WHERE HISTORY COMES ALIVE
Over 80 percent of Mackinac Island is State Park property characterized by high limestone bluffs , beautiful vistas of sparkling water , vibrant forests , and unique geological formations . Whether experiencing the Island on foot , bike , horseback or carriage , the many geological wonders , historic forts and unique historical monuments are visual treasures to experience .
HISTORIC FORT MACKINAC
On the bluff looking south over the Island ’ s busy harbor and majestic Straits of Mackinac is the stately stone palisade of FORT MACKINAC . Built in 1780 , it is the Island ’ s most formidable of several State Park attractions . Inside the Fort walls are 14 original buildings filled with interactive displays and period furnishings .
Costumed interpreters guide visitors through realistic demonstrations , reenactments , programs , and tours . Daily programs and tours will highlight the changing face of Fort Mackinac , the role women played at the fort , Mackinac ’ s time as a national park , and a look at who exactly made up the army of the 1880s .
Your Fort Mackinac ticket also includes admission to The RICHARD AND JANE MANOOGIAN MACKINAC ART MUSEUM , located in Marquette Park . This year ’ s theme is Mackinac Journeys . Your ticket also gives full access to the historic BIDDLE HOUSE , BENJAMIN BLACKSMITH SHOP , AMERICAN FUR COMPANY STORE , and the DR . BEAUMONT MUSEUM . Step inside these buildings , and step back into time ! They ’ re filled with period furnishings and historic costumed interpreters , to let you experience 19th century Mackinac Island .
MACKINAC IS ...
ICONIC
WHAT ’ S NEW FOR 2022 The POST SCHOOLHOUSE , inside Fort Mackinac , is being renovated and reimagined into the Reading Room , as it would have been known in the 1880s . Guests can explore popular book titles of the 1880s , read the latest newspaper or periodical , and get a better understanding of what it was like to be a resident or a soldier in the 1880s .
Elsewhere on the Island , the MCGULPIN HOUSE , will reopen after being shuttered for several years . It is one of the oldest residential structures on the Island , and an excellent and rare example of early French Canadian domestic architecture . Admission is included with a Fort Mackinac or Historic Downtown Mackinac ticket .
On the bluff overlooking Mackinac Island
Hiking to Fort Holmes
On Market Street
CULTURE
INSPIRING
In Marquette Park off Main Street
Along Market Street
HISTORY
# thisismackinac • Hours and dates vary by site • mackinacparks . com
24 Inside Mackinac / 2015 24 Inside Mackinac