West shore walk
|
| On the boardwalk just past the Windermere’s Dog House (a private picnic area for customers only), this overlook lets visitors sit and look out at the Round Island Lighthouse and at the kites usually flying overhead. |
A boardwalk starts on Lakeshore just west of the Hotel Iroquois and extends almost half a mile. Views of the Round Island Lighthouse and the gorgeous sunset behind the Mackinac Bridge make this a favorite destination. First of all (or last, perhaps) is the WINDERMERE DOG HOUSE, a waterfront picnic area for the exclusive use of either Windermere hotel guests or patrons of its hot dog stand.
|
| Mackinac Island is two communities: the summer guests and second-home owners, and the year-round community of under 500. The year-round public library serves them both, and has an excellent local history room. The Grand Hotel helped build it, and Carleton Varney, the hotel’s celebrated decorator, had a big hand in designing and furnishing it. |
A short way beyond is the MACKINAC ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY (906-847-3421) in a beautiful new Greek Revival building, funded in part by the Grand Hotel. Its reading rooms, open to the public, were designed and furnished by Carleton Varney, the hotel's famous decorator, who came up with interesting antiques related to island history. It has a cozy fire in winter. The library has a fine collection of materials about island history. The rear deck is a fabulous place to sit and read and watch the ferries come is a true Mackinac hidden treasure. Open Tues-Sat 11:5:30. From June thru Sept also open from 6:30 to 8:30 Tues & Fri. (906) 847-3421 Call about hours and occasional special events. Wheelchair-accessible.
A block beyond that is the MACKINAC ISLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL, one of the smallest school districts in the Upper Peninsula, with around 75 students K-12 in a typical year. The island's year-round residents live in Harrisonville in the island's center. Most are business owners.
The school faces Mahoney Avenue. Up the hill at Mahoney and Cadotte, the FRENCH OUTPOST has shops (here Great Turtle Toys has toys both young and old) and a restaurant with an outdoor patio where Jamaican steel drummers perform at lunch.
A short way beyond the boardwalk's end, Somewhere in Time movie locations enthusiasts have erected their "IS IT YOU?" MARKER on the place where the cult film's most dramatic scene takes place, when the time-traveling movie's Christopher Reeves character first meets the Jane Seymour character he had fantasized about.
|
Another quarter mile takes you to a picnic table beneath Pontiac's Lookout on the West Bluff. This would be about 2/3 of a mile from the boardwalk's start. In another third of a mile you come to Devil's Kitchen, a shallow limestone cave used by native people. A picnic table is in front of it, too.
[Get Directions]
Return to City of Mackinac Island
POINTS OF INTEREST
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
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
Mackinac Island 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
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
Kite flying at 11. Watch a colorful array of kites fly over the harbor, and even learn some tips from experts ... more
Round Island Lighthouse. Ferries to and from Mackinac Island provide memorable views of this 1894 lighthouse ... 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
Mackinac Island Wi-fi Hotspot. Public Library has wi-fi & public computers ($2 for ˝ hour). 903 Huron St. Open Tues-Sat 11-5:30 ... more
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here
