ISLAND FEATURES:

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:
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.