Our Top 10 things to do on Mackinac Island, Michigan (Best tourist attractions in 2024)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- 0Mackinac Island is the gem of Northern Michigan and one of our favorite vacation spots. Cars are not allowed on the island and you can only discover Mackinac Island by foot, horse, or bike. In this video, we explore some of the best tourist attractions on the island: Main Street, the Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, Fudge stores, Arch Rock, bike around the island, etc.
The 10 attractions on Mackinac Island featured in this video (in order of appearance):
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Ferry ride to the island
02:07 - Ride a horse drawn carriage
02:59 - Walk the Main Street
03:56 - Walk the deck of the Grand Hotel
05:00 - Bike around the island
05:50 - Visit Fort Mackinac
06:57 - Eat fudge on Main Street
07:38 - Take selfie at Arch Rock (including Sunset Rock)
08:45 - Explore the inside of the island (including Sugarloaf and Fort Holmes)
09:43 - Walk past the Victorian mansions
Music featured for each attraction:
1) Ferry ride to the island: Orange Foot by Dan Henig
2) Ride a horse drawn carriage: Empire seasons by Dan Henig
3) Walk the Main Street: Take me down to the fashion show by NoMBe
4) Walk the deck of the Grand Hotel: Fur Elise by Beethoven
5) Bike around the island: New Horizons by Futuremono
6) Visit Fort Mackinac: Americana - Aspiring by Kevin MacLeod
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
7) Eat fudge on Main Street: Quangerine Cream by Noir Et Blanc Vie
8) Take selfie at Arch Rock: Subway Dreams by Dan Henig
9) Explore the inside of the island: Eternal Garden by Dan Henig
10) Walk past the Victorian mansions: Wistful Harp by Andrew Huang
I've been around the US and to Hong Kong; but the Straits of Mackinac is my favorite place in the world. It was our family vacation spot growing up; and I've been sharing it with my family. It's also been wonderful to see people from around the world be able to enjoy the Island's wonders. Thank you very much for highlighting this little-known world treasure.
We're glad you enjoyed the video.
Mackinac Island will always hold a special place in my heart because it's where my fiancé and I got engaged! We were biking around the island during sunset and he just knew I'd stop to take a picture. When I turned around, there he was!
There is so much beauty on Mackinac Island and I can't wait to go again (and to get some fudge!)! Y'all did a great job on this video!
We hope you get a chance to go back. Even though we don't nearly have as nice a story as you do, Mackinac holds a special place in our heart too :)
Having visited Mackinac many times, I know it well and you guys definitely covered it well! I learned a few new things too❤️!
Glad you enjoyed the video! It's always a pleasure for us to go back to Mackinac Island.
I’ve been to Mac Isl many times and your video is spot on for the best of what to look for and do while visiting. Well done!
Thanks so much! 😊 We appreciate it.
Laurent / James - finally got around to watching this, and it's great. Many fond memories for both me and Christy. You might recall that we got married on Mackinac at the Mission Church around 3:38 in the video. We started our reception on the Grand Hotel's long porch at the west end looking out across the bridge. We ended the night dancing away in their main ballroom, beautiful. Combined with massive amounts of excellent fudge, a wonderful experience. For anyone watching this video, we highly recommend staying at the Grand - worth every penny. Great job, worth being on everyone's bucket list!
We mus have missed the plaque in front of the church. We'll look for it next time we go 🧐🤔🧐.
thanks for the best videos on the island. Your narration was informative and you got the essence of Mackinac.
So nice of you. A lot of work goes into making these videos and we're glad viewers enjoy them.
Have never heard of this island, but it looks absolutely gorgeous. We’re horse people and love seeing the transportation of horses and bicycles.
We hope you get a chance to go there some day.
Is September a good mo th to visit? Will there be fall colors then?
Loved it! I need to get busy on my bucket list!
You absolutely should! If you can' travel internationally, then Mackinac Island is a US destination like no other.
I just returned from Mackinac Island. What an amazing beautiful and relaxing place. My first time kayaking. The water is so clear and blue. I can't wait to go again.
Thanks for sharing. We hope you get a chance to go back.
So inspiring!!! Definitely on my bucket list .
We hope you get the chance to go. It is a unique place.
Thank You For Sharing ❤️
Thanks for watching!
