Northern Michigan

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Any recommendations on places to stay on and/or near Mackinac Island, MI and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan & Ontario? Also, what things are there to do in the area?

[SherryS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SherryS]

We have stayed at Island House and The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, and friends have stayed at the college(now a resort) on the island....I forget the resort's name. We always rent bikes for a day and bike around the island and EXPLORE. Staying at the Grand Hotel is a REAL EPERIENCE. Nothing like it!

[Gracey Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gracey]

Here's as few websites for you:

Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry :: Northern Michigan Vacations!

Mackinac (Mackinaw) Island Tourist Information - accommodations, rates, events

Select a Michigan City - Pure Michigan Travel

What time of the year are you going? How long are you staying for? What ages are you traveling with? Let me know and I can guide you a little more.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

My daughter and her family got transferred to Detroit, so there will be six of us, two seniors, two adults and two kids - boys ages 8 and 6. We will probably spend 4-5 days (Sunday - Thursdays) there, the week of July 4th. We are from the Nashville area.

[SherryS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SherryS]

It would be much less expensive to stay in Mackinaw City and take the ferry over to the island for a day. There are bikes to rent that are children's size and also horse and buggy ride available around the island that stop at various historic sites. Your grandkids will love the island!

[Gracey Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gracey]

I agree with SherryS, stay in the city and take the ferry over lodging will be much cheaper. Here you go: Mackinaw City Hotels & Lodging, Vacations and Accommodations, Mackinaw City Michigan
Your grandkids will like Mackinaws waterpark Thunder Falls Family Waterpark - Mackinaw City Michigan
There's not alot of dining to choose from in mackinaw. All family type of diners. Darrow's would be the best there. A town that is about 30 mins away that is one of my favourite's in all of Michigan is Harbor springs. Lovely waterfront town with shops and dining. Juilleret's would be a nice place to eat lunch, they serve all homemade ice cream in their desserts and the black cow's are delicious Other resteraunt's that we hit on the way to harbor
springs from Mackinaw are:
Douglas Lake Bar and Steakhouse
DamSite Inn
Legs Inn - Cross Village, Michigan
If you can at least do legsinn (it's so unique & wander there grounds it sits on a bluff over Lake Michigan)
Damsite inn is my absolute favorite, it's where I choose to eat my anniversary dinner every year. Your grandkids will like it there, has delicious homestyle chicken dinners. My brother actually saw Bob Segar there twice years ago, so he probably has a cottage in the area.
If your going be in Mackinaw on the fourth of July your in luck, they put on a
spectacular fireworks display over the water and you can see Mackinaw Islands and St. Ignaces at the same time also. Quite a display. Last year was the first year my 16 year old daughter missed the fireworks because we were in Sedona over the 4th. That was definately the worst day of our vacation both her and my husband were pouting about missing the mackinaw fireworks and I had to listen to them all day about making an exchange over that Holiday. They both told me that I was never to schedule another vacation over that week. Our cottage is on a lake just outside of Mackinaw and the fireworks is our family tradition. We will be up there that weekend also. Just remind me again before you go and I will give you my cell and cottage #. I need to give you directions to a local beach that is just beautiful. Turquoise water, sugar white sand, and sand dunes all around for your grandkids to run around on. We've gone up to the Sault but since it's only an hour away from the cottage we've never spendt the night so can't help you there. But the restaraunt I recommend there is the Antler's, it's a local hamburger type restaraunt but again, unique
http://www.absolutemichigan.com/dig/...ult-ste-marie/
If you have any other questions just let me know.

Laurie

[SherryS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SherryS]

Visit the Tahquamenon Falls in the U. P. (east of Sault Ste. Marie) and travel a little farther north to Whitefish Point on the shores of Lake Superior. Museum and memorial to the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald that sunk near-by (Remember the song?) is there.