Notices
General Trip Reports Reports that don't fit in to the other categories

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 30 Sep 19, 04:30 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
CrispyA
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 11
Great Lakes Grooving: Day 13 Mackinac Island

Friday 19 July

No lie in today as we had to be up and out. We had a quick breakfast and then a tidy round before packing up the car to set off for Mackinaw City to then get the ferry across to Mackinac Island.

I had bought the ferry tickets in the Black Friday Sale last November, so had saved a few dollars. We had packed overnight bags as we were staying over but had decided against taking our whole suitcases with us as it would have been a pain to take them on the boat and then move them around the Island.

The drive was fine and we quite enjoyed our trip across Mackinac Bridge, which is a fairly iconic Michigan image. Apparently some drivers freak out and the bridge staff have to step in and drive their cars across for them! Paul is made of stern stuff, however, and we made it no problem.

The parking for the boat was a bit annoying - we got sent to the free parking across the street but nobody mentioned that we would need to buy an overnight ticket to leave the car there until the next day. So we had to go back to the main parking lot and get an overnight ticket before parking in a different car park with our ticket. What a palaver!

We got the minibus back to the main parking and joined the queue for the ferry - it was very hot already so we suncreamed while we were waiting. It wasn't too long a wait and the ferry journey across to Mackinac Island takes around 20 minutes.

It is a really popular place to visit and it was already very busy when we got there. No cars are allowed on the Island, so the only means of transport are horses or bicycles. Main Street was heaving as horse drawn carriages collected hotel guests from the boat and people were weaving in and out of them on bikes.

I had already checked with our hotel, Pontiac Lodge, that we could leave our bags with them so we headed there to drop our rucksacks off. We really wanted to stay overnight on the Island but it was very expensive and Pontiac Lodge was one of the cheapest options - at around £200 a night. The Grand Hotel was around $1000 a night, so we sadly gave that one a miss!

With our bags safely stored, we walked back to the Main Street Cycle hire to sort out bikes to explore the Island. The bike hire was very straightforward and they even had a bike small enough for me to ride! The main road around the Island is 8 miles and lots of people like to cycle round it.

Setting off was very frustrating as the road was so crowded, including lots of children who didn't have any road sense, so we really had to keep our wits about it and dodge them! However, the crowds did thin out and we started to enjoy a relaxing ride. Well, the three of us did - Paul seemed to have entered the Giro de Mackinac and had zoomed off into the distance and we couldn't keep up with him!

We pootled along, enjoying cycling and eventually caught up with Paul, who was taking a breather and waiting for us, shaking his head at our tardiness. We did point out that we were on holiday and not in training for the Tour de France, but he explained that he couldn't just "pootle".

We had found a nice place to stop though and took some time to have a break and enjoy a picnic on the beach.



Once we had agreed that everyone was allowed to take their time, we stopped a few times, to enjoy the views or just take a breather. We could all have a comfort break at British Bay and the kids enjoyed being British at the sign.



The water of Lake Huron looked so beautiful that we stopped to dip our toes in as well.





Again, we felt like we could have been in the Caribbean rather than in Michigan.



We also spotted some lovely (and enormous) houses on our travels. Clearly the folk of Mackinac Island are quite well to do! We also saw a number of horse drawn carriages and people looking a little bit weary driving them - the horses of Mackinac have one speed and it isn't a fast one!



Once we had completed the circuit, we dropped the bikes off, having a quick chat with the staff about British football as they had spotted our accents. Then it was time for an ice cream, obviously.

Once we had refuelled, we walked to Arch Rock, which was a nice vantage point.





The lake looked so beautiful from here.

It was time to check in by the time we had come back down, so we got into our room and had a rest. Hannah and I set off to visit one of the many fudge shops which you can really smell on Main Street. The fudge, however, was $20 for 3 pieces and we decided that while it smelled nice, we didn't want to spend that kind of money on something that none of us are that keen on.

The fudge is very popular though and the day tourists are known as "Fudgies". The overwhelming scent of Mackinac is a mix of horse manure and fudge and I'm surprised that nobody was selling this as a souvenir perfume . . .

We got our swimming stuff as Paul had spotted what looked like a good spot near the Boardwalk. We walked along and came to a small stony beach where we had a brief dip. The water was very cold but it felt good on such a hot day and we did enjoy it. Hannah also managed to photobomb her brother quite excellently!



Once we had showered, we got dressed up to go out for a meal. It was the kind of place that made you feel as though you had to get gussied up for the evening, so we did.

We walked along to the harbour and had a good look at the boats there.







We headed to Smokey Jose's as there was live music and the menu looked quite reasonable - which seemed unusual for Mackinac Island. The food was nice and the staff were lovely and they did have good Margaritas.



