Now that we are home from Mackinaw City (and, by the way, wishing we were back up there again already!), I have a bit more insight to some of the things we had planned to do, or things I recommended.
First Up:
The Haunted Theater on Mackinac Island
The cost was the advertised price of $5.00 per person. The advertised opening time was 11am. We finally saw someone opening up shop at 11:30am. We heard from a few people that they often open late, and some days, by an hour or more past the scheduled opening time.
One thing that irked me- it's cash only, and says it NO where. The website, the window, the brochures... nothing warned us that we needed cash only to enter. That was an annoyance, as we were on a small island, with no access to a bank. Luckily, my husband had some cash tucked away, because I had only brought $20 cash with us, as I figured the only time we might need it was for snacks.
The actual theater was not great. Not bad- but it was on par with the out dated, cheap set up you find with traveling carnivals. There was very little interactions. Most of the theater relied on scenes of "horror" that were built at least 20+ years ago.
All and all, when you consider the lack of a concrete opening time, the lack of forewarning that they only take cash, and the lack luster overall experience inside? I do not recommend this place at all. It's scarier looking on the front steps than it is inside the theater- which, by the way, is not set up to look like a theater in any way, shape, or form.
End grade? D
Suggestions to the Haunted Theater? Show up on time, or change your opening time. During the off season, do a rehaul on your set up. Get new sets, change it around. Theme it towards the whole "Theater" concept you use for a name. Get people involved- there was very minimal people interaction. During the time when she was interacting, no one was able to pay to come in because she was the only person working.
The Weird Michigan Wax Museum in St. Ignace
The biggest disappointment here is that they, too, are lax in their posted hours. Namely, they were supposed to re-open for the tourist season in Mid-May and just never did. We were meeting some people there, and when we pulled in, there were 3 cars there. It never crossed my mind that with cars in the parking lot, that it might be closed. When I noticed the OPEN sign wasn't lit, I figured with cars parked, it would be opening soon.
No, upon closer inspection, we saw a sign that read, "Closed for the season". Upon further inspection, one of the vehicles in the parking lot had a rear window smashed out. We did not inspect it any closer to see if things were missing inside of it. There was even a van emblazoned with the Weird Michigan Wax Museum logo all over it in the parking lot.
Now, if you are just not able to re-open, you really should take the website down, or update it to say when you WILL be open. Or, if you will NOT be reopening your doors. We noticed everything inside was covered in plastic, but it was still full of souvenirs to purchase- when ever your doors finally open.
End Grade: E
Suggestions to Weird Michigan Wax Museum: Update your website, & get your location open again, because you are missing out on prime tourist season in Mackinaw.
Maze of Mirrors 3D in Mackinaw City (Might also be called House of Glass??)
(note- there is one on the island as well, which is apparently larger, but this one has to do specifically with the one in MC)
This one wasn't bad, actually, but again- minor annoyances that I felt should be shared. I didn't know it was there at all, until we stumbled on it. When we did, there was a note in the door: "Back soon!" All right, no problem. We shopped around for almost 30 minutes, and swung back by. The note was still firmly in place, so we left.
On our second outing to the area (it's located in Mackinaw Crossings, an outdoor, old time village feeling shopping center), I noticed the sign again- it was in a different spot, but still on the door. I checked back about 15 minutes later- still there. We did more shopping, checked back again maybe 30 minutes later- still there. We gave up.
On our last day, we stopped by the center just to grab 1 specific thing, and low and behold- it was open! I dragged the family over before they had a chance to shut down for "a few minutes".
The 'maze' is extremely small, and makes more use of clear panels than mirrors, which made it really easy to navigate. I have done a mirror maze before, and it was a LOT better than this one.
For the $5.00 per person, it wasn't a bad time, but with the constant closed during business hours annoyance, and the short time it took to get through it, it is debatable on whether or not I would spring to do it again any time soon.
End Grade: C-
Suggestions to the Maze: First off, be professional, and be open during your posted times. If it's a matter of running to the bathroom for 5 minutes, sure, close the door. But being gone for extended periods of time during your open hours, and doing it several times in 1 week is just inexcusable. I would also recommend enlargeable your maze, and adding more mirror panels, and removing some of the clear panels.
Those were the three biggest dissappointments on our trip, because they all sounded like a lot of fun, and just were not what we hoped for.
A few other changes/minor complaints.
