What can you tell me about Mackinac?

Jim K

Jim K

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I was reminded this evening that our 15th anniversary is coming up this summer. Mackinac has been on our list for a while, and seems like an obvious choice for an anniversary getaway in late June. Obviously my first thought was the Grand Hotel.... until I found out they get $1000/ night in the peak season. If I thought we'd get our money's worth I might consider it, but getting dressed up and going dancing isn't really our thing, and I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather do for 3 grand.

Having never been there or really done any research beyond the airport... what's the best way to spend a long weekend up there? Hotel recommendations mostly, but I'd also love to hear about "can't miss" restaurants and activities.
 
I’m def not gonna be that guy that says if you do a search on POA like I just did you’ll find like 20 threads on mackinac island.

so, uh, how bout those Yankees?!??!
 
I flew there once. Rented some scooters. Blasted around the island, ate lunch, explored some, and then flew on out. I didn't feel like staying overnight was needed to enjoy the island. Perhaps you stop there, spend the day, then depart and follow the Lake Superior shore to Duluth, MN and stay there for the night? There are some pretty lakeside hotels around there that won't cost as much as Mackinac and it is a stunningly beautiful flight.
 
eman1200 said:
I’m def not gonna be that guy that says if you do a search on POA like I just did you’ll find like 20 threads on mackinac island.

so, uh, how bout those Yankees?!??!
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Thanks for not being "that guy". Since you weren't, I won't respond that although there is 10 pages of threads that mention Mackinac, the only one that contains any useful information was specifically asking about St. Ignace, and was 2 year ago.

I used to be an avid Cardinals fan, but just don't have time to keep up with sportsball anymore.
 
Went there in 2021, we stayed at the Lake View Hotel. Definitely wasn't fancy, but it was in a great spot. Really enjoyed the island, would love to go back there again.
 
For one thing, it is pronounced "MACK-in-awe"
There. Now you won't get laughed at, thrown out of bars and fall face first in horse poop.
 
Jim K said:
Thanks for not being "that guy". Since you weren't, I won't respond that although there is 10 pages of threads that mention Mackinac, the only one that contains any useful information was specifically asking about St. Ignace, and was 2 year ago.

I used to be an avid Cardinals fan, but just don't have time to keep up with sportsball anymore.
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Odd, I created a thread about Mackinac a couple years ago. I’ve been noticing some glitches in the search matrix lately.
 
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Don't know about hotels other than there are a lot of them in old buildings.
Things to do - buy fudge or tee shirts, rent bicycles, rent horses, carriage rides around the island, tour the fort, walk around the island.
Don't go the weekends of the Bayview (Port Huron) or Chicago to Mac sail boat races (hard to get a room, lots of drunks, but not like it used to be.)
 
Mackinac is amazing. I’ve been there every July for the last 9 years. But “omg lol” don’t do the Grand. But you can still go there and see North Americas biggest porch. The ice cream place in there is also good. You’re going during a good time. I tell everyone to avoid the week the Mac racers are there. It’s fine, just a giant frat party from Sunday to Wednesday. This year it’s on top of OSH but will be the week prior in ‘24.

Places to stay?
- Metivier
- Hotel Iriqois
- Mission Point (if you want to be a little out of town)
Everything else is decent but basically the same.

Transport?
Field has no fuel, I use KSLH which is 10 minutes or less away. When you get there the town is about 45 minutes walk, mostly down hill. You can also call a cab (horse). I forget how much it is, but it’s not bad.
Rent bicycles for the duration. You won’t get a scooter unless you have a proven disability. Town is walkable but bikes are great to explore the rest of the island.

Stuff to do?
- The fort
- I always enjoyed biking around the island.
- If you golf, there are 3 golf courses.
- Others might be able to chime in as I only go there for the peace and quiet and drinking

Food?
- chuckwagon for breakfast. Closed Mondays. Do this at least once.
- Carriage House (first floor of the Iriqois) you might need reservations
- Scoops, but only if you like ice cream

Night life/bars?
- Pink Pony (don’t go into their public hot tub unless you’ve had all of your shots, eww)
- Horns (often has live music)

Can’t think of anything else right now.
 
Looks like both races in July, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm pretty confident I can fit both our bikes in the plane; need to take one up and make sure. Guess I should buy some bike locks. I'm thinking we'll go mid week as many of the hotels are already booked for the weekend. Hopefully it will be a little less crowded too.
 
