In the late 1800s as Mackinac Island was fast becoming the USA’s Best Summer Travel Destination, visitors loved to take home souvenir china, stoneware and glassware emblazoned with scenes of natural curiosities such as Arch Rock and Sugar Loaf. In fact, you can see many of these items in an exhibit at the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum.
While the kinds of products have changed over the years, people still today love Mackinac-inscribed mementos to remember their visit. Here’s a look at some of today’s most popular gifts and souvenirs from Mackinac Island:
Mackinac Island T-Shirts
T-shirts and sweatshirts screen-printed with “Mackinac Island” and related messages didn’t really exist back in the Victorian age, but they are hugely popular today.
Magical Mackinac: The gifts of the island continue to surprise
Mackinac Island Books & Artwork
Check out Island Bookstore for the latest novels set on Mackinac Island. Or, for a gorgeous addition to your coffee table, order “Lilacs: A Fortnight of Fragrance” to celebrate Mackinac Island’s iconic flowers. You can also browse one of Mackinac Island’s many spectacular art galleries in search of paintings, drawings, photography and other works that capture the striking scenery of Mackinac Island.
Why Mackinac Island attracts so many art lovers
Mackinac Island Fudge
No trip to Mackinac Island is complete without a box of delicious fudge for the ferry ride back to the mainland! Fudge wasn’t invented on Mackinac Island but it was definitely mastered here! There are no fewer than a dozen delicious fudge shops on Mackinac Island, and some of them offer home delivery, too.
Order Mackinac Island fudge online
Mackinac Island Knickknacks
When you ride a bike all the way around Mackinac Island you can showcase your achievement with an 8.2 bumper sticker. You also can find Mackinac-themed coffee mugs and Christmas ornaments, magnets, key chains and commemorative pins. Explore the shops of Mackinac Island and see what you might find!
The Ultimate Mackinac Island Shopping Guide
Mackinac Island Blacksmith Items
Adding to the historical vibe on Mackinac Island are two blacksmith shops where you can watch heated metal get forged into souvenir gifts. At Forge A Memory, for example, the blacksmith heats the metal and the customer beats it into shape with a hammer, producing a custom knife with a beautiful leather sheath.
Things to do on Mackinac Island for history buffs
Butterfly Gifts from Mackinac Island
With two breathtaking butterfly conservatories, Mackinac Island is a great place to pick up a butterfly-themed souvenir such as hats, pins, jewelry and children’s toys and books.
Why butterflies are such a big deal on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island Souvenirs from the Past
In the earliest days of Mackinac Island tourism, visitors would come home with baskets, quilts, pottery and carved birchbark trinkets made by Native Americans. A gallery at the Mackinac Art Museum showcases some of those items from as early as the 1840s.
As technology advanced, it became possible to create photo souvenirs such as stereograph cards and post cards with pictures of Mackinac Island. Craftsmen put images as well as names and dates onto products including fine porcelain wares and glassware. The museum even has an entire exhibit on ruby-stained glass tableware that was hugely popular around the turn of the 20th century.
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