Looking for an unusual resort vacation? Consider looking at Mackinac (pronounced Mack-i-naw) Island. This small island, between the upper and lower peninsula of Michigan, has long been a resort destination for the rich and powerful people of the Midwest. Today, this 4-square-mile island continues to be a popular resort destination for people from around the world. However, you don’t have to be rich to explore this destination. Continue reading to find out how to enjoy one day on Mackinac Island on any budget.
First and foremost, we must tell you that Mackinac Island is a motor-free island. That’s right, no cars, electric scooters, nothing (except the fire and police cars). This makes exploring this island so peaceful and serene. The island is strangely quiet (probably because of the lack of cars) for such a popular tourist destination. It also has so much natural beauty for you to explore. And, it’s one of the most popular things to do in Michigan. So take it from these home-grown Michiganders, there are plenty of reasons for you to spend one day on Mackinac Island, if not more.
When to Visit
The best time of year to visit Mackinac Island is in the summer. The weather is pleasant and you’ll be able to enjoy all of the outdoor activities. You’ll also have the best chance of having a smooth crossing on the ferry.
You can also visit Mackinac Island in the fall to see the beautiful color change of the island’s trees. However, note that the increased winds in fall could lead to the ferry being cancelled for the day. We’ve tried to visit the island twice in October and been unable to take the ferry each time – once because it was cancelled and once because we were worried about getting sick onboard.
If you’re into snowshoeing, winter would be a great time to visit as the car-less island makes outdoor winter activities extra special. However, if you don’t like the snow, don’t visit in winter as it will be everywhere.
Just note, that if you visit any time outside of peak season (May-September) make sure to check that the attractions you want to visit are open as hours are limited.
Getting There and Around
Getting to Mackinac Island is a bit of a chore. Honestly it’s best explored as you flit your way through Michigan on a road trip. However, if you want to go directly there, we recommend flying in to Traverse City. Stay a bit in Traverse City and enjoy the town. There are very few direct flights into this airport and it’s quite small so make sure to price it out and compare other transportation options.
Then, drive to St. Ignace or Mackinac City and use this as your port of departure. We recommend Mackinac City if you’re planning on spending time on the mainland. Mackinac City is in the lower peninsula, so you’ll avoid the Mackinac Bridge toll and the town has more to do. However, if you are just looking for a place to stay before going to the island, we recommend St. Ignace. St. Ignace, in Michigan’s upper peninsula, typically has less expensive accommodations, but you’ll have to factor in the $4 bridge toll to get there and back.
Ferry Ride
Whether you’re coming from St. Ignace or Mackinac City, you’ll have to use one of the ferry lines to get to Mackinac Island: Shepler’s and Star Line (unless you own or charter a plane into the small airport – but this isn’t a luxury travel blog so we’re ignoring this option). Either ferry will charge $27/person for a round trip ride to the island. If you’re staying multiple days on the island, they’ll charge you for overnight parking as well. Both ferry lines also offer special scenic cruises, like pirate ships, sunset rides and bridge cruises. We took Shepler’s Ferry from St. Ignace and took one of their scenic cruises under the Mackinac Bridge. This added 10 extra minutes to the ride and didn’t cost anything extra – we’d highly recommend it.
Ferry’s depart every half hour throughout the day in the summer months. Check the schedule and make sure to get there at least 15 minutes early. The ferry’s operate on a first come first served basis so if you cut your timing too close you may wind up waiting for the next ferry.
Also of note, the ferry does not operate in rough conditions. However, what the ferry deems rough and what my stomach deems rough are two different things. So have a backup plan in place if you plans get cancelled because of the weather. Or have motion sickness medicine on hand if the waves are rough.
Once you’re on Mackinac Island, most people get around by foot. However, if you want to see more of the island than downtown – which we recommend – you’ll want to rent a non-motorized vehicle such as a horse, a horse-drawn carriage or bicycles. For an extra fee, you can also bring your bikes over on the ferry if you’re interested.
What to Budget
Accommodation
There are so many different places to stay on and around Mackinac Island. With so many different price tags.
In general staying on the island will be the most expensive option, followed by staying in Mackinac City, followed by staying in St. Ignace. If you’re spending one day on Mackinac Island all three are equally convenient options for a home base. However, if you’re planning to stay multiple nights on the island, it will be worth it to pay a bit more for accommodations on the island to avoid paying a daily fare to the ferry line.
Here are some of our favorite options:
- Luxury – The Grand Hotel for $630/night for a double occupancy lake view room
- Comfort – Best Western in Mackinac City for around $300/night
- Budget – AirBnBs in St. Ignace for $120-140/night
A side note, we usually only recommend places we’ve actually stayed at but we’ve never stayed at The Grand Hotel. However, The Grand Hotel is one of those experiences to have. It’s more than just an accommodation. And that’s why it comes with a hefty price tag. However, I’ve never been able to actually shell out that much money for a PLACE TO SLEEP. Because I’m cheap. However, staying at The Grand Hotel is one of the quintessential Mackinac Island experiences and if you’re only spending one day on Mackinac Island, considering splurging here – if you can bring yourself to do it.
Transportation
I’m just going to assume you’re driving to Mackinac Island because flying is expensive and the prices vary so if you’re flying, I’ll let you figure that portion of the budget out.
You’ll want to budget a minimum of $27/person for transportation to and from the island via ferry.
In addition, you may want to budget for transportation to allow you to see the island:
- Luxury – Renting your own horse drawn carriage is $80/hour for a two person carriage.
- Comfort – A horse drawn carriage tour to some of the top places on the island costs $34/person.
