The emerald green island rising like a mirage from the northern blue waters of Michigan’s Lake Huron is for real. It’s Mackinac!
Adrift in an inland sea of fantasy, it revolves on island slow time. Sounds mingle: clop of carriage horses, swish of bicycle tires, squawk of herring gulls, boom of cannon from Ft. Mackinac high on the white sandstone bluff, and nasal blast from the ferry horns as they scurry back and forth across the Straits of Mackinac.
The island presents a collage of sights: Victorian mansions, historic trading post, Indian bark chapel, deep forests, seascapes.
The fun begins in getting there — which ferry to catch from what city. The three ferries, the Arnold, Shepler’s and Star lines, all leave from docks at both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. Or you can hop across on the commuter plane (Great Lakes Air, 906-643-7165) from St. Ignace.
The island (3 1/2 miles long by 2 1/4 miles wide) is a collage of activities. Fudgemakers at over a dozen shops lift long paddles to stir cooling chocolate on marble slabs, the sweet aroma drifting out the door to tease passersby inside. There are souvenir shops, museums, restaurants. You can rent a bicycle or tandem, a horse, carriage, in-line skates, golf clubs, charter boat or plane.
Island Carriage Tours leads a parade of narrated tours in carriages with fringe on the top. Drivers with a team such as Nell and Bill wait at the tour office in front of the Arnold Ferry dock. Climb aboard! We’re off for a trip through the village, up Cadotte Hill to the Horse Museum and into the forest.
Along the way the driver spins tales of history and island lore, with a stop at Arch Rock. Legend has it that this is the gateway of the Indian god Manitou from his underground kingdom. To visitors, the arched formation is a thing of wonder, a narrow bridge at the high end of the island with Lake Huron sparkling far below.
There are some island attractions that should not be missed. Climb the long ramp from Mackinac Park up to the south entrance to Ft. Mackinac. Interpreters will tell you how the old French fort was moved over the ice from Mackinaw City by the British in 1780, then captured by the Americans. The last remnant of the military pulled out in 1895, leaving historical documents that have assisted in accurate restoration.
“Ladies and gentleman,” a soldier interpreter announces from the parade grounds, “a court-martial re-enactment is about to begin. Your best view will be from . . .” Such a performance is one of many that you can see at Ft. Mackinac, along with canon and musket firings, games for children, and other programs.
A new 3,500-square-foot exhibit on the second floor of the Soldier’s Barracks covers Mackinac from the years of Great Lakes Indians to modern times. The interactive exhibit title is Mackinac: An Island Famous in these Regions (906-847-3328; www.mackinac.com/historicparks).
The island has more than a dozen hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns. Like a dowager in royal robes, the Grand Hotel has ruled as queen of the island for 111 years. It stands above the Tea Garden banked with flowers. Manicured lawns outline a central fountain where brides pose for pictures; a white fence with roses defines a garden of peonies and a pool named for movie queen Esther Williams.
Part of the “grandness” at Grand Hotel is the old-and-loved familiar things mixed subtly with new offerings. The 660-foot front porch with giant white pine pillars is the same as it has been for years, along with the plush carpeting with red geraniums in the parlor.
Five suites named for five former first ladies are new this season. Hotel interior designer Carleton Varney developed the suites in consultation with the presidential ladies. Suites range from the bold reds in the Nancy Reagan Suite to the subtle blue found in the Barbara Bush Suite. Other new suites were named for Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter. Two spacious new two-bedroom suites open to views of the Mackinac Bridge.
You can make reservations to stay at Grand Hotel to enjoy the five-course formal evening meals and other amenities, or sign up for a hotel tour ($7 for tours). Rates from $139 daily per person, double occupancy. (800-33-GRAND; www.grandhotel.com)
For a full dose of island serenity, slow down to “island time.”
Claim a bench at Marquette Park and watch the island pass in review. There are horses and more horses on the island, where cars have been banned for a hundred years, and there are bicycles of all sizes and baby carriages. From the park you can watch yachts and sailboats docking at the marina, with herring gulls floating lazily on the wind.
While the rest of the family shops, golfers can play the two courses at Grand Hotel, or the island’s Scottish-style nine-hole Wawashkamo. Finish the Grand Hotel’s nine-hole Jewel, and take a 10-minute carriage ride to the Grand’s nine-hole Woods course with a view of Mackinac Bridge.
Make dining an event on Mackinac. Bring your picnic lunch to spread under a gnarled old lilac tree in Marquette Park. Claim a table at the Yankee Rebel, named for a captured soldier who refused to renounce his American citizenship for freedom. Lunch at the Iroquois Hotel with tall dining room windows affording view of passing freighters. Time your climb to Ft. Mackinac and include lunch at a Tea Room umbrella table with view of the village and harbor below. Sample fare from the outdoor grill at Grand Hotel’s Jewel.
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For information on Mackinac Island, contact Mackinac Island Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 451, Mackinac Island, MI 49757; 906-847-3783; www.mackinac.com and www.mackinacislchamber.org
