For our first full day on Mackinac Island, we decided to go on a family bike ride in the morning. Before we went out on our ride, we needed to fuel up and we hit a place just up the block from our hotel called Mighty Mac Hamburgers. I know, it does not sound like a place you'd get breakfast, but they do have a breakfast menu on until 11:00am every day. They had a really good breakfast burrito and I was happy.
Inside Mighty Mac Hamburgers, they also had some really cool pictures of baseball players that my grandfather would tell me all about. In fact, they had autographed photos of what my grandfather told me were the greatest pitcher and hitter that ever lived, Bob Feller and Ted Williams. So I had fun looking at them while waiting for our food and talking to my girls about the times my grandfather and I would sit around talking baseball.
Once we were done with breakfast, we headed to the bike shop across the street from our hotel that we decided to use named Mackinac Island Bike Shop. There we are able to get some tandem bicycles to use for our ride. We decided to take tandem bikes, so that if the girls got tired on the 8.004 mile loop around the island, my wife and I could do the bulk of the pedaling. It was summer and this is the only way to get around the island, so it was a little pricy, but totally worth it.
Starting at the southern most part of the island (on the map below where the bicycle logo is), we headed counterclockwise around the island on Michigan Highway 185.
First stop we got to on our bike ride was Arch Rock on the east side of the island. This is a natural formation that you have to climb up a bunch of stairs to see. Although it's long staircase (207 steps) and it takes quite a bit of energy to get to, the view is absolutely beautiful. For those of you reading this who have mobility issues, I would recommend taking the horse and carriage tour of the island (discussed later in this post) to get to the Arch Rock. It is well worth the visit, but can be tough to get to for those with health or mobility issues without going on the horse and carriage tour.
At the top of the stairs you get an amazing view of the water through the arch which spans about 50 feet. The view is stunning!
Once we got done at Arch Rock, we walked down the stairs, got back on our bikes and started to pedal and explore the rest of the island. We spent the time peddling for a mile or two and then stopping to explore or let the kids play in the cold, rocky waters of Lake Huron.
During one stop, the kids saw some rock pilings that people had made with the smooth rocks along the shore and wanted to make their own.
We ended up stopping for some food at a place called British Landing. This is where the British anded back in the War of 1812 to begin their attack on the US Army at Fort Mackinac. At the landing they now have a snack bar and nature center with restrooms. The kids were all about getting some food and drink while visiting the bathroom.
The kids loved they had watermelon slices at the snack bar.
They had these really cool bike maintenance stations there in British Landing. With so many bikes coming and going, I thought this was a really cool, useful idea.
Before we took off from British Landing, 3 of the 4 of us walked into the rocky water. It was very cold and the stones were very hard on the feet. Avery was having none of it, so it was just me, Norah, and Manina who can say we went in Lake Huron.
We made one more stop on the way back to downtown Mackinac Island. Halfway between Sunset Rock and Devil's Kitchen, we stopped for the kids to throw rocks and explore again. There were some logs that Norah saw and really wanted to walk on. So we stopped and let her. While there we explored some of the flowers and talked about what we wanted to do next.
Once we got back, we dropped off the bikes and walked down to the area where they give horse and carriage tours. There was a tour leaving within a few minutes, so we decided to take that tour. We went with Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. This company has been around and doing business on the island since 1948. Their tours are about 2 hours long and cost about $40 for an adult or $15 for a child. The tour hits some highlights like the Grand Hotel, Surrey Hills Museum, Wings of Mackinac Butterfly House, the Island Cemeteries, Fort Holmes, Arch Rock and ends up next to the Governors Residence and Fort Mackinac. So you really get your money's worth in checking out a good part of the island that is not necessarily accessible with the bicycles.
The first stop was going by the Grand Hotel. That place is an absolute palace and I cannot even imagine how much it would cost to stay there. Built in 1887, the hotel is best known for it's world record 660 feet long porch overlooking the Straits of Mackinac.
The horse and carriage that they send to pick you up from the docks is so beautiful and classic looking, I cannot even imagine what the hotel's insides look like.
This horse and carriage was much nicer than the one we went on for our tours! 😄
After leaving the Grand Hotel, we went to the Surry Hills Museum which is located next to the Wings of Mackinac. We excited the carriage and walked around, doing a little shopping and going to the restroom. We opted not to get tickets to the Wings of Mackinac as the kids had played with butterflies earlier in the trip at the Cherry Festival in Traverse City. We briefly walked through the Surry Hills Museum and got back on the carriage to continue our tour. We could have spent as much time as we wanted here, but the girls were not in the mood to look at a bunch of museum exhibits. They did have a nice steam driven fire truck in there though.
Once on the carriages, we went past some of the cemeteries on the island and to Arch Rock. Since we had been there earlier in the day, we opted not to walk out to the rock again and rested up on the carriage.
The last stop on the tour was at the Governors Summer Residence. Although you could not explore the residence, you could walk around the grounds.
From there you could get back on the carriage and be taken back to the downtown area. I opted to get off and head into Fort Mackinac. The girls were tired and need some downtime. Plus they are not big fans of museums, so it was best I went alone. The fort was amazing and a must see on the island.
Built in 1780, this was a Revolutionary War era fort built on the hill overlooking the southern part of Mackinac Island. As mentioned earlier in the blog, this was the point of attack for the British during the War of 1812. It was overtaken by the British and given back to the US following the end of the war. Today it serves as a historical park for people to learn about the earliest days of life on Mackinac Island. There are many of wonderful exhibits and buildings to visit.
The best part of visiting the fort was the views of the surrounding area. The views are absolutely breathtaking and the best part of the tour.
Once I was done with touring Fort Mackinac, I headed back to the hotel to get the wife and kids before dinner. We decided to eat at Horn's Gaslight Bar and Restaurant. I was there the night before for some beers and figured it was good enough to bring the family back to the next night. Everyone was pretty worn out, so we ate and went back to the hotel. The kids got some time in the amazing hotel pool before we had to depart the island the next morning.
Once they were in bed, I snuck out to the balcony to drink some beer and reflect on my day.
Overall, we had a great, but long day exploring Mackinac Island. This place is out of this world. Everything there is so chill, colorful and relaxing. I sure hope I can make it back again.
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