What Do You Love About Mackinac Island and Mackinac City?

Tweet

A former Michigander, Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City is one of the highlights of any trip back to my home state. The area ranks highly as a tourist location, and part of the charm of the island is no doubt its old world feel (with a lack of cars and an abundance of horses... not to mention bicycles...) If you visit the straits area, you absolutely have to pick up some of the fudge. Mackinac Island Fudge is so popular, you can even find ice cream companies that include a Mackinac Island Fudge in their collection of offerings. (But the best Mackinac Island Fudge is found... you guessed it, on Mackinac Island.) Ferries run people from the mainland over to the island, operating seasonally (roughly spring to fall). Each of the ferry companies have their own draws, whether you are looking for speed or a special design that shoots an arc of water off of the back of the boat. What is there to see on the Island? There is the Butterfly House, which is quite an attraction. There is also Arch Rock (quite a climb to get there!). The fort regularly fires off cannons (I can only imagine what it must be like to live next to the fort with those cannons going off!) Did I mention the fudge? :) The area has a lot of historical significance, economically with regard to its strategic shipping route location between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, as well as politically (how many different nations controlled this area over the past four hundred years?). One of my favorite things to see as I drive over the Mackinac Bridge are the two windmills which tower over the skyline. I once heard that these windmills power some 500 homes! And if you visit the area... you really do have to try the fudge! :)