In 2020 we visited Mackinac Island for one day on our big Michigan Road Trip and loved it so much we wanted to come back the next year, so we did! This time in 2021 the kids were 5 years old, 3 years old, and 7 months old and we spent three nights on the island in an apartment with some friends. Here is a whole list of the things we did and how we did them with little kids!

About Mackinac Island, Etc.

I don’t want to repeat myself, so if you want to know a little about Mackinac Island, the name, when to go, how long to stay, and how to get there, see my first post One Day On Mackinac Island With Little Kids! I will add that this time we went in early June so the weather was a little cooler and there were not as many people, but there were tons of sandflies near the water during the day. However, I really think any time in the summer would be a great time to visit Mackinac!

Where To Stay With Little Kids On Mackinac Island

Hotels

Our first visit to Mackinac Island we stayed in a hotel on main street, but it was too cramped and busy for our preferences. However, some hotels have suites with multiple rooms and are pretty nice, so if you are interested in hotels, check out my first post for more about the options (linked above).

BnBs, Apartments, Condos, Houses

Mackinac Island has lots of BnBs, apartments, condos and houses, but (in 2021) they are a little harder to find because there is not one main website with all the places listed where you can ALSO search their availability, plus many you need to call or email about, and some even have a 2 week or 1 month minimum stay. But if you are interested in this type of lodging (aka not hotels) like we were, these are the best websites lists I found:

Where To Stay With Kids

For this trip we wanted a place to stay for 3-5 nights, preferably off main street but still close to everything, for 2 couples and a few kids, with multiple (at least 3) rooms so we could put the kids to bed early, and with a kitchen. If you are in a similar situation, here is a whole list of houses and hotel suites with multiple rooms that I think would have worked. Note that I’m not recommending them, because I haven’t stayed there, just listing places that we were considering!

  • Dreamcatcher Cottage – super cute, but I never heard back from them
  • 1830 Inn – bed and breakfast with a community area, suites have a big room with 1 bed and a separate small room with a bed and room for a crib (this would have been our first choice if we weren’t traveling with friends)
  • The Inn at Stonecliffe – a resort 2 miles from downtown (requiring walking, biking, or carriage taxi) with a view of the bridge, with regular rooms and suites with dining areas and mini kitchens
  • Lakebluff Condos and Suites – also 2 miles from downtown, with full kitchens, seems to be one of the few condo type places you can stay for a few days, without the 2-4 week minimum
  • Park Place Suites – east of downtown by the fort (so a little walk to downtown and farther from the Grand Hotel), has nice suites that sleep more people, with full kitchens, cheaper prices
  • Voyager Inn Apartments – east of downtown past the park, also has several larger cheaper units with kitchens
  • McGreevy Cottage – perfect medium sized house with 3 rooms, 1 with bunks, downtown, the only house I could find with a less than 2 week minimum stay
  • Downtown Harbor Suites & Penthouse – the penthouse has 3 rooms and a kitchen! 1 king, 1 queen, 2 twins, downtown with views! (This was where we ended up staying!)
  • Mission Point Lodge – way east of town, appears to have beautiful grounds, lawn with Adirondack chairs, pretty sunsets, kid friendly with resort packages, the main lodge has family suites, however it’s a bit of a carriage or bike ride from town
  • Chippewa Hotel – east downtown, lots of good suite options for families and claims good views, but looked out of our price range
  • Metivier Inn – rooms in a beautiful house on Market Street, the calmer street alternative to Main Street
  • Hart’s Inn – west downtown just off the main stretch (which I think is the best location: by downtown and walking distance to Grand Hotel)
  • Lake View Hotel – west of downtown with suites in the turrets! and beautiful views
  • Hotel Iroquois – also west downtown with beautiful suites and waterfront views, wish we could have stayed here but a little out of our price range
  • Windermere Hotel – also west downtown, front porch, picnic and sunbathing beach across the street, lots of multiple bed arrangement options for families
  • Lilac Tree Hotel – on Main Street, but lots of good suite options that would work well for families

