Mackinac Island/Sault Ste Marie/surrounding areas About This Page:

[Shell_of_the_South]

Give me your must-dos for a short trip to the Mackinac area - we don't have time to do it all, but what are the must-dos for adults who love to sight-see? Are the combo tickets worth it? I know there is are casinos nearby, but no gamblers or drinkers in our group. Also, would it be best to stay in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace?

And, has anyone done the dinner cruise at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie? How was the food? Would we be better off to do the 2 hour boat tour and then eat dinner elsewhere?

And can someone tell me why different spellings for Mackinac/Mackinaw are used? It confuses me!

[KimandMark]

How long are you going to be there? If you are driving, or spending more than a couple of days I would consider staying one or two night on Mackinac Island (although you may have trouble getting a room now...)--its really wonderful. You can rent bikes and wander the island and bask in the carlessness! The Grand Hotel is awesome just to visit, with a huge buffet that is worth it and a great view from the Cupola Bar. But keep in mind that this is an upscale sort of place, resort casual in the day time, coat and tie at night.

Of course the bridge is one of the biggest attractions, and the locks the second biggest. I haven't taken the cruise, but my understanding is that you are getting a great view and fascinating information, not so much on the great food.

If you stay in Mackinaw City (Mackinaw and Mackinac are pronounced the same way, I don't know why we use two spellings!) you could take some drives along Lake Michigan heading toward Petosky and on to Sleeping Bear Dunes. There are tons of state parks with beaches and Lake Michigan really is beautiful. This would be a long day with lots of driving, but very scenic.

While in Mackinaw City you need to get some fudge. And pasties (they are like pies or empanadas and yummy!). There is really a lack of good restaurants, the turn over in staff and ownership is very high so keep that in mind. Darrow's is a good option, basics, not gourmet, except the pies, a whole bunch of pies! THe Keyhole Bar is good for burgers, and now that Michigan has banned smoking, its not even too smoky!!

Also think about a day trip to Tahquamenon Falls, this might be combined with your Soo trip, but it would also be a long day.

[KimandMark]

I totally forgot to answer the ticket question. The combo tickets are worth it if you plan and really want to do EVERYTHING on the ticket. I'd be more inclined to pay for the ferry to the island and buy tickets to other sites as I went, because I can't see doing everything. You could spend an entire day on the island. Another day visiting the UP (the falls and the locks) and the third day headed west along the lake and never use the other tickets.

I'm not in love with the attractions like the Fort and the Trolley and the Colonial village, but its my personal taste, I think the state parks and beaches are really wonderful. Renting bikes on the island is a great way to spend part of day.

[mama2disneyfan]

I love Mackinaw City - no matter how busy it is, it is always great.
We have not done the dinner cruise but have done the Lock tour cruise, I had wanted to go since I was a kid, but wasn't greatly impressed to be honest. My favorite part was the steel plant on the Canadian side. Still the locks were cool and that area is nice.

There is a Best Western in Mackinaw City that is right on the beach and quite nice. We have stayed at a place called Bridgeview Inn {I think} and we were right by the bridge - great view and priced right!

While in Mackinaw City, if you have time of course, just walking around is great. Lots of great little shops and things to see. Fun miniature golf too.

Have a great time!

[Shell_of_the_South]

Thanks for the info Kim!

[Dave Marx]

I prefer Mackinaw City to St. Ignace. St. Ignace is pretty much a one street town - a strip of shops, motels, and restaurants. If you're going to spend time exploring the UP (Upper Peninsula - Sault St. Marie, etc.), then at least you're not trekking back and forth over the bridge each time. You'll generally find nicer accommodations in Mackinaw City.

Mackinaw City gets more tourist traffic, more restaurants, shops, motels, etc. (and generally nicer ones in all cases), plus Fort Michilimacinac. Overall, it's a "better" tourist town, but still small. The ferry ride over to the island is longer and more dramatic from Mackinaw City than the trip from St. Ignace, if that matters. If you're campers, try staying at Wilderness State Campground, which is right on the lake shore a few miles out of town.

I like Sault St. Marie because of the locks. I haven't taken a cruise, but there's a really good public park/viewing area with a decent museum/exhibit hall at the locks. We went there after our Panama Canal cruise on DCL, and really enjoyed watching the ships passing through. The Soo Locks are actually longer than the Panama Canal locks, and they also functioned as the engineering model for the Panama locks and are the project that qualified the Army Corps of Engineers to take on the Panama project. While your in the UP you'll see shops selling smoked Great Lakes whitefish as well as pasties. Add that to your list of local "delicacies" to sample. Pasties are actually a UP "thing," from the Cornish miners who came to the UP to dig ore. They migrated to the LP (Lower Peninsula - Mackinaw City) thanks to the tourists and the bridge.

