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CITY OF MACKINAC ISLAND
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Fort Mackinac. Built in 1780 by the British and fortified by 4-foot-thick walls in places, the fort offers cannon firing, fife and drum music, fascinating historical exhibits, and great village views from blockhouses and from a tea room with delicious food ... more

Grand Hotel. Explore a living Victorian resort hotel, from its famous front porch with fine Straits view and its splendid gardens to an exhibit of top American Impressionist paintiings. ... more

Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. Get an island overview without walking, and find out about Mackinac's fascinating horse culture ... more

Doc Crain's natural and human history tours by foot and bike. Doc's entertaining, authoritative tours illuminate the island's Indian mythology, natural and human history, wildflowers in bloom. He works for tips ... more

Island hub by the Arnold Dock/ Main St. between Astor and Fort. The nexus of myriad useful things: an information kiosk, carriage tours, bike rentals, a grocery, a drug store, a visitor center ... more

Market Street, 1820s fur trade center. At the 1820s center of John Jacob Astor's Great Lakes fur trade, see period cooking and spinning in a French-Canadian house; a blacksmith shop; and the reconstructed store where the permanent hole in a voyageur's stomach led to understanding digestion ... more

Downtown shops and amusements. Among downtown's souvenir, gift, and fudge shops are unusual businesses featuring good flying toys, a haunted house, magic and gags, artists creating expressionist landscapes and scrimshaw engravings, art and accessories, and good books. ... more

An eastside walk to Mission Point. A half-mile eastside walk to Mission Point passes lots of history, with stops at two of Michigan's oldest churches at Ste. Anne's and Mission churches and possibly the Mackinac Island Butterfly House. ... more

An East Bluff Walk to Robinson's Folly. This blufftop walk past impressive cottages affords a good view of Lake Huron, and a return view down on the village. ... more

Ste. Anne's Catholic Church. The parish goes back to 1700 and before. Parishoners have included French-Canadian and Native American traders, Irish fishing families, and the late Senator Phil Hart, among others. It has a small museum and charming garden ... more

West shore walk. Views of the Round Island Lighthouse and the gorgeous sunset behind the Mackinac Bridge make this a favoritie evening walk ... more

Governor's Summer Residence. See where governors since Soapy Williams have spent summer vacations, networking as well as relaxing ... more

Somewhere in Time movie locations. Fans of this Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour cult classic can get a map and visit its filming locations. Hundreds come for October's SIT weekend; thousands are in its fan club. ... more

West Bluff walk to Hubbard's Annex. A stroll past 16 grand and ornate summer "cottages" from the 1880s and 1890s, leads into another cottage area and ends in Lovers' Leap scenic overlook ... more

 

 
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CITY OF MACKINAC ISLAND
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Doc Crain's natural and human history tours by foot and bike

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Doc Crain
Doc Crain’s popular walking and biking tours are widely respected by people who have studied the island’s history for many years. Walking tours meet by the Marquette statue here at 2 p.m. daily. A relative newcomer to the island scene, Doc spends each winter reading and gaining details of fact and characterization for his vivid tours.

has become a respected local institution since 1993, when he moved to the island. First he studied the island's human and natural history, with many Indian legends related to local places. Then he offered these popular, enlightening "info-tainment" tours, telling Mackinac-based Indian stories, pointing out wildflowers and berries in season, showing where glaciers and rising and falling erosion shaped the landscape, and lending drama to the War of 1812 and the island's settlement.

"You haven't done the island if you just eat fudge, ride a bike around the island, and go home," Doc says. "It's just so deep. The town is just a teensy part of what the island is about. People have been coming together here for so long. I want people to have a whole different understanding of the island. Invariably they say, 'Wow.' Some say they've been going to the island for years and never saw its richness."
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Tours by bike (about 3 hours) and by foot (2 1/2 hours) are given from Memorial Day weekend to Sept. 15 at least Charging is against Doc's philosophy - how would big families on a budget afford it? But Doc is happy to accept tips — he deserves generous ones if you can pay.
Walking tours start at 2 p.m. daily. Meet at the Father Marquette statue in the park in front of the fort. Doc is the one with a feather in his hat.Bike tours meet Mon.-Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Mackinac Wheels bike shop behind Bay View B&B just east of the marina on Main Street. These tours require bikes with gears. (330) 815-1101. Handicap access: too steep a hill, bumpy baths. First part perhaps.



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