Mackinaw City

Mackinaw City is the base for the Straits: the Mackinac Bridge rises from the edge of town, two state historic sites sit beside downtown, and the island ferries leave from the docks. One full day covers Colonial Michilimackinac, the lighthouse and the bridge views, with the Headlands after dark. Give a second day to Mackinac Island, which our Mackinac Island visitor guide covers in detail.

Getting there and getting around

I-75 runs straight into town and crosses the bridge to St. Ignace, and US-31 comes up from Petoskey and meets I-75 just south of town. By our routing estimates, the drive takes about 4 hours 15 minutes from Grand Rapids, about 5 hours from Detroit and about 7.5 hours from Chicago. See getting here for the routes, and our Petoskey to Mackinaw City drive for the last stretch on US-31.

The nearest airline airport is Pellston Regional, with Delta and United service; our estimate puts it about 40 minutes from town, and shuttle services run from Pellston to the ferry docks. Cherry Capital in Traverse City is about 2.5 hours away by our estimate.

Once you are in town, you can walk to most of what matters. Downtown, the ferry docks, Michilimackinac State Park and the waterfront parks are close together.

• The waterfront walk. Alexander Henry Park, at the north end of Henry Street, has a waterfront walkway of about 1,800 feet that links to the state historic sites, with the closest view of the bridge.
• The trail. The North Central State Trailhead in the village serves two DNR multi-use trails. The trail is paved inside the village and gravel beyond it.
• Trolley tours. The Mackinaw Trolley Company runs narrated tours of town in spring, summer and fall, from 50 minutes up to 2.5 hours, including a sunset ride over the bridge. Call ahead for dates.
• The island. Ferries leave from downtown, and day visitors leave their cars in the ferry lots. For lines, parking and timing, see the Mackinac Island visitor guide.

Where to eat

Mackinaw City’s restaurants are mostly casual and built around Great Lakes whitefish, and many close for the winter. These are the places regional writers keep coming back to:

• Audie’s. The year-round standby, in business since the bridge was built. The Family Room serves breakfast through dinner, and the dressier Chippewa Room lists planked whitefish as a favorite.
• Scalawags Whitefish & Chips. A casual fish-and-chips spot on Central Avenue, serving Great Lakes whitefish, perch and walleye for more than 30 years. Get the whitefish basket and a cup of the chowder.
• Dixie Saloon. A downtown saloon that dates its roots to 1890, with a grain-to-glass brewery on site and steaks, ribs, burgers and local whitefish.
• The White Buffalo Bar & Grille. Bison from a local farm and fresh fish on Central Avenue, with a rooftop bar. It closes for the season in late September and reopens in spring, so check before you plan a fall dinner.
• Mackinaw Bakery & Cafe. The coffee stop: a fourth-generation, family-owned bakery at 110 Langlade Street with fresh-ground coffee, homemade donuts, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. It is an easy stop before the ferry. It runs seasonally, about early May through late October, so check its site before you go. For specialty lattes, cold brew or an acai bowl, try Strait to the Roots, a locally owned cafe at 514 S. Huron Avenue.
• Darrow’s Family Restaurant. The breakfast stop: a family restaurant at 301 Louvingney Street since 1957, known for scratch cooking and pie. It runs seasonally: it closed for the 2026 season on October 18, 2026 and lists April 27, 2027 as its reopening, for its 70th year. Check before you go.
• Original Murdick’s Fudge. The sweet stop, inside Mackinaw Crossings, and the only Original Murdick’s shop in town. Kilwins, Joann’s and Devon’s also have fudge shops along Central Avenue, so you can compare.

Where to stay

Our Mackinaw City listings are a short walk from the ferries. Deer Head Inn is a bed and breakfast in a restored 1913 Arts and Crafts house on Henry Street. Holiday Inn Express Mackinaw City, near the bridge, lists year-round stays, an indoor pool and ferry shuttles, and Baymont by Wyndham Mackinaw City is a hotel with an indoor pool within walking distance of downtown and the docks.

For cottages, campgrounds and the full list, see places to stay in Mackinaw City.

Our picks

Colonial Michilimackinac The reconstructed 1715 fort and fur trading village under the bridge, with costumed interpreters, musket and cannon firings, and an archaeological dig that has run every summer since 1959. Come between early June and mid-August to watch the dig. The season opens in early May.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse An 1889 light station inside Michilimackinac State Park, with keepers’ quarters restored to 1910, a tower you can climb, and a shipwreck museum in a rebuilt warehouse. Rules apply for the tower climb, and the season opens in early May.

