Mackinac Island
Traveling the Upper Peninsula, along the northern shore of Lake Michigan was a beautiful drive. There are several boondocking opportunities along the Lake. The UP (as Locals call the Upper Peninsula) also has many State and private campgrounds to choose.
Mackinac Bridge permanently connects the Upper Peninsula at the eastern side with the mainland. Lake Heron and Lake Michigan flow together here, with the town of St. Ignace, on the UP, creating a great lakeside community.
Our destination for this excursion was St. Ignace, Michigan. We ended up at Tiki RV Park, which is a Passport America campground with a rate of $22.00 for full hookups. It’s a pretty campground with open and wooded sites and is easy to navigate. We had camped here several years ago when we ferried over to Mackinac Island riding our bikes all over the Island. We chose to camp at the Tiki RV Park as we were meeting up with friends who have never been to Mackinac Island.
Since none of us had been to the Grand Hotel, we were excited to visit and partake in the afternoon activities. We used the Star Ferry to transport to the Island. The agenda was fully packed since we only had one day. Timing was important to be able to see and participate in our interests since the last Ferry returning to the mainland was 6:30 pm.
When we arrived at the Island, the six of us were able to call for a Grand Hotel horse-drawn taxi to take us to the Grand Hotel. It is $5 one-way per person. Transportation on the entire Island is limited to horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles.
First, to the Grand Hotel for a buffet lunch. The buffet was huge, with a selection of food to compliment every palate or dietary restriction. There were sections for each type of food. Example, vegetables, meats, desserts. Very yummy and beautifully arranged. Within the entrance fee of $10.00 to the Hotel, we were able to tour the Hotel at our leisure after lunch. Lunch is paid as you enter the spacious dining area. The Hotel is a classical Wooden structure built in 1887. It is like going back in time to experience the slow pace of life in an era gone by. After we all toured the magnificent Hotel, we stood in line for our return trip, to the town, about 1 mile down to the harbor. Each guest always pays the taxi driver their $5.00 fee at the end of each horse-drawn taxi ride. Once there, we spoke with one of the horse-drawn taxi representatives to set up a private tour since there was 6 of us. The buggy tours the beautiful Island, thru the neighborhoods and Parks giving us a running commentary of information and magnificent views of the Lakes. You see, the geography of the Island is hilly in the center. The tour showed the history of the Island and a walk through the carriage collection of the Grand Hotel. Upon completing the tour, we took another Grand Hotel taxi ride back to the Hotel for Afternoon Tea. Tea is from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The Tea was over the top with Champaign during the snacking, all sorts of finger sandwiches and fancy desserts and finished with Tea. The Tea was very, very good. Some of our party had dietary restrictions, which were accommodated very nicely. By the time we were finished enjoying our Afternoon Tea, time was winding down quickly to catch the last Ferry to the mainland. Another $5.00 paid by each passenger to the taxi driver to take us back to the Docks. No problem!!!!!
The weather was perfect. Our itinerary flowed smoothly with all enjoying. If one chooses to stay overnight or extended at the Hotel or one of the other many facilities, there is more to see and enjoy. And, if you overnight in the Grand Hotel, you can partake of Dinner. It looks as though it is quite the event, with dinner dress for men of jackets and ties and women in dresses. How fun that would be to “dress up”. Our society now certainly does not provide many opportunities like that any longer. Another trip????? Yes !!!!!! This Island destination is designed to facilitate the maximum experience for the visitors. The easy access to the Island using the Ferries, helpful guides at the docks for direction, tour services and many shops and restaurants makes all a very pleasant and fun visit.