Curio Faire is listed as being $.50 to climb (this is a tourist stop in St. Ignace, west of town) on all tourist website info I could find (they do not have a site themselves). The sign out front said $1.00.
Totem Village in St. Ignace is listed on various sites as $5.00 per family. It was $10.00 per family. One major complaint- it's listed as a wild life zoo, but the 'cages' they keep the wild life in were deplorable. Handmade, barely held together rusted looking metal fence sections held together lord only knows how. There were some foul smells that were not attributed to animal feces. We felt so bad for the deer, that we fed them weeds- their enclosure had only hay in it, and no grass on the ground at all, just mud.
Castle Rock has gone up in price, and no longer lists ANY price on their website. It was $.50 2 years ago. It is now $1.00 per person.
Over all, though, we had a great time. The things listed above are my own thoughts and takes on the places we went. Please feel free to come up with your own thoughts!
Showing posts with label things to do in mackinaw city. Show all posts
Showing posts with label things to do in mackinaw city. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mackinaw City: What To Do, PT 2
Not too long ago, I posted about things to do, and where to stay, up in Mackinaw City, Michigan. My family will be heading up there next month for a 5 day vacation. Because I like to plan everything out ahead of time, I know how much the trip will cost, what we're doing, what we're eating, where we're staying, and how much fun we'll hopefully have.
If you've never been to the Mackinaw area, you are certainly missing out- it's gorgeous! Mackinaw City is the very tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and is connected to St. Ignace in the upper peninsula of Michigan by the Mackinac Bridge- just a 5 mile drive across the gorgeous Straights of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron together.
I'll repeat this one little blurb, because it's something a LOT of people get wrong- even those silly Michiganders (both trolls and youpers!).
For those who have ever wondered, there are 2 spellings of the word Mackinac. The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation. Regardless of spelling, pronounce it Mackinaw.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to things to do- this time, I'll focus on St. Ignace, which is in the upper peninsula.
St. Ignace: What to Do
First and foremost, be aware- crossing the bridge comes with a toll fee to cover the repairs made to the bridge. You'll pay this once you get to the St. Ignace side, and you will have to pay it to go back across as well. As of the time of writing this, it's $3.50 each way, so plan to have $7.00 available. Correct change is always appreciated! The photo below shows the toll booth.
Once you are in the UP, take the first St. Ignace exit (did I forget to mention that the bridge is actually a part of the highway?).
Castle Rock- Castle Rock is a tourist attraction that has been around for a long time. The main attraction is a rock that climbs high above the earth to stand tall. A long, not overly steep, set of stairs climbs through the woods, twisting and climbing higher and higher. It's a very tiring climb, so make sure you are in good health before climbing it. Once you reach the top, there is a ramp that gaps the place where the stairs stop, and the final destination. There is a telescope up there, so bring quarters. The view is gorgeous!
The cost to climb is just $.50 per person, making it a very affordable stop on your vacation. There is also a giant Paul Bunyon & Babe the blue Ox at the base of the rock. Inside the building is a large, inexpensive tourist shop as well, featuring all sorts of goodies- wooden 'nickles', post cards, Indian themed gifts, pressed pennies, and so much more. I found that the older gift shops like this one, were by far the best places to let the kids loose with souvenir money.
My thoughts: It's well worth the time and money spent to stop here. The climb is exceedingly tiring, though, so if you have heart problems, or breathing problems, you may want to wait at the bottom for your party to come back down.
Fort de Buade - This is a museum located right in St. Ignace dedicated to the history of the area, including the Native, French, British, and American eras. This museum boasts the largest collection of relics in the entire UP. The main site for this museum is currently down, and as I have not yet been here, I can not provide much information about the location. I believe I remember it was either free, or really inexpensive to enter, but have no way of confirming that info just now.
The location is fairly close to Indian Village, and would make a nice, educational stop on your path through St. Ignace.
If you've never been to the Mackinaw area, you are certainly missing out- it's gorgeous! Mackinaw City is the very tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and is connected to St. Ignace in the upper peninsula of Michigan by the Mackinac Bridge- just a 5 mile drive across the gorgeous Straights of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron together.
I'll repeat this one little blurb, because it's something a LOT of people get wrong- even those silly Michiganders (both trolls and youpers!).
For those who have ever wondered, there are 2 spellings of the word Mackinac. The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation. Regardless of spelling, pronounce it Mackinaw.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to things to do- this time, I'll focus on St. Ignace, which is in the upper peninsula.
