Mackinac Island Day Trip
No cars allowed and only horse drawn carriages and bikes as the mode of transportation - did you know that exists in Michigan on a small island called Mackinac Island? Located only an hour north of Boyne City, situated on Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island is the perfect day trip from Boyne City.
Once you reach Mackinaw City, you will take a quick 20-minute ferry ride to Downtown Mackinac Island. There are only two ferry options for getting to Mackinac Island: either Shepler’s Ferry or Starline. Each ferry schedule differs, but during the busy summer season leaves frequently, making it easy to get to Mackinac. You may have to wait in line to get on the ferry during the busiest summer days, so you might want to plan to arrive early to make the most of your day! Some of the ferry rides take a detour and go under Mackinac Bridge. This is a cool experience if you want to see the bridge from a unique vantage point. To know which ferry goes under the bridge, you can view their schedules online.
Mackinac Island is a 8.2 mile island that is rich with history and so much to experience for everyone in your group. Mackinac has a downtown filled with delicious restaurants, cute boutique shops and of course, so much fudge! Mackinac is a seasonal tourist destination, with most of its hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions open May – October. There are about 500 year-round residents, a full grocery store, school, taxi service, airport and health clinic. The ferry companies run in the winter if the Great Lakes are not frozen. If the ferry companies cannot cross the lake because of ice, you are able to take a small charter plane over to the island, weather permitting. Because of the seasonality of the island, we recommend visiting anytime May – October when you can get the full Mackinac Island experience.
The History:
Mackinac Island has no cars, only horses, wagons and bicycles for getting around. The horse drawn carriages act as taxis for people, but most people choose to get around by bicycle or walking. Horseless carriages (early renditions of the automobile) were on Mackinac Island from 1898 to 1901, but they were made illegal because of how chaotic they made things on the island! In 2023, Mackinac Island celebrated 125 years of its Automobile Ban! To learn more about the history of the automobile ban, read this article from Mackinac State Historic Parks here!
If you only can spend one day on Mackinac Island, it’s hard to recommend exactly what to do, since there is truly so much to do on Mackinac Island! Since we are so closely located in Boyne City, we visit multiple times a year – so here are a few things that our family has found that we love doing while on Mackinac Island.
Shop Downtown:
There are so many cute shops to see when walking downtown. Most shops are open daily for extended hours, but each does vary. Some personal favorites to stop and shop at include:
Great Turtle Toys: This is the store for the kids – or those with a child-like spirit! One of the best things to grab from Great Turtle Toys is a kite to take and fly in the park! Fun fact: Great Turtle Toys has one of the largest selections of kites in the entire Midwest! Plus, they do a kite show at Windermere Point daily, May – October (weather permitting). So head to their shop to grab a kite and join in the fun!
Island Bookstore: If you love to read books, stop into the Island Bookstore. Filled with book about Mackinac and Michigan history plus all the latest releases. We love stopping in to grab a book and taking it to relax at one of our favorite spots in the afternoon – Adirondack chairs located on the library deck. This is a hidden spot that has incredible views of the lake and is a quiet spot to read when you want to relax.
Little Luxuries of Mackinac Island: A cute and unique shop filled with a little bit of everything. Mackinac and Michigan goodies, clothing, a great baby and kid section, Michigan made food treats, home and kitchen goods and more! Filled with items that any age will love, it’s the perfect stop for you to make while shopping on Main Street.
Pink Pony: The Pink Pony Club is a newer store on Mackinac that is adorable – girls and women of all ages will absolutely love shopping here! They have cute pony themed stickers, bracelets, slippers, luggage tags, journals, apparel and more! If you or the girls in your group love all things pink this is the store for you to shop at while on Mackinac.
While you are walking around shopping, don’t miss out on shopping on Market Street. Market Street has cute shops, art galleries and one of our favorite stops for caffeine – Lucky Bean. Lucky Bean is a locally owned coffee shop that you must visit. Their Island Originals on the menu are a fun and delicious try! Bed Head is one of their most popular drinks and so tasty. It’s a latte made with brown sugar and honey syrup. It’s delicious we know you’ll savor every sip. Open daily during the summer season, this is an essential stop on Mackinac for your caffeine fix.
Things to Do:
Bike Around Mackinac: This is obviously a must! The entire island is only 8.2 miles around, making it the perfect adventure for the entire family to conquer. With minimal elevation changes, the kids will be able to bike easily. Each mile is marked so you know exactly how far you’ve gone. Plus there are so many little stops you can make along the way, the 8.2 miles goes by quite quickly. Don’t forget to grab a family picture while you are biking around the island – it’s so easy to spend the entire day having so much fun that you forget to grab a picture! Make sure you take a minute to capture the memory!
Halfway around the island at British Landing is Cannonball, a great little food stop with sweet treats like ice cream, plus hot dogs, hamburgers and more. Grab a snack or lunch before heading to the picnic tables or sitting on the shoreline to enjoy the perfect break from your bike ride..
If you love the bicycle ride around the island and want to bike more, another favorite spot we love to bike to is the Mackinac Island airport! It’s fun to bike up there and then take a break watching airplanes come and go for a little while before heading back to town.
