Mackinac Island

My friend, Mary, is a gardener. She loves flowers. All kinds of flowers. She has opened up a flower shop, so now she is a florist too. So, naturally, when she heard there was a lilac festival at Mackinac Island, we had to go. In June, 2025, Mary and her husband, Ken, and my husband, Greg, and I, went to Mackinac Island, Michigan. I am not a gardener or a florist. In fact, I have a hard time keeping any flowers alive. But I had wanted to go to the island for years, so when she said she wanted to go, I was more than willing to go with her.

It was a little tricky to get there. We thought about driving, but then what would we do with our cars while we were on the island? There are no cars allowed on Mackinac Island. We flew into the Chippewa County International Airport. I had hired a transport service to take us to the ferry, which would then take us to the island. When we arrived at the airport, we met our guy with the van that was taking us to the ferry. He was very friendly and gave us some tips about the island. He dropped us off at the ferry station in Mackinac City, telling us he would see us in a few days, since I had hired the same transport service to take us back at the end of the trip.

We rode the ferry to Mackinac Island.

When we arrived, we kind of wandered around the ferry station, trying to figure out how we were supposed to get to our bed and breakfast. In any other place, we would schedule an Uber or we would get a taxi. Since there are no cars allowed on the island, we weren’t sure what we were going to do. Were we going to have to walk, hauling our luggage? Were we expected to rent a bike and ride to the hotel, with the luggage strapped on…somewhere? We didn’t have to wait long to figure it out. We were soon approached by a guy with a bike with a cart attached to the back. He asked where we were staying and we told him we were staying at Bayview Inn. He loaded our luggage onto his cart, took our money, and pedaled away. We were left to find our own way to the Bayview. We set out, hoping our luggage was going to the same place we were headed. I think the guys may have been a little put out about having to walk, but it gave us a chance to see a little of the town. Actually, we saw a lot of the town. The town is not that big.

Walking gave Mary a chance to smell every lilac bush between the ferry and our Bed and Breakfast.

She was very excited about the lilacs.

We had booked reservations at the Bayview Bed and Breakfast. We didn’t know much about the Bayview Bed and Breakfast, but it ended up being a very good choice.

The staff was very welcoming. Greg and I had a room on the first floor, right inside the front door. Very convenient. Mary and Ken were on the third floor. Not quite as convenient, but a little more quiet and private. A wonderful breakfast was provided every morning, freshly baked cookies and lemonade were offered every afternoon.

And in the evening, they served delicious desserts. Yummm!

We settled into our rooms and Mary brought out her lilac hat that she had bought for this trip.

Greg and Ken wanted to stay at the Bed and Breakfast to rest awhile, but there was no way Mary and I were going to just sit around. We went to the bike rental place that was right next door to our Bed and Breakfast and rented a couple of bikes.

We were planning to ride around and explore the island. The first place we stopped was Arch Rock.

Arch rock is a 150 foot limestone arch formed by glacier erosion and lake wave weathering. There is a platform that gets you near the top of the arch, but climbing on the arch is not allowed. After climbing the steps up to the platform, and spending some time at the top, we got back on our bikes to continue our ride. Lake Huron can be seen from much of the road that goes around the island, so the views were beautiful. We ended up riding all of the way around the island, which is 8.2 miles. What a great way to start our time on the island!

I don’t remember the names of all of the restaurants, but I did get a picture of this. My daughters like the song “Pink Pony,” so I took a picture of the sign when we ate there. I don’t even know the song, but it was significant on our Kilimanjaro trip, so I had to take this picture.

They even had ponies on the salt and pepper shakers! I have a confession to make. If these salt and pepper shakers had been miniatures, I would have wanted them and may have asked to buy them. I love miniature salt and pepper shakers, jams, Nutella, ketchups, etc. A few may have ended up coming home with me on other trips. The problem is, I never open them because they are so cute and I don’t want to ruin them, so they’re just sitting on my spice rack in my kitchen.