One of the side dishes was Brussel Sprouts which were honestly delicious. Seriously!

After this, we got more ice cream and went to eat it by the water. Evan gave Hannah some stone skimming lessons while we were there.



They were quite impressed with her progress!



Then we headed back to the hotel and caught up with Shark Week before going to bed and listening to the sound of horses' hooves on the road and feeling as though we had really gone back in time.
CrispyA is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 30 Sep 19, 07:35 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
Melbatb
Imagineer
 
Melbatb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 13
Mobile

Wow - what an amazing place! And I agree that it does look like it could be in the Caribbean!

I love sprouts so that sounds right up my street! Though $20 for fudge - they obviously see the tourists coming!

And you all scrub up really well 🤣
__________________

Index of my trip reports
2016 Quebec - Kuala Lumpar - New York City 2017 Dubai - Eurocamps France - Ontario and Quebec - So-Cal 2018 Montreal - Bangkok - New England 2019 Argentina - Quebec City - Hong Kong - 2020 Switzerland 2022 Arizona - Costa Med Cruise - Oslo 2023 Hong Kong - Gothenburg
Melbatb is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 1 Oct 19, 10:43 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
katiebaz
Apprentice Imagineer
 
Join Date: Feb 13

katiebaz's Reviews
Hotel Reviews: 1
Restaurant Reviews: 1
Looks lovely and the bike ride sounded really good fun - even keeping up with Paul. The horse poo and fudge fragrance sounds interesting - it does sound like a Yankee candle though 😀
katiebaz is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 1 Oct 19, 10:57 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
colin39
Imagineer
 
colin39's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 06
Location: sunny canvey island
Mobile

We watch some vlogers "keeping your daydream" they were here on their last vlog, i thought the place looked lovely, trump liked it so much he brought his cars here🤣🤣😂
__________________
till we meet again over rainbow bridge mikey. Rip
colin39 is offline Boy Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 2 Oct 19, 12:53 PM  
Link to this Post
#5
Loopylooloo
VIP Dibber
 
Loopylooloo's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 13
Beautiful photos! What a lovely place. I love the photo of you drinking your Margaritas.
__________________

Our trip reports -
1st trip to Florida - April 2014 - 'Are we nearly Bankrupt yet?!'
The Kuna Mahuna Croatia Holiday 2016
Bankrupt again Florida 2017
New York & RCL Anthem of Seas 2018
https://dibb.in/13476718
And now it’s time for Wine Wine Wine! Rome + Celebrity Cruise May 2022
https://dibb.in/15427816
Loopylooloo is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 2 Oct 19, 08:26 PM  
Link to this Post
#6
CrispyA
Thread Starter
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 11
Originally Posted by Melbatb View Post
Wow - what an amazing place! And I agree that it does look like it could be in the Caribbean!

I love sprouts so that sounds right up my street! Though $20 for fudge - they obviously see the tourists coming!

And you all scrub up really well 🤣
LOL - we can scrub up when we need to! The sprouts were so good - they were flash fried with balsamic vinegar and so tasty. It doesn't usually happen that we are fighting each other over the sprouts!

Originally Posted by katiebaz View Post
Looks lovely and the bike ride sounded really good fun - even keeping up with Paul. The horse poo and fudge fragrance sounds interesting - it does sound like a Yankee candle though 😀
LOL - that would be an interesting Yankee Candle but I also expect to see it on sale soon!

Originally Posted by colin39 View Post
We watch some vlogers "keeping your daydream" they were here on their last vlog, i thought the place looked lovely, trump liked it so much he brought his cars here🤣🤣😂


It really was a lovely place and I'm so glad we managed to fit in a visit.

Originally Posted by Loopylooloo View Post
Beautiful photos! What a lovely place. I love the photo of you drinking your Margaritas.
It was really lovely and I can definitely recommend a visit. The Margaritas were very nice!
CrispyA is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 30 Oct 19, 08:49 PM  
Link to this Post
#7
WileyCoyote
I am not a shopaholic
 
WileyCoyote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 11
What a lovely day. Looks a great place . You all scrubbed up well for dinner.. very smart. Those margs look lovely too. And then you mentioned sprouts. Oh Deary me.

Mmm you may have hit on a market niche there with the fudge/manure combo , ha ha.

Great overnight trip. These islands are v pricey though!
WileyCoyote is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
One of the the five worlds found in Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon... Read More »
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2354
CaxtonFX  $1.2309
Covent Garden FX  $1.2541
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2354
TESCO  $1.2364
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 01:00 29/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1447
CaxtonFX  €1.1413
Covent Garden FX  €1.1513
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1440
TESCO  €1.1445
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 01:00 29/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X