Mackinac Island, Michigan (Places)

A Thursday@5 Place That I Want to Visit

No Cars or Other Motor Vehicles Allowed

(Only Snowmobiles, or should I say, Snow Machines.)

When I was seven, I had some View-Master reels that had photos of this island and the nearby famous Mackinac Bridge, once the longest, but now the fifth-longest suspension bridge in the world. (I have a thing for bridges.)

The bridge doesn’t connect to the island, it connects the Michigan “mitten” to Upper Michigan, so to speak. The locals probably hate how I just stated that.

You can get there by ferry (weather and iced-over waters permitting) or by air. Once you’re there, you get around by walking, on bike, or via horse and horse carriages. Without vehicles, there’s lots of horses there in the summer. I love horses, but I’m not a big fan of horse smells… However, just like in New Orleans and other places, I’m willing to put up with it in order to visit there.

I’d also like to visit in the winter someday, because I’ve also wanted to try and brave the Mackinac Ice Bridge. The Ice Bridge is the name given to the path from mainland Michigan to the island once the waters freeze and the ferry stops running. It’s seven miles across ice through blustery winter winds and frigid temperatures, usually traversed quickly by people on snow machines, but many also enjoy the challenge of walking it. I want to walk it, even though a local friend that has walked it isn’t looking to repeat the adventure any time soon.

Oh, and they’re also famous for their fudge. Isn’t that reason enough to visit?

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More Links:

• Mackinac Island

• Mackinac Bridge

• Mackinac Bridge Webcam

• How to Get There

• Oooooh, FUDGE! (and a Fudge Festival, too!)

• Their Fudge History is here

Here’s a two-minute island overview with the mayor, a one-minute nature overview, and three recent videos of journeys over the Ice Bridge:

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