Mackinac Island (pronounced like Mackinaw City is spelt) has long been a vacation center for Americans. Home to the Michigan governor's summer vacation home and not one, but two old forts (on a <5 sq. mile island!), Mackinac is a car-free bicycle paradise. It is only accessible by ferries, but those are frequent, easy to book, and have departures both from the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Some of the ferries even include a detour for a better view of the bridge connecting the two parts of Michigan - the Mighty Mac. I only had a day trip to the island, but there are hotels and BnBs for those who want a longer stay.
It's a quint little place with its lack of motorized transport. Instead, bikes and horse-drawn carriages abound. Actually, I'd say that there was an excess of horses, but that's largely because I would rather be breathing the fresh air from Lake Huron than smell horse manure.
As for what to see and do? The nature is really beautiful on the island including some special rock formations that are easy to find because of the thorough signage. Just wandering around, or lapping the 12.9 km circumference of the island is very enjoyable. Secondly, there are two forts - one that British built and the Americans took over after the Revolutionary War, and a second, a reconstruction of the one the British built after retaking the island during the War of 1812, and which the Americans subsequently took over after the cessation of hostilities.
Oh, and there's an absolute obsession with Mackinac fudge. I'd heard of it, but I didn't expect it to be that big of a deal. According to the tourism board this stems from the Victorian Era's tourism, however, the thirteen fudge shops import 20,000 lbs of sugar a week to maintain production.
If you spend the whole day on the island, and travel back as the sun sets, you are treated to a great view:
Would I travel from out of state just for it? Probably not. But if you're passing nearby it's worth spending a day on it. It's a enjoyable little island. But, as a tourist destination and an island, yes, everything on it is up-charged.
