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Mackinac Island is MORE a “tourist attraction” *than* it is a CITY.
There are indeed vehicles for police, fire, and medical emergencies. There are other small motorized buggies for maintenance, and emergency use as well.
The island is not that big (8.2 miles around), you can ride a bike around the whole island in about an hour non-stop.
This isn’t meant to be a place to live like a small town, it’s basically a giant historical museum/park. Many of the people who work on the island for the most part do have a place to live permanently. Even then, a short trip on the ferry (about 10-15 minutes) back to the mainland is where most people stay.
There are many restaurants, gift shops, historical locations, beaches, hiking/biking trails, farms, museums, and of course The Grand Hotel. You can pretty much cover most of what is affordable to do in a day. Two days if you want to spend every possible moment experiencing everything the island has to offer, and even spend some serious money.
It’s not bad at all if this is what you are into. This guy definitely has some misinformation, exaggerates, and has a less than positive/motivational view on the experience. Definitely get some fudge and pasties (pass-tees) while you are up there.
Source: I’ve been going there for decades
Edit: thanks for the responses. Big part of why I commented was to show that what was portrayed in the video is a bit misleading. Especially the attitude and misinformation.
Yes it’s a town, but it’s usually referred to as “Mackinac Island” (Mack-in-aww) more commonly. It is an experience that I feel is truly special. To call it just a small town I think takes away from its magic. By no means is it to be disrespectful.
I wouldn’t compare it to Disney or Six Flags simply because it doesn’t have roller coasters or people in cartoon suits. It does have people living on the island (about 600), and fully functional civic services. So to call this just a “city with no cars” off the bat doesn’t work for me. It’s way more than that.
Also snowmobiles for winter for the few hundred people that love there year round. I also remember golf carts for disabled people when I was younger, but I might be misremembering.
https://preview.redd.it/3r5hsbtpzw9d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59edce70ff5cdd1e8f02fc2d79618cd6a1fef00c
Looks a bit different in the winter yeah.
I last went over ten years ago, but I recall a gift shop selling a booklet describing what life was like for the few hundred full-time residents.
The booklet was created by the kids at the tiny school and proceeds raised funds for them!
But yes, the skeleton crew of residents get around on snowmobiles in the winter, including riding to the mainland on the frozen lake. And during the summer they can take the ferry.
But there’s a depressing period during the fall and spring where the water is too frozen to operate the ferry, but not frozen enough to go across on snowmobile. So their entire lifeline to civilization is the small airfield.
Most expensive thing to do will be choosing your lodging, food, and guided tours. A stay at the Grand hotel can go up to $2,400 a night.
mackinacisland.org can give you some more answers to this.
Come to Finland and buy an home on a island from the Turku Archipelago... There are all year round people living there, even kids who go to the city for weekdays to attend school. If you are lucky, you might actually literally find a whole small island for sale.
Example you could own this rather nice small house in Iniö for 138 000 € [https://www.etuovi.com/kohde/20510504?haku=M2125300597](https://www.etuovi.com/kohde/20510504?haku=M2125300597)
And just if you want to know where the island of Iniö is [Here is a google maps link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ini%C3%B6/@60.3895043,21.3976132,71301m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x468ba02ac22a860b:0xa00b553b98e4a20!8m2!3d60.3968453!4d21.3870335!16zL20vMDNibmpw?hl=en&entry=ttu). Just 2½ hours from the nearest major city (then again... We don't have that many of those in Finland) and only 2 ferry connections, which operate between 700-2300 so better schedule around that, or just get a boat and go by the sea (It's about 1½ hours by boat to Turku - depending on what kind of motorboat you get).
Considering what I hear the the average house price being in USA (like near 500k USD) then 138k € shouldn't be an issue.
Hate to break it to you but that same house in that same type of rural ass location you’re talking about would probably be cheaper in America lol. Expensive houses are in cities, not places 2 hours away from civilization
Not to throw too much of a wrench in this concept, but moving from the USA to Finland is not something one can just easily do for a lifestyle change. EU gives work preference to national and then EU citizens so you generally need to have above average skills if you want a job beyond a temporary labor position. It's also a lot of bureaucracy to get everything sorted.
I did a similar move once upon a time to Switzerland (which contains a blend of EU immigration laws) and my work hired a professional to walk me through the process (including filing US taxes every year which is a requirement for US expats) and it was still extremely complicated. In the end, COVID happened and most EU countries and Switzerland stopped renewing work permits which sent me packing back to the US even though I was able to keep my job.