St. Ignace: What to Do
First and foremost, be aware- crossing the bridge comes with a toll fee to cover the repairs made to the bridge. You'll pay this once you get to the St. Ignace side, and you will have to pay it to go back across as well. As of the time of writing this, it's $3.50 each way, so plan to have $7.00 available. Correct change is always appreciated! The photo below shows the toll booth.
Once you are in the UP, take the first St. Ignace exit (did I forget to mention that the bridge is actually a part of the highway?).
Castle Rock- Castle Rock is a tourist attraction that has been around for a long time. The main attraction is a rock that climbs high above the earth to stand tall. A long, not overly steep, set of stairs climbs through the woods, twisting and climbing higher and higher. It's a very tiring climb, so make sure you are in good health before climbing it. Once you reach the top, there is a ramp that gaps the place where the stairs stop, and the final destination. There is a telescope up there, so bring quarters. The view is gorgeous!The cost to climb is just $.50 per person, making it a very affordable stop on your vacation. There is also a giant Paul Bunyon & Babe the blue Ox at the base of the rock. Inside the building is a large, inexpensive tourist shop as well, featuring all sorts of goodies- wooden 'nickles', post cards, Indian themed gifts, pressed pennies, and so much more. I found that the older gift shops like this one, were by far the best places to let the kids loose with souvenir money.
My thoughts: It's well worth the time and money spent to stop here. The climb is exceedingly tiring, though, so if you have heart problems, or breathing problems, you may want to wait at the bottom for your party to come back down.
- Cost: $.50 per person if you climb. If you opt out of the climb, you can wait in the gift shop for free.
- Time: I would say it probably takes about 15-20 minutes to climb to the top, but maybe only 10 to climb down. If you also plan to shop, and take photos outside, I would plan to give this location an hour of your time.
Indian Village - Indian Village is another tourist shop that has probably been around since the 50's- it has that old time feel to it, without being that "it's really very modern and mimicking the 50's" feel. This shop is large, and does include a small museum dedicated to the local Indians. If your only reason for stopping is the museum, you could probably skip this location. However, if you want to shop and get more inexpensive items, this is a decent stop. The museum is located in the back corner on the right side of the building, and is free to enter.
Also included are a few fun "props" outside- a large Teepee, wooden cut out photo stands, etc.
- Cost: FREE to enter & enjoy, but as always, souvenirs cost extra.
- Time: It probably only takes 10-15 minutes to go through the museum area, but if you like to browse, the store is very big, and can take some time to get through.
Fort de Buade - This is a museum located right in St. Ignace dedicated to the history of the area, including the Native, French, British, and American eras. This museum boasts the largest collection of relics in the entire UP. The main site for this museum is currently down, and as I have not yet been here, I can not provide much information about the location. I believe I remember it was either free, or really inexpensive to enter, but have no way of confirming that info just now.
The location is fairly close to Indian Village, and would make a nice, educational stop on your path through St. Ignace.
- COST: Unsure
- TIME: Unsure, but I would plan at least an hour for a quick trip.
Museum of Ojibwa Culture - This museum is located, if memory serves, almost directly across the road from Indian Village. It's a small white building- either an old 1 room school house or Church, perhaps? This museum portrays a peek into the life of the people of the Straits of Mackinac from 300 years ago, including the Ojibwa, Huron, Odawa, and French lifestyles. I have not yet been to this location, so can not provide any personal info.
- Cost: Suggested donation of $2.00/teen/adult, $1.00/elementary age children, or just $5.00 for an entire family.
- Time: 60-90 minutes would probably suffice. It's a small location, but with both indoor and outdoor things to check out.
Totem Village - I'll admit, I didn't know anything about this site until I looked it up just now. I thought it was simply a souvenir shop, as there are a lot of roadside shops in St. Ignace. Totem Village boasts a few things worth mentioning, though.
While there is a shop available, this stop also provides museum artifacts honoring the local Native population, and has a wild life area, which includes bobcats, sika deer, peacocks, thunder foxes, and a porcupine. This location also has life size dioramas, a totem pole building, a replica of a Ojibwa medicine lodge, and much more. I am definitely adding this to our trip this year!
- Cost: $2/adult, $1/child, under 5 Free, and $5/family. As this location does not have it's own website, this info was found on the site linked above, and may not be accurate.
- Time: At least an hour. This sounds like there are a lot of things to explore.
