{"id":9412,"date":"2019-09-02T19:54:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T00:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anniee.net\/?page_id=9412"},"modified":"2025-06-21T08:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T13:11:13","slug":"travelogue-mackinac-island","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.anniee.net\/?page_id=9412","title":{"rendered":"Travelogue: Mackinac Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 2019<\/em><\/strong>
\nWhere We Stayed:\u00a0 Lilac Tree Suites & Spa<\/em><\/p>\n

My dad wanted to go to Mackinac Island for his 72nd birthday.\u00a0 He had been to the island multiple times in his younger years but hadn’t been back in ages.\u00a0 So we packed up the car and headed north!\u00a0 It takes about 5 hours to drive to St. Ignace, MI.\u00a0 From there, you have to catch a ferry to the island.\u00a0 There are no cars allowed on Mackinac Island — so you have to walk or bike everywhere… or travel by horse carriage. It’s a unique experience and the definition of quaint.<\/p>\n

We stayed at the Lilac Tree Suites & Spa<\/a>, which was right downtown. In a perfect world we would have stayed at the Grand Hotel<\/a>, but prices were astronomical given that it was Labor Day Weekend. The Lilac Tree Suits & Spa was lovely though — great location, clean, and we had a great balcony which overlooked Main St.<\/p>\n

Upon arrival on Saturday, we unpacked, settled in, and then headed to the Pink Pony<\/a> for lunch\/dinner. The food was decent but we were all\u00a0starving<\/em>! Afterward we stopped at Murdick’s<\/a> for some fudge (when in Rome…) and another shop for some ice cream.\u00a0 Not a bad first day!<\/p>\n

On Sunday, we took a horse carriage tour<\/a> of the island.\u00a0 It’s a must-do if you are visiting because aside from bicycles, it’s the only way you’d be able to see so much of the island — and learn about its history.\u00a0 The tour was fun, informative, and lasted about 1.5 hours.<\/p>\n

After our tour concluded, we spent a few hours at the Grand Hotel. It is\u00a0spectacular<\/em>. If you aren’t staying there, you have to pay $10 per person to walk in the door — but it’s worth it! The hotel decor is beautiful and the whole place is very\u00a0FANCY<\/em>! We had lunch there, visited their ice cream shop (Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor<\/a>!), sat on the enormous porch and had a drink, and soaked up all of the stunning scenery. 10\/10, would recommend!<\/p>\n

We walked back downtown after our time at the Grand Hotel.\u00a0 It’s easy to walk back because it’s all downhill — BLESS. We walked around, visited nearly every souvenir shop, and stopped for some popcorn as a snack (still full from lunch at the Grand Hotel!).<\/p>\n

We left to head home the next day.\u00a0 We were originally planning on staying one more day, but the weather forecast was dismal and to be honest, we kind of ran out of things to do.\u00a0 It’s a tiny island and you really can see it all in a day!<\/p>\n

Other stray observations:<\/p>\n