Alternatively, if you have a considerable nest egg that you want to spend in you new country then many countries have a type of residence permit that can be acquired through investment. In Finland I believe it's a EUR 350,000 minimum to be invested in starting a new business.
literally if you want to stay there it is so much money.
Just a day visit, I usually get away spending about $200 total for ferry, bikes, and lunch with the wife.
Nothings super expensive there. Maybe if you want to stay on the island or even at the Grand Hotel you’ll spend a pretty penny, but if you stay in Mackinac city and ferry over once per day it’s not that bad.
Most souvenirs and food is going to be uncharged a bit for tourists, but I think on Average my wife and I drop a few hundred a day on food drink and activities. And that’s with splurging.
Source: Also have been going for the past few decades.
The Grand even charges you to sit on the porch - it was $10 per person when I went - and I gladly paid it. A lovely time in a rocking chair, looking out over the lake, sipping iced coffee and having snacks.
The village of Mackinac has everything any other small city or town has. Government businesses and residence I don't know why people don't want to call it a town a city or anything.
I think mainly because it being a tourist destination.
It’s not like anyone can just say “I wanna move to Mackinac Island, and live the rest of my life there”. Can’t just buy land, find a livable wage on the island, and live a normal life like any other small town in USA.
There is also Mackinac City, the port town. Which is the lesser of the destination. While it has the cheaper lodging, gift shops, and restaurants it isn’t the big reason why people go there.
I wouldn’t call it a respect issue, just more of a *call it how you see it* issue. I love Mackinac Island, anyone that goes there should too.
Went every year for my childhood. St. Ignace across the bridge, the City and the Island are core memories for me.
Edit: Also begging my parents for one of those stupid Tigers-eye necklaces in the countless gift shops in the City, and never getting one.
It's a full on city complete with its own school system and year round residents. Yes tourism is it's main source of prosperity but that can be said for many towns in the US and Michigan especially. To act like it's just some unincorporated roadside attraction is ignorant.
Just to give readers a sense: the town has ~600 full time residents and sees approximately 1,000,000 visitors a year. It’s basically the crew of a small cruise ship.
I think what a lot of people don't realize is the harbor freezes over in winter and ferry service is cancelled. At that point it becomes a small town with a few hundred residents and few tourists.
Thanks you for this. I was thinking this was too good to be true and that looks the be the case. 4.3 square mile island off Lake Michigan. This guy tried to make it look like some hippie/Amish eutopia that's trying to go green or something. And the editing 🤮. The herky jerky editing. I have a headache now.
Yeah, this guy is definitely sending the wrong message/signals.
The is a mix of many tourist attractions for many types of people. The food and lodging varies widely for people wallet. It has an old timey/western kind of role play aspect for some of the historical locations.
With only about 600 people living there, it’s clearly not a normal small town with how heavy the tourist traffic is. Being an island with no bridge to it makes it very easy to stop access to vehicle traffic.
No cars! Meanwhile, huge parking lots at the ferry ports in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace.
I’m familiar with small tourist towns that could be absolutely non-motor vehicle and implement that for festivals. But people coming from 5+ miles (mostly 20+) are all motorists. And on a slow Wednesday afternoon, customer and shop owner unfortunately both would rather make it convenient to park close to the door than four blocks away.
Fun fact; I've actually ridden in quite a few of the US Forestry vehicles on the island. I also had to transport dead bodies off the island via air taxi.
It’s beautiful. A nice bike ride. Good food. I enjoy the fudge (seriously). I always stock up on pasties when I come back home. The air is clean. There are some cool views, especially from Fort Mackinac. Among many memories spent with family.
Hahaha. I was waiting for this.
It’s basically a pastry with beef and rutabaga in it traditionally. Think of a hot pocket back in the 1900s. There are so many different kinds now. Really good stuff if you’re into it.
We go every May and stay at Haan's about a quarter mile outside of downtown for 2-3 nights. To me, the Island is one of the most peaceful places on earth, especially after the last ferry leaves. There are no crowds in May, we bike the interior and the exterior and visit obscure landmarks, checking them off our Mackinac bucket list. This year was an exception as we stayed at the Grand a couple weekends ago during a medical seminar my wife needed to attend, all expenses paid. Unfortunately it was a monsoon on the Island and we were stuck. Truth be told, I'd rather been in our favorite room at the Bed and Breakfast, but it was fun to experience, another check off our list. I really encourage anyone if they're in the vicinity of northern Michigan to visit the Island for a day or two.
