We parked near the dock, ticketed our luggage (which would send it straight to the hotel) and boarded the ferry. I got Chris in huge amounts of trouble asking him to pose with the life preserver. Wow, that was a big mistake. The captain didn’t like that at all and we laughed about it the whole way to Mackinac Island.
The Grand Hotel from our ferry…
The Mackinac Bridge – 26,372 foot suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan.
Once on Mackinac Island we walked up and down the main street, checking out fudge and cute little shops…
From Main Street we decided to take a horse and buggy tour of the island. Very fascinating and a great way to see everything.
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering 3.8 square miles. It served a strategic position as a center on the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade which led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. The entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It’s most known for the Grand Hotel (highlighted in the movie: Somewhere in Time) and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. In winter the island can only be accessed by snowmobiles over an ice bridge.
Approaching the Grand Hotel…
It was pretty exciting to be able to stay at the Grand Hotel. Such a cool building, fantastic old décor and such a unique place. Adam and Chris checked us in and then we wandered on the bottom floor and found the Somewhere in Time memorabilia – which was so fun.
The dress code after 6pm around the entire Hotel was Formal – Men: Dinner Jacket and tie. Women: ‘Their loveliest’ We ate a four course meal in the Ballroom – which kind of reminded us of being on a cruise.
We wandered around the hotel, admired the eclectic furniture and bold colors, stepped into the dance hall, and laughed as the boys tried to show off their flexibility.
We walked around outside a bit before meeting Adam and Marilee for breakfast.
A few more pictures of the lobby, which look EXACTLY the same in the movie. So cool.
Used to be phone booths, now they are cell phone charging stations.
The four of us walked outside and down on to the Grand Lawn to play Croquet. It was only fitting.
A speed round at the end…
And a little bocce before walking into town…
What a great 24 hours we had on Mackinac Island. It was just perfect. We loaded up with boxes of Murdick Fudge and headed back on the ferry – this time being very careful not to touch the Life Preserver. “Water safety is no joke.”
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