I am sitting on the island for a week now, I gotta say the mansions are a beautiful thing to see, I think I pedaled just about every road I can find. I spent about two hours in the cemetery looking at the stones, and the grand hotel is a must see. Food is amazing here.
Have fun!
Thank you, gentlemen, for this video! I was trying to explain Mackinaw Island to my friend in Ireland, found your video and sent it to her.
We're glad you enjoyed the video. We hope your friend does too :)
I am going here in the fall 2021 and I’ve been skimming through many TH-cam videos. Yours is perfection and exactly what I was looking for. I feel like I have my bearings now and it’s going to be a great trip. Thanks for a great job on this video!
Thanks so much for the kind words. A lot of work goes into making these videos and we're glad you found it useful. Mackinac is a magical place and we hope you enjoy your stay there.
I was hoping to make it up this fall as well!! Could you recommend somewhere to stay? Possibly a little cheaper?
I would recommend having lunch at the Chuck wagon
Such a great video guys! We didn't know anything about Mackinac Island before this video. We would love to go! We would definitely take the ferry under the bridge at 1:50. So nice that you can discover the island on horse. Would be fun to explore on the horseback or tandem bike. Market street looks so cute with small shops and old houses. The hotel is amazing. Love the interior and the view from there. Oooo fudge heaven! A rocky road fudge sounds sooo delicious! The arch rock is impressive and also the view from the vantage point. We love admiring autumn colours and sunsets from a view point like that. The Victorian mansions are so beautiful. This video is really eye candy for the eyes!
Thanks. We hope you get a chance to go one day :).
Great video! We visited the Mackinac Island recently and really liked it and your video definitely gave us some ideas of what to see and do. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Lovely video! I was actually surprised to see Jack Barnwell riding his bike with his crew! And then the shot of his grandmother's lovely mansion! I would love to visit the island someday.
We hope you get the chance to. Someone already mentioned Jack Barnwell in a previous comment. It wasn't planned at all 😃.
Betty here....loved the video! We're planning to visit Mackinac Island this year so all your tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing!
We hope you enjoy your time on Mackinac. We've been there multiple times and it's been enchanting every time. Let us know how your visit goes. We'd love to hear.
We've been there several times, and am going AGAIN in just a few weeks! *_This video is great!_* Covers virtually "all of the spots of note"; concise and moves along well~ Great Job!... and Thanks!
Thanks for the thanks. We hope you enjoy your trip :)
What hotel did u stay at in MC
That time at the Island House. Very centrally located. But we've stayed at Mission Point and the Inn at Stonecliffe in the past. Both good choices too if you don't need to be right downtown. Things didn't work out with the Grand Hotel this time. But we'd love to stay there too.
I enjoyed your video. We are planning to visit Mackinac Island soon and this video gives me an insight. Thanks for sharing.
We must have similar tastes because we also have a video on Mt Rushmore :).
This was super helpful, thank you!!
Glad it was helpful! Enjoy your trip!
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Our pleasure!
Excellent video with very helpful insights and tips, I have to check the island out. Thanks so much!
Glad it was helpful! We hope you get a chance to visit.
Thank you for this great video! Going to mackinac for the first time will be there thursday cant wait!
Such a unique place! We hope you enjoy it :)
Excellent video of Mackinac Island, one of our favorite places to visit. You covered so many wonderful features of the island, in particular the Grand Hotel! And I definitely think you should try the tandem bike - getting started is a bit of a struggle, but once you get going it's smooth sailing 🚴🏼♂️🚴🏻♀️ Thanks for sharing, guys!
We plan on staying alive to be able to make more videos. A tandem bike would kind of interfere with that plan :)
Sugarloaf was always my favorite spot to snap snap. Nice video
Thanks for the compliment. We appreciate it :).
Thank you for a great video. My daughter and I are driving from Texas to Michigan later this week. Looking forward to spending the day on Mackinac Island. Your video has been very informative.
Have fun! You will love it!
Going in less than 10 days!! Super excited!!!
That's awesome! We hope you enjoy your time there. Perfect season to go too.
Best video on Mackinac Island I have seen yet. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! A lot of work goes into making these videos and it's always a pleasure to receive positive feedback :)
@@JamesandLaurent Yours by far is the best! and I have watched quite a few as we are planning to visit.
