 Step
back in time to a place where transportation is limited
to horse and buggy, bicycle or foot. Surrounded on all
sides by water, Mackinac Island has managed to escape
the changes of time.  It's
authentic Victorian setting is preserved and enhanced
by a small population of 500 permanent residents
and scores of summer residents. Families, especially
children, love to explore the historic, natural beauty
of Mackinac Island State Park, honored by National
Geographic as one of the ten finest in America.
 Fort
Mackinac (May 6 to October 9, 2005):
Built by the British in 1780 to protect the Great
Lakes Fur Trade. Costumed guides portray soldiers
from the 1880s American period with rifle and
cannon firing demonstrations, court martial, tours
and more. Fourteen original buildings house Victorian
period settings and history exhibits including, "Mackinac: An Island Famous in These
Regions." (Admission charged to enter fort.)
Mackinac
Island State Park Visitor's Center:
Exhibits dramatize the island’s natural history.
Information on what to see and do is shared by friendly
staff. Fort Mackinac tickets are sold here. The center
is conveniently located on the waterfront adjacent
to village shops, the marina and Marquette Park.
Other
Attractions:
* Spectacular prehistoric geological
formations Arch
Rock and
Sugar Loaf are natural limestone wonders
that tower over the Straits.
Sunset Rock on the island's west bluff
was purchased in September of 2002 and offers a spectacular
view of Lake Huron and the Mackinac Bridge.
*
Stretching eight miles around the island's perimeter,
M-185 is a scenic shoreline road and the nation's only
state highway without motor vehicle traffic.  There
are 70 miles of roads and trails within Mackinac Island
State Park, most of which are wooded inland trails
for hikers, bikers and horseback riders in spring,
summer and fall. Many interior eastern trails are groomed
and excellent for cross-country skiing during the winter.
*
Marquette Park, at the foot of Fort Mackinac, was dedicated
in 1909 as a park for the people.
*
Fort Holmes features a panoramic view of the Fort Mackinac
and the Straits of Mackinac at the island's highest
point--320 feet above Lake Level. |
