Exploring Downtown Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron near the Mackinac Bridge which connects the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan. It covers 3.8 square miles and is filled with charming historic buildings as well as beautiful natural areas. No motor vehicles (other than emergency vehicles and snowmobiles) are allowed on the island. So exploring the island is either done by foot, horse, or bicycle. Although it was cool and cloudy when we arrived, we were grateful that it didn't rain.

Downtown is both charming and touristy! Every other shop sells fudge and the rest of them sell t-shirts! The aroma of chocolate fudge is one of the first things you notice as you walk down the street. And the aroma of the horses is the second thing!


After exploring a bit downtown, we headed out to Arch Rock. Gail and Donna had their bikes, but I wasn't ready to hop on a bike yet after my biking accident. (I'm still struggling with some pain when I bend, grip, or pull, and my arm is still crooked when I try to bend it straight. And yes, I'm a bit worried about further injury!) Anyway, I enjoyed hiking and photographing wildflowers while they did some riding. And then I went through downtown and stopped in every little fudge shop and had a little fudge sample at each - oh that was very wicked and great fun!!!


One other fun thing that we enjoyed while downtown was seeing some of the sailboats finishing the Chicago to Mackinac boat race (on Monday morning).


By mid afternoon we headed up to the Grand Hotel to check in for our for our 2 days of old fashioned luxurious living. Next time I will share some of the delights of the Grand Hotel!