I traveled by myself several times over the years for business trips. But I had never gone solo on vacation. Mostly because I am a mom and the thought never crossed my mind to not take my family on a trip with me. My ex-husband and I had traveled without the kids, and I went on a girl's trip (which is highly recommended). Now, as a woman and mom who has not dreamed of a trip away! Come on, raise your hand!!
My ex had the kids at the beach for a week, and as I thought about what I would do with that time, something struck me. Why would I sit at home? Where could I go? To be honest, Disney was my first thought. But Disney is not a vacation for me; it's a home away from home. I do not even know what made me think of Mackinac, but I did and
I lived in Michigan back when I was a child, and we visited the Island a couple of different times. I had always talked about going back in adulthood, but other spots kept becoming a priority. In 2020 with everyone going on, I decided I needed a getaway. My kids. We were off with their dad's family, and it was the perfect excuse for me to take a trip for myself; the ideal spot was Mackinac Island.
Do you have specific things you look for when selecting the hotel and location of your stay? I do, and one of them is typically a balcony with a view. I love to sit out in the morning with a cup of coffee. Although, why are all the chairs on the balconies at the wrong height. Whenever I sit down, my view is typically staring at the top of the balcony railing vs. the actual sites. (Please, someone come up with a different solution).
The only way to get to Mackinac Island is to take your own boat or buy a ticket for one of the two ferries (Sheplers and Mackinac Island Ferry) that cross from Mackinac City to the Island. The ferry ride takes about 15 minutes and takes you past Mackinac Bridge. Ironically, the bridge does not connect to the Island. No cars are allowed on Mackinac Island. The only form of transportation is bicycles, horses, and good ol’ fashion walking.
Once I arrived at my hotel and got checked in, I was starving and found a brewery next door to my hotel while I waited for my luggage to be dropped off.
While I was at the Great Turtle Brewery having a beer and a bite, a couple came in with a dog. I struck up a conversation with both the dog and his owners. I learned the couple became empty-nesters recently, sold their home in CA, and bought a luxury RV. They have been traveling across the country for the past few months. The couple started with an itinerary, including a few bucket list spots in the U.S. Still, as they traveled and spoke with locals, they shifted their plans and found a few unexpected favorites. They extended their original travel time frame and are loving it so much they are just going with the flow. The intent is to find the ideal spot to purchase their retirement home. They were happy and had some great stories and no agenda or urgency in their life. GOALS!!!
the perfect morning coffee time
I chose to split my trip into two hotel stays. The first night was at the Bicycle Inn; the last 3 evenings were spent at The Grand Hotel. I have a separate post that talks about my stay at the Grand.
The Bicycle Inn is right in the middle of Main Street across from Shepler’s Ferry. Main Street is the center of town, and many restaurants, multiple hotels, and about 12 fudge shops. Yes, Mackinac takes their fudge very seriously. On one of these trips, I would like to do a fudge taste-off. I digress. Mackinac is a step back into time. So you will not find modern fancy high rises or large resorts on the Island.
HOT TIP: Most of your options are victorian style hotels and bed and breakfasts. The Island is meant to relax and reconnect, so most hotels do not have a TV. (check each hotels website for specifics) So bring your iPad or download something to your phone if you need a distraction. I personally found this made me take advantage of other activities available. There are a few bars in the area, and The Grand Hotel (I will do a separate blog post about this hotel) offers dancing and a band every night. Although their rooms do have TVs.
I chose a balcony at the Bicycle Inn on the top floor facing the lake. Purposely because my favorite thing is to have coffee outside in the morning. It does not matter if I am at home or vacationing; it starts my day off perfectly and puts me in the right frame of mind! So let me quickly get to my favorite part of the Bicycle Inn and Mackinac. The sounds of Mackinac, or lack thereof. If you have stayed here, you understand what I mean. A cup of coffee and the sound of horses on the street below me and the pure QUIET. It was the perfect way to wake up on my first day.
The Island is about 8 miles long and has a national park. So there are lots of hiking trails, and it's a beautiful walk around the perimeter of the Island. You can also take a guided carriage ride around the Island. I found the Island very safe to walk around by myself as a woman. Although, one evening, I stayed a little longer and had to walk back to my hotel when it started to get dark. I kept looking over my shoulder. So do as I say, not as I did. It is always best to be safe. If you are traveling by yourself, never give out your room or hotel information to anyone, and always be aware of your surroundings. Most importantly, trust your instincts.