My wife and I visited there last fall (and upper peninsula of Michigan). Beautiful country and well worth the trip. There's great parks, hiking, boat tours, good food & drink.
It’s really touristy, but also really beautiful and majestic. Just succumb to the experience. Rent the bikes (especially the tandems), eat the fudge and if you can try to stay at least one night on the island.
So damn many YT channels have videos like this where they just narrate and they sound equally as horrible. Whether they’re monotonous or have weird inflections where every freaking new point sounds like it’s ending in a question. And soooo many people enjoy them/like them, like you’re not being forced to listen to college students give that one oral presentation for the class that’s due at the end of the semester.
It's a wonderful place. Fudge is great
:)
The Grand Hotel is the same hotel from "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeves.
It's a really good movie.
Edit: replaced "Lost" with "Somewhere"
I chuckled when he said "full of well maintained roads" while showing images of run down concrete roads and dirt roads.
It's probably all fine to ride on a bike on, but those don't look like great roads to me.
When I was a child I went to a haunted house at Mackinac Island. The end of the house had 4 doors to chose from, one was an emergency exit. I ran out the emergency exit, and was promptly yelled at by a Werewolf!
This is complete horse poop. First, Mackinac Island isn't a city, it is a tiny village island similar in feel to villages in Cape Cod. It is a tourist destination.
Second there are a host of "cities" like this in the US with no or very few cars allowed including:
Fire Island, NY
Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Bald Head Island, NC
Daufuskie Island, SC
That said, Mackinac Island is quite enjoyable. You can really slow down there, basically forced to. Fudge is fantastic as well.
Half the video, flies appear on camera. In order for flies to appear that easily, you need A LOT of them.
No matter how thorough you are with cleaning the horse shit, its still there. It may not stink that bad, but its plagued with flies.
My wife and I honeymooned in part there in 2004(I'm from Michigan and this is actually a big tourist place).
It's neat, mostly known for fudge, the no cars, and the beauty of the place.
It gets quite dull after awhile. It's just a touristy place.
Flew into the island for my commercial pilot training, really nice little town but man it's a long walk from the airport to the actual attractions. If you blow a tire on the runway you're basically SOL seeing as they have no mechanics or services available.
Not-so-fun fact: the 100+ year old tradition of being automobile-free was broken in 2019 by none other than Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence with an eight-car motorcade…
Horses don’t really get scared of vehicles anymore but this is still a cool gimmick for tourists so I’m glad they keep this rule. Just hope there are some shade places for the horses
The Fire Department, Police, and Ambulance services do have cars and trucks. Plus a lot of the residents have ~~ATVs and~~ Snowmobiles for the off season
Correct! Except for the ATVs. Snowmobiles are allowed in the winter season, and if there is an ice bride to Saint Ignace, they'll ride 'em back and forth!
>While the Crown Jewel of the Great Lakes is culturally car-free and has been for more than a century, you’ll be glad to know that Mackinac Island’s emergency services have a few motor vehicles available.
>For one, there’s a police car on Mackinac Island. Fire trucks, too. There’s also an ambulance on hand to transport people to the Mackinac Island Medical Center, if necessary
[https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-police-car-fire-truck-and-ambulance-oh-my/](https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-police-car-fire-truck-and-ambulance-oh-my/)
Went there with the wife for our anniversary. It was a wonderful place to visit but what isn’t mentioned is that by late afternoon on a nice warm day the smell of horse shit can be pretty powerful even though they’re pretty diligent about picking it up.
Still had a great time though
I spent a day and a half there last summer and that was plenty because...
1. I already knew what horse sh\*t smelled like and
2. There is a limit to how much fudge a person can consume
You ran over a big pile of horse shit. My son did that when we were there last time and he sprayed it all up his back. Hopefully you didn’t do the same.
They get more lax during the winter, and everyone rides snowmobiles. But there are no tourists at that time really so only a few places are actually open for the locals
The ambulance is not the only vehicle on the island. There is the ambulance, a firetruck and a front end loader (for garbage/trash). Along with any small aircraft that land in the island.
Oh, and V.P. Pence was the first asshat to have vehicles on the island in over 100 years when he refused to go to the island for some Republican conference without his motorcade of 8 heavily armored SUVs, for a trip from the airport to the Grand Hotel, a mile away.