In the end we stayed at the Downtown Harbor Suites & Penthouse and loved it! The entry was just off the main street so it didn’t feel so busy but close to the edge of town so we had access to shopping and bikes and the beach, we had a great view of the harbor and boats, it had a huge deck (that at the time was covered in sandflies so we didn’t use it), and was just huge, way bigger than we expected. It’s also located above Mary’s Draught and Bistro, which was our favorite restaurant and bar this trip. The only con was that the room with two beds for little kids had a skylight that we couldn’t block out for naps. But we would definitely stay there again! It was the best price and place for what we needed. As a side note if you do stay there, it’s kind of hard to find – you need to go left from the ferry down main street, left into the Star Ferry hallway, the left up the staircase that’s kind of hidden in there, to a whole area of apartments on the second floor.

This was the lovely main room and view from the penthouse, and the cute little kids rooms with two single beds:

What To Do For Four Days On Mackinac Island With Little Kids

Here’s a list of what we did and the order we did them in!

First we drove up from Indiana to St. Ignace. We took two days but probably could have done it in one, we just didn’t know how the baby would do in the car. Lesson learned: the first day on a car trip is exciting so drive as much as you can, because the second day the magic fades and everyone is fussy.

We stayed at the Breakers Resort in St. Ignace so we could go right to Mackinac Island in the morning and have the whole day there. Breakers Resort was okay. It was pretty dilapidated but for a moderately priced hotel it was great, the room was bigger than expected, we had a suite with a separate bedroom, and the hotel had a wonderful private waterfront beach area that the kids loved, complete with adirondack chairs. Also, it was close to the ferry so we didn’t feel rushed in the morning!

DAY 1

In the morning we let the kids play on the beach at Breakers Resort while we took turns packing, then headed to the ferry!

Ride The Ferry

The main way to get to Mackinac Island is on the ferry. They are all similar prices and timing, but we like Shepler’s Ferry from St. Ignace because the long term parking lot is right by the loading dock and is well enclosed. (For more about the ferry options see my first post). We went the Monday of Memorial Day weekend and there was literally no line. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes and our boys love it!

When we arrived, we dropped off our luggage at the apartment and had lunch across the street at Great Turtle Brewing (I’ll list our food recommendations at the end).

Walk Mainstreet

At some point you must walk main street – it’s actually hard not to, since the ferries all arrive there. It’s quintessential Mackinac Island with historic Victorian architecture and a wide road full of horse carriages and bikers. There’s a lot of cute stores, a lot of touristy stores, and lots of fudge. So after lunch we walked main street and stopped by Doud’s Market at the end by Marquette Park to get some groceries for breakfast, lunch and snack.

Next we had the kids take naps in the apartment. When they awoke, we were ready to explore!

Walk up Cadotte Ave

Since day one was our exploratory day, we took another walk. Besides strolling downtown, walking to the Grand is the other great way to get a feel for the island. The hotel sits above town on a long street bustling with carriages and bikes travelling between town, the Grand, and the neighborhood beyond. There’s beautiful garden to explore below the hotel and great people watching.

Visit the Grand Hotel Stables

We decided to go further than the hotel, all the way to the Grand Hotel Stables because my friend and I like horses. It was about a mile of varying degrees uphill and we had no clue how the kids would do, but we had a stroller so we went for it. (Our 4 1/2 year old did fine, the 2 1/2 year old had to be carried at the end, and the baby was in the stroller). From downtown we walked up Cadotte Avenue, past the Grand Hotel on our left, past the carriage barns on the right, then turned right on Carriage Road to the Grand Hotel Stables. We were bummed to discover the Stables were closed (it was kind of late, and a holiday) but we lucked out and the draft horses were out in the pasture, so we watched them for a long time – there were so many of them! It was super special, and worth the walk just for that! (I wish I could recommend what time to visit so you can see this too, but I don’t know when they do turn out).

