Trip to Mackinac Island

A few weeks ago, Ken and I decided we needed a change of scenery and decided to take the kids and road trip to Mackinac Island. I went last October to run a half marathon, and Ken's been wanting to go ever since. We packed the car late the night before and left at 7:30 sharp the next morning. After 4 and a half hours of driving and only two potty stops, we arrived at our hotel in Mackinaw City. After we checked into our hotel, we headed to Fort Michilimackinac, a fort that was originally built in the 1700s and later relocated to Mackinac Island and only recently has been restored. It was a lot of fun. The kids weren't so fond of the soldiers who carried big rifles and shot them off every hour, followed by shooting the cannons. But we got to see a lot of old artifacts that have been recently dug up from the site and many historic buildings. Next we went to Discovery Park. Ken and I both got to go on the zip line and walk on a suspension bridge that went over the river. The kids enjoyed watching us zip down and land at the bottom. After grabbing some dinner, we went to the indoor waterpark (really just a few kiddy slides) that was included in our hotel package. Joseph was in heaven, but Lizzy, as usual was scared to death of the random spraying and dumping. After a short time I took her back to the hotel and put her to bed while daddy and Joseph played.

After a relaxing night, we got up and had breakfast and then rushed of to catch the early ferry to the island. We knew there was 30% chance of rain, but had decided to risk it anyway. The kids loved the ferry. When we got to the island we realized very quickly that it was a wise choice to borrow a double stroller and rain cover. It was drizzling and cold. We walked up to Fort Mackinac and entered just as it was opening. The view of the island was beautiful and we enjoyed all the historic buildings. There was even a building filled with fun things for the kids and they dressed up in colonial clothing. After that we started our walking tour of the island hoping the weather wouldn't get any worse. The kids were warm and comfy in the stroller so we walked a ways to see a cave and then the Arched Rock. It was beautiful. We stopped to have lunch by it, but quickly realized we had picked the wrong location! The wind was blowing so fiercly we had to find a different spot. After that we headed into town. We stopped in a few shops and decided to head up to the Grand Hotel. It was a beautiful view, but the weather really started to pick up and it was raining so hard and was extremely windy. I kept trying to use my umbrella, but after it getting turned inside out several times, I gave up. By the time we walked there, took pictures and walked back we were all tired and cold. We bought some fudge and rested for a little while then waited for the next ferry home.

It was a great trip, despite the rain, and our children really enjoyed it. We hope to go back again sometime when the weather is better. Here is a slide show of our adventures!