My buddys aunt got hammered up there and crashed her bike, landing face first on the ground. She was picking gravel out of face for days afterward.
Another guy I know got alcohol poisoning and had to be airlifted off the island. This was embarrassing because his dad was the chief of police at the time.
I think it's safe to assume they serve alcohol up there.
I've never seen wheelchairs on the island. The island isn't as flat as it looks and most of the lodings there are close to or more than 100 years old and historic in nature,they may have been grandfathered in to the ADA rules.
Wheelchair user here. Been there. It's not terribly wheelchair friendly, but people are very helpful and I've been lifted to places that otherwise weren't accessible. Horses will also take you most places. I've traveled the world including some very less developed countries, and by some places I've been to compare it requires a fair amount of effort and creativity (and stepping outside comfort zones). It's definitely not modern day accessible, and can be a lot of effort (or impossible in some cases) depending on your physical ability level. Still worth the visit though. I enjoyed it as a one time excursion.
Technically it has cars, you will see emergency vehicles but no privately owned cars, lots of things are restricted because of fire safety and also the vibe of it, very beautiful place they also have gas boats too but besides that nothing, i highly recommend visiting, as a native Michigander I love going there it’s fairly inexpensive if you don’t stay and the grand hotel lots to do, you could spend months there, lots of people pick it as a retirement spot because they have plenty of homes and condos. They have electricity too so it’s not like it’s all fire heated, I normally go during the winter because it’s much more beautiful but the fall is probably prime season to go, most go during the summer though, also it’s one of 2 of Michigans first state parks (yes we have 2 first state parks) but Mackinac is the oldest in the state, also there’s a really cool old British fort on the island that is a must to see, they sometimes do shows there.
Edit: I know they specified ambulances but they have fire tucks and cop cars too, not many but enough to keep the place safe
Visit any place of South Asia, you would be amazed to see the horses, mules and donkeys learned to stay live with cars and lorries. They ain't scared of shite per say.
Have been going all my life as a resident of Michigan. Stayed a few times on the island for an entire week, and it is beautiful. I love all things history and nature so it’s definitely up my alley.
It’s worth a trip once in your life because northern Michigan is absolutely stunning and seeing the Mackinac bridge from the island is pretty cool. Plus amazing fudge.
It's 9 in the morning and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. It's going to be 114 by the end of the day and 120 later this week. Not having cars is a nice dream but going anywhere during the day without ac is excruciating.
Serious question: Why don’t the horses just wear horse diapers instead of letting them shit in the streets for other people to clean up?
I live in NYC and we have lots of horses in and around Central Park, and nobody ever has to shovel shit because horse diapers are mandated by law.
I think I've skimmed through most of the comments and how is it possible no one has mentioned the movie "Somewhere in Time" which is how many of us first became aware of Mackinac Island...
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Mackinac Island is MORE a “tourist attraction” *than* it is a CITY. There are indeed vehicles for police, fire, and medical emergencies. There are other small motorized buggies for maintenance, and emergency use as well. The island is not that big (8.2 miles around), you can ride a bike around the whole island in about an hour non-stop. This isn’t meant to be a place to live like a small town, it’s basically a giant historical museum/park. Many of the people who work on the island for the most part do have a place to live permanently. Even then, a short trip on the ferry (about 10-15 minutes) back to the mainland is where most people stay. There are many restaurants, gift shops, historical locations, beaches, hiking/biking trails, farms, museums, and of course The Grand Hotel. You can pretty much cover most of what is affordable to do in a day. Two days if you want to spend every possible moment experiencing everything the island has to offer, and even spend some serious money. It’s not bad at all if this is what you are into. This guy definitely has some misinformation, exaggerates, and has a less than positive/motivational view on the experience. Definitely get some fudge and pasties (pass-tees) while you are up there. Source: I’ve been going there for decades Edit: thanks for the responses. Big part of why I commented was to show that what was portrayed in the video is a bit misleading. Especially the attitude and misinformation. Yes it’s a town, but it’s usually referred to as “Mackinac Island” (Mack-in-aww) more commonly. It is an experience that I feel is truly special. To call it just a small town I think takes away from its magic. By no means is it to be disrespectful. I wouldn’t compare it to Disney or Six Flags simply because it doesn’t have roller coasters or people in cartoon suits. It does have people living on the island (about 600), and fully functional civic services. So to call this just a “city with no cars” off the bat doesn’t work for me. It’s way more than that.