Weird Michigan Wax Museum - This location is one that we skipped last time, but plan to check out this time around. The museum is located west of St. Ignace, a short drive out into the country side. Further down the list, you'll see the Mystery Spot- these two locations are right next to each other.
This wax museum is probably not what you'd get if you want to see Madame Toussades, with her life like replicas. The wax figures here look decidedly fake, but depict the weird history of Michigan- from the Snake Princess of Belle Isle, to the Grand Rapids Wooden Leg Murderer. Once you have wound your way through this place, you can enjoy an ice cream cone, and learn how to prospect for gold and gems.
- Cost: Adults $7, Seniors (60+) $5, Children 6-12 $5, Children 5 & under FREE. Family 6 pack of admission is available for $30. You can also purchase 2 pound bags of "Mine Rough" for the "Mining Experience" for $5.00 per bag. There is currently a coupon located on the website for $1.00 off admission, good for any admission except the Family 6 Pack.
- Time: Probably 90 minutes, give or take.
The Mystery Spot - Many places boast a Mystery Spot of some sort, from Michigan down to North Carolina, and across the country. St. Ignace's Mystery Spot has been around since the 50's, when many of the tourist locations popped up with the opening of the Mackinac Bridge, and all of the tourists that came with it.
While there is a secret to why the Mystery Spot works, I won't give it away. It's a fun stop, and provides a guided tour through the unique building, including demonstrations, and several chances to test the mystery out yourself.
The Mystery Spot also includes other activities, which are not included in the original ticket. When we went a couple years ago, there was a mini golf course, and a large wooden maze across the street. Since then, they have added a 2 mile long zip line through the woods.
- Cost: Mystery Spot alone- $5.00 ages 5-11, $7 ages 12-up.
Combo Prices (includes maze, mini golf, and the Mystery Spot)- ages $7.50 ages 5-11, $9.50 ages 12-up.
Zip Line- Just the zip line- $20.00 per person. Additional cost with the purchase of a Mystery Spot tour- $15.00 per person. - Time: For the Mystery Spot, mini golf, and maze, I would say plan to spend a good 90 minutes there. The mini golf takes the longest. The tour can take some time as well, depending on when you arrive, and how crowded they are at the time. I'm unsure as to how long the zip lines would take, so contact the site to ask.
Manley's Fish Market - This is not a tourist location, per say, but if you love smoked fish, it is well worth the stop. Manley's provides fresh smoked fish, homemade beef jerkey, smoked beef sticks, pasties (a UP food staple), cheese curds, fudge, and even fish sausage.
The shop is the best all around- and there are a lot of places that smoke fish, but if you have a choice, choose Manley's. For about $20, you can get a decent amount of smoked White Fish. The fish is caught, smoked, and sold all right there- no frozen fish, no ordering it in. They provide a small picnic area, and you can purchase crackers and soda to make for a nice little picnic lunch.
Deer Ranch - Deer are found everywhere in Michigan, though it's often hard to view them up close. Deer Ranch is a stop where you can see them up close, and learn more about deer. This ranch even has albino deer- snowy white deer!
I have not been here, so I don't know much about it. I did drop an email to them asking about time expectations and costs, but have not yet heard back. Once I have that info, I will go ahead and update this.
All in all, there are a lot of little things you can do in St. Ignace, and many of them are inexpensive, educational, and fun! I would recommend setting aside an entire day for exploring St. Ignace. Pack a picnic lunch, and eat lunch lake side in one of the beautiful parks.
Up next: What to do, Mackinac Island
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Mackinaw City: Where To Stay, What To Do, PT 1
I'm planning our Mackinaw City vacation right now. Actually, all I am doing right now, is saving money for it. It's already planned. The only thing I have not planned yet, is what days I'll do what.
Sophie and a few others were asking about info on the area, though, so I thought I would write up a quick article about different things to do up in the Mackinac area. For those who have ever wondered, there are two spellings for the word Mackinac.
The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation.
Let's start with Where To Stay. (Please note: All links open in a new window)
When I first looked up info about places to stay up in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace (St. Ignace is the city across the bridge, in the upper peninsula), I looked at hotels and campgrounds. This was 2 years ago for our last trip up there. Due to the area being a hot spot for tourists, prices can get pretty high.
I finally settled on a campground called Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. The campground is located just outside of Mackinaw City, right on the shores of Lake Huron.