We hope you enjoy your stay there :)
enjoyed your video, Mackinac is now on my bucket list! :)
It absolutely should!
On my bucket list!!
We hope you get a chance to go :)
Lovely video. It makes me want to visit the place.
You absolutely should!
I live in Canada north of Toronto and Makinaw is on my bucket list!I know a few people that have been and loved it!Thankyou for the video and showing us around!
We truly hope you get a chance to go some day. We love Manitoulin Island too, but Mackinac is in a completely different league :)
Beautiful vid! We had been there recently and didn’t want to come back! 😀
Great share!
Thanks so much! 😊. Mackinac is very special.
Lovely, I will try hard to get there!!! Thank you,,,
We hope you do.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for guiding us on a tour from Hong Kong Very Very Romantic 👌👍
It is romantic indeed. We love Hong Kong too, but in a different way :)
This brings back great memories. I visited several times with Blount Small Ship Adventures, a company that ran cruises on VERY small cruise ships. A special memory is 2004 on a cruise from Duluth to Chicago. We were scheduled for an overnight on Mackinac and I booked a hotel on Mackinac (sadly the Grand was booked but I booked the Iroquois). At the last minute the Island overnight was cancelled and changed to Mackinac City. The ship dropped me off on the way by and I was able to stay on the Island. I returned to the ship on the ferry the next day. I've been fortunate to sail under the bridge several times.
We hope you get the chance to go back :)
Thank you for this great video!! I've never been to Mackinaw Island and we hope to go next month.
We hope you do. It is a truly unique place.
I'm not sure how I got here but I'm in love. Absolutely beautiful!!!
So glad!
Well done!
Thank you. Mackinac is a magical place.
My 8yo and myself are currently on vacation at Mackinac Island. She had never been she is loving it!
We hope you enjoy your stay. Let us know if there is anything else we should have mentioned in the video.
Awesome video guys!!! I’m a new subscriber!!
Thanks for subbing! We should have more Midwestern travel videos coming up this summer.
wow the grand hotel looks amazing love the views from the hotel, the main dinning room is cool.
Yes, the grand hotel is something else :)
It’s 1000$ per night tho 😳😳
Best video!
Glad you think so!
My wife and I are heading to the Island this Sunday 10/17/21 to 10/20/21. Really looking forward to going. Video was great, guys.
We hope you enjoy your trip. The colors should be great!
Going to mackinaw today actually for the first time!!!!
We hope you enjoy your stay. It is a truly unique place.
I'm from here and you guys did a good job
Thank you. We appreciate it :)
The Pictured Rock's are the most stunning form of art!!!! Beautiful color's!!!! I live in Michigan, and I would not live anywhere else!! Such beauty here..🥀🥀🥀......
😍
Great job
Thanks. A lot of work went into making this video :)
Thank you for making this video; my wife and I are planning on visiting Mackinac Island this summer and you guys seem to have the same taste we do - just taking in the views and trying out the fudge :)
Have fun over there!
@@JamesandLaurent We got back a week ago; thanks for the tips - we had a GREAT time.
What an amazing place, definitely on our list to visit. Love the beautiful Fall colors, Victoria Houses, the Grand Hotel is breath-taking!! We might have to do all of the things you mentioned - from horseback riding and the bicycling tour around the island. We are so glad we found your channel, we are sub'g - looking forward to watching more of your adventures. We have a channel as well, take a look when you get a moment.
Will do.
They show my father's old restaurant kool!
Which one is it?
My family and I have been to Mackinac often over the years. My 1st recommendation is try to go in the middle of the week. Weekends can be packed! We have stayed at several different venues on both the island and the mainland, and every one was very enjoyable.
2nd recommendation? Definitely stay at the Grand Hotel at least once in your life, and especially dress very formally for dinner there (an evening gown and tuxedo would not be out of place at all). It's a wonderful experience.
3rd: I recommend the guided carriage tour if you're a first time visitor. It's worth every penny.
4th: If you're a history buff or just love reenactments, spend a day at the fort. My cousin and I spent all day at the fort one year really enjoying an entire day of reenactments. We had lunch at the small restaurant overlooking the lake and bridge and that was a perfect break.
