Looking to fit in one last trip before winter comes in full swing? Look no further than your back door! Michigan’s one and only Mackinac Island is still open for business and is full of fun and historic places to see. Make sure you come visit before the snow sets in or else you’ll have a completely different experience. Once the snow covers the island you may not be able to do everything here, so make sure you go when the leaves are changing colors.
Historic Downtown
Historic downtown Mackinac Island is chalk full of historic homes, businesses, and ways of life that happened over a hundred years ago. First stop is the Biddle House, the home of an Odawa woman and her husband. Agatha and Edward Biddle had run an independent fur-trading business in town where Agatha worked with customers, set the prices, haggled with traders and hosting gatherings in their home. The Biddle house is believed to be the oldest standing house on Mackinac Island, according to Mackinac State Historic Parks it was built in 1780. You can visit the Biddle houses and see live cooking demonstrations as well as visit the Anishnaabek gallery located in the rest of the house.
Other buildings include the Dr. Beaumont Museum and American Fur Company Retail Store, both of which are located in the same building. The American Fur Company is timestamped around the 1820’s when Mackinac was at the height of the fur trading business. The restored storefront now holds many replicas of wares that someone could find way back when. Adjacent from the store is Dr. Beaumont’s interactive museum, Dr. Beaumont was an army surgeon stationed at Fort Mackinac who experimented with the digestive track. In an unlucky turn of events a voyager was shot by accidental discharge and gained a hole through his stomach. He survived, and through this hole Dr. Beaumont was able to experiment and learn more about the human digestive track.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
If you don’t want to make the trip to Mackinac Island the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is an easy way to learn more about the straights of Mackinac. Starting operation in 1889 it provided ships with light in the tightest part of where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet. While there are more lighthouses near the straights this lighthouse stayed for good, weathering every storm that came through. It was restored in the late 90’s and is now home to the Straights of Mackinac Shipwreck Museum, this includes half hour tours of the tower and sounding of the fog horn every two hours.
Skull Cave
Try finding Skull Cave, a natural cave that Native Americans used for a burial site long before the island was inhabited by settlers. A mere 0.2 miles from Fort Holmes the walk from the fort to the cave is not one to miss, this easy walk or bike ride is a must see. This cave was first found by Alexander Henry, a fur trader fleeing from a surprise attack by the Native Americans against Fort Michilimackinac during the Pontiac War. He stayed hidden during the night and upon waking in the morning found he was surrounded by bones. This cave, though it is no longer used as a burial site is still in tact and boasts an interesting amount of history.
Ghost Tours
Don’t forget to visit the Ghost tours, they run daily as well as nightly. Haunts of Mackinac shows you downtown, Mission House, and Mission Point Resort. Shown on the hit show Ghost Adventures, Mission House and Mission Point Resort, have been reported to have a few ghosts, including Harvey, a college student who killed himself in the late ’60s or early ’70s, and a little girl called Lucy who died on the island. Harvey is said to hang around the theatre and sound stage, while Lucy likes the theatre and balcony at the Mission Point. Founder Todd Clements has said he has seen these ghosts himself, and upon seeing Harvey out by the bluff near Mission Point Resort when he was only twelve years old he was pulled into the life of ghost hunting. Make sure when you go on your ghost hunt you look in dark corners, you may never know what’s lurking there.
Native American Cultural Historic Trail
Make sure you take the Native American Cultural Historic Trail around the island, this trail surrounds the island and holds many informational panels along the trail as well as biking pull offs to park your bike as you take gorgeous pictures of the scenery. This trail shares its path with Lakeshore Boulevard (M-185) the road that surrounds the island. The path is a little over eight miles long and can be run in about 45 minutes and walked anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours depending on how many times you stop to see the glory that is Mackinac Island. The trail was dedicated in 2016 when the panels were added, depicting life for Native Americans on the island as well as major events. If you’re a history buff that likes to take a walk this is definitely the trail for you!
As the seasons change and Mackinac Island gets ready for the cold winter ahead, make sure you go visit the wonders of the island before you can walk there instead of ride the ferry. So make sure you put Mackinac Island on your bucket list this fall and maybe you’ll catch a ghost or two before Halloween comes.