Families Archives - Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

A woman sits on a rock on the Mackinac Island shorelines and faces the bright blue water

Coolcations: Why Mackinac Island is ideal spot for this hot vacation trend

Coolcationing is a hot new trend, according to Conde Nast Traveler. The combo term (that’s now a legit word, per the Cambridge Dictionary) describes a vacation to cooler climes where people can have fun and escape the heat. There’s lots of buzz around coolcations in the midst of record-high global temperatures that have produced hotter […]

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Monarch butterflies are among the many colorful species on exhibit at the Wings of Mackinac conservatory on Mackinac Island.

Q&A with Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory

By Matt Vande Bunte

While visiting her grandmother in Michigan, Marie Hulett met a friend who told her about Mackinac Island. She visited for what was supposed to be a single summer on the island, but she decided to stay. That was 38 years ago. For most of that time, Marie has been curator and manager of Wings of

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A young woman wearing a Threads of Mackinac t-shirt smiles at a young man while having a picnic on Mackinac Island

Best Places for a Picnic on Mackinac Island

By Matt Vande Bunte

With so many coffee shops, breakfast spots, bars and restaurants to choose from on Mackinac Island, it’s easy to overlook the Best Picnic Spot in Michigan. Yet, Marquette Park is a delightful place to spread out a blanket and have something to eat as you soak up the sun and watch all the people, horses,

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A horse-drawn carriage makes it way up a hill past flowers by Mackinac Island’s Mission Point Resort lawn

Horse-drawn carriage options: Public tour vs. private tour

By Matt Vande Bunte

One of the first things you’ll notice about Mackinac Island when you step off the ferry boat is that there are horse-drawn carriages everywhere. It’s a big part of the charm of visiting a car-free destination! Some of the carriages are shuttles that take visitors to a particular place to stay, such as Grand Hotel,

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A mother and three children walk down a tree-lined Mackinac Island street

1 Day Family Itinerary for Mackinac Island

By Brad MacDonald

Mackinac Island has always been a part of me. I grew up an hour away, visited historic Fort Mackinac on an eighth-grade class trip and even worked on Mackinac Island. So, when I learned my father-in-law had never been to Mackinac Island, I knew I needed to take my family there. My parents-in-law drove from

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Where to find live music on Mackinac Island

By Brad MacDonald

We spent weeks planning a unique and family-friendly vacation to Mackinac Island. Then one night on our trip, as my family was finishing a wonderful evening bike ride around Mackinac Island, absorbing the sounds of gulls and loons over the lake and water lapping at the shore, we pulled into town for dinner on the

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Mackinac Island has so much to see and do that visitors of all ages learn something new whether they realize it or not.

Family travel to Mackinac Island: A field trip for all ages

By Matt Vande Bunte

Students have gone on field trips to Mackinac Island for years, taking a break from the classroom for experiential learning in one of Michigan’s most historic places. But you don’t have to be in school to go on a field trip. Mackinac Island is a great place for real-life learning the entire family can enjoy

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Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock frames the road and water below with bright blue sky above and green trees

Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock and Milliken Nature Center

By Matt Vande Bunte

Whether you climb the 207 steps from Lakeshore Drive all the way up to Arch Rock or you make your way there on bicycle or horse-drawn carriage, you deserve a break. The new Milliken Nature Center is just the place. Located on the Arch Rock Plaza just a few steps from the picturesque limestone formation,

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Just as Mackinac Island hosted lawn games such as bocce ball and croquet in the 1800s, you can enjoy the classic games today.

Lawn games on Mackinac Island: How to play bocce ball

By Matt Vande Bunte

Mackinac Island in many ways looks just as it did in the late 1800s. Just as there were no automobiles then, there are no cars on Mackinac Island now. Just as soldiers manned Fort Mackinac then, costumed interpreters on Mackinac Island manage the historic stronghold now. And just as guests enjoyed leisurely lawn games at

Lawn games on Mackinac Island: How to play bocce ball Read More »

Summer weather on Mackinac Island is perfect for all kinds of activities, from swimming to hiking to horseback riding.

What’s summer weather like on Mackinac Island?

By Matt Vande Bunte

Mackinac Island is blessed with four distinct seasons, from bright, sunny summers to cold, snowy winters and from crisp autumns with gorgeous fall colors to rejuvenating springs with the return of sweet-smelling lilacs. At some times of the year, it almost feels like Mackinac Island experiences all four seasons in the same day! When you

What’s summer weather like on Mackinac Island? Read More »

Coolcations: Why Mackinac Island is ideal spot for this hot vacation trend

Q&A with Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory

Best Places for a Picnic on Mackinac Island

Horse-drawn carriage options: Public tour vs. private tour

1 Day Family Itinerary for Mackinac Island

Where to find live music on Mackinac Island

Family travel to Mackinac Island: A field trip for all ages

Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock and Milliken Nature Center

Lawn games on Mackinac Island: How to play bocce ball

What’s summer weather like on Mackinac Island?

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