If you are a tent camper, sites start out as low as $9.00 a night, in May. Because the tourist season flucuates, the prices change through out the summer, and can be found on this page, which details the types of camp sites, the price, and the dates.
If you are camping with an RV and need electric hook up's, prices start as low as $10.00 for a 20 AMP super saver camp site in May. Again, these prices are all found in the link above.
There are also an assortment of cabins, which start out at $30.00 in May, and go up significantly from there. The prices can be found here, and the sizes and amenities of the cabins can be found here.
When we stayed 2 years ago, we tent camped in a super saver site with electric. I will say this- the SS sites are TINY. If you have a big RV, it won't fit. Our site barely fit a large tent, a canopy, and 1 car. These sites are perfect, though, if you don't plan to stay at the camp ground a whole lot. The site we had, along with those around us, were rocky- as in the entire ground was round gravel, not dirt. But, we only paid $14.00 a night when all the other campgrounds wanted $35-45 a night for the same type of site.
The campground also has several nice amenities, including:
Now that you have a place to stay, lets move on to Things To Do.
Mackinaw City is rather small. Tiny, actually. While there are things to do, some do require a bit of travel over the bridge, or by ferry to the island. I'll separate things to do by where they are located. The things to do in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island will be posted in a separate article.
Mackinaw City: Things To Do
Colonial Fort Michilimackinaw- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This fort is an on-going archeological dig to find the remnants of the original Fort from Mackinaw City. Mackinaw City used to be the location of a fort for fur trades, and was occupied at various times by the French and the British. At some point, the British realized that if they moved the location of their fort to Mackinac Island, they could build it up on the hill, making it nearly inaccessible by any others looking to attack. When they moved the location, they destroyed the old fort. This park is really neat to visit. They have live cannon firings, gun shooting displays, live digs to watch, and much more. You can explore the various buildings they have built, and more. Every building standing is due to extensive archeological digs that presented evidence of the building standing where it is now. It is the longest on-going Archeological dig in the US, and is active from early Spring to late Fall.
Old Mackinac Point Light House- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This lighthouse has been restored to it's original condition, and sits on the banks of Lake Huron in Mackinac City, over looking the Mackinac Bridge. This light house is located next to Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, separated by a park. The park is a great place to eat your lunch, but beware
the aggressive sea gulls- and NEVER feed them or leave your food unattended. They will swipe the food right out of your hands.
The lighthouse is small, but it is fun. If you are tall enough, they will take you in small groups up to the top of the light house, where you will have a nice view of the lakes and the bridge.
Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park- This is a Mackinac State Historic Park
Mill Creek is located just outside of town, and down only about half a mile from the Mill Creek Campground. This is located in the woods, and is the featured spot for an old saw mill. The park has extensive hiking trails, though we really did not explore that far into the trails. There are miles and miles of trails going through the forest, however. The park also has a small playground, a working water mill, and demonstrations on how people used to cut trees into useable lumber.
One perk of this park, though, is the Adventure Tour. If you have a Mackinac State Historic Park family pass, this tour does cost extra. This tour also has height and weight restrictions. Gillian was able to do this last time, but only barely. The minimum weight is 50 pounds, I believe, and around 48" tall.
The adventure tour includes a Zip Line, a Forest Canopy Bridge (this bridge is a wire that you cross over top of the trees down below. You are harnessed in and attached to the wires, however), and a rock climbing wall. This tour is $7.00 per person, in addition to the entrance fees.
I have not yet been to the Haunted Mansion, so I can't give you an insight to it. It is fairly new over the past year or so.
Mackinac Bridgemen Museum -
Again, I did not get a chance to go to this last time, so I'm unable to provide insight. I do know it's small, though. The museum has items from the building of the Mackinac Bridge in the 1950's.
If you are going in July or August, this would be an ideal place to go. The weather up in Mackinaw City, however, is cool through the end of June, only getting into the 70's, so plan this only if you are willing to brave the cold. I have not been there, but it is an outdoor waterpark.
This is a museum onboard a decommissioned Coast Guard ship called Icebreaker Mackinaw WAGB-83. I have not been there, so no insight on this museum.
There are 2 Trolley companies in Mackinaw City. This one boasts Historical Tours for just $3.00, as well as Bridge tours, Lighthouse Tours, and more. Last time, I could not remember which one had the $3.00 tour, so we did not get a chance to do this, though I think it would be a fun tour. The website says the Historic Tours begin every 30 minutes.
