vuduchile 1,940 Posted July 11, 2018 I live in southern MI, and Ive been up near there, but never on the island. I just booked a trip there for mid August. I know it will be busy, but other than that, not sure what to expect. It will be me, the wife, 2 kids (8&10) and the dog. We will bring our bikes, take the ferry to the island, ride around and explore the place. What else should we do/see? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Guy 1,400 Posted July 11, 2018 I don't know exactly, but I'd imagine you'd want to visit the Hotel that was in the movie "Somewhere In Time". I've wanted to go there since seeing that movie, if you haven't yet, you should.....fantastic!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,149 Posted July 11, 2018 Wife is from MI and we set up a surprise 50th birthday at the Grand Hotel. Are you staying there? If so there is a lot of stuff to do at the resort. If not... eat fudge? bike around the island? Eat at some good restaurants? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kilroy69 990 Posted July 11, 2018 Expect to smell horseshit. All day. This is not a joke. Especially in august 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,940 Posted July 11, 2018 Wife is from MI and we set up a surprise 50th birthday at the Grand Hotel. Are you staying there? If so there is a lot of stuff to do at the resort. If not... eat fudge? bike around the island? Eat at some good restaurants? Not staying at the Grand. My aunt has stayed there several times and says its awesome. But its also $5-600/night. Were staying In Mackinac city. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tanatastic 2,061 Posted July 11, 2018 Expect to smell horseshit. All day. This is not a joke. Especially in augustHe hangs around here so hes used to it year round. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cdub100 3,366 Posted July 11, 2018 Horse ###### and every other store is a tourist trap t-shirt shop. That side of the state has shitty rocky beaches. The west side of the state is WAY better. Mackinac is completely over rated IMHO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RaiderHaters Revenge 3,563 Posted July 11, 2018 see if there are any caves to explore 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drizzay 643 Posted July 11, 2018 Make sure to continually pronounce it 'Maaaaack-in-naaaaaack', just to piss the locals off. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RaiderHaters Revenge 3,563 Posted July 11, 2018 Horse ###### and every other store is a tourist trap t-shirt shop. That side of the state has shitty rocky beaches. The west side of the state is WAY better. Mackinac is completely over rated IMHO Hackinsack is better Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fandandy 3,311 Posted July 11, 2018 Went about a year ago for my daughters field trip. I can't imagine being there for more than a day with kids. I was ready to leave after a few hours. Imagine Frontier Town at Cedar Point minus the fun rides. I think it's more an island for older couples. eta: Depending on their ages, take them to Cedar Point. If you are southern Michigan the drive would prolly be about the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FeelingMN 273 Posted July 11, 2018 Went there a couple years ago. Meh. The boys were 5 at the time and enjoyed the Fort and biking around the island. Took a carriage ride up to the hotel and had ice cream. Spent a day there and that was plenty. Total tourist trap. Driving over the bridge was pretty cool though. We traveled through the UP to Mackinaw City....the beaches around Naubinway (I think) looked awesome. Maybe spend some time up there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,940 Posted July 11, 2018 Well only be there for 2 days. I figured one day biking around the island and the other on a beach or hiking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardcore troubadour 12,552 Posted July 11, 2018 Sounds horrible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MDC 5,874 Posted July 11, 2018 Check out Trip Advisor. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wiffleball 4,629 Posted July 11, 2018 Wait, your dog rides a bike? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patweisers44 696 Posted July 11, 2018 Lived in Michigan my entire life. Mackinac Island is one of those very polarizing places. People either love it or hate it. I personally think its one of the most overrated places I have ever been. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cdub100 3,366 Posted July 11, 2018 Make sure to continually pronounce it 'Maaaaack-in-naaaaaack', just to piss the locals off. That made me lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GuidingLight 3 Posted July 12, 2018 Wife is from MI and we set up a surprise 50th birthday at the Grand Hotel. Are you staying there? If so there is a lot of stuff to do at the resort. If not... eat fudge? bike around the island? Eat at some good restaurants? That sounds awesome bud. ^ Do all that ~be well Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
supermike80 1,280 Posted July 12, 2018 I live in southern MI, and Ive been up near there, but never on the island. I just booked a trip there for mid August. I know it will be busy, but other than that, not sure what to expect. It will be me, the wife, 2 kids (8&10) and the dog. We will bring our bikes, take the ferry to the island, ride around and explore the place. What else should we do/see? You should be telling us your wife's CAN SIZE. Jeez are you new here? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,940 Posted August 12, 2018 About a 5-6 hour drive up was a piece of cake in the middle of the night. Caught a ferry around 10am and biked around the island. Stopped several times to skip rocks, wade in the lake, or see the sights. My oldest son thinks he might wanna be an architect, so the old buildings were quite interesting to him. Had a sh!tty lunch at the Pink Pony, saw the fort ,then sat on the veranda sipping coca-cola while the boys played mini golf. As expected, the stores and restaurants were all just stupid tourist traps. No reason to spend much money there. We did buy the boys ice cream and a slice of fudge before catching a 6pm ferry back across to Mac City where we had dinner and passed out at around 9. Overall, we had a great time and it was a welcome break from the daily grind. Yesterday, we awoke early, took a long walk, then went over to Wilderness State Park where we had a stretch of beach all to ourselves for most of the day. It was focking awesome. Basically just set up camp on the beach, swam, ate a picnic lunch, played games, then hit the bike trails. The water here is as clear as any Ive seen in the Carribean, Mexico, or Bermuda. And its much clearer and bluer than what Ive seen in much of the Carolinas, Florida or the Gulf of Mexico. I love the Lake Michigan town where we live, but the water here is a zillion times better. We left our stuff at the beach, grabbed an awesome fish dinner at a local joint, then went right back to the beach to watch the sunset and subsequent meteor shower. Its been a long time since Ive seen that many stars in a dark sky environment, and it was a first for my sons. We saw 8 shooting stars and the sky was perfectly clear. Tomorrow, we head back south and will spend the day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. So far, so good. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,149 Posted August 12, 2018 Sounds awesome. End of July/beginning of August we spent a week in SW Michigan for our niece's wedding, it was fantastic. Rented a place on Gun Lake (30 minutes south of Grand Rapids), did lots of boating/kayak/paddleboard/swimming (sometimes the swimming came from falling off of the paddleboard ). Wine tasting at Fenn Valley Vineyards, then visited a bay on Lake Michigan. Tubed down a lazy river nearby. We've already started looking for places on the same lake next summer. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,940 Posted August 13, 2018 Sleeping Bear Dunes was quite an adventure and the views of Lake Michigan and Glen Lake are stunning. Weve climbed sand dunes before, but nothing like this one. All in all, it was a fun little trip that kept us outdoors and active. Next trip will be a little more off the beaten path. Planning to spend 3 days on North Manitou Island before it gets too cold. https://mynorth.com/2015/07/backcountry-camping-on-north-manitou-island/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