Everything else you recommended is spot on. The only thing I don't have experience with is the resort, but I haven't done a week-long stay since I live in Michigan and can visit frequently.
Thanks for all your advice :)
Hey, This is where I live! In MICHIGAN
We both used to live in Michigan before moving to Chicago. We still love going back there to visit :).
@@JamesandLaurent Hahaha, Memories!
Mackinac always brings back good memories :).
@@JamesandLaurent Hmm, I wonder what had happened there to be listed as beautiful memory. :)
I was a dockporter on Mackinac for four years, riding big loads of luggage in the basket by day, and partying with my porter brothers at night. That experience changed my life... even now, thirty years later, Mackinac is still the same, and I have dreams at night about riding loads down Main Street through the crowds. Absolute magic!
It must have been fun. We hope you get the chance to go back 😁😍.
This has been my dream place, Mackinac island is such a wonder to my eyes in my opinion! I had been obsessed with this place cause one of my friends/idol lives here and it’s is a very beautiful place! But sense it is Corona season, I can’t go, maybe when COVID is over I can! ☺️ thanks for giving some destinations to go to at Mackinac!
We hope you get the chance to go someday. It's really a magical place.
Neat video . I saw the home my mon grew up in and a store that my grandma ran(1920’s)
That's awesome! We hope you get a chance to go back there once in a while.
Great video. I'll be in the area next spring so I'll have to put some time away to visit the island if at all possible.
If at all possible?!?!? If you are in the area, you have to visit the island. No excuse :).
Was just there end of June/21. Third time there, always something new to see.
I call this place to "Key West of the north".
It really is :)
Haha, April actually likes to play with words, so she would probably say "Mac-kin-ack" a few times for fun. 😁 Cool shots indeed going under the bridge; reminds us of when we went on a boat tour in San Fran and how awesome it was to go under the Golden Gate. That hotel reminds April of the movie Somewhere In Time, so she Googled it, and sure enough, it was filmed on the island! Have you guys seen it? YUM, fudge! Who knew there is an arch rock in northern Michigan?!
Yes, quite a few movies have been filmed at the Grand Hotel :).
I’m going there for the first time. I’m excited to see everything
We hope you have a great time there. Such a unique place! Let us know how you liked it when you come back.
@@JamesandLaurent
Thank you!
:)
I am going for the first time next week :)
We hope you enjoy it!
Great fun Viking through center of island- seeing old cemetery and airport. Once you make the long climb up, the downhill ride is fun!!
It took us a few seconds to realize you probably meant biking :)
@@JamesandLaurent lol weird autocorrect
Biking not viking lol
We eventually figured it out, but the image of vikings at the airport that first came to mind is still engraved in our brain :)
A game of soccer or kite flying on the lawn of mission point resort is fun. Also the sunset cruises under the bride and sipping rum runners is a must!
Thanks for sharing.
I have been here many times and was raised in the area. Moved to Florida 13 years ago from mackinaw City.
Tell us what you think about our new video about Miami.
💖💖💖💖💖💖
Thanks :).
This is an excellent video!! We will be going soon and this was so helpful. Is it permitted to take your own bikes on the ferry?
Yes. You have to pay extra for it. But we saw a few. Only worth it if you are going to stay a few days or if you really prefer your bike to the ones you could rent on the island.
@@JamesandLaurent Thanks. Ours are electric which is a necessity for my husband so we will be bringing those.
honestly just watched this to see if i could spot myself anywhere because i worked there last summer lol
Sorry you didn't make the cut :'
Honestly, our favorite place to get fudge is Murray Hotel!!
Thanks for the advice :).
My brother met his wife up at Mackinac Island, when they were both working at the Grand Hotel. He even changed the American flag on top of the hotel! I watched one of my friends climb to the top of Sugar Loaf, we’re both getting older so he won’t be doing that again!
Haha. No rock climbing on the Sugar Loaf for us either 😂😅😂.
I live in the upper peninsula!!
We love the UP. It is on our list of potential topics for future videos
Nice job on your video.... I worked on the island over the summer of 2019. I believe JoAnn’s has the best fudge but Murdick’s was the original Mackinac fudge.