After this we ate and early dinner at The Gate House on the way back down Cadotte Ave. We really like this restaurant for its views of The Grand and outdoor dining. Then, the food having renewed our energy, we took a post-prandial stroll to…

Walk the Grand Hotel’s Secret Gardens

Below the Grand Hotel and its huge lawn is the Grand Hotel Secret Gardens, which I’d wanted to explore since seeing the beautiful pictures on Mostefinitely’s post. It’s a little confusing to find since there are no signs, but you can enter from the southeast corner of the huge hotel lawn, or from Cadotte Ave there is a staircase and a gravel road that lead to multiple narrow pathways branching out to the gardens. This is my best attempt at mapping how to get to the gardens: take one of the solid yellow lines, then wander around withing the dotted yellow line area (thank you GoogleMaps):

The gardens are located inside the forested area, with trails weaving between trees and gardens, providing small views of The Grand and an ever-changing assortment of flowers that varies with the seasons.

Then we went home and to bed!

DAY 2

For breakfast we brought Lucky Bean coffee and cinnamon rolls back to the apartment, it was delicious!

Bike The Perimeter

Our kids loved this so much the last time that we made sure to do it first thing this trip. The perimeter of the island is flat and about 8 miles, with beautiful sloped forest on one side and gorgeous turquoise green water on the other. It could take under an hour, but with little kids and stops we give it 2+ hours.

All the bike rentals cost about the same so we just went with the closest one. See my first Mackinac blog post for more about bike rentals and deciding which direction to bike around the island. We rented two 7-speed bikes with kid trailers – our two boys rode in one, and we strapped the baby in the car seat into the other! To make the car seat fit we folded down the back part of the trailer seat and had to extend the seat belt the whole way out, it was tight but it worked!

We decided to go counter-clockwise again this time, since we were leaving in the morning and wanted to do a picnic lunch at British Landing toward the end. So we packed our sandwiches and were off!

(I just love this view!)

Arch Rock

Our first stop was Arch Rock! You can hike there from town, see it on the carriage tour, or do as we did and stop on the perimeter bike route and hike the 200+ stairs to the arch. It’s a lot of stairs with little kids and a baby in a carrier but we made it through by counting the stairs and bribing with snacks. We took some photos with the famous arch then hiked around that area a bit.

Nicolet Watchtower

To the left of the arch are 74 more stairs that lead to Nicolet Watchtower, which has a nice little view and marks the start of Tranquil Bluff Trail. This is a historical marker in honor of John Nicolet, the first European to travel through the Great Lakes area.

Tranquil Bluff Trail

From the watchtower we took a little “adventure hike” to get the kids’ energy out down Tranquil Bluff Trail a short ways until it crossed the paved road, which we turned left down, and then took another left on a bigger paved road which led back to Arch rock. This was an easy very very short walk for the kids with one steep tree-root-steps downhill part. Tranquil Bluff Trail actually goes all the way to British Landing and would be a wonderful hike for bigger legs and more stamina. It looks like it meets up with Leslie Bluff Road a few times (the road we took back to Arch Rock) so you could go further than we did.

(The above image was made using the Mackinac Island General Map – I think it’s the best map and recommend downloading it to your phone before hiking anywhere!)

Lake Shore Nature Trail

We biked a ways to the Lake Shore Nature Trail, which is a very short boardwalk trail (200 yards) that we skipped because I had to feed the baby but our friends walked it and said it was short and sweet, not amazing but good for little kids. I guess it goes through forest and bog and has some exhibits. It’s a good place to rest or get kids energy out if you need to.

Scott’s Shore Road

Where Scott’s Shore Road meets the perimeter road we found the road blocked with no through access – I guess high waves from a recent storm had washed out the perimeter road – so we detoured on Scott’s Shore Road and are so glad we did because it was our favorite part of the whole ride! You go up a short steep hill (we walked our bikes with trailers) then turn right and it’s mostly flat and downhill the whole way to British Landing, meandering through beautiful forest which at the beginning of June was covered in wildflowers and just magical. Having biked the perimeter before, I’d recommend doing this inland trail instead of the tip of the perimeter every time – but make sure you’re going east to west because it would not have been as fun going the other direction with a slight uphill the whole way! At the end of Scott Shore Road we turned right onto British Landing Road which took us back to the perimeter trail at British Landing.

(Notice all the little blue wildflowers on the left!)

(Again, the above image was made using the Mackinac Island General Map!)