- Budget – Bike rentals on the island cost $12/hour or $72/day for individual bicycles.
Food
Food Prices on Mackinac Island can vary depending on what you’re in the mood for. You can eat dinner at the grand hotel or you can pick up snacks at the oldest family owned grocery store in the country.
Here are some of our favorite options for dining out:
- Luxury – The Grand Hotel will cost $105/person for dinner
- Comfort – Great Turtle Brewery or Pink Pony will cost about $50/person for dinner
- Budget – Mighty Mac Hamburgers will cost about $10/person for a burger meal
One day on Mackinac Island cost us $1,085, including staying a night both before and after our trip.
What to Pack
Mackinac Island is an island. And as such, you’ll experience an island breeze. So be prepared for cooler weather along the shore and warmer weather on the interior of the island and layer accordingly. Otherwise, dress in clothing that is comfortable and you enjoy. People were wearing ALL sorts of outfits on the island. Do be aware, that if you decide to eat dinner at the Grand Hotel, they have a strict formal dress code so pack accordingly.
Good walking shoes are important and you’ll do lots of walking on the island. Also make sure that your shoes are secure (no slip ons) if you want to bike on the island.
If you plan on doing lots of biking around the island, consider bringing your bike to save on a rental on the island.
Make sure to pack your motion sickness medicine in case the ferry ride is too adventurous for your stomach to handle.
Top Things To Do
Mackinac Island Itinerary
Morning on Mackinac Island
Start your one day on Mackinac Island early in the morning to get the best out of your day on the island. The earlier you rise, the more you’ll be able to fit in your day. We started our day on Mackinac Island at 9 AM.
Start the morning with a brisk bike ride around the island. You’ll beat the crowds and get to see the island in the cool morning breeze. Make sure to stop at the top sights around the island like Arch Rock and some of the great views of Mackinac Bridge. This will take you about 2 hours and cost $24/person for bike rentals.
Next, explore downtown Mackinac Island. This is one of the most crowded places I have ever experienced. Seriously, it rivaled Times Square in my mind. However, it’s worth a walk just to people watch. Or if you have a sweet tooth you’ll find sooo many fudge shops here. If you are a souvenir person, don’t get them here. You’ll find the same souvenirs for less money in Mackinac City.
Next, head to The Grand Hotel to explore the hotel, porch and gardens. Even if you’re not staying here, you’ll want to check it out. It costs $10/person for non-guests to explore the grounds. If you spend any money at the Grand Hotel Restaurant, they’ll reduce your restaurant bill by $10. We spent about an hour here wandering.
Check out the lobby, historical rooms and lounges in the hotel. We noticed that the hotel is built very unevenly when we walked through it. Our tour guide, later in the day, told us that is because they began building the hotel from the outside in in order to speed the construction and when they met in the middle to join the two complete halves of the hotel, they were off by several inches.
Lunch
Since we wanted to visit the Grand Hotel but were too cheap to spend the night and didn’t want to bring a suit and dress for dinner, we decided to eat lunch at the Grand Hotel. The lunch buffet is very popular on the island. It cost $56.50/person and was all you can eat. We definitely got our monies worth. The food was fancy and good and the view and the staff were great. This was a fun experience, even if it was quite pricy. However, be warned if you’re traveling with picky eaters, this is not the place for you. The buffet is full of fancy food – think oysters and lamb – with no mac’n’cheese in sight. We found it quite entertaining watching a teen throw a temper tantrum over the lack of hotdogs. However, if you’re the parent in that situation, you probably wouldn’t find it as funny.
Afternoon on Mackinac Island
Since we were only spending one day on Mackinac Island, we wanted to jam everything in to our day. So we did a horse drawn carriage ride in the afternoon. Honestly, you could see a lot of what we saw on the carriage ride via foot or bike if you were trying to save money. But the experience was fun! The carriage drivers took us through town and gave us fun and historical facts about different buildings and businesses. The drivers were awesome and this experience was very similar to a hop-on-hop-off tour in other larger towns, but with a fun twist. The ride cost $34/person and lasted about 1.5 hours.
We hopped off the horse drawn carriage ride at Fort Mackinac. This was a fort built to defend Mackinac Island against invading forces. Then, it changed hands several times in the early years of the USA until it became irrelevant and was placed in the hands of the National Park Service. It has since been operated at a historical site for tourists like us to learn from. The best part of a visit here is the cannon and musket demonstrations that they put on throughout the day. The kiddos will love this. We spent about a hour wandering here and the entrance cost $13.50/person.
Spend the evening downtown enjoying dinner. We opted for drinks and ice cream along the water since we were still full from lunch at The Grand Hotel.
End your day on Mackinac Island around sunset with a ferry ride back to the mainland (unless you’re staying on the island). If you catch the ferry at the right time, you’ll get a free sunset cruise.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary
If you want to stay longer on Mackinac Island consider spreading out this itinerary and spending more time doing leisure activities like drinking along the shore or playing on the beaches. However, one day on Mackinac Island really is the perfect amount of time to see everything.
If you have less time, consider going somewhere else. Unless you can dedicate a full day to exploring the island it really isn’t worth the money to take the ferry to the island.
I hope this post has helped you to plan your perfect day on Mackinac Island. We hope you love and enjoy the island as much as we did. This might just become your new favorite family vacation destination that you return to every year.
Perfect glad I stumbled upon this post!! Thanks
I’m glad you did too 🙂 I hope you enjoy your visit to Mackinac.
Best post!! Went through each and every single line and it’s very helpful to first time visitors.
Thanks so much! That was so nice to say.