Common questions about visiting car-free Mackinac Island have to do with where to park your vehicle during your trip and where to board the ferry boat. How to get your luggage to your Mackinac Island hotel or arrange a horse-drawn taxi are other common concerns. For detailed answers to these and…
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For a place that’s lovingly renowned for being the same year after year, Mackinac Island sure has a lot of new things going on in 2025. To give you a glimpse of what’s changing, here’s a quick rundown of 25 things to notice when you visit this year: 1) Two ferry companies once again are operating…
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Not only is spring when the new visitor season begins on Mackinac Island, but it’s also peak migration for raptors headed north. Did you know that upwards of 70,000 hawks, eagles, falcons and other birds of prey fly through the Straits of Mackinac from March through early June? That number includes…
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Part of you wants to check another experience off your bucket list this year. But most of you just wants to unwind and relax. Hey, it’s okay to embrace the “Joy of Missing Out!” And when it comes to traveling, there’s even a term for it: The calmcation. What’s a calmcation, you ask? It’s the kind of…
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It begins as a trickle in late April, then swells to a flood come May. Just as sure as April showers bring May flowers, so the return of Mackinac Island’s daily ferry service leads to the reopening of places to stay and visitor attractions including restaurants, shops and more. Want to know exactly…
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Good news! One of the busiest airports in the world is adding direct flights to northern Michigan. Starting on May 8, one United Express flight each day will travel from O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Pellston Regional Airport (PLN), just 15 miles south of the Mackinac Island ferry docks in…
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The official Opening Day for the new Mackinac Island visitor season is the first Friday of May, when prominent attractions such as Fort Mackinac open. Yet, if you come a little earlier during the last week of April, you’ll have a great opportunity to get an early spring experience before the crowds…
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Robert De Niro may be an Oscar-winning actor, but he wasn’t the biggest celebrity on Mackinac Island during his visit—at least not to one woman at Grand Hotel. The famed actor was in Michigan filming a movie when he made a trip to Mackinac Island, as longtime Grand Hotel concierge Bob Tagatz…
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More than six decades after the Battle of Mackinac Island, American soldiers were still stationed at Fort Mackinac. Their continued presence made it possible for the country’s second national park to be established in 1875. What is now known as Mackinac Island State Park originally was protected as…
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A half-century ago, Mackinac Island’s Main Street witnessed an unusual parade: horse-drawn drays carrying spooky creatures designed by a Hollywood special effects artist. These eerie figures made their way from the ferry docks to a historic downtown building, where they’ve stayed ever since. The…
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