British Landing

British Landing is a beach area on the west side of the island’s perimeter road with wonderful views of the Mackinac Bridge, picnic tables, a nature center, nature trails, bathroom, and the Cannonball Drive In food shack. We had a picnic lunch looking out at the bridge, and our friends got food from the Cannonball, which they really liked, especially the fried pickles. It was a great just-over-halfway point to rest before finishing the bike ride.

(I’ve included this picture of the trail in case you’re interested in doing it with your kids!)

The ride on the west side of the island back to downtown was very windy, as it was the last time we came, and once again I thought maybe next time we should start out this way so we’re not biking into the wind on the way home! However, I think much of the difficulty was due to pulling the kid trailer – without it would have been much easier!

(At some point the 5 year old shimmied into the back luggage area of the trailer and I just about died when he peeked out! I’m not recommending your kids do this because safety first but…it was pretty hilarious.)

The rest of the day was spent with the kids taking naps while the guys had beers at Mary’s Draught right below the apartment (which they highly recommend); then my friend and I going shopping; and lastly having dinner at the Kingston Kitchen.

Play & Sunset On The Beach

We finished the day watching the sunset from the beach just up the street – past the Hotel Iroquois and Windermere Point Doghouse Hot Dog, at the southernmost tip of the island. It’s a rocky beach area with a huge grass lawn that the boys loved running around on while we enjoyed some pretty sunset skies.

DAY 3

We started the day again with coffee from Lucky Bean Coffee, and had breakfast from our own supplies in the apartment.

Hike The Interior Of The Island

The interior of Mackinac Island is full of trails for hiking and mountain biking, and quite a few attractions. If you don’t have little legs with you or physical issues, I think you could make your way around quickly to see all the sights, but since we had two little kids walking and a baby in a carrier, we limited our trek to going up to Fort Holmes and back and everything in between. Even that was a bit much for our 2.5 year old who tires easily despite being (or because of being?) so big.

This was our route: walk to Marquette park; take the stairs to the right of the fort behind the playground up to Anne’s Tablet, the Overlook and the Gazebo; continue up the road to Rifle Range Trail, then Watch Your Step Trail up to Fort Holmes; walk the road to Point Lookout to see Sugar Loaf; take Henry Trail down to Skull Cave; walk down to Fort Mackinac for lunch and the fort; then back to the apartment. Here is a map of it:

(Once again, the above image was made using the Mackinac Island General Map!)

If that’s too short for you, here are some other good suggestions for walks and hikes I found on the Trip Advisor Forums:

  • Tranquil Bluffs Trail – starts near Arch Rock at the Nicolet Watchtower and goes back about 3 miles toward British Landing; it goes along the cliff edge with some views of the lake; stop at Eagle Point Cave slightly off the trail about 1.5 miles in; about halfway through you can hop on Scott’s Road it the trail is too much; you can go all the way to the end or turn back any time!
  • West Bluff + Pontiac Trail – walk past the front of the Grand Hotel (or, go to the field before the Grand, cut through the forest and across the lawn, up the stairs to the hotel, then turn left) and continue up West Bluff to view the huge beautiful cottages, at the end is a small gate which is the start of Pontiac Trail; I read this is a peaceful walk with a beautiful view; you can return on the back streets to see big homes and the stables.
  • Back Roads Loop – walk past the front of the Grant Hotel* and continue up West Bluff to view the huge beautiful cottages, then turn right back to the main road via Grand Ave and Annex Road, continue on Huron Rd past the carriage stables and golf course all the way to the Governor’s Summer Residence where you turn left on Huron Road and continue down that until you see the path on the left “Arch Rock Rd” which you take to Arch Rock, from there take the trail to the right of Arch Rock and stay right instead of going down to the shore/bike trail so that you stay on the bluff called “Manitou Trail,” which eventually comes out above Mission Point and take the first left down to the main street. It sounds like a couple hour walk.
  • For more ideas check out MackinackIsland.org’s 4 Trails To Explore On Mackinac Island!

If you decide to take our hike, or see any of the points of interest we did, here is the info as follows!