The differences in spelling come from the fact that all are shortened versions of the Native American name for the area, which is commonly rendered Michilimacinac in English (and from which we also get "Michigan") Since the area was settled by French Canadian trappers and fought over by British and American troops, there's no shortage of spelling variations in the area. At this point, though, the pronunciation is consistent, regardless of the spelling - Mackinaw. I figure the spellings that end with ac/ak are closer to the native pronunciation, and that "aw" is the result of European linguistic idiosyncrasies (or cultural attitudes). I'll go out on a limb to guess that the French dropped the final "c," (they tend to drop a lot of final consonants), so we may have then had Mackinah, and from there, some English-speaking group turned the AH to AW. The other possibility is that there's intentional mispronunciation, as many conquering/occupying cultures tend to do that sort of thing to local names, just to show the locals who's the boss (a classic example of that is Bombay/Mumbai). I'm sure there are linguists somewhere who have the real answer, though.

On Mackinac Island, I happen to like visiting the fort (moreso than the fort in Mackinaw City, in part because of the view). There are also a bunch of very nice hiking paths (roads, really) hrough the interior of the island and running around the perimeter. The perimeter route is right at the lake shore, and is especially nice for a bike rental (you won't have time to walk the full perimeter).

Now, as far as the fudge goes... There are folks who are absolutely loyal to one or the other of the various fudge purveyors. You'll find each purveyor has a bunch of shops up and down the street (and also in Mackinaw City). Prices will vary a bit, based on location (proximity to the ferry dock, etc.), but really, as long as it's fresh (and it generally is), fudge is fudge. Sample it, and buy the flavor(s) you like, from whoever happens to sell them. You like caramel corn? You can find that, too. Like many resort areas that grew up in the late 19th century, the folks on Mackinac Island learned that candy is a good souvenir munchie. Decent shelf life, sweet, relatively cheap ingredients, high mark-up, and it travels well. There's nothing about the Michigan fudge recipe that differs from the fudge you can get at the Jersey Shore or any state fair or carnival (just like anyone can make "saltwater" taffy, since they don't use seawater to make it).

[Wendyismyname]

We were supposed to be in Sault Ste. Marie this week for vacation, but thanks to my foot surgery and the kids signing on for detasseling we canceled. But I had done a ton of research---or as much as you really can for the Soo.

Here's a website that I used for my information. Sault Ste. Marie Visitors Bureau

How long do you have? There's Whitefish Point, which is a little drive west of Sault Ste. Marie and is the sight of where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. There's a museum you can go to. We were going to go there..

I remember climbing Castle Rock in St. Ignace when I was a kid, which was the last time I was in Michigan.

My in-laws have been going up there every year in July for the last 15, so we also picked their brains. It would have been a fun time!!!

[singhsongs]

Glad I saw this I have never been but my DH talks about this place all the time!

[WDWfan]

I've always stayed in St. Ignace - or on the island. Dave's right - St. Ignace is much smaller and quieter. We usually spend one night there and then go over to the island for a couple of days. There's nothing like spending a night on the island. Once the last ferry leaves in the evening it is so quiet and peaceful. Very different that during the day. It was one of my kids favorite vacation destinations (outside of WDW of course!). Our favorite place to stay was the Lilac Hotel on Main Street. The hotel was a suite hotel with sperate bedrooms/living rooms (where the kids slept). We also liked to get a room with a balcony looking over main street. I remember one rainy afternoon sitting on our balcony playing cards and watching the horses and people to by.

I've done the fort before and it's worth doing once, but my favorite activities are walking - or biking around the island, shopping, tasting ALL of the fudge before choosing one to buy, and just enjoying the atmosphere. We did take an island tour once and that was interesting, and we went on a horseback trail ride one time. Kind of slow as I remember.

My favorite restaurant is the Village Inn (or the VI as the locals call it). It used to be the only restaurant on the island open all year around (may still be). They have wonderful planked white fish. It's located just off the main street downtown.

Enjoy your trip - I Mackinac!

[Chelledun17]

For Mackinac Island, Jo-Ann's Cookie Crunch fudge is our favorite! We also love a bike ride around the island as a "must-do" but go early to avoid crowds. The most consistent restaurant we have found is Village Inn. Great pasta dishes and desserts!

[cupcakelover56]

If you are going on the island make sure to do all the little shops they are the best. Last year we did a week at disney and then went up there for 5 days. I was very relaxing make sure to take your bikes!

[cupcakelover56]

Also don't worry with the butterfly houses they are a rip off.

[MichaelF]

Originally Posted by cupcakelover56

Also don't worry with the butterfly houses they are a rip off.

My wife took her girl scout troop to the island and the butterfly house was one of their favorite stops.

[MichaelF]

The grand hotel on mackinaw island is very nice. If eating dinner there the attire is formal. Men must wear ties and ladies wear dresses. There are a few other places to stay too if the Grand Hotel isn't what you are looking for. The island is very nice and worth the trip.
As for staying overnight on the "mainland" we prefer mackinaw city. We have been to Sault Ste. Marie a few times. Seeing the locks is a cool experince but other than that there is not a lot to do there. I certainly do not recommend the indian casinos in Michigan. The tribes that run them play by there own rules on payouts. If you want to gamble go to Las Vegas.
There are some other attractions around mackinaw city such as touring the fort and Castle Rock.

[Shell_of_the_South]

Wow - thanks everyone - you have been a wealth of information!! Unfortunately we don't have a wealth of cash so we're not staying on the island. We will probably look for something in Mack City.