Mackinac Island 2024

Traveling to Mackinac Island in October, 2021 with a good friend was delightful.  We did a bus trip and spent 3 nights at the Grand Hotel.  We both enjoyed it a lot, but it was a more formal setting, too much food and quite a few scheduled activities.  Since we enjoyed it before, we decided to take a more relaxed approach.

Mackinac Island can be very expensive, especially for lodging. I learned through a friend, of a place they had stayed at and enjoyed, that offered a lot of comfort, but was a lot less expensive and still close to the action.  The best part was that during May, the lodging, Hart’s Inn, offered a book 3 nights, get 1 free.  Sounded great!

We drove north to Mackinac City, took the Mackinac Island ferry to the island, met a dock porter who took our bags to our hotel (flat fee of $10/bag), while we walked a few blocks through downtown to our hotel.  The nice part about going in May (20th – 23rd) is that the temperatures were cooler and there are less crowds.

Hart’s Inn looks somewhat retro in style, but all the rooms have been beautifully done in very island style colors.  They are not huge rooms (with the exception of the bathroom which was really big) but have everything you need (ours had a small refrigerator too). It is located just a short walk downhill from Main Street.  Breakfast was included with our stay, and since it is a quieter time, the Managers had us come to the Metivier Inn, a sister property, just a couple of guest inns away.  The breakfast was wonderful with hot and cold items, great coffee and a great way to start the day.

During our stay, we did lots of walking, talking, laughing, shopping, eating, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful views of a slower pace of life.  We visited the Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House, the interior of St. Anne’s and the Little Stone Churches, saw a spectacular variety of tulips in full bloom, enjoyed the clopping of all the horse carriages, had wonderful views of Round Island lighthouse, smells of coffee, a variety of eats, great views of the Mighty Mac Bridge and the fresh air breezes along the water.  Couldn’t ask for more.