Marquette Park

Marquette Park is just east of downtown under Fort Mackinac. It’s a huge area of beautiful green grass and huge lilac bushes which in June were all blooming! It’s popular spot for just sitting and watching the boats in the harbor.

There is also a little playground on the far right side, located next to some stairs, which is where our hike started. We went up about a hundred stairs to the top then turned left to go to…

Anne’s Tablet

Anne’s Tablet is a nice little monument with a view and some benches in a little shaded area. I was not very impressed at the time and wish I’d known its purpose, which I just looked up now. Apparently it was built as a memorial to local author Constance Fenimore Woolson who spent summers in a building that used to be under the overlook, and published stories based on her experiences in Mackinac Island and the Great Lakes area, including her first novel “Anne” in 1880 which was set on the island. Since the author was buried in Italy, the “sculptural installation” was created as a place where American readers could “pay their respects” (source).

The Overlook

The Overlook, as it’s so named on the map, is right above Anne’s Tablet and offers another nice view of the harbor and downtown. It’s a bit uphill with tons of roots and maybe not a legit trail, haha.

The Gazebo

A little further north from the Overlook and Anne’s Tablet you’ll find The Gazebo, a piece from the 1979 movie Somewhere in Time which was made on Mackinac Island, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour (learn more about it here). The gazebo was relocated to this spot for visitors and wedding rentals. It’s not too interesting unless you’ve watched the movie, lol. Sorry I don’t have a pic.

Rifle Range Trail

From the Gazebo we continued uphill and around the outer wall of Fort Mackinac until we met up with Huron Road where we turned right, and then left on Garrison Road, and then right onto Rifle Range Trail. The trail was a really enjoyable gentle-uphill walk through a field of wildflowers (it being the beginning of June).

We were delighted to see the somewhat rare Yellow Lady’s Slippers Orchid. Apparently the bright yellow pouch looks like a slipper, and the two petals twisting down on either side look like laces.

Watch Your Step Trail

From Rifle Range Trail it was a short road crossing over to Watch Your Step Trail. Nothing too exciting about it other than a lot of stairs and coming out the top at Fort Holmes!

Fort Holmes

This fort was first built in 1812 by the British on the highest point of the island to help protect it, but only used for a few years. In 1934 a reconstruction based on the original plans was made, which was later replaced in 2015 by the current version. It’s a simple unimpressive building, but the hilltop has wonderful views of half the island and surrounding waters. We enjoyed a nice snack time at the picnic tables while taking in the view, and were really glad we made the uphill climb to experience it. However, if you don’t want to do an all uphill hike to get there, you can hop on a Mackinac Island Carriage Tour instead! (They also stop by the next two spots on our hike, Sugar Loaf lookout and Skull Cave).

(You can see Rifle Range Trail in the middle).

We saw someone from the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch there counting birds of prey and handing out information. The group conducts scientific research on migrating birds of prey in the Straits of Mackinac area in the spring and fall, because the straits area is a concentration point for migrating birds that like to island hop on their way to the upper peninsula. The man was happy to identify the birds for us and share what he knew, while also doing his job of counting. It was pretty cool to see the birds above and below us. The 2021 study results are here if you’re interested in what types of raptors fly by. And check out this article for more info on the group and where to raptor watch!

Point Lookout & Sugar Loaf

From Fort Holmes we walked down the paved road to Point Lookout, a little deck-type area overlooking Sugar Loaf, a huge 75 foot tall rock sticking out of the ground with some legends about it. It’s a stopping point for the carriage rides, too. I did not find it that impressive, perhaps because we had whiny children with us, or because I’ve seen other big rocks before, or because the sun was directly overhead creating very unflattering light for the rock. It would probably be more impressive to hike or bike on the trail directly by the rock, though.