This restaurant was also significant because Mary tried hummus for the first time. I had ordered a hummus plate. The disgusted look on her face when they set the plate down led me to believe that she would never try it. I am not really an adventurous eater, but Mary is even less adventurous. Her list of preferred foods is pretty short. But she tried the hummus, and she actually said it was not bad. However, I have not seen her scarfing down a plate of hummus since then, so I’m not sure she is a convert.

Mackinac Island is known for its fudge, so of course, we had to check out a few of the fudge shops.

The store smelled so good! Of course, we bought some fudge. Way too much fudge.

We convinced the guys to do a little shopping. None of us are all that fond of shopping, but we wanted to pick up a few things to remember this trip. We walked by the Lilac Tree Hotel and had to get a picture. After all, we were there for the lilacs. Sort of. Lilacs are a big thing on the island. I got a book, also with a lilac theme. It really wasn’t about lilacs, but it was a book. Anyone who knows me knows that I will always get a book. And this one had a picture of lilacs on the inside cover, so I thought it was appropriate. It was a decent story too, if anyone would like to get a copy to read.

We went to the Butterfly House. The Butterfly House on Mackinac Island is the third oldest live butterfly exhibit in the United States. When you first arrive, they give you some information about the butterflies. Then you go into the butterfly room. There is classical music playing and a waterfall. It’s very relaxing, and the butterflies are beautiful.

Of course, the butterflies were attracted to Greg. He’s like an animal whisperer. Cats love him, he has fed wild deer from his hand, and now the butterflies are landing on him.

The butterflies really liked Mary’s hat, too.

I wanted the butterflies to land on me, but they did not. At least my friend likes me.

We walked most of the time, but occasionally we took advantage of the “taxi” service. These “taxis” didn’t run on gas, but they produced it. We had to make sure we scheduled the “taxi” in plenty of time if we had a time deadline, because they did not get in a hurry. These “taxis” required a lot of patience.

This is the view if you looked forward.

We took the horse taxi to The Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel is the setting in the movie “Somewhere in Time,” with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The Grand Hotel celebrates a “Somewhere in Time” weekend every year. Guests can enjoy special showings of the movie, guided tours, costume events, receptions and dinners, and photo opportunities.

We weren’t there for the “Somewhere in Time” weekend, and we weren’t staying at the Grand Hotel since it cost about a $1000 per night, but during the rest of the year, for $10 a person, you can spend a day on the grounds. We paid our fee, and we spent several hours on the grounds of the Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel is enormous. It has horse stables, tennis courts, a beautiful swimming pool, and a golf course. The main dining room serves a breakfast buffet, lunch and a formal dinner. As lowly ten dollar guests, we were not able to actually use any of these amenities, but we could see them. The hotel has several gardens and an ice cream parlor, which we were able to explore. We were also allowed to explore inside the hotel. We walked around the many conference and meeting rooms. Some of them were set up for a meeting, or a meeting had already happened and the rooms just hadn’t been cleaned yet. I was wandering around and came upon a meeting room that had some coffee and tea set out on a table at the back of the room. There was an older couple standing at the table. They both had large bags and they were putting some of the coffee cups into their bags! Somehow, I don’t think taking the coffee cups is part of the $10 fee. I quickly turned around and walked out of the room. This hotel may be the setting for the movie “Somewhere in Time,” but I was definitely feeling “Dirty Dancing” vibes. Was this the Schmachers? Where were Johnny Castle and Baby? I walked around the rest of the day with the song “(I’ve Had) Time of My Life” on repeat in my head.

Mary found out they serve afternoon tea, called Amelia’s Tea Experience. It has been a tradition at the Grand Hotel since 1887, and it is inspired by traditional English customs. The tea experience is in the parlor of the Grand Hotel, and a harpist plays music during the tea. They serve a variety of teas, a variety of little sandwiches and pastries, and even champagne. It all sounds very lovely and elegant, right? We sat down on the fancy couch, looked at the menu and saw that the price for the cute little sandwiches and tea was $65 per person. For tea and tiny sandwiches? Or we could have paid $200 to $600 for a bottle of champagne. We decided we would just listen to the music. The lady who was walking around the parlor taking orders for food and drinks did not approve of our choice. She didn’t have to say anything. The sour look on her face when we didn’t order anything said it all. I guess we weren’t quite high class enough to be sitting in the parlor for the afternoon tea experience.

