In June 2009, I took all 3 kids, by myself I might add, up to Mackinaw City, Michigan. It was a long drive (we left at 9am, and arrived around 4pm, with a few rest stops), and while it was stressful doing the vacation without help, it was fun.
Some facts-
In the Mackinaw area, you will see 2 spellings. Mackinac and Mackinaw, but both are pronounced Mackinaw. The Mackinaw spelling is attributed to the British soldier influence, and is reserved for the city- Mackinaw City.
Mackinac is the influence of the French soldiers, and is found on everything else- The Straights of Mackinac, the Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, etc.
The area was under the protection of the French at one time, and the British at one time, accounting for the varried sayings.
While we enjoyed a Mackinac vacation, we stayed in Mackinaw City, went across the Mackinac Bridge 4 times total, and visited the Mackinac Island once- which is a motorized vehicle free zone. There are no motorized vehicles, except the ambulance and 2 fire engines. The rest are horses!
