HISTORIC MACKINAC ISLAND

Spending five hours on Mackinac Island, there was plenty to see and do. But our best was the carriage ride of the downtown area and then the other ride through the next to the oldest State Park in the country.  Second oldest to Yellowstone.

Our driver, Briana, was new on the job, so the gal sitting
with us on the front seat did all of the narration.
We loved all of the stores and hotels downtown,
but the sidewalks soon filled to capacity.
Too much for us!!

The flowers were awesosme!!
They said that there are 50 private homes on the island also.

Our first carriage ride let us stop at Historic Fort Mackinac to take our time walking and taking in all of the enactments and history. 

I don't believe that we've ever seen a two student desk
from that era!

After we finished checking out all of the Fort, we stopped in at the Tea Room for lunch, on the deck where the yellow umbrellas are.

Our view from the Tea Room deck onto the lake was over the dock where we arrived.

While waiting for our next ride, we got to check out the Carriage Museum. 

Our phase two ride is here!! That phase of our tour was a much larger carriage which took us through the Mackinac Island State Park, past the cemeteries checking out all of the trees and such.

 

Skull Cave

Stone Arch when looking out to sea.

Woodpecker's tree on the left.

When we finished this ride we got back onto our first carriage to ride be the Grand Hotel. Manny carriages stopped here, but from there on you were on your own to walk back to the downtown where we had to catch our Ferry back to the mainland. 

The carriage passing the tour carriage, was a privately
owned carriage. 

By time we finished, we were wiped out. Wanted to take a nap on the Ferry ride back just like the little kids. But now we can say we did it!!
Not sure what is next. Today we have been watching all of the new people coming in to the park and it has been looking like rain all day.  We want to see the Ice Breakers Museum. So maybe tomorrow.