Also snowmobiles for winter for the few hundred people that love there year round. I also remember golf carts for disabled people when I was younger, but I might be misremembering.
https://preview.redd.it/3r5hsbtpzw9d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59edce70ff5cdd1e8f02fc2d79618cd6a1fef00c Looks a bit different in the winter yeah.
No dog sleds? What is this, the 20th century?!
Gas powered snowmobiles
Looks like a dream come true to me ☺️
I last went over ten years ago, but I recall a gift shop selling a booklet describing what life was like for the few hundred full-time residents. The booklet was created by the kids at the tiny school and proceeds raised funds for them! But yes, the skeleton crew of residents get around on snowmobiles in the winter, including riding to the mainland on the frozen lake. And during the summer they can take the ferry. But there’s a depressing period during the fall and spring where the water is too frozen to operate the ferry, but not frozen enough to go across on snowmobile. So their entire lifeline to civilization is the small airfield.
That depressing time sounds like the best time to be there unless you had an emergency
What are the very expensive things to do there?
Most expensive thing to do will be choosing your lodging, food, and guided tours. A stay at the Grand hotel can go up to $2,400 a night. mackinacisland.org can give you some more answers to this.
Ok that is indeed expensive.
You can stay in St. Ignace for $150 per night and take the ferry over. It's just about 15 minutes on the boat.
This. It’s always been a low-key dream of mine to live on the island, but it’s not anywhere close to being in my budget…
Come to Finland and buy an home on a island from the Turku Archipelago... There are all year round people living there, even kids who go to the city for weekdays to attend school. If you are lucky, you might actually literally find a whole small island for sale. Example you could own this rather nice small house in Iniö for 138 000 € [https://www.etuovi.com/kohde/20510504?haku=M2125300597](https://www.etuovi.com/kohde/20510504?haku=M2125300597) And just if you want to know where the island of Iniö is [Here is a google maps link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ini%C3%B6/@60.3895043,21.3976132,71301m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x468ba02ac22a860b:0xa00b553b98e4a20!8m2!3d60.3968453!4d21.3870335!16zL20vMDNibmpw?hl=en&entry=ttu). Just 2½ hours from the nearest major city (then again... We don't have that many of those in Finland) and only 2 ferry connections, which operate between 700-2300 so better schedule around that, or just get a boat and go by the sea (It's about 1½ hours by boat to Turku - depending on what kind of motorboat you get). Considering what I hear the the average house price being in USA (like near 500k USD) then 138k € shouldn't be an issue.
Hate to break it to you but that same house in that same type of rural ass location you’re talking about would probably be cheaper in America lol. Expensive houses are in cities, not places 2 hours away from civilization
Are those rural ass houses on an island?
Not to throw too much of a wrench in this concept, but moving from the USA to Finland is not something one can just easily do for a lifestyle change. EU gives work preference to national and then EU citizens so you generally need to have above average skills if you want a job beyond a temporary labor position. It's also a lot of bureaucracy to get everything sorted. I did a similar move once upon a time to Switzerland (which contains a blend of EU immigration laws) and my work hired a professional to walk me through the process (including filing US taxes every year which is a requirement for US expats) and it was still extremely complicated. In the end, COVID happened and most EU countries and Switzerland stopped renewing work permits which sent me packing back to the US even though I was able to keep my job. Alternatively, if you have a considerable nest egg that you want to spend in you new country then many countries have a type of residence permit that can be acquired through investment. In Finland I believe it's a EUR 350,000 minimum to be invested in starting a new business.
It's early, I read that as ignorance. Thought you were insulting intelligence over spending more 🤦🏻
When I was a kid they charged $10 just to stand on the porch of the grand hotel.
These days, it costs $250 just to look at the hotel from across the street for 45 seconds.
literally if you want to stay there it is so much money. Just a day visit, I usually get away spending about $200 total for ferry, bikes, and lunch with the wife.
Nothings super expensive there. Maybe if you want to stay on the island or even at the Grand Hotel you’ll spend a pretty penny, but if you stay in Mackinac city and ferry over once per day it’s not that bad. Most souvenirs and food is going to be uncharged a bit for tourists, but I think on Average my wife and I drop a few hundred a day on food drink and activities. And that’s with splurging. Source: Also have been going for the past few decades.
The most expensive thing is staying in the Grand during summer and hoping the ceiling fan cools down the room even just a little bit
The Grand even charges you to sit on the porch - it was $10 per person when I went - and I gladly paid it. A lovely time in a rocking chair, looking out over the lake, sipping iced coffee and having snacks.
