Attractions for All Ages
World-Class Vacation Destinations on Mackinac Island, MI
If you’ve got adventure on the brain for adults, kids, or the whole family, we’ve got a mackPASS bundle that’s perfect for you.
See the attractions on your schedule! Spread out the fun and use your tickets on any day within the 2022 season. The Carriage Ride tickets will need to be scheduled ahead of time, but for all other attractions you can show up when it’s convenient to you. Let us take care of the details so that you can focus on having the time of your life!
As one of the most tourist friendly cities in the United States, Mackinac Island is a delight for a day, a week, or a whole summer season. Whatever you’re looking for can be found with all the charm and joy you’d expect on Mackinac Island.
Getting to Mackinac Island
Ferry Service to the Island is Available All Year Long
Your Mackinac Island adventure begins with the journey to the island itself. Since 1878, Mackinac Island Ferry Company has carried countless families to a new adventure on Mackinac. Enjoy the turquoise shimmer of Lake Huron’s waters while you’re transported in comfort and style toward the island. Having 12 distinct ferry options (including Hydro-Jets, pirate ships, and catamarans) provides a unique travel experience season after season.
Carriage Ride Around Town
Horse Carriage Tours
There are no cars on Mackinac Island. Even if there were, you wouldn’t want to see all the city has to offer from the backseat of a coupe when you could ride in a horse-drawn carriage instead! Carriage ride options on the island include guided tours, romantic sunset trips, or even a “drive yourself” option! No matter which route you go, you’ll be experiencing Mackinac like it was meant to be—free of exhaust fumes, engine noises, and crowded roadways.
The Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House & Insect World
Vacations offer both adults and children an opportunity to discover new fascinations, hobbies, and ways to appreciate our world. Few attractions build on that natural sense of curiosity and wonder quite like the Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House & Insect World. Featuring monarchs, morphos, swallowtail, and other colorful butterfly varieties, guests can scan the garden to spot and enjoy each species of butterfly on offer from the world over.
The adjoining Insect World offers a once-in-a-lifetime closeup with the Goliath Beetle—one of the largest insects on Earth. Comfortably taking up the size of an adult’s palm, these peaceful giants inspire curiosity and excitement for the natural world. Other bugs and beetles from the world’s tropical places can be seen, understood, and even interacted with at the Original Butterfly House & Insect World.
Historic Forts
For a small island, Mackinac still bears locations of national and world importance. Fort Mackinac was established during the American Revolutionary War and was captured by the British in the very first battle in American territory. Guests today can learn from interactive exhibits, hear genuine cannon fire, and enjoy daily reenactments.
Another well known landmark on the island is Fort Michilimackinac. Throughout its 350-year history, has been many things to many different people. French soldiers, fur traders, pioneers, redcoats, and Americans have all called the fort home at some point in the past. Few places on Mackinac Island hold as much historical intrigue and significance as Michilimackinac. Guests can dive into any one of the fort’s 16 buildings to discover stunning archeological finds and historical facts. Every nook and cranny at Fort Michilimackinac holds a new bit of historical wonder to uncover.
As an add-on option to our mackPASS, guests will have their choice to visit one fort of their choosing, but no matter which you choose, opportunities for fun, education, and one-of-a-kind family photos are sure to follow!
The Grand Hotel Lunch and Admission
Originally opened for business in 1887, Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel has been delighting guests from all parts of the world for over 130 years. At 660 feet long, the Grand Hotel’s porch is the longest in the world—equivalent to two football fields and then some. Guests and visitors enjoy unrivaled access to rocking chairs, lakeside views, and one of the best buffets in Michigan at the Grant Hotel.
Between noon and 2PM most days, the Grand Luncheon Experience draws international crowds for a one-of-a-kind experience. Regular offerings include fresh and composed salads, succulent oysters, mussels, and assorted smoked fish. Cheese enthusiasts can eat their fill of assorted and domestic cheeses with accompanying fruits and a variety of hot items at the nearest carvery station.
No Grand Luncheon is complete without a bountiful dessert display. Sip a cup of fresh coffee, refreshing tea, and lemonade, or enjoy your favorite soft drinks, wine, and beer from the hotel’s full bar for additional purchase. The Grand Luncheon Experience is a multiple-year winner of the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.
Jack Pine Lumberjack Show
Mind blowing family activity!
Come cheer for the lumberjacks in this fast-paced competition of chopping, sawing, pole climbing, logrolling and more. Shows May-September. Covered grandstands, shows rain or shine. Concession stand and full service restroom. Wheelchair accessible. Plenty of parking.
GREAT FUN FOR ALL AGES!.
1.5 miles south of Mackinaw City on US
Mystery Town USA
MysteryTown USA™ is a walkthrough adventure that takes you on a journey through many of the world’s greatest mysteries! It’s inspired by many of the vintage roadside Americana attractions of yesteryear- while incorporating new technologies and atmospheres to give visitors a sense of wonder, awe and FUN! MysteryTown USA is a great family adventure for mystery lovers or non-mystery lovers alike… and it’s informative and entertaining for all ages- 2 to 92 and beyond!
The adventure lives on in our “Mystery Market™.” This incredible retail shopping experience immerses visitors in a world-class gift shop where one-of-kind gifts, memorabilia and atmosphere abound. There’s something for every mystery lover at our “Mystery Market™!”
While we bring you close to legendary mysteries and so much more- our greater hope is that we bring you closer to believing! Believing in things you can’t see. Believing there’s a new discovery always on the horizon and there is more out there than what is known. Believing that great things lie ahead and have only just begun!