If Mackinac Island Were 9 Photos, It (Probably) Would(n't) Be These
Among the sea of natural beauty that is Mackinac Island, visitors had taken it upon themselves to construct rickety rock towers all along the eastern shoreline.
*Post updated on Aug. 31, 2021
To write about Mackinac Island… or not? It was a question that bedeviled me after my most recent visit to one of Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations. Why? Well, as popular as it is, there is already a ton of stuff out there for your eyes to gobble up. Of course, you could say this about many places, but the vacation-y cliché-ness of it all was still pushing me away from writing anything.
Ultimately, I decided these nine photos could do most of the work for me. Had I known I was going to slap together a photo essay in advance, I probably would have gotten some other shots, as well, but I think this group of images does my day-long stay on the island a sufficient amount of justice.
And now, after that riveting introduction...
Take Up the Battlements
Climb a steep-ish walkway, duck through the door-shaped opening in the stone wall, and you're inside Fort Mackinac, which, at 237 years young, still watches over the island's main harbor.
Like looking through a window in time ...or maybe just a place to fire your musket from? Actually, put the musket down, they're letting people fire one of the fort's cannons these days.
Boy Scouts, like the one way over there on the right in this photo, have served as the Governor's Honor Guard on Mackinac Island every summer season since 1929 (according to this website, which we're just going to trust).
Around the Island
Looking northeast-ish from Mackinac Island's Arch Rock one can see that varying shades of blue and green, with other optional colors intermittently sprinkled in, can make for an eyeball-pleasing experience. Perhaps you'd like to take it all in with a kayak tour from Great Turtle?
There is no shortage of bike rentals on the island — or carriage rides or fudge shops, for that matter. You can get yourself a bicycle for a very reasonable price and make the 8.2-mile trek around the perimeter or head inland and make your own adventure. (Here's an island overview map and three suggestions.)
Arch Rock itself — an über popular spot to stop while on your bike tour.
Canvas & Paddle, a Main Street store that opened in May 2017, specializes in selling apparel, household items and décor, and assorted bric-a-brac. MyNorth.com had this to say about it and the new Doud's Market & Deli in an article published in April.
A Parting Shot
So, I didn't give you a photo of the Grand Hotel or a horse-drawn carriage or the scene on Main Street, and that's shameful. But at least we've got this: a staring-off-into-the-distance shot featuring the Mackinac Bridge.
-LTH