the hotel and had more views. Really nice view of the bridge
Another really nice house on the water
Exhausted from walking we decided to lounge back at the mission point resort pool
For dinner, we walked into town and went to Millies on Main. Food was really good here, would recommend. I got a pasty, it's like a meatpie
Got some fudge to bring back to my coworkers
Day 4- Ferry and travel back to Traverse City. Woke up and had to get back to the ferry terminal. No issues getting on the first terminal of the morning at 8am back to St. Ignace.
Shuttle was waiting for us at the ferry terminal to drop us back at the overnight parking lot. Would highly recommend Sheplers if taking a ferry over/back, they made it super easy to deal with.
Once at the car, I realized it was only 45 minutes to drive up to Lake Superior, the last great lake for me to see. We ended up driving to Brimley MI and stopping at a bakery in town, very good cinnamon roll
Made it to the lake and touched the water so can officially say I've been to all great lakes after this trip!
After this quick detour, we drove the ~3 hours back to Traverse City. Petoskey was a really nice town as was Charlevoix. Once in traverse, our flight was delayed an hr and a half so we stopped by the cherry festival. They had carnival rides and cherrys everything
We only spent an hour at the festival then made our way to the airport. Flew back through Charlotte and got out before a line of thunderstorms hit
Overall- Really enjoyed the trip up to the upper peninsula MI. The drive along lake michigan was beautiful, was shocked at how light blue the water was. Traverse city was a super easy airport to get in and out of. The upper peninsula I would love to go back to and rent out a lakehouse, was super peaceful up there. Mackinac island I'm good with my one trip there. We spent 3 nights there and that might have been one night too many. If the hotel room was more comfortable, then we might have enjoyed the time there a bit more but we weren't thrilled with the Mission Point hotel rooms. The houses on the island were great to look at all weekend. Lots of history on the island if you're into that, tons of walking or bike riding (we did not ride any bikes but there are a ton on the island).
This post was edited on 7/11/26 at 7:14 am
Posted on 7/10/26 at 9:26 pm to CuseTiger
Great thread! I’ve been to the the area but never ferry overed to the island itself.
Posted on 7/11/26 at 6:49 am to CuseTiger
Great review! We did the day trip a few years ago. Really fun place to visit. Lots to do.
Posted on 7/12/26 at 10:06 pm to CuseTiger
quote:if someone told me they were going to spend X days at Mackinaw Island, I'd say cut a few of those days and spend some time in the Petoskey and Traverse City areas.
Mackinac island I'm good with my one trip there. We spent 3 nights there and that might have been one night too many.
it's cliche but that part of the country is incredible in the summer. It's like a less pretentious and more affordable New England. There's just something in the air that warmer parts of the country don't have.
Posted on 7/13/26 at 5:08 pm to CuseTiger
Thank you! Leaving Thursday.
Any of you been to Winchester's? I know we will want a bourbon or 7.
Any of you been to Winchester's? I know we will want a bourbon or 7.
Posted on 7/21/26 at 11:13 am to CuseTiger
We just got back yesterday. We did a lot of the same things as you including at least one of the restaurants and we stayed at Mission Point. Overall, all four of us had a great time. Some pros/cons/thoughts:
Pros:
It's beautiful and so different than anything I have done before
Food was way better than I expected.
The no car thing is really great and discovered how much I miss biking
The bike ride around the island may have been my single favorite part.
The carriage ride was way better than I expected. If anyone does this in the future, try to get the guy from Russia. He was outstanding.
Cons:
Mission Point just could not get our A/C right. At first, we had the smallest of the possible portable units. It never once worked, even after being looked at by maintenance. By night two, they had replaced it with a larger unit, but that one had no way to drain. So, i had to google the error code, then figure out a way to drain the unit myself in the middle of the night. my coolest night sleep since last thursday was last night in central La.
The horse shite. Yes, they have clean up crews, but this is the largest herd of horses anywhere, and the shite is all over every street. I think I am still smelling it a little.
The downtown area is cheesy and crowded. The only part of it I enjoyed was Winchester's. If you like whiskey at all, go do their mystery flight where to guess the bottles. One of our posters was with me, and he got 3/4. I think I only got one right.
General:
There are at least 11 places on the main street that sell fudge. How in the hell do 11 places stay open? Why is fudge so damn popular there?
This vacation was more expensive than I thought. As mentioned, even seeing the fort cost money and not like a state park charging $3 either. I could have skipped that.
For the many that say spend only one day on the island, I just can't agree. We filled two days easily and till did not do all the things we thought we would.
Pros:
It's beautiful and so different than anything I have done before
Food was way better than I expected.
The no car thing is really great and discovered how much I miss biking
The bike ride around the island may have been my single favorite part.
The carriage ride was way better than I expected. If anyone does this in the future, try to get the guy from Russia. He was outstanding.
Cons:
Mission Point just could not get our A/C right. At first, we had the smallest of the possible portable units. It never once worked, even after being looked at by maintenance. By night two, they had replaced it with a larger unit, but that one had no way to drain. So, i had to google the error code, then figure out a way to drain the unit myself in the middle of the night. my coolest night sleep since last thursday was last night in central La.
The horse shite. Yes, they have clean up crews, but this is the largest herd of horses anywhere, and the shite is all over every street. I think I am still smelling it a little.
The downtown area is cheesy and crowded. The only part of it I enjoyed was Winchester's. If you like whiskey at all, go do their mystery flight where to guess the bottles. One of our posters was with me, and he got 3/4. I think I only got one right.
General:
There are at least 11 places on the main street that sell fudge. How in the hell do 11 places stay open? Why is fudge so damn popular there?
This vacation was more expensive than I thought. As mentioned, even seeing the fort cost money and not like a state park charging $3 either. I could have skipped that.
For the many that say spend only one day on the island, I just can't agree. We filled two days easily and till did not do all the things we thought we would.
Posted on 7/23/26 at 10:09 am to CuseTiger
quote:
Our room was in the Straits lodge and it was not worth the $500/night. They had portable AC units in the room and it was super noisy. We turned it off during the night and then couldn't sleep due to being hot...
Funny. We went in June and also stayed at Mission Point. We originally chose it because we were bringing our dog (part of a two week road trip) and it was the only pet-friendly resort on the island. We then decided he wasn't about that island life and kenneled him in Mackinac City and it was the right choice.
BUT... we still stayed at Mission Point which for the money felt like we were staying in an outdated dorm room.
The rest of the vacation was perfect and the island is absolutely beautiful (and expensive as hell) and thankfully our AC didn't make too much noise, but yeah for $500/night it was pretty lousy.
Posted on 7/23/26 at 10:17 am to CuseTiger
quote:
Mackinac island I'm good with my one trip there. We spent 3 nights there and that might have been one night too many.
This is how we feel. We did two nights and literally did everything one could do on the island:
- horse carriage tour
- bike ride around the island
- shopping
- Grand Hotel tour
We ate at some great places but it was very expensive.
- Pink Pony and Icehouse for lunch
- Chianti and Carriage House for dinner ($$$)
- The Chuckwagon (breakfast)
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