What can you tell me about Mackinac?
- Thread starter Jim K
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Bro do you even lift
is that a pooper scooper?
Okay, here's the trip report:
Metavier inn was great. Good breakfast, nice room, great location. I liked being on market Street as opposed to main (the two long streets in the main part of town) as it's much quieter. Main gets crazy once the ferries start running.
Riding bikes around the island was a highlight. I was not expecting so many trails in the interior of the island. Lots of hiking & biking opportunity.
$10/ea to tour the grand hotel was a waste of money. Look at it from the outside; there's not much to see inside except Christopher reeve's bowler hat.
Highly recommend the pink pony and Kingston kitchen restaurants.
Fort Holmes was kind of a hidden gem. We were the only people there on the busiest day. It's the highest point on the island and has a great view.
The "sip & sail" cruise was also a highlight. They take you out and circle around the towers of the mackinac Bridge at sunset. There's a bar and cute waitresses to bring you drinks, which are expensive, but still cheaper than any of the bars in town. The singer they had on board was pretty good too.
"Scoops" ice cream (hat tip @kaiser) is this hole in the wall that gives you a ludicrous amount of ice cream for half of what you'll pay anyway else, and actually less than our local ice cream shop here at home.
The hardware store on the freight dock is worth checking out. The owner was behind the counter and friendly and interesting to talk to. He has a box of used horseshoes and will let you take one for free if you want. Cheapest souvenir on the island.
We found the super duper pooper scooper and watched the young kid unload out while the other guy played with his phone. I was surprised to see it has a v-twin gas engine and is all hydraulic. I had assumed the brush was geared to the wheel. It seems to stay out of town; town is cleaned up by guys with shovels on trikes.
Got home and the power has been out since yesterday morning. Thankfully the standby generator worked as designed, so we have refrigeration and a/c. Spent the evening cleaning up limbs. Lost a HUGE crabapple tree at the old house, so I guess that's what I'm doing tomorrow.
Metavier inn was great. Good breakfast, nice room, great location. I liked being on market Street as opposed to main (the two long streets in the main part of town) as it's much quieter. Main gets crazy once the ferries start running.
Riding bikes around the island was a highlight. I was not expecting so many trails in the interior of the island. Lots of hiking & biking opportunity.
$10/ea to tour the grand hotel was a waste of money. Look at it from the outside; there's not much to see inside except Christopher reeve's bowler hat.
Highly recommend the pink pony and Kingston kitchen restaurants.
Fort Holmes was kind of a hidden gem. We were the only people there on the busiest day. It's the highest point on the island and has a great view.
The "sip & sail" cruise was also a highlight. They take you out and circle around the towers of the mackinac Bridge at sunset. There's a bar and cute waitresses to bring you drinks, which are expensive, but still cheaper than any of the bars in town. The singer they had on board was pretty good too.
"Scoops" ice cream (hat tip @kaiser) is this hole in the wall that gives you a ludicrous amount of ice cream for half of what you'll pay anyway else, and actually less than our local ice cream shop here at home.
The hardware store on the freight dock is worth checking out. The owner was behind the counter and friendly and interesting to talk to. He has a box of used horseshoes and will let you take one for free if you want. Cheapest souvenir on the island.
We found the super duper pooper scooper and watched the young kid unload out while the other guy played with his phone. I was surprised to see it has a v-twin gas engine and is all hydraulic. I had assumed the brush was geared to the wheel. It seems to stay out of town; town is cleaned up by guys with shovels on trikes.
Got home and the power has been out since yesterday morning. Thankfully the standby generator worked as designed, so we have refrigeration and a/c. Spent the evening cleaning up limbs. Lost a HUGE crabapple tree at the old house, so I guess that's what I'm doing tomorrow.
kaiser
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The pilot formerly known as Cool Beard Guy
Nice! Glad you all did well!
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We go to Mackinac every year, and I agree with all your reviews...that bridge is impressive from all angles, but we also did the sip and sail and I have to say, from underneath is really just "wow!"
Pink Pony has the best alcoholic beverages on the island. Best restaurant is the 1852 Grill Room at the Island House Hotel (across from the public marina/docks). Try that one next time, the food, although VERY pricey (over $100 a person for dinner) is fantastic, and worth it.
The town/island has a different personality after the last tourist boat leaves, doesn't it?
The $10 for the Grand Hotel is a waste...the outdoor grounds around the hotel are free and really impressive.
Yeah we quickly learned to avoid downtown during midday. Early Wednesday afternoon we saw the line for the carriage tours stretching more than a block, nearly to the edge of town.