FYI, I see you caught the famous Jack Barnwell riding his bike by you too! ❤️
Thanks for the advice re: the fudge. We are not big enough fudge connoisseurs to come up with a ranking :)
@@JamesandLaurent All fudge is good! 😉
Yes the Grand is Grand . The main dinning room is the best , Dress code , Men; coat and tie , Women; no slacks . Great multi course dinner . Put on your walking shoes
Thanks for sharing!!
Bro Mackinac Island they have no cars but it's pretty great I went there on the 15th for vacation but first I stayed at Mackinaw City for a basically a couple long times it took us 3 hours to get to Mackinac City
😌
We are going there on the 21st may
We hope you enjoy your trip there. Mackinac is great.
We also like to walk to all the sites where Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour was filmed on the Island.
Thanks for the tips :)
If you plan to visit Fort Mackinac, take the carriage ride first. The standard carriage ride will go around town pulled by a pair of horses. Then you switch to a carriage pulled by three horses as you go through the state park and stop to see Arch Rock. Near the end of the carriage ride, they stop to let people off at the back entrance to the fort. You can pay your entrance fee and enter the fort from the top without having to make the steep climb up to the fort.
Thanks for the tips 😍.
I LOVE Mackinac Island and have ben there many times. My biggest suggestion is to stay at least one night on the island. It gets so peaceful after that last ferry has left and the night sky there is beautiful (not to mention enjoying some music and adult beverages at the Pink Pony or other great spot). I also love to take a sunset Sip and Sail cruise. You really can't go wrong no matter what you do as long as you don't spend all of your time in the downtown area. Get out and see the beauty of the island!
Thanks for all the suggestions :).
I’d love to make it up there someday! Can anyone recommend some where a little cheaper to stay?
If you're on a budget, your best bet might be to stay on the mainland and just go there for the day, or not to go in July-August, when prices are at their highest.
I would love to take a selfie in front of Cairngorm, the huge yellow house on the West Bluff for sale for $5.8 million dollars 🥰😀😁
Wouldn't we all?
No mention of Somewhere In Time on #4?
Not a movie we saw, unfortunately.
You will need to bundle up? In June>>?
On the upper deck of the ferry, absolutely!
I live in Michigan
We both used to, many years go :)
I heard Chuckwagon has a great burger.
We didn't try. Sorry.
2 years ago when I was there the Grand Hotel charged a fee just to step on the deck or inside to look around. Does anyone know what that fee is? Seems there may have been a dress code too?
It used to be $10. Not sure if it's still the case.
@@JamesandLaurent btw really enjoyed the video! Only been there once! Can't wait to go back. Would be fun to drive a boat there and sleep in the harbor. I wonder what that costs per night to park a boat there?
No idea, sorry.
My hubby is a Michigander by birth. We are going here in late May. What type of dress do you recommend?
Late May in Northern Michigan is not the same as late May in Florida. Unfortunately, it's the time of the year when you have to be ready for both hot and cold, because there is no way to know in advance. Watch the 10-day weather forecast just before you get there.
@@JamesandLaurent thanks so much. I figured we would need layers to be prepared for anything. Great video!
Layers are always good :).
what about the golf course and hell's kitchen ?
We don't play golf, sorry 😒.
I love it but why was Traverse city so far down on the hand
We already had this question in a prior comment. The pinky finger was meant to be the Leelanau Peninsula and the space between the two fingers the bottom of the Grand Traverse Bay where Traverse City is located. Sorry that it was so confusing 🤔😞🤔.
@@JamesandLaurent I more thought it was funny. Everyone does it differently
Clearly 🤣!
I live here
Very few people can say that :)
@@JamesandLaurent Lots of people ask me if I live here
:)
5:50 My mom almost killed me when I was 3 she did not know how to use hand breaks and. almost ran into a horse while I was in the back seat.
We're glad you're still here 😍.
HM🐘HM
Where is Laurent from? He sounds French lol
That's because he's French 😅😅
Is there such thing as a Mackinac Island local or is the island 98% tourism
The year-round population is only 500 and there is a primary school there. But there are as many as 15,000 visitors per day in the summer and most workers are seasonal.
HM🌷HM
HM🐧HM
I took a massive dump in the Grand Hotel and I swear the toilet paper was the softest I have ever felt.
Lovely!
The fort mackinaw was actually built first by French
Thanks for the clarification.
HM🎁MH
HM
HM🎁HM