Ann Arbor was amazing in every sense of the word, but I’ve been beyond excited to share with you all our photos from Mackinac Island! I’ve been to thirty states and four continents and believe me when I say there is no place quite like Mackinac Island! It really and truly is simply the best!
Stepping onto Mackinac Island is quite literally like stepping back into time. There are NO cars on the island! NONE! Bicycles and horses only! It’s 8.2 miles around (we biked the entire thing and then some as you’ll see in the next post) and it was just surreal. It has an incredibly cute and quaint downtown where all the buildings look like they are over a century old. They’re known for their fudge and there are certainly no shortage of fudge shops! Not my thing, but Nancy and Melissa were quite excited. As you’ll soon see, our first day in Mackinac had us falling in love with this island of enchantment…
Our view of Mackinac Island from Shepler’s Ferry, which was a wonderful journey through Lake Huron.
We stayed in the lovely Lakeview Hotel for three terrific nights! I chose this place for its key location downtown and because it is the only hotel/resort/bed & breakfast on the island with an indoor jacuzzi.
Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better hotel. It was at the tailend of the downtown area and put us within walking distance of anywhere we wanted to eat or shop. We upgraded our room and stayed in a deluxe one with a turret and it was well worth it! We had plenty of space and an amazing view of the mainstreet from our fourth floor suite.
Someone was a lil’ worn out from all the driving we did that day. It was like a four hour drive from Ann Arbor, but when you add in all mine and Melissa’s bathroom breaks it easily took us over five.
Ryba’s Fudge had about four shops on the mainstreet alone, so Melissa and Nancy were thrilled to be able to get themselves some top notch fudge!
We wasted no time hitting the stores.
We were blessed to be there when we were. The fall foliage couldn’t have been any better.
Another ferry heading into port.
We were there during the final week of tourist season. The island literally shut down four days after we left. About five hundred people reside on the island and there’s a grocery store and two restaurants that remain open, but everything else, including all the hotels and such close up till May.
I love lighthouses so, so much.
This is not that kind of island.
Nancy living her best Mackinac Island life.
The sunsets were really spectacular here, but with a view like that, how could they be anything else!?!
There hasn’t been a murder on the island since 1960 and the only theft is bicycle theft, which is typically just a misunderstanding of someone grabbing the wrong bike, so no, we didn’t feel unsafe by any stretch of the imagination walking these deserted streets at the late hours of the night.
This was the restaurant at our hotel, but more importantly, THIS IS THE COAT. For those who don’t know, I’d been eyeing this coat for months, but it came with a lofty price tag, so I had to reach out to my friend’s at Ralph Lauren for a 30% off promo code, so I could justify buying it. Worthy every penny. You can’t put a price on the number of and high quality compliments I received each time I wore it.
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
The sky was so clear and crisp up there. We could see every star and the moon shined brighter than I’d ever seen. The pictures will never do it justice.
This shop was great for obvious reasons.
We attended the final trivia night of the year at Doud’s Irish Pub and…
…WE GOT SECOND PLACE! We went to sudden death and lost. The question was which year did the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” come out and we guessed 1979, it’s actually 1974. Our opponents guessed 1975 and won by proximity. Nonetheless, we had THE BEST time and won a $25 giftcard for our silver medal!
I cannot wait to share with you all the photos from our next two days at Mackinac! I love this place so much I would return every year if I was able. It really is that transformative and terrific! I felt so relaxed, so at ease, and just so inspired. I guarantee I could churn out an entire novel in a season up there! There really is no place else quite like it and one that I think EVERYONE should visit! 10/10! Forever Recommend!
As always, THANK YOU so much for viewing! I appreciate you greatly! Please leave a comment below as I love reading and replying to them! I’ll return soon with the next day of our Pure Michigan Vacation, so until then, I wish you all, all the best!
Working hard everyday towards achieving my goal of becoming an international best-selling author. Wrote the book, just need the agent and publisher. Received the ultimate endorsement when Britney Spears wrote me saying she'd be one of the first in line to buy my book! #FreeBritney
This is definitely a place I know I would just love! Bring me with you next time!
Let me know when you wanna go! I’d go back in a second!
Remember when I rode my bike around that island three times for more than twenty four miles.
I definitely remember that!