The website is outdated by 2 years, so I am uncertain of what the costs are. I do know they are a bit more expensive than the Old Time Trolley Tours, with tours starting out at around $10 per person. They offer a lot of group only tours to various areas.
Sophie and a few others were asking about info on the area, though, so I thought I would write up a quick article about different things to do up in the Mackinac area. For those who have ever wondered, there are two spellings for the word Mackinac.
The city is spelled Mackinaw City- spelled phonetically. The city was spelled this way due to the British occupation of the city. The rest of the biggies are spelled with an -AC at the end: Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, Straights of Mackinac. The AC is still pronounced -AW. It's spelled -AC due to the French period of occupation.
Let's start with Where To Stay. (Please note: All links open in a new window)
When I first looked up info about places to stay up in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace (St. Ignace is the city across the bridge, in the upper peninsula), I looked at hotels and campgrounds. This was 2 years ago for our last trip up there. Due to the area being a hot spot for tourists, prices can get pretty high.
I finally settled on a campground called Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. The campground is located just outside of Mackinaw City, right on the shores of Lake Huron.
If you are a tent camper, sites start out as low as $9.00 a night, in May. Because the tourist season flucuates, the prices change through out the summer, and can be found on this page, which details the types of camp sites, the price, and the dates.
If you are camping with an RV and need electric hook up's, prices start as low as $10.00 for a 20 AMP super saver camp site in May. Again, these prices are all found in the link above.
There are also an assortment of cabins, which start out at $30.00 in May, and go up significantly from there. The prices can be found here, and the sizes and amenities of the cabins can be found here.
When we stayed 2 years ago, we tent camped in a super saver site with electric. I will say this- the SS sites are TINY. If you have a big RV, it won't fit. Our site barely fit a large tent, a canopy, and 1 car. These sites are perfect, though, if you don't plan to stay at the camp ground a whole lot. The site we had, along with those around us, were rocky- as in the entire ground was round gravel, not dirt. But, we only paid $14.00 a night when all the other campgrounds wanted $35-45 a night for the same type of site.
The campground also has several nice amenities, including:
- Free mini golf
- A large arcade & Camp Store (which also sells liquor- in case anyone is interested, as most camp stores do not sell alcohol of any sort)
- A decent sized "Heated" swimming pool. It supposed to be heated all the time, but when we were up in June last time, the heater was broken, and the water was ice cold.
- 2 large playgrounds
- A sandy beach
- Some sites have a view of the Mackinac Bridge, some sites have a view of Mackinac Island
- Cabins in assorted sizes from 4 people up to 6 people. Some are electric only, others have bathrooms. I do believe all of them have a microwave and mini fridge, which is nice.
- Newly built shower houses- in the one we used last time, each shower was in an individual room with it's own door, as opposed to showers all in 1 room with curtains.
- Free shuttles into Mackinaw City to one of the island ferries- nice for when you don't want to park all day in town while visiting the isle.
- WIFI access- it was free last time, now there is a small fee to access it. When I went last time, it did not work real well, and I was unable to access it at our camp site, even though we were in the wifi zone.
- 5 minute drive to the Mackinac Bridge
Now that you have a place to stay, lets move on to Things To Do.
Mackinaw City is rather small. Tiny, actually. While there are things to do, some do require a bit of travel over the bridge, or by ferry to the island. I'll separate things to do by where they are located. The things to do in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island will be posted in a separate article.
Mackinaw City: Things To Do
Colonial Fort Michilimackinaw- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This fort is an on-going archeological dig to find the remnants of the original Fort from Mackinaw City. Mackinaw City used to be the location of a fort for fur trades, and was occupied at various times by the French and the British. At some point, the British realized that if they moved the location of their fort to Mackinac Island, they could build it up on the hill, making it nearly inaccessible by any others looking to attack. When they moved the location, they destroyed the old fort. This park is really neat to visit. They have live cannon firings, gun shooting displays, live digs to watch, and much more. You can explore the various buildings they have built, and more. Every building standing is due to extensive archeological digs that presented evidence of the building standing where it is now. It is the longest on-going Archeological dig in the US, and is active from early Spring to late Fall.
- COST: Adults are $10.50, children 5-17 are $6.50. Children 0-4 are free. You can also buy a family pass, which will get you into all of the historical parks for just $65 per family. The pass is good for the entire summer.