Jim K said:
Having never been there or really done any research beyond the airport... what's the best way to spend a long weekend up there? Hotel recommendations mostly, but I'd also love to hear about "can't miss" restaurants and activities.
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We did it and it was great. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast which was much less pricey.
 
We did a bnb off Airbnb I believe and we enjoyed it. I happened to be sick that day, so it wasn’t as great as I could have been, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
 
I loved the horse-drawn wagon ride to and from the airport. It's a special treat.

There is no FBO, just the airport's state park office, which provides no services other than to collect a parking fee.

I recall needing to bring my own tie-down ropes, along with stakes in case the pavement is full and you must park on the grass. It's been a few years, so maybe I'm wrong.

If you can find a local to give you a tour of houses, that's really nice. Some of the old ones still have stables in back of the house. One of the houses was gifted by Mark Twain to a niece.

Bike riding is good.

Shopping is not good. Just fudge, fudge, and more fudge.
 
kaiser said:
Mackinac is amazing. I’ve been there every July for the last 9 years. But “omg lol” don’t do the Grand. But you can still go there and see North Americas biggest porch. The ice cream place in there is also good. You’re going during a good time. I tell everyone to avoid the week the Mac racers are there. It’s fine, just a giant frat party from Sunday to Wednesday. This year it’s on top of OSH but will be the week prior in ‘24.

Places to stay?
- Metivier
- Hotel Iriqois
- Mission Point (if you want to be a little out of town)
Everything else is decent but basically the same.

Transport?
Field has no fuel, I use KSLH which is 10 minutes or less away. When you get there the town is about 45 minutes walk, mostly down hill. You can also call a cab (horse). I forget how much it is, but it’s not bad.
Rent bicycles for the duration. You won’t get a scooter unless you have a proven disability. Town is walkable but bikes are great to explore the rest of the island.

Stuff to do?
- The fort
- I always enjoyed biking around the island.
- If you golf, there are 3 golf courses.
- Others might be able to chime in as I only go there for the peace and quiet and drinking

Food?
- chuckwagon for breakfast. Closed Mondays. Do this at least once.
- Carriage House (first floor of the Iriqois) you might need reservations
- Scoops, but only if you like ice cream

Night life/bars?
- Pink Pony (don’t go into their public hot tub unless you’ve had all of your shots, eww)
- Horns (often has live music)

Can’t think of anything else right now.
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Are you going this year? Flying up? Are those hotels dog friendly?
 
mandm said:
Are you going this year? Flying up? Are those hotels dog friendly?
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We went the COVID year since OSH was cancelled. It was probably the best time ever to go as the crowds were down. We stayed at Mission Point with the dog. They back sections of the resort are where they put you with a pet. The buildings are old, but still pretty nice. We very much preferred to NOT be along the downtown strip.

The best restaurant we found was the Kingston Kitchen. Seems odd until you find out that there are a lot of seasonal workers from the Caribbean on the island, and apparently some of those workers have chosen to stay. They were extra excited that we were ordering some of the more Jamaican items, and even gave us some samples of other things so we could try. I'd guess most of the typical tourists don't order the unfamiliar.
 
mandm said:
Are you going this year? Flying up? Are those hotels dog friendly?
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I've committed to racing with my team up there this year. Big stuff coming for 2024, so it might be my last year racing for a while. This also means I might not make AirVenture [again]. But if someone wants to fly over on Wednesday the 26th and pick me up, that would be fantastic.

I don't know how friendly each of the hotels are with pets, but I can't imagine it being too tough. You'd have to reach out to each hotel.
 
We looked all over for a dog friendly hotel at Mackinac and went with Mission Point. Enjoyed it very much and loved running the island. Loved the food at Mission Point.
 
Way back in the 1970s I was a news reporter for a TV station in Green Bay. I rented a Skyhawk to fly to Mackinac Island in the wintertime for a story. One thing that surprised me was the number of snowmobiles, since they don't allow automobiles. I also remember chuckling at one item on my expense report: $49 for renting a team of horses to take us to and from the airport.
 
I think you have a ‘grand’ idea, going to the island. If able, I’d try to stay one night on the island, doesn’t have to be at the Grand Hotel. You can visit the fort, walk & bike around, have some food.