Skull Cave

From Point Lookout we took the paved road back toward the fort and turned right down Henry Trail, a gravelly rocky downhill shortcut trail that ends at Skull Cave. Again, it’s a boring little cave unless you know the story behind it. In short, during Pontiac’s Uprising in 1763 there was an attack on Fort Michilimackinac on the mainland, and the fur trader Alexander Henry fled and was helped by his friend the Ojibwe Chief Wawatam to hide on Mackinac Island in the cave; in the morning he woke up laying on human skulls and bones and so the cave was named Skull Cave. The full story in Henry’s own words is highly entertaining and can be read on page 9 of this publication on Pre-Historic Mackinac Island. Honestly his story is what made me want to see the cave! However, today much of the cave has been filled in or blocked off to prevent damage or vandalism, so it’s not very impressive, but I liked the history. Here is a very unflattering picture:

From Skull Cave we walked down the paved road to the back entrance of Fort Mackinac on Huron Rd. At this point the kids’ legs got really tired and I wish we’d had the stroller because I ended up carrying our very big 3 year old for quite a while. (Lesson learned: always bring the soft carrier as backup).

Fort Mackinac Tea Room

The Fort Mackinac Tea Room is a nice little restaurant located inside Fort Mackinac (so you do have to pay entry to the fort to eat there) in the historic Officers’ Stone Quarters, the oldest public building in Michigan. It’s only open for lunch, from 11-4ish, so you’ve got to plan for lunch or a snack if you want to eat there. And it’s totally worth it for the absolutely beautiful views of Mackinac in the ambiance of old whitewashed stone walls and cheery yellow umbrellas. The food was quite good too!

However, we had a very long wait to order and get our meal, and it cut into the amount of time we had left to explore the fort afterward before naptime. In retrospect, I wish one of us had taken the boys to run around the fort while we waited for our food so they could have had more time there.

Fort Mackinac

After lunch we spent some time exploring Fort Mackinac, a former British and American military outpost built in the late 1700 and 1800s. It has 14 original buildings which all have good exhibits about the military, battles, family life and history of the fort, and one building geared specifically to kids. There are also cannon and rifle firings and bugle music throughout the day. Last time the boys loved it and ran all over the place! Unfortunately, we didn’t get much time there this visit because we had to hurry back to the room for naps. In retrospect, maybe we should have pushed the boys to skip their nap and enjoy the fort, but I think we would have paid for it later. I don’t have a pic from this trip, but here’s one from last time:

From Fort Mackinac we exited the waterfront side and took the steep walkway down to town, back to the apartment for naptime. What a round trip! I’m so glad we spent the morning walking the interior, but do think I overestimated what our little guys could do and wish we’d had a stroller or carrier.

Horseback Trail Ride at Cindy’s Riding Stable

In the afternoon my friend and I were able to squeeze in a trail ride at Cindy’s Riding Stable! I heard that their rides can fill up, so on the way back from the fort I popped my head in to ask if they had any openings – they did, so later when the timing worked out just right we called to grab the spots and ran over. I’m so glad we fit this in because it was one of my favorite parts of our visit! It was so fun to see the island from the perspective of horseback and to explore a new area of the island, since the ride took us through the neighborhood behind The Grand and the trails behind there, in the Harrisonville area.

I have worked at several horse barns and was impressed by the stables – they were very nice and the horses well cared for. They are good at matching you with a horse to fit your riding experience, so make sure you fill out that part of the paperwork honestly. Also, if you are an experienced rider, they will let you go without a guide! So we set out with the group and about 20 minutes out the guide pointed us down our trail and let us go off on our own. We could not have gotten lost if we’d wanted to because the horses knew the way and let us know us if we guessed wrong, hah!

Then we had dinner at Mary’s Bistro which ended up being our favorite restaurant during our visit (more on where to eat later).

DAY 4

On our last day we had the goal of leaving the island before noon so our friends could drive all the way home. However, we didn’t want to leave the island without visiting The Grand, so we made it there for the breakfast buffet! We packed up early, pre-loaded our luggage on the ferry (which they so kindly keep track of for you), and took a lovely morning walk up to the Grand.