Getting around the Island
No motor vehicle is allowed on the Island. So either you walk, ride a bicycle (which you can rent) or travel by horse. There are stables where you can go with a guide and horseback ride. The ambiance and way of life on the Island genuinely create a place to decompress and relax. You can not avoid it, even if you are a type A like me. LOL. TIP: Uber service on the Island is by horse. So give yourself extra time if you have to get somewhere and choose not to walk. I called for a taxi at the end of one of my meals, and it took 45 min to arrive.
If you want to take a carriage tour, they offer private ones starting at around $200 or group tours at $35/ adult and kids under 12 around $18. You do not need to book in advance. 40It does depend on the time of year and how busy they are. I happened to visit on the 4th of July weekend. I booked the day of and waited maybe 30 min for my tour.
You can also rent bicycles or bikes for two if you think your relationship would survive that pressure. LOL.
You can walk the outskirt of the island. It makes for a beautiful hike in the morning. There are hills and steps, so make sure you are in good shape before you plan to take this on. HINT: For anyone traveling with stroller-aged children or who may have knee issues (you can tell what stage of life I am in..LOL). There is a significant set of stairs in the park (141 stairs, to be exact). If you enter the park past Mission Point Inn, you will go UP the stairs; if you go from the other side of the island, you will take the stairs down.
Food
Let me start off by stating I found a new love,... it's called 'whitefish.' I enjoy some fish, but I do not want anything slimy or fishy tasting. Whitefish is flaky and light and has a slight hint of sweetness. I had it in the form of a dip and a main entree. My favorite preparation was at 1852 Grill Room, a restaurant at the Island House. This was also my favorite spot to eat. They have indoor dining and an outdoor area on a wrap-around porch. The hotel is on a hill, and there is a clear view of the lake. It was one of my favorite nights on the island. There was a perfect view, tempered weather, listening to the horses and people below on the street, a glass of wine, and a spectacular meal. I call this the perfect pairing! When sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of your experience are all perfect for YOU.
Depending on where you stay on the island this is about the center of the main drag. You can walk to either Mission Point or the heart of main street, but it is a few blocks. If you want to take a taxi (horse drawn), you should have your server call for it when you are finishing your dessert.
Also note worthy, I LOVED this restaurant so much that I had breakfast here the next morning. It was delicious!! Of course, out on the patio with the same view and a pot of french pressed coffee.
Activities
The Mackinac Fort is nice to visit especially if you are into war history. There is an admission fee and they have limited hours. Check the outside the fort for pricing and hours. There is also a restaurant inside the fort ( you need admission to dine) but because the fort is on the highest point of the island, the views from the restaurant are amazing!!
Mission point has a spa that offers massages, facials, mani's and pedi's. Which is the perfect way to kick off a vacation, in my opinion. The beautiful thing about this island, you do not have to schedule your itinerary ahead of your trip. Just book your hotel and your spa time and decide once you arrive what you would like to do and when.
I went with NO plans. Which, was very unusual for me. Not only am I used to having to plan Disney well in advance, but I am a project manager at heart. Planning is what I do.
But when you travel SOLO, you can do what you want when you want. I scheduled my hotel stays, one dining reservation at 1852 ( to ensure I got in) and my spa time. Otherwise, I lived in the moment. It was the most freeing & cathartic trip I have experienced in my life. Everyone should experience this at least once in their lifetime.
Cocktail Hour & A Sunset
You are welcome to dine in any of the restaurants or bars inside the hotels without having hotel reservations. Stonecliff Inn has a beautiful backyard outside their bar with amazing views of Mackinac Bridge TIP: They also infuse their own vodka with different flavors. Their cocktails are very tasty. The bar is located on the main floor of the Inn. the bar itself is very small, but they have a large lawn with several cushioned seating areas. I visited two different evenings watching the sunset behind Mackinac Bridge. One night was just for me and the second night I made some new friends.
I am a Disney girl at heart. So I was not sure how many days I could truly relax and not be bored. I know, it sounds silly. But I am not one to spend an entire week sitting by the pool or beach all day. I need to break up that time with some activities. I booked my stay for four nights, and it was the perfect amount. Most of the activities on the island are dining, hiking, bike riding, visiting the fort, a spa (which I very much spent the good part of a day at), a mini-golf course, and an 18-hole course. Some of the bars have bands on certain nights. There is shopping, 13 fudge shops. (Yes, fudge is a very serious thing) Grand has activities throughout the week. We will talk about that in a later post.
Run, no sail and trot to Mackinac Island this summer and create some delicious memories!!
Check out the video from my trip!
Cheers,
Lisa
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