Memories of Mackinac

I had originally planned this post as a Friday Show & Tell. Just this once I thought I would combine S & T with Jan and Tom's Somewhere In Time event. Kelli, There Is No Place Like Home, is hostess of Show & Tell Friday. To see many wonderful posts go to her beautiful blog. To see "Somewhere In Time" posts go to Jan and Tom's Place.

While CeeKay was visiting, she, my husband, and I drove to northern Michigan to spend a day at Mackinac Island. It's a gorgeous island in the Great Lakes waterway. The Mackinac Bridge is a spectacular sight as you approach the island by ferry. The Mackinac Bride is a five mile long suspension bridge over the Straits of Mackinac and was opened to traffic on November 1, 1957. It is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world.

When you step off the ferry onto Mackinac Island you are transported into a Victorian era. No cars are allowed on the island. Horse drawn carriages are the only source of transportation on the island other than travel by foot or bicycle. It's a charming transformation - quiet and clean.

When you hail a horse drawn taxi and ride through the village you will enjoy viewing quaint little shops, large stately homes, hand built stone churches, and sweet little cottages, all in pastels and whites, surrounded by beautiful English style gardens.

Your heart will almost stop as the horses round a final curve and you see the gem of Mackinac Island, The Grand Hotel! It is stunning in it's grandeur.

The inside of the Grand rivals the outside! It is just spectacular. As you wonder through one magnificent room after another you can almost imagine yourself a visitor on the Somewhere In Time set in 1979. Do these pictures remind you of that beautiful romantic movie filmed in the Grand Hotel?

The original inhabitants on Mackinac Island were of course Native Americans, Ojibwe I think. The British military settled on the island in 1754, building the now famous Fort Mackinac. After the Civil War Mackinac Island became a national tourist attraction. In 1875 Congress created Mackinac Island National Park and in 1895 it became Michigan's first state park. Park land covers more than 80% of the island, the rest is privately owned. By the 1890's Mackinac Island had entered the Victorian age of beauty and wealth. Large, beautiful summer homes and hotels were constructed for the wealthy. Construction on the famous Grand Hotel began in 1886. It opened for business in 1887. Room rates were $3-$5 a night, as compared to $235 - $705 today! The Grand Hotel's front porch is the longest in the world. In 1896 a petition was presented to the village to prevent "horseless carriages" from operating on the island. The rest, as they say, is history! Mackinaw Island remains a beautiful, quaint place to visit. If you ever visit Michigan don't miss an opportunity to spend at least one beautiful day there!

Here are a few things I picked up while on the island:

The red geranium painted on this plate is the Grand Hotel's trademark flower.

A little bottle of official Grand Hotel pink lotion.

A commemorative box to remember the day by.

A package of sweet little note cards featuring the famous Mackinac Island lilacs.

A pretty lilac bottle.


Charm bracelet-a bicycle, ferry boat, a horse drawn carriage, the Mackinac Bridge, Grand Hotel.



Two pretty watercolors of local scenery and lilacs.




A matted print of the Grand Hotel, a truly spectacular place!


My husband, me, and CeeKay taking a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful Grand Hotel Lobby.