Visit the Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel is a very fancy huge historic hotel built in 1887 and made famous by having the world’s longest front porch, decorated in what I would call a bold retro cabana millionaire vibe, and many famous past guests including presidents, Thomas Edison, and Mark Twain. You can get in for free with a meal, or pay a fee to just walk around and see the place (however, I didn’t see anyone walking around checking). I found it really fun to just walk around because there’s something surprising around every corner. The parlor level, where we went to the main dining room for breakfast, also had a huge fancy sitting area, the Autobahn Wine Room where you can get wine and read about birds apparently (it’s basically a bar in a library), a trophy room for a dog (turns out the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was won by a Scottish terrier from Mackinac Island named Sadie, who also won two other huge dog shows becoming the dog world’s first Triple Crown winner, owned by the chairman of the Grand at the time, hence the “Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor” downstairs where you can get a humongous sundae in a dog bone shaped bowl!), multiple other random entertaining and waiting rooms, and of course, the world’s largest front porch. If you can swing it, I’d totally stay here a night or two just for the experience and exploring!

Eat Breakfast At The Grand Hotel

Breakfast is served in the Main Dining Room at the Grand Hotel from 7:30 am – 10 am. It’s not cheap, but the least expensive meal you can get here and there’s no dress code. They have a huge assortment of breakfast foods, with the perfect little yogurt granola fruit cups for the kids, and is totally worth it for the experience.

However, I’m not a big breakfast fan and didn’t find the food super amazing, so if you’re not up for a meal there, I’d totally suggest paying the fee to enter and just get coffee from the shop on the lower level to take on the deck in the morning, then explore the hotel – or go in the afternoon for ice cream or drinks in the wine bar – or I’ve heard the bar at the top of the Grand is good too!

Hang Out On The Grand Hotel’s Porch

The Grand supposedly has the world’s longest porch, with a beautiful view of the bridge and mainland, so afterward we had to stop for pictures! If you have the time, definitely stay a while in one of the rocking chairs and read a book or watch the boats go by.

From there we went back to the ferry. It was a Friday early in the season and we got right on with no wait. That’s the end of our 4 day Mackinac Island trip, but not all I have to share!

RUNNERS UP

Here are more things you can do on Mackinac Island that we didn’t make it to, but looked cool!

  • Tranquil Bluff Trail – I hear it’s one of the most beautiful trails on the island along the cliffs. It starts at Arch Rock and goes to British Landing, about 3 miles. If you do it out and back it’s 6 miles total and about 3 hours, but most people take other trails back from British Landing, usually ending up with a 9 mile hike that takes most of the day.
  • Sunset Rock – supposedly this spot has great sunset views on the west side of the island near The Inn at Stonecliffe.
  • Butterflies – there are two Butterfly gardens on the island, The Butterfly House and Wings of Mackinac, and they both look like fun for kids!
  • Playgrounds – there are a few playgrounds on the island, in particular the school playground below The Grand, which we’d have stopped at if there hadn’t been so many other cool things to do!
  • Stay at the Grand Hotel – I hear they have child care and it might be worth the price just for that! And for the experience of staying in such opulence, using the pool, and hanging out on the patio…
  • Mackinac Island Art Museum – tuck this in your pocket for a rainy day!
  • Drive your own buggy – if you’re not up for riding, Jack’s Livery rents buggies you can drive on your own!
  • Bike the interior – while you can see much of the interior of the island by hiking or a carriage ride, there is even more you can see only by hiking or biking – and biking is faster. Because we had little kids in heavy trailers and my bad knees, we did not attempt this, but it sure sounds like fun! For a good interior biking tour with kids, see about halfway down MyMichiganTrips.com’s Mackinac Island post.
  • Lilac Festival – go to Mackinac during the Lilac Festival in June for 10 days of celebrating lilacs, a parade, lilac walking tours, lilac seminars, bounce houses, and more! We just missed it this time.
  • Watch the movie “Somewhere In Time” – this romantic 1980 movie starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour takes place almost entirely at the Grand Hotel, so watching this before or after a visit would be fun!

Where To Eat on Mackinac Island

We did not eat out every meal – we got groceries, ate breakfast in the room (sometimes with pastries from the coffee shop), for lunch had a picnic, leftovers, or ate out, and for dinner ate out. With the kids and high tourist season, we found that eating dinner a little early worked well and avoided any lines (which were non-existent in the middle of the week in June, but in August the streets were packed). We did not try all the restaurants on the island, but here are the ones we did go to and recommend!