I kinda think two halves of a day are enough. I’d blast off to TVC, Beaver Island, or somewhere else to explore.
 
I see a new Irish pub is opening up in town. I guess the good thing is it’s hard to get a DUI on the island.
 
Confirmed: full size bicycle fits in a Lance. Think I'll take the pedals off to make it easier to slide them in & out. Good thing; bike rentals are outrageously expensive up there. I also ordered some fenders to prevent brown racing stripes.
IMG_20230322_132326731_HDR.jpg
 
I have nothing against bike riding, circled the island before. I’m actually more of a Walker, & stuff about town I can walk to. That includes airport to town, 20 minutes I thought, may be a shortcut involved.

Yeah, with the right company a ‘romantic’ ride around the island may be in order.
 
Jim K said:
Confirmed: full size bicycle fits in a Lance. Think I'll take the pedals off to make it easier to slide them in & out. Good thing; bike rentals are outrageously expensive up there. I also ordered some fenders to prevent brown racing stripes.
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You are very lucky to have that large baggage door. I have my pair of folders that will just fit in my Archer. But specifically to Mackinac, do I need to consider getting fenders for the roads there, or were you just joshing?
 
MajorTurbulence said:
You are very lucky to have that large baggage door. I have my pair of folders that will just fit in my Archer. But specifically to Mackinac, do I need to consider getting fenders for the roads there, or were you just joshing?
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I've never been, but the internet says that they're very necessary. I'm not convinced you couldn't dodge the poo, but I decided that for the cost/effort of adding fenders, I wouldn't risk it.
 
Jim K said:
Confirmed: full size bicycle fits in a Lance. Think I'll take the pedals off to make it easier to slide them in & out. Good thing; bike rentals are outrageously expensive up there. I also ordered some fenders to prevent brown racing stripes.
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Is that a raised floor section you have to make the entire aft floor even?
 
Lon Stratton said:
Is that a raised floor section you have to make the entire aft floor even?
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Yeah; previous owner had it made. Just plywood and carpet, but it's handy. Makes a nice flat surface back there...I've rolled out a couple sleeping bags and camped back there before.
 
I've been lurking on this forum for a few years and I'll make this my first post. Been going to Mackinac every year for 20+ years now and I can offer a few tips. The Grand is not the best place to go for your first time, it's removed from activity of town but the view from the porch is fantastic. The Island House is a nice hotel across from the marina with a great porch and a bar in the hotel, good to grab a beverage and sit on the porch in the afternoon. The Inn on Mackinac also nice, no bar so BYOB. Mission Point is popular, it used to be a boarding school so it will feel like you're staying in a dorm, not our favorite place to stay. There plenty of places to stay but keep in mind most are old Victorian era buildings, very few modern hotels but all are clean. Food is fantastic on the island, Seabiscuit and the Carriage House are two of our favorites. The Woods is on the other side of the island and is a small pub, dark paneled clubby atmosphere, great sandwiches. The bike ride around the island is good, 8 miles with a few elevation changes and wonderful scenery. You can rent bikes, or horses with or without a buggy. Best time on the island is evening after the last ferry to the mainland leaves, perfect time to take a quiet walk and see the bats come out if you're lucky. I've never seen a single mosquito there.
 
I don't eat fudge much, but I always stop in Joanne's and get a piece of butter toffee every time I visit.
 
Went up there this weekend. Stopped in Cheboygan for fuel. Paid the 12.50 parking fee. Walked into town lunch at gate house (fish was huge)

Into town rented bikes. Wonkiest steering and shifting. Wanted to see the arch rock 219 steps up from the loop. Finished the 8.2 miles got the customary fudge (chose murdicks)pink pony for lemonade. To grand hotel for rocking chairs. Walked back to the airport and left. Didn't do the fort (15.50 perversion what's with this change thing)

Could we see more and spend more time there probably but I feel like I've seen it.

My advice if you can bring your own bike and if you go in the summer I presume another of patience. You're on island time.
 
Well, we made it. 30 knot headwind the whole way, 3/4 of the trip imc due to smoke. The family truckster swallowed our 26" bikes, but I did twist the handlebars to make them easier to get in & out. Enjoying a steak and beer for dinner. Life is good.

IMG_20230627_155811030_HDR.jpg IMG_20230627_155736332_HDR.jpg
 
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