Mackinac Island is small, at 3.8 square miles, and is located between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The high cliffs and distant views make this a strategic position, and the British established a fort here during the American Revolutionary War. This was also the site of two battles during the War of 1812. Today the island is a National Historic Landmark, the location of Mackinac State Park, and site of the famous Victorian Grand Hotel. This hotel was built in 1886 and boasts the longest porch in the world at 660 feet! The island is a very popular tourist destination. Most come in by tour boat, and with no cars allowed on the island, the horse drawn carriages and bikes are in frequent use.
We felt lucky to get a reservation at the Mackinac Island marina and arrived midday in light rain. The marina is right in front of the fort, on the main tourist street of the town and in walking distance to the Grand Hotel. We have been here before and spent a good deal of time at the fort on our last trip. So this time a horse drawn carriage ride made the most sense, and we spent a couple of hours riding around the island. With weather breaks we had a chance to get some pictures of this very unique area. Dinner at the Carriage House in the Iroquois Hotel was simply excellent, and from our table we had views of the harbor entrance.
 |
| Mackinac Island State Harbor from the entrance to the fort |
 |
| The two "horsepower" carriage |
 |
| The beautifully maintained homes |
 |
| The massive Grand Hotel |
 |
| Arch Rock, 146 ft. above the water |
 |
| The entrance to Fort Mackinac |
Incidentally, Mackinac Island and and Mackinaw City, across the channel from one another, are spelled differently, but pronounced the same (mack-i-naw).
At 10:30 p.m., "Taps" was played on a trumpet from the fort. What a wonderful way to end the evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment