Checking out a Mackinac Island vacation
Q. We are planning a trip to Mackinac Island in September. I found a place to stay listed as Hamilton Inn Select and wanted your input on places you recommend, plus what to do and any help and direction you can give me. My husband and another couple are making this trip. Thanks for your help.
A. There are many fine inns and motels in Mackinaw City, located on the south bank of Lake Huron, and I'm sure the Hamilton Inn is one of them. There also are many fine places to stay on Mackinac Island itself, including the Grand Hotel, which its literature says "has been the world's largest summer hotel since 1887." There are many other inns, small hotels and bed-and-breakfasts on the island.
Be aware that there is a considerable difference between Mackinaw City, a pleasant resort town, and Mackinac Island, a unique 19th-century experience. No cars are allowed on the island, but horses are plentiful. There are about 600 horses stabled on Mackinac and used to pull freight wagons (called drays), carriages for sightseeing tours, taxis and for riding.
There is much to see on Mackinac including Fort Mackinac, a British outpost until the Americans took possession of it in 1796. (The British returned in 1812, but that's another story.) Incidentally, the nation's second national park (the first was Yellowstone) was created on the island in 1875.
Other sights on Mackinac include several museums -- Fort Mackinac is one of them -- and magnificent Victorian summer cottages built by wealthy Midwestern industrialists. Some of these so-called "cottages" have 30 rooms or more, elaborate stables and servants' apartments.
Since you're not staying on the island, at least take a horse-drawn carriage ride to the Grand Hotel where you can sip a drink and listen to harp music in the late afternoon.
The hotel you have selected is just steps from one of the ferry docks that provide transportation to Mackinac Island. From Mackinaw City you'll leave your car and go to the island by ferry boat or catamaran, or by plane. You'll find the island is a great place to walk or hail a horse-drawn vehicle. While you're there, don't forget to buy some famous Mackinac Island fudge, which comes in many flavors, including chocolate, vanilla and maple -- with or without nuts.
Just so you know: Mackinaw and Mackinac are both pronounced "aw." The island and every place in Michigan's northern peninsula are spelled "ac" in the French style because the French came to the island from the north in 1715. Later the British, who came from the south and defeated the French, heard it pronounced "aw" and spelled it that way, which is why Mackinaw City is spelled "aw."
For additional information on Mackinac Island, go to www.mackinacisland.org and www.mackinac.com or call (800) 454-5227. Mackinaw City information is available at www.mackinawcity.com or (800) 666-0160.
Send your questions at least sixweeks prior to travel to MadelynMerwin in care ofTravel,Daily Herald, P.O.Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or e-maildpmerwin@sbcglobal.net.