Mary and I walked through the gardens for a while. The gardens are very beautiful and peaceful. They had sculptured bushes,

a hedge maze, fountains, and garden paths lined with lots of flowers.

Greg and Ken decided to stay on the huge porch and rest from our day of sightseeing. I guess they were all tuckered out.

We all had a chance to sit awhile on the balcony. We opted for the sunny spots because it was cool that day. We would occasionally move into the shade, but after a few minutes, I had to get back into the sun. Brrrr.

After spending a few hours at the Grand Hotel, we made our way to the Stonecliffe Inn. The Stonecliffe Inn was a place that was recommended to us by a couple staying at the Bayview Bed and Breakfast. The Stonecliffe Inn is another upscale resort on Mackinac Island. It was built in 1904 as a lakeside summer estate. Since then, it has been used as a venue for summer conferences, and it was briefly a small ski resort. Currently, the inn is part of the Pulte Family Charitable Donation’s program of Humanitarian Hotels. All of its net profits are donated to humanitarian and educational initiatives. These include community programs, employee support, and global charitable efforts. While we were there, we ate at the Woods restaurant, and we were allowed to explore the grounds. We played croquet and took advantage of the chairs placed around on the huge lawn. Ken, Mary and I walked on the trail leading to Sunset Rock. Sunset Rock offers elevated views of Lake Huron and the surrounding bluffs. The trail to Sunset Rock is accessible from the grounds of Stonecliffe Inn.

A cute couple posing at Sunset Rock.

We got back from our little walk to Sunset Rock and found out that Greg had made friends with a bear.

While we were waiting for our “taxi” back to our bed and breakfast, Mary and I discovered some hammocks in the front lawn of Stonecliffe Inn. Well, we had to try one out. I’m not sure I understand how lying in a hammock is so relaxing. I’m always trying to not to flip over. Hammocks kind of give me anxiety.

Later that day, we visited Fort Mackinac.

We decided the guys had tolerated looking at flowers and gardens all day, so we would add a little history to our day. Fort Mackinac is a former British and American outpost. The British built the fort during the American Revolutionary War. The fort was built to control the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Later, two strategic battles were fought for the control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. It served as an outpost for the United States Army during the 19th century. The fort closed in 1895. It is now a museum that has 14 restored buildings. The buildings include the main fort, soldier’s barracks, a commissary, a bathhouse, and an old hospital. We watched a rifle and cannon demonstration. I think the guys enjoyed this part of the trip very much. I got some nice view of the island from the bridge of the fort.

We had a very busy day that day, so we took a little time to rest on the front porch of our bed and breakfast.

See the window behind them? That’s the window to the room Greg and I were staying in. We closed the blinds when we arrived. Apparently, when housekeeping services the room, they open the blinds. This is a good thing to know. It would have been good information to have one time when I was exiting the bathroom after taking a shower.

There was a beautiful view behind the Bayview Bed and Breakfast. I really wanted to take a ride across that water. I didn’t want to get IN the water, because it was not warm on Mackinac Island, but I thought a boat ride would be nice. There were some charter boats behind the inn, so Ken and I walked back there to check on the boat rides. We talked to a guy, and the cost was over $100 per person for a couple of hours. We decided to pass. But I did get some nice pictures of a lighthouse behind our inn.

We found some pamphlets that listed all of the activities on the island while we were there. We found that there was a place that was showing the movie “Somewhere in Time.” We had a little trouble finding the theater, but while looking, we ended up in a room displaying art by local artists, so we spent a little time enjoying looking at the art. We finally found someone who knew where the theater was, and we went in to watch the movie.

