Visiting Mackinac Island on a Great Lakes Cruise

From the moment I started selling Great Lakes cruises, one of the top questions I got was: "How much time do we get on Mackinac Island?" Before I started with Adventure Life, I'd never even heard of the place! And I definitely didn't know how to pronounce it. In case you are like me, it's "mac-e-naw," which throws everyone for a loop the first time they see it written.
So you can imagine this stop on our 11-day cruise around all five Great Lakes was top of my list. Situated right in the middle of the itinerary regardless of where you start, Mackinac Island makes a great halfway point for the trip.

What's unique about the island is that it's almost entirely car-free and has been since 1898. It was one of the earliest places in the country to ban motor vehicles, and it still holds the distinction today (although there are a few emergency vehicles on the island - one of which we saw rushing down the bike lane!).
Even though you are on a ship, access to the island is by local ferry. Cruising with Victory comes with an extra perk: an early morning VIP, Victory-guests-only ferry that gets you to the island well before the public ferries start running. I didn't appreciate how valuable that was until mid-afternoon, when the streets were jammed with other cruise passengers and weekend visitors.

Our included excursion started with a narrated horse-drawn carriage ride through town. (Note: if mobility is a concern, or climbing into a higher carriage sounds tough, there's a lower carriage option available too.) It felt like stepping back in time, the clop-clop of hooves echoing through the streets. Since we were on one of the first rides of the day, everything was quiet and calm allowing plenty of time to gaze out at the historic homes and let your imagination wander of what life is like here when all the tourists leave. 

Once our carriage reached the state park, we were ushered out and into a visitor’s center with shops and restrooms. It is here that you switch to your next horse drawn carriage - a 3 horse pulled carriage. This one was much lower to the ground and easier to get in and out of for some of the guests. 

Our guide was a former soldier from Romania, spending his summer on the island to entertain guests along the route. "Entertain" is the right word, as I'm not sure we learned much actual history, but it was a fun ride and a good way to see more of the island. 

A quick stop at Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch towering above the turquoise water below makes you forget you are looking at a lake, not the ocean. 

Back at the state park, you can head off on your own or take another included carriage back into town. We chose the carriage as we were starving, and had already spotted a local pizza joint that was the plan for lunch.

Some of the other guests in our carriage were dropped off at the Grand Hotel for a premium excursion that included a big buffet lunch at the historic hotel. I skipped this excursion, but I do wish I'd taken more time to explore the hotel as it is so uniquely decorated.
 
I didn’t know before my visit, but the Grand Hotel is famous for having the longest porch in the world (about 660 feet), and was the filming location for the movie "Somewhere in Time," which was the afternoon movie back on board the ship!

After pizza, we hit the shops. I was hunting for a sticker for my water bottle, and the ladies I was with were shopping for gifts for coworkers. Somehow, in addition to my sticker, I managed to walk out with $20 of fudge I surely didn’t need! Fudge is the thing to buy on Mackinac, so much so that tourists here have been nicknamed "fudgies" for generations. Interesting little tid bit for you!

Other than doing the included excursion, the one thing I knew I wanted to do was rent a bike and ride the 8-mile “highway” that circles the island. This is the only state highway in the U.S. with no motor vehicles. A similar guided bike ride was offered as an upgraded excursion from the ship, but I knew I'd rather go at my own pace, and bike rental shops were all over making it easy to do it yourself. 

Contrary to what the shop recommended, we rode clockwise, there's no real right or wrong direction, and this is the way the locals ride anyway!

Cruising around on two wheels was the best way to see more of the island. We passed through areas we hadn't seen from the carriage and spotted a few secret beaches that looked perfect for an afternoon of lazing by the picturesque waters. Honestly, the water is so beautiful you really do forget you are on an island in a LAKE!

By the time we got back into town, it felt like it was rush hour. The tiny lanes were packed with carriages hauling tourists, deliveries, and trash pickup all at once. Such a different scene from the quiet morning we'd arrived to, and a good reminder of how much that early VIP ferry had been worth.

I could have stayed longer, but I didn't want to cut it too close and miss the ferry back to the ship. Overall, it was a great day of exploring. I can now fully understand why so many of our guests ask about visiting this island on their Great Lakes cruise!