The Mackinac Bridge from shore Michilimackinac State Park sits right under the bridge and is open around the clock all year. Walk the shore at Alexander Henry Park for the view by day.

For the bridge lit at night, go to the waterfront in Michilimackinac State Park near Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, which faces the bridge directly. The grounds stay open after dark, but the buildings, visitor center and restrooms keep shorter hours. Bring a flashlight and dress warm.

Icebreaker Mackinaw A retired Coast Guard icebreaker you can tour from the engines to the fantail, kept as if ready to sail, with a view over the Straits from the stern. It lists daily tours from mid-May through mid-October.

The Headlands An International Dark Sky Park of 600 acres of old forest and more than two miles of Lake Michigan shore, 3.8 miles west of downtown. It is listed as open all year with no entrance fee, and it has five miles of trails and holds free monthly sky programs.

Cecil Bay beaches Two village beaches about a half mile west of town on Wilderness Park Drive: sandy, shallow and quieter than the waterfront in town, with restrooms.

Mackinac Island The day trip everyone takes. Catch an early ferry, bike the shore road and be back for dinner.

One day, and two days

One day. Start at Colonial Michilimackinac when it opens, then walk the shore to Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and climb the tower. Lunch on whitefish at Scalawags, then tour the Icebreaker Mackinaw or swim at Cecil Bay. Have dinner at Audie’s or the White Buffalo, and drive out to the Headlands after dark for the stars.

Two days. Start with breakfast at Darrow’s or coffee and a donut from Mackinaw Bakery (both seasonal), take an early ferry to Mackinac Island and spend the day there (our Mackinac Island visitor guide has a one-day plan). Back on the mainland, pick up fudge on Central Avenue and finish with the bridge lit up from the shore near Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Our Straits and the island trip lays out both days.

With kids, and on a rainy day

With kids. Colonial Michilimackinac is built for curious kids: they can watch the dig and hear the muskets and cannon. The Cecil Bay beaches are shallow and sandy, and Wawatam Park downtown has a playground with a view of the island. The Icebreaker Mackinaw lets them poke around a real ship.

On a rainy day. Tour the Icebreaker, or spend the morning in the exhibits at Old Mackinac Point, where the keepers’ house and the shipwreck museum are indoors. The Mackinac Bridge Museum is upstairs at Mama Mia’s Pizzeria; check that it is open before you go. Historic Mill Creek, the sawmill park east of town, was closed for 2026 and is scheduled to reopen May 6, 2027.

Best time to go

Summer is the season, when the historic sites, the ferries and most restaurants are open. Big weekends:

• Memorial Day weekend. The Memorial Weekend Pageant opens the season with a parade from Conkling Heritage Park to the fort and free reenactments there through the weekend.
• Summer Saturdays and the Fourth of July. Fireworks go up on Saturday nights during summer weeks listed on the events calendar, and the Fourth of July show is at Conkling Heritage Park, weather permitting. Conkling Heritage Park also holds a free summer concert series.
• Labor Day. The Mackinac Bridge Walk closes the bridge to traffic for the morning, and you can start from Mackinaw City. The 2027 date has not been posted yet.

The shoulder seasons are quieter. In May the historic sites reopen before the summer crowds. September and early October bring thinner crowds while the sites are still open, and Colonial Michilimackinac holds Fort Fright, a ticketed evening event, in early October.

We’d pick September for a first visit: the fort, the lighthouse and the ferries are still running, and town is calmer.

Winter

Winter is quiet and mostly local. Many restaurants and shops close, the historic sites are shut until May, and winter ferry service to the island runs only from St. Ignace, ice permitting (see the Mackinac Island visitor guide).

• What stays open. Audie’s lists year-round service, and Holiday Inn Express lists year-round stays. Michilimackinac State Park and the Headlands are open all year.
• Snowmobiling. The North Central State Trailhead in the village serves two DNR trails used by snowmobiles in winter.
• Events. A Colonial Christmas fills the fort with lanterns, storytellers and crafts for one December evening (ticketed). In January, the Winter Festival has featured outhouse races and a chili cook-off, but the races depend on snow and were canceled in 2025, so check the schedule.
• Blue ice. In some winters, blue ice shows up along the shore. It is never guaranteed, and it is still ice over open water, so look from land.

Book your room first and confirm what is open for your dates with the Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau.

Hours, menus and schedules change, so check with each place before you go.