- Time: If you are a history buff at all, or like old fashioned parks like this, you could easily stay for several hours exploring the buildings, listening to the presentations, and such. But, you could also get through the entire park in about 2 hours.
Old Mackinac Point Light House- This is a Mackinac State Historical Park
This lighthouse has been restored to it's original condition, and sits on the banks of Lake Huron in Mackinac City, over looking the Mackinac Bridge. This light house is located next to Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, separated by a park. The park is a great place to eat your lunch, but beware
the aggressive sea gulls- and NEVER feed them or leave your food unattended. They will swipe the food right out of your hands.
The lighthouse is small, but it is fun. If you are tall enough, they will take you in small groups up to the top of the light house, where you will have a nice view of the lakes and the bridge.
- COST: $6.00 for adults, and $4.50 for children ages 5-17. Children 0-4 are free. You can also buy a family pass, which will get you into all of the historical parks for just $65 per family. The pass is good for the entire summer.
- Time: You can explore the entire light house, which is set up like a museum, in about an hour.
Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park- This is a Mackinac State Historic Park
Mill Creek is located just outside of town, and down only about half a mile from the Mill Creek Campground. This is located in the woods, and is the featured spot for an old saw mill. The park has extensive hiking trails, though we really did not explore that far into the trails. There are miles and miles of trails going through the forest, however. The park also has a small playground, a working water mill, and demonstrations on how people used to cut trees into useable lumber.
One perk of this park, though, is the Adventure Tour. If you have a Mackinac State Historic Park family pass, this tour does cost extra. This tour also has height and weight restrictions. Gillian was able to do this last time, but only barely. The minimum weight is 50 pounds, I believe, and around 48" tall.
The adventure tour includes a Zip Line, a Forest Canopy Bridge (this bridge is a wire that you cross over top of the trees down below. You are harnessed in and attached to the wires, however), and a rock climbing wall. This tour is $7.00 per person, in addition to the entrance fees.
- COST: Adult tickets are $8.00, Children 5-17 are $4.75. Children 0-4 are free. In addition, the Adventure Tour is an additional $7.00 per person. You can also purchase a family pass for $65.00, which will get you into all the Historic Parks all summer long.
- Time: The adventure tour takes about an hour to complete. I would say set aside at least 2-3 hours for this park, as it is fun, and there are a lot of places to explore through the woods.
I have not yet been to the Haunted Mansion, so I can't give you an insight to it. It is fairly new over the past year or so.
- COST: Adults: $6.00, Children: $4.00- there is an extra fee of $4.00 per person for the "Buried Alive" simulator.
- Time: Uncertain
Mackinac Bridgemen Museum -
Again, I did not get a chance to go to this last time, so I'm unable to provide insight. I do know it's small, though. The museum has items from the building of the Mackinac Bridge in the 1950's.
- COST: Free admission
- Time: Probably about an hour would be more than enough, due to the smallness of the site.
If you are going in July or August, this would be an ideal place to go. The weather up in Mackinaw City, however, is cool through the end of June, only getting into the 70's, so plan this only if you are willing to brave the cold. I have not been there, but it is an outdoor waterpark.
- COST: Seniors: $16.95, Twilight (admission after 3:30pm) $16.95, Children under 48": $18.00, Adults (and children over 48"): $24.95, Tots 2 & under are FREE.
- Time: It's open all day from 11a-7p
This is a museum onboard a decommissioned Coast Guard ship called Icebreaker Mackinaw WAGB-83. I have not been there, so no insight on this museum.
- COST: Adults: $11.00, Children 6-17: $6.00, Children 0-5 FREE. There is also a family pass available for $35.00 (available for two adults, and their children 17 & under- great for larger families)
- Time: Unknown
There are 2 Trolley companies in Mackinaw City. This one boasts Historical Tours for just $3.00, as well as Bridge tours, Lighthouse Tours, and more. Last time, I could not remember which one had the $3.00 tour, so we did not get a chance to do this, though I think it would be a fun tour. The website says the Historic Tours begin every 30 minutes.
- COST: $3.00 and Up, depending on the tour you choose. The website does not give much info.
- Time: 30 minutes and up- this might not be accurate, as I am judging time based on how often tours leave.
The website is outdated by 2 years, so I am uncertain of what the costs are. I do know they are a bit more expensive than the Old Time Trolley Tours, with tours starting out at around $10 per person. They offer a lot of group only tours to various areas.
- Cost: Unknown, outdated website
- Time: Depends on the tour
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