Mackinac Island, Michigan

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We have been waiting for the weather to clear so that we could venture north to Charlevoix, Petosky and Mackinac Island area. It has been raining here for over a week and today was THE day to venture out into the sunshine!

Charlevoix is a picturesque little village along Lake Michigan. Many famous people have summer homes here including Madonna, Tom Selleck, Michael Jordan, and other millionaires from around the world. It is a beautiful small village with flower lined streets, Lake Charlevoix, and a drawbridge located between lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan.

Venturing on to Petosky, another small quaint town just north of Charlevoix, we found the same flower lined streets and many art galleries and restaurants are located in the village by the water. What a gorgeous place.

From there up through Mackinac (pronounced Mack - in - aw) City and over the spectacular 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge to catch the ferry over to Mackinac Island. No automobiles are allowed on the island so it's either horse drawn carriages or bicycles. We chose the carriages as we had done the bicycles on our last trip!

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Photos

The Mackinac Island Bridge
This bridge connects lower Michigan to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. People who live in the upper region are called "uppers" and the others are called lower michiganders. This bridge is 5 miles long and the scenic beauty from atop the bridge is breathtaking.

The Ferry
We chose to take the ferry from the upper side rather than the lower side as it is a faster ride.

The Grand Hotel
This beautiful old hotel built in the mid 1800's is a classic beauty ! Reservations must be made here at least one year in advance. The horse drawn carriage picks you up at the warf upon arrival of the ferry and then transports you to the hotel via a tour of the city.
Quite magnificent!!

The Grand Hotel Carriage
Enjoy your tour of the city on the way to an elegant
experience!

One of the many Bed and Breakfast Establishments
Step back in time 100 years !

Transport Buggies
Everything, every piece of furniture, all food products, clothing, all merchandise of any kind is transported from the ferry to the destination by horse and wagon. No automobiles are allowed. This is work !

The Buggy Museum and Butterfly House
This is the butterfly house next door to the Buggy Museum. We each had to inspect each other when leaving to be certain we were not accidentally carrying out any butterflies on our clothing.

The Hearse
This Hearse is still used today for funerals on the island.

The Fire Wagon
The fire wagon is still used today to assist with fires.

The sled carriage for wintertime
This sled was used to carry the govenor from the warf to his island home here during the snowy winter months.

Waiting for the Ferry
Waiting for the ferry for our return trip was fun and we enjoyed the scenic walk from the carriage barn back to the ferry landing. Yes it was cold and it started to rain just as we were leaving.