Visit Fort Mackinac: Fort Mackinac was constructed during the American Revolution. Originally in Mackinaw City, Fort Mackinac was moved to its current home on Mackinac Island in the 1780s. Visit Fort Mackinac to learn about the American Revolution, the battles fought on Mackinac and the history of the fort after the revolution. This is a great stop for all ages – especially if you have a history buff in your group!
Take a Carriage Tour: If you love learning about history, in addition to visiting Fort Mackinac, take a Carriage Tour. Sit back and relax on the hour and forty-five-minute tour of the allure and stories of the island. The tour includes so many amazing stops that you will enjoy including Surrey Hills Museum, Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory, Arch Rock, a stop at Fort Mackinac and more.
Plus, when you take a ride of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, you will be participating in the world’s oldest Horse and Buggy Service! Learn more about the history of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours and how to make your reservation for your trip here: https://www.mict.com.
The Original Butterfly House of Mackinac Island: You would never guess that there is a tropical garden filled with hundreds of butterflies right on Mackinac Island! Visiting the Butterfly House is a colorful and entertaining experience for everyone in your group!
Surrey Hill is filled with small shops, a blacksmith workshop, a museum and what they may be best known for- their incredible donuts! Once of our favorite parts about visiting Surrey Hill is learning about the history of horses on Mackinac, plus twelve of the Grand Hotel’s working horses live at Surrey Hill. You’ll be able to learn about their jobs on Mackinac and how they are an integral part of making Mackinac Island run well. If the weather happens to be rainy or windy when you are visiting Mackinac, Surrey Hill is a great spot to visit.
Where to Eat:
Doud’s Market, the oldest family-owned grocery store in the United States, is a must for all your snacks while on the island! They have a full deli in the back and make breakfast sandwiches, salads, subs, and pizza. We love grabbing all our snacks and lunch provisions from Doud’s Market for a picnic in Marquette Park, right next to Doud’s Market.
Marquette Park is situated next to Doud’s Market, at the end of the Downtown of Mackinac. The park looks out over the water, sitting below Fort Mackinac. With so much green space and a small playground, this is one of the best spots to let your kids get any wiggles out after the car / ferry ride to Mackinac.
Watercolor Café is a unique eatery on Mackinac that doubles as a creative space offering different art classes throughout the summer. It’s a great family friendly spot, as they offer art supplies for the kids to enjoy during your meal. We love to stop in for breakfast if we get to the island early! Our go to is the Andy Warhol smoothie (Banana, peanut butter, vanilla whey protein, cinnamon, almond milk) and their avocado toast! If you are looking for a sweeter option, they make amazing homemade pop tarts that are known all over for island for being incredibly delicious!
Ice House BBQ at the Island House Hotel is slightly hidden from the rush of Main Street, offering incredible food and a family fun atmosphere with room to spread out and lawn games! Located across from the Mackinac Island Marina, this is a fun stop for lunch or dinner. This is definitely one of our favorite spots to stop at when we have a day on Mackinac!
If it’s your first time on Mackinac Island, an iconic spot to eat dinner is at The Pink Pony, located right on the water. The Pink Pony has delicious food – but they may be best known for the Rum Runner - a delicious, boozy summer drink that you will love after a summer day spent outside.
Get a Sweet Treat: Mackinac Island is known for having the best fudge! There are thirteen fudge shops on Mackinac Island and each one is distinctly different and delicious. A fun family activity that we’ve done before is get a slice of fudge from each fudge shop, comparing to see which one we liked the best.
If it seems like your day on Mackinac is going to be filled with so many fun things - that’s because it is! One of the best parts about visiting Mackinac for the day from Boyne City is that you can get to the ferry dock in just one hour! Once you’re on the island, everything is so closely situated together (and since there are no cars!) getting around is fast and simple.
We love visiting Mackinac and introducing this little slice of Michigan paradise to people for the first time. Each time we go, we leave with new filled memories that everyone in our family treasures until the next time we find ourselves back on the ferry.
Head Home to Cozy Luxury:
If you’re staying with us at a Boyneland property and need more Mackinac inspiration, don’t hesitate to ask! It’s one of the best parts about being a vacation rental host - introducing our guests to our favorite spots.
At the end of your trip to Mackinac, once you return to your rental, settle in for a cozy and comfortable night. We are proud of each and every one of our properties and the unique offerings we have. One of the biggest things that we get compliments on is our bedding from Cozy Earth. So many of you have asked about it that we now have a code. Use the code: COZYBOYNE and you’ll save 40% OFF your purchase! Visit their website here: https://cozyearth.com .
Boyneland Vacation Rentals is a proud Airbnb Superhost, making each of your stays incredible and welcoming. We always appreciate it when you take the time to send us a message or leave us a review and let us know how you enjoyed your stay. Also, don’t forget to book your return stay to a Boyneland property before you leave. There is SO much to do in Boyne City and the surrounding area. Plus, we imagine that you’ll be wanting to take a day trip back to Mackinac Island again soon!