  • The Gate House – we went here our first trip and loved it so much we had to go back this time. There is a lot of seating, we were able to get in right away, and it was not busy in June. The deck area has a little view of the Grand Hotel and is right near the street so it’s fun to watch the horses go by. Our second trip the whitefish and chips were very good, but the cocktail drinks came in plastic cups which seemed a bit tacky for the nice setting.
  • Great Turtle Brewery and Distillery – we liked the food, liked the seating on the deck right next to main street for people watching, and they had surprisingly good beer!
  • Lucky Bean Coffee Shop – we found this coffee shop our first visit and kept going back the second visit. They have good coffee, good chai, the cinnamon rolls were great, and the rest of the pastries were okay. We had this almost every morning! It was nice to take a little morning walk for coffee before the tourism bustle started up. Do note that most of the time there was a line and a wait for our items, if you’re planning to go right before catching the ferry.
  • Kingston Kitchen – this Jamaican-inspired American fare restaurant is just off main street on a road that’s still plenty busy for people and horse watching (if that’s your thing – it’s mine). Everyone loved their Jamaican food, and my burger was okay (but that’s what I get for ordering a burger and not Jamaican food).
  • Fort Mackinac Tea Room – I already raved about this place earlier, but let me review. This is a nice little restaurant located inside For Mackinac (so you do have to pay to get in the fort first) in the historic Officer’s Stone Quarter, which is the oldest public building in Michigan, built in 1780. For a full history, read this article. The Tea Room is the most picturesque setting with the best restaurant view on the island of the harbor and main street. It’s only open from 11-4ish so you have to plan for lunch or a snack. The food was good, and it’s totally worth it for the views and ambiance of the old building. However, we did have a long wait for our food, so if your kids start to get antsy, I’d recommend taking them to explore the fort some more while someone stays at the table to order and wait for the food.
  • Mary’s Bistro – this was our best meal of our stay, and located right by our apartment. All the food was great.
  • Mary’s Draught House – connected to the Bistro, the guys really liked this place. It has a big draught list with 50 taps and lots of Michigan craft beer!
  • Bistro on the Greens – at Mission Point. Our first trip we stopped here for lunch before biking around the island. There is a huge deck for seating and water views, and the food was good. We did have to wait a bit to be seated but conveniently there was a beachy area nearby to take the kids.

Runners Up

Here are some places I noted that looked good but we didn’t make it to, if you need some ideas:

  • The Woods Restaurant – I really wanted to eat here because of the Bavarian ambiance and delicious looking wild game menu, but you need reservations usually made a few days in advance and to schedule a carriage to get there, so we just didn’t make it happen.
  • Chuckwagon Restaurant – supposedly the best breakfast and burger around, from multiple reviews.
  • Seabiscuit Café – it’s fitting to have a horse themed restaurant on an island where there are horses everywhere. It just looked like a fun place to go. It gets consistently good reviews for filling regular pub food.
  • Grand Hotel Buffet Lunch – I shared about breakfast earlier, but you could do lunch instead!
  • Cupola Bar at the Grand Hotel – at the top of the Grand, you can get cocktails and panoramic views of the Straits of Mackinac. They don’t charge non-guests to enter the hotel in the evening and go right to the top. In the evening there is a dress code for most public areas, but not that bar.
  • 1852 Grill Room in the Island House Hotel – a classy expensive restaurant I wouldn’t take kids to but that looks amazing – it has live piano music and views of main street and the water. I read the front lawn has s’mores during sunset!
  • Inn at Stonecliffe – you can eat here on the veranda overlooking the water at sunset, need I say more? It’s a nice off the beaten path location (a bike or carriage ride away from Main Street) that gets good reviews.
  • Watercolor Cafe – I really like the look of their healthier breakfast menu.

Conclusion

We were so happy to spend 4 long days on Mackinac Island! We felt like we really had time to see everything and also to relax (it helps when kids have mandatory nap time). Two years later, as I am finally finishing this post, our boys still talk about the island and ask to go back! I hope you found this post helpful for planning your own Mackinac Island trip!