10 things to do on a rainy day on Mackinac Island

Yes, sometimes there are rainy days on Mackinac Island, one of the few U.S. cities with perfect summer weather. And when it does rain, there are many unique ways to spend the day.

In fact, rainy days on Mackinac Island offer special opportunities to get cozy and indulge in Island sensations like a delectable dinner or a ticklish rendezvous with butterflies.

Here are five ways to awaken your senses during a rainy day on Mackinac Island:

• Get in touch with your taste buds

  

  ‘Its climate during the summer months is delightful; there is no air more pure and elastic, and the winds of the south and southwest, which are so hot on the prairies, arrive here tempered to a grateful coolness by the waters over which they have swept,’ famed writer William Cullen Bryant wrote about Mackinac Island back in 1846. ‘The nights are always, in the hottest season, agreeably cool, and the health of the place is proverbial. The world has not many islands so beautiful as Mackinaw.’

  – From a secluded Tudor mansion with a duckpin bowling alley to a downtown pancake house with classic comfort food, the restaurants on Mackinac Island are as unique as the island itself. Why not take time on a rainy day to enjoy appetizers at one, drinks at another, dinner at a third and dessert at a fourth? After all, there’s no rush on Mackinac Island. Whether you’re in the mood for fine dining prepared by world-renowned chefs or a casual burger and beer in a distinctive setting full of character and scenic beauty, you’ll find it within walking distance – or just a short horse-drawn carriage ride away.

• Soak in all the scenery

  – Horse-drawn carriage rides on Mackinac Island are covered, so even on a rainy day you can take a narrated tour and learn something that you didn’t know before. And if you already know everything about Mackinac Island, you know that the sights alone are worth another trip!

• Feel relaxed

  – When it rains outside, it’s a ready-made excuse to visit the spa…ahhhh! Whether you enjoy a facial or a massage, a manicure or a pedicure, a sauna or a steam room, it all adds up to relaxation – which is exactly what Mackinac Island is all about. You can get a well-deserved pampering at any of Mackinac Island’s luxury spas. Go ahead and refresh your senses and your soul, from head to toe. You’re on vacation, after all.

• Listen to the rain

  – One of the distinctive characteristics of Mackinac Island is the Victorian architecture that features spacious and relaxing front porches. At many places to stay on Mackinac Island, you can pass the time on a rainy day by curling up on the porch with a good book as raindrops fall a few feet away. Or, close your eyes and drift off to sleep with the sounds of horse hooves, foghorns and bicycle bells in your ears!

• Inhale the delicious scent of fudge

  – Find an umbrella, head downtown and sample some fudge. Then try some more, and more, then maybe a little more. At the height of the season, downtown shops make about 10,000 pounds of world-famous Mackinac Island fudge each day. It smells so good it’s hard not to walk in and grab a free sample. Be sure to take time to watch a fudge-making demonstration, too. It’s truly a theatrical production!

Of course, that’s not all the things to do on Mackinac Island during a rainy day. Here are six more ideas:

• visit with the butterflies

  at one of Mackinac Island’s magical conservatories

• explore one of Mackinac Island’s museums

  such as the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum or the Surrey Hills Carriage Museum

• dare to visit  Mackinac Island’s Haunted Theatre

  for some spooky rainy-day fun and come face to face with 3-D monsters from the island’s legendary past

• observe the craftsmanship

  in a working blacksmith shop in Historic Downtown Mackinac or learn about the incredible 19^th-century medical experiments of Dr. William Beaumont at the American Fur Company Store

• go shopping in Mackinac Island’s vibrant downtown

  full of charming boutiques, delightful gift shops and fascinating art galleries, or experience the oddities of downtown Mackinac Island at the Haunted Theatre and Maze of Mirrors

• see inside Mackinac Island’s historic churches

  such as St. Anne’s, which is the oldest church building in Michigan and home to a congregation with records dating back to 1695!