Mackinac Island with kids: ferries, bikes & fudge
Mackinac Island banned cars in 1898 and never looked back. Getting there is half the fun, and once you're on the island the pace drops to the speed of a bicycle or a horse. Here's how we'd do a day on the island again.
This is the practical companion to our Mackinac photo diary.
Getting there
You reach the island by ferry from either Mackinaw City (Lower Peninsula) or St. Ignace (Upper Peninsula); both runs take about 15-20 minutes and several lines pass right under the Mackinac Bridge. Leave the car on the mainland — you won't need it, and you can't bring it anyway. Buy round-trip tickets and check the last evening return so you don't get stranded.
Getting around
No cars means three ways to move: your feet, a bike, or a horse-drawn carriage. The flat 8.2-mile road that circles the island (M-185, the only state highway in America with no cars) is the classic family ride — rent bikes near the docks and give yourselves a couple of hours with stops. Carriage tours are a relaxed way to see the interior and the Grand Hotel area without pedaling.
What not to miss
Climb up to Fort Mackinac for the cannon and rifle demonstrations and the best view over the harbor. Walk or bike to Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch high above the lake, and Sugar Loaf in the wooded interior. Admire the Grand Hotel from the bluff (day visitors pay to walk the famous porch). And save time for the downtown, where the fudge shops have been pulling taffy in the windows for generations — it's the island's edible souvenir for a reason.
Tips we'd pass on
Go early to beat the midday ferry crowds, bring layers because the lake breeze is cool even in summer, and wear real shoes for the hills up to the fort and Arch Rock. A single full day is enough to see the highlights; stay overnight if you want the island after the day-trippers leave.
Want the pictures? They're in our Mackinac Island photo diary.