Visiting Mackinac Island in Half a Day

Mackinac Island, located just off the North East Coast of Michigan, is a place that can be considered large and small at the same time. It's large because you could spend days there exploring all the things about it, but it's small because you can see enough in just 1/2 a day to satisfy your visit. This article hopes to demonstrate how you could spend 4-5 hours on Mackinac Island if that is all the time you have.

Where to Stay

There are three basic options for where to stay if you want to visit the Island. First is staying on the island itself, but those hotels can get quite expensive so we choose not to do this. I would like to splurge on this in the way distant future because it would be relaxing to stay on this beautiful island. The second option is to stay in St. Ignace, which is actually just across the bridge in the Upper Peninsula. This is a smaller town and has less options for where to stay, but it is also close to the ferries and not that much further from the Island.

The final option is Mackinaw City, which has loads of hotels only minutes away from the three ferries that take you to Mackinac Island. We choose this option because there was a large variety of choices for where to stay as well as some different things we could do in the city. Our choice was the Clearwater Lakeshore, but next time we would plan to try another hotel in Mackinaw City since there are so many to choose from.

How to Get There

There is really only one logical option for traveling to Mackinac Island - take a ferry. There are three ferry lines that run from Mackinaw City and St. Ignace to get you to the island in about 20 minutes. All claim to be the fastest, but we could see them from our hotel and they basically all seemed to come and go at generally the same time. I spent way too much time looking into pricing just to find out they are all about equal. In the end, our hotel gave us a coupon for Star Line so that is the one we choose. You can bring almost anything on the ferries including bikes, lunches, and luggage.

Wake up Early!

If you only have 1/2 a day to visit Mackinac Island, you don't want to waste it by sleeping in! The best time to go is on the first or second ferry, or at least before 10 AM. We headed out of our hotel around 9:30 so we could walk to the 10 AM ferry. If you can manage to get the family up even earlier, then do it! The earlier the better because that way you can beat the heat and some of the crowd.

Take a Leisurely Bike Ride

Morning is the best time to head out on a bike ride! Bikes can be rented by the hour, for a 1/2 day or for a full day. We paid by the hour and got charged by the minute so it was worth it. The bike path that goes around the entire island will take you on an 8 mile ride past points of interest and lots of site seeing. This is a go at your own pace activity which can take as long or as short as you want it to. We managed the trip in about an hour and a half, including a few stops. Others were stopping more often and families were pulling over for snack breaks. There is no time limit, it's up to you!

For the bike ride, be sure to pack a small bag of water, sunblock, sunglasses and snacks, especially if you have kids. We needed the water for sure and put on the sunblock once the sun started getting high in the sky. I saw lots of parents pulled over so their kids could have a snack. 8 miles is longer than you may think, so be prepared. The kids seemed to have no trouble making it around so don't make that your excuse for not bike riding.

Other Travel Options

If you aren't up for biking, there are only two other ways around the island. The first is your own two feet. The second is a horse-drawn carriage. There are carriage tours that will take you around the entire 8 mile perimeter as well as other spots inside the island. Of course, this is also for a price. While I found biking to be very enjoyable, some people just can't manage that long ride. Do what is best for you and your family. There are no cars on the island, so be prepared to do one of these three options.

See the Rock!

One of the first stops on the bike ride is Arch Rock. When going from the bike trail, it is actually a whole lot of stairs that lead you up to the rock through twisted trees on the hillside. This can be very strenuous and there are more stairs than you would expect! If you aren't good with stairs, don't attempt this. You can instead take a carriage or walk the paved path to Arch Rock after your bike ride is over. Regardless of how you get there, Arch Rock is a must see. It's basically a hole that has formed in the rock side over time so you can see through to the water beyond. It's very pretty, even with all the tourists around. You will also see the other side of Arch Rock as you continue along the bike path.

Grab a Bite to Eat

After turning in the bikes, it is a good time for lunch. The 1-2 hour tour will tire you out and make you hungry! There are many options for eating on Main Street. We choose Millie's on Main because it was the only one without a line. It was very good, no complaints there! Many other families opt to pack a lunch instead. There is a large grass area as well as various other places around the island where you can picnic. Depending on the weather and how much you were willing to carry, this would be a very relaxing option.

Check out those Butterflies

The next stop on our 1/2 day trip was at the Original Butterfly House. There are 2 butterfly houses on the island, but the original is the one everyone says is better so that was the one we choose. This is another go at your own pace activity! While we just walked through and spent about 30-45 minutes there, others take a seat in the butterfly area and just watch them for hours. Whichever option you choose, make sure you have your camera ready! I got dozens of close up shots of different butterflies. They really do sit still more often than not and this is probably the only time you can get these shots.

Go shopping!

The rest of main street is filled with shops full of all kinds of goodies. This is a great area to buy gift items like t-shirts, picture frames, and the like. We ended up buying quite a bit from these stores for our own vacation memories, and saw lots of stuff we could easily give to friends or family.

View the Grand Hotel (from a distance)

When you have regained some energy, it's time to take another walk to visit the Grand Hotel. They charge $10 to tour the inside of the hotel, but you can still see it for free... from a distance. We walked up as far as we were allowed just to get a few snaps of the outside of it and the gardens. We opted not to do the tour because $20 didn't seem worth it! My mom has been inside and showed me pictures and it was nothing spectacular. While the large porch and gardens are pretty cool, for $10 a person it just isn't worth it. Be forewarned that kids may be bored with this and therefore it could be a major waste of money. Go see it from the outside, and you'll still get a good view of it.

Buy some Fudge!!

Finally, before leaving the island, you must buy some fudge! There are plenty of fudge shops on the island and I heard many tourist asking "which is the best?" The standard response from the waitresses and workers was that they were all good, but we choose to go to Ryba's because it is well known and we see that name all over the place. At the fudge shops, you can watch them make fudge right in the front of most of the shops, and then buy any of a variety of flavors. This isn't your standard chocolate fudge! You can get Oreo, turtle, strawberry, and the list goes on. Fudge is expensive, but it's a great treat and worth it for your visit to Mackinac Island. Most of the fudge shops also sell ice cream and other treats.

Ending the 1/2 Day

We left on the 3:30 Ferry and had the thing practically to ourselves. It's obvious most people stay for the full day or even overnight. However, with only 1/2 day to spare, we felt we got our fill of Mackinac Island and were happy we scheduled it in. If you have more time, there are plenty of things you could add on including visiting Fort Mackinac, flying kites or even golfing. Visiting Mackinac Island is a great way to spend your time when you are in Northern Michigan. Don't miss it! Enjoy!!