One of the things I wanted to do while I was on the island was to run all the way around the island. I decided to do the run the next morning. Greg, Mary and Ken decided to rent bikes to ride around the island. I gave Greg my water bottle, so I could get a drink when they rode past me. I took off ahead of them. I only stopped briefly a couple of times to get some pictures.

I beat them all back to the Bayview. I think they took a couple of sightseeing stops along the way. The problem was, Greg had my water bottle and the key to our room. I sat on the porch in my sweaty clothes, waiting for them to get back. One of the ladies that worked at the inn saw me sitting there and she got me a glass of ice water. They were so nice at Bayview Bed and Breakfast. Once they all got back, I got the key from Greg and went into our room to take a shower. I was getting ready to step into the shower, when I heard housekeeping outside our door. I yelled that I was in the room, but I guess she didn’t hear me, because she came into the room. The bathroom door in our room did not lock, so I was a little panicked. Because…well, housekeeping cleans bathrooms, there was no lock on our bathroom door, and I was naked. That could have created a very awkward, and embarrassing, situation. I said, “Hey, I’m in here!” but she still didn’t leave, so I didn’t think she heard me. I jumped over to the toilet and flushed. That did it. I heard her quickly move toward the door and then I heard the door to our room open and shut. I jumped in the shower, thinking I needed to get this done as quickly as possible. The next problem was, I didn’t take my clothes into the bathroom, and when I came out of the bathroom after my shower, I saw that housekeeping had been there long enough to open the blinds again. Yikes! There were several guests sitting on the porch outside our window! I dove to the floor, crawled over to the window, and reached up to grab the cord and closed the blinds. I finally managed to get dressed without flashing anyone (as far as I know) and I was ready for some more sightseeing.

It was very chilly and rainy on our last day on the island. We went to get something to eat and walked around the island some more, but I was getting really tired of being wet and cold. We went into some more shops, mainly to get out of the rain. I spotted a raincoat that looked like the coats the ferry workers wore. They were lined, waterproof, and very warm. They had one in Greg’s size too, so we both bought one. At that point, we didn’t care that we looked like nerdy, matching, ferry worker wannabes. We just wanted to be warm and dry. We still wear them when it’s cold and rainy. They are perfect for that sort of weather.

That evening, we took the ferry back to Mackinac City, where we were picked up by our shuttle driver. We had booked rooms at a low cost hotel (there weren’t a lot of choices in hotels) in St. Ignace because our flight home was early the next morning. The room Greg and I were staying in was way back in the back of the hotel. The hallway was full of turns, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to find my way back to the front desk. I’m not sure why they put us way back there. It seemed like there were maybe three other people in the hotel. It was actually pretty creepy and I just hoped nothing scary, like being murdered, was going to happen to us during the night. We made it out alive, caught our flight the next morning, and went home. Another great trip!

Tips:

1. Information about the Butterfly House and admission can be found at http://www.originalbutterflyhouse.com.
2. Information about the Bayview Bed and Breakfast can be found at http://www.mackinacbayview.com. We booked by calling them at 906-847-3295.
3. Check the blinds before getting into the shower when staying in an inn or hotel, especially if the window to your room is on the front porch.
4. Learn more about the Grand Hotel at http://www.grandhotel.com.
5. If you have several thousands of dollars lying around that you need to spend, I think it would be very cool to stay at the Grand Hotel for a few nights.
6. At the risk of being accused of gender stereotyping, if your vacation destination has something to do with a flower festival, working in an activity that has something to do with wars and battles will go a long way with keeping the guys in your group happy.
7. More information can be found on Stonecliffe Inn at http://www.theinnatstonecliffe.com.
8. Be careful when buying fudge on Mackinac Island. We found the more you buy, the more you eat.
9. The shuttle we used was Northern Transport and Shuttle. They can be reached at 906-430-5337.
10. The horses are given priority in most situations on Mackinac Island. This is a good thing to remember when crossing the street.
11. They have street cleaners who work very hard to keep the streets clean. However, it is still a good idea to watch where you step when walking in the town.
12. Information about Fort Mackinac can be found at http://www.mackinacparks.com