Living on Cloud Nine: What to do on Mackinac Island

Happy Friday! Deviating from normal Friday Favorites again as I had another exciting thing happening with my sweet mama that I wanted to share about today. Mom and I went this week up to Mackinac Island and had the best time! If you need to cool down, that’s where you need to go, plus the most charming, laid-back relaxation time!

If you’re not familiar with Mackinac Island, it is an island in northern Michigan right before you cross the bridge to the upper peninsula. You take the ferry over from Mackinaw City, and it is all wheel charm, not a motorized vehicle on the island everything is done via horse and carriage, or you bicycle.

The Grand Hotel

The grand Hotel is the majestic building on the island that you cannot miss. It is prominent and historic and over 130 years old, but the charm and aesthetic remain the same. There are still real keys to the rooms, you dress up for dinner (5 course meal), dancing to an orchestra, and all the things that you would expect from days gone by. The decor is beautiful the setting is enchanting, and we loved every second about staying there. Of the 388 rooms, no two are alike and just look darling ours was. Even canopy beds.

Pics in the Parlor and of the Terrace Room

Our view was of the Lake and the famous Ester Williams swimming pool.

Secret Garden

The hotel grounds are so beautiful, but probably my favorite is the hidden secret garden, where in the spring there are oodles of tulips and daffodils, and then replaced by annuals in the summer to create the most beautiful display of Flowers. If you look up high at the beautiful Grand Hotel.

The Front Porch

Something else enchanting about the hotel is the front porch. It is 660 feet long and the longest porch in the world. So fun to sit out there on the rockers, relax, and people watch!

The Flowers

Oh my goodness, you thought mine and my mom’s flowers were gorgeous. You should’ve seen the ones on the island! We were in flower heaven. Most of the homes display beautiful flowers, as well as all the charming displays and baskets in town! Absolutely beautiful.

Wings of Mackinac

I love me some butterflies, so imagine walking into a tropical oasis where there are hundreds of them! Some of the prettiest butterflies I’ve ever seen! They would even land on you. The cool thing that happened is that three of them the same ombré shades as my mom’s hat,

landed on top of it, and would not fly off, lol.

Bonus: Fredrick Meijer Gardens

We knew we wouldn’t be ready to go right home after leaving the island. We had always wanted to go to the Frederik Meijer botanical gardens in Grand Rapids so that’s exactly what we did on the way home on the most beautiful day! We are members at a local botanical garden, so we were able to get in for free and they were spectacular! It’s about 50 times bigger than the one in our town so we will have to go back because we barely had a chance to see all but were able to tour the Japanese gardens and Sculpture Park.