Last Saturday we spent the day on Mackinac Island! This was such a fun adventure!! Seriously, so refreshing and much needed as we had our first little trip as a family of four. I won’t say we weren’t exhausted after a full day traveling to the island and back home–but loved every minute of it! I haven’t seen the two little Gs’ so full of excitement and wonder–Grayson in awhile and Gentry ever!
{This was Gentry’s first time out for an adventure/day trip and well I guess I’ll put words into his mouth and say he LOVED it😉}
Getting There
To get to the island you can take the ferry or fly. (Yes there are a few direct flights to the island but ferry is the preferred method–cheaper too.) The ferry is super simple–I bought tickets on our drive for Shepler’s Ferry. The best part is you don’t have to select a specific time to leave when you buy your ticket. Same for the return trip! You just show up at your desired time based on their schedule of departures👌🏼
{Super helpful for those like us who don’t plan ahead, ha!}
We didn’t mind great views of the bridge, water, and the beautiful sunshine as we ferried to the island☀️
Accomodations
We had been looking at The Mackinac House for overnight accommodations for several weekends prior to going. Unfortunately the weekend it worked for us to go there was no availability, so a day trip it was! A friend showed me this place and I think it’s the cutest– haven’t stayed but if you need a place, I think it would be a great recommendation!
Our Day Trip
We started off by strolling main street!
I’m pretty sure every other boutique features fudge! We stopped at a few to take a peek and then grabbed a treat for later.
Next, we headed to The Grand Hotel!
We had lunch outside at the Jockey Club, the restaurant on The Grand Hotel’s golf course. It was the perfect day to sit outside.
{The inside looks so fun too😍}
A few more sites to see before our carriage ride.
The views of Lake Huron are gorgeous!
Off to wait on our carriage ride!
This is a must–I think Grayson asked fifty times if we were going to ride the horses, ha! The carriage rides are a great way to see the entire island, on a 90 minute tour.
A couple of random sites
and then to Arch Rock😍
and back to the carriage…
for the final stretch of the tour.
We decided to extend our time as long as possible and stay for dinner–catching the 9pm Ferry (last one of the evening). Ha! We ate here and were all a bit tired and sweaty by that time😅
We weren’t seated until 8:05 pm (a longer than expected wait time). We ate and were out by 8:48 pm. Since the boat didn’t leave until 9, why not run to a few more places 😂
In one of the shops, Grayson found a book about The Grand Hotel that he loved but we didn’t have time to buy, so a few sweet ladies took the price tag off and said they would buy it for him❤️ {Thank you!! You made his night!}
It wouldn’t be a trip without cutting something short on time! We were running down the dock as we were the last to board the ferry🙌🏼 I think we made good use of our day trip!!😍
Gorgeous pics!! 😍 So glad you all got to enjoy such a beautiful historic place 😊. Love seeing you all so happy😍