a day on mackinac island
In May my brother and took a 3-day trip to Michigan to visit to Mackinac Island for a day and I’m sharing everything we got to see and do…what I would recommend and what I wouldn’t :)
We flew into Detroit in the morning and drove up along the East Coast of Lake Huron via highway 23 North which is a 7 hour drive, without stops. We chose that way going up cause I was hoping for scenic views along the lake, there were some pretty stops we made along the way but honestly not worth driving an extra 2 1/2 hours. I’ve heard driving the west coast of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is breathtaking, so that’s a roadtrip on my list :)
Leaving Mackinac City back to Detroit we drove I-75 South which is only about 4 1/2 hours. Much quicker and direct.
We stayed 2 nights at the Vindel Motel in Mackinac City that I found thru AirBNB but booked directly through their website which gave me a cheaper rate. You can see a tour of the motel in my travel vlog on YouTube. Honestly for being a 2-star motel we were very impressed! It came to $105 a night and was a clean, cozy, cabin-like stay walking distance to the Ferry! Definitely recommend and would stay there again!
The next morning we woke up and walked 15 minutes to the Shepler’s Ferry Parking Lot (311 S Nicolet St) to take their free shuttle to the ferry station. If you’re driving, parking is $15 dollars for the day and they recommend buying a parking pass online ahead of time. It’s really nice to stay walking distance from the parking lot so you can save that money! Shepler’s Ferry has direct routes from both Mackinac City and St. Ignace and oundtrip adult tickets are $38 each. I suggest purchasing them online ahead so you don’t have to wait in the ticketing line.
(Please note, due to the harsh winters in Michigan the ferry only operates from April 21, 2025 – October 31, 2025. Check their website for their up-to-date operating schedule.)
Once you land on the island you’re greeted by coastal views of the marina and lighthouse and horses trotting down the town’s Main Street. One of the most unique things about Mackinac Island is there are NO VEHICLES. The only permitted modes of transportation are horse and bicycle and everything is walkable! I loved the slow-pace on the island :)
Our first stop was Seasbiscuit Cafe for breakfast that was really good! I ordered the avocado toast and my brother ordered the breakfast burrito.
After I got a honey, almond milk latte at Lucky Bean Coffeehouse — which was 10/10.
After breakfast we walked to Arch rock, a well known rock formation and look out point which was an easy hike from town, about 20 minutes.
After Arch Rock we headed back into town to Cindy's Riding Stable. It has long been on my bucket-list to go horseback riding and I figured what better place than an island where horseback is the main mode of transportation. And I will say it was definitely an experience…. I did a 60 minute group trail ride and my horse was a bit temperamental; if you watch the vlog you’ll get the whole story. If horseback riding is something you enjoy or an activity you want to cross off your bucket list like me, I’d say “go for it!” If you feel indifferent, I’d say it’s an experience you can probably pass on and would be better off taking a horse-drawn taxi :)
Another fun fact about Mackinac Island is that the 1980’s movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour was located and filmed nearly entirely on the island, with a lot of it taking place in the Grand Hotel. I have yet to watch the movie but there is a gazebo called the “Somewhere in Time Gazebo” that is a popular picture spot because of its role in the movie.
Next we walked around the grounds of The Grand Hotel which has been opened since 1887 (!!!!) and has world's longest porch measuring 660 feet. They had yard games on the front lawn, a beautiful water fountain, tulips in bloom and a small garden filled with purple lilacs. We also quickly looked in the lobby and stopped into Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor which is attached to the hotel :)
Something we were pleasantly surprised by was the number of tulips that were in bloom all around the island, specifically at the Grand Hotel.
We had packed sandwiches to eat on the go for lunch and ate at Mary’s Bistro Draught House for dinner that was really good! Then, to finish our day on the island, we rented a tandem bike for an hour and rode along the coast of the island. Lake Shore Drive extends around the perimeter of the entire island and they said it takes about 2 hours to bike all the way around! We rode a very short distance because when we were there it was midge season which is a small fly that swarms by the water and the trail was COVERED with them in certain areas so we didn’t go far haha
Mackinac Island is known for it’s fudge (which I am not a fan of in general) but after our bike ride we stopped into the fudge shop at the Murray Hotel where my brother got a block of fudge before we headed back to the dock for the final 8pm ferry back to Mackinac City. One of the only things on my list we did not do that was visit the Watercolor Cafe which is a very popular cafe and coffee shop right on the water! It was very busy and we ran out of time to go inside but I did get this picture of it ;)
If you made it this far I hope this itinerary helped give you an idea of what a special place Mackinac Island is and gets you excited to plan your own trip! Follow me over on Instagram if you want more travel inspiration and feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions! :)