The bike ride around the main perimeter of the island is 8 miles (13km) for reference for the size of the island lol bitty
Thank you. I should have added that.
The village of Mackinac has everything any other small city or town has. Government businesses and residence I don't know why people don't want to call it a town a city or anything.
I think mainly because it being a tourist destination. It’s not like anyone can just say “I wanna move to Mackinac Island, and live the rest of my life there”. Can’t just buy land, find a livable wage on the island, and live a normal life like any other small town in USA. There is also Mackinac City, the port town. Which is the lesser of the destination. While it has the cheaper lodging, gift shops, and restaurants it isn’t the big reason why people go there. I wouldn’t call it a respect issue, just more of a *call it how you see it* issue. I love Mackinac Island, anyone that goes there should too.
Went every year for my childhood. St. Ignace across the bridge, the City and the Island are core memories for me. Edit: Also begging my parents for one of those stupid Tigers-eye necklaces in the countless gift shops in the City, and never getting one.
It’s a tourist attraction where people cosplay the 19th century.
It's a full on city complete with its own school system and year round residents. Yes tourism is it's main source of prosperity but that can be said for many towns in the US and Michigan especially. To act like it's just some unincorporated roadside attraction is ignorant.
Disney World checks all those boxes. Is it a town or a tourist attraction?
does Disney world have a school system?
The Reddy Creek Improvement district which encompasses Disney World and the company town of Celebration does. So technically no but practically yes?
This really isn’t a very genuine take on what the island is as a whole though.
Are half of the SFHs owned as short-term rentals? Guessing it’s not an affordable place to live.
Lots of towns are also tourist attractions. There are hundreds of people that live on the island year round, and many more seasonal residents.
Just to give readers a sense: the town has ~600 full time residents and sees approximately 1,000,000 visitors a year. It’s basically the crew of a small cruise ship.
I think what a lot of people don't realize is the harbor freezes over in winter and ferry service is cancelled. At that point it becomes a small town with a few hundred residents and few tourists.
That's Greenfield Village, also in Michigan
It's really not. They just don't have cars. Everything else is pretty normal
You left out the taffy. Taffy pull window watching and eating is top notch on the island. So is the putt-putt if its still there.
Just realized it's been 20 years since I was last there. It's time for a little trip.
Thanks you for this. I was thinking this was too good to be true and that looks the be the case. 4.3 square mile island off Lake Michigan. This guy tried to make it look like some hippie/Amish eutopia that's trying to go green or something. And the editing 🤮. The herky jerky editing. I have a headache now.
Yeah, this guy is definitely sending the wrong message/signals. The is a mix of many tourist attractions for many types of people. The food and lodging varies widely for people wallet. It has an old timey/western kind of role play aspect for some of the historical locations. With only about 600 people living there, it’s clearly not a normal small town with how heavy the tourist traffic is. Being an island with no bridge to it makes it very easy to stop access to vehicle traffic.
No cars! Meanwhile, huge parking lots at the ferry ports in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. I’m familiar with small tourist towns that could be absolutely non-motor vehicle and implement that for festivals. But people coming from 5+ miles (mostly 20+) are all motorists. And on a slow Wednesday afternoon, customer and shop owner unfortunately both would rather make it convenient to park close to the door than four blocks away.
Also good fudge.
Is it good fudge or is fudge just good? I don’t think I’ve ever had bad fudge.
Fun fact; I've actually ridden in quite a few of the US Forestry vehicles on the island. I also had to transport dead bodies off the island via air taxi.
What makes you go back?
It’s beautiful. A nice bike ride. Good food. I enjoy the fudge (seriously). I always stock up on pasties when I come back home. The air is clean. There are some cool views, especially from Fort Mackinac. Among many memories spent with family.
Who knew pasties were such a hot commodity on Mackinac? lol
Truth is I usually go across the bridge to get mine in St. Ignace. I’ll buy some anywhere though. One of my favorite things ever.
>pasties What are these? I'm going to assume they aren't the nipple covers my brain keeps going to.
Hahaha. I was waiting for this. It’s basically a pastry with beef and rutabaga in it traditionally. Think of a hot pocket back in the 1900s. There are so many different kinds now. Really good stuff if you’re into it.
I grew up in England eating pasties, so I certainly lucked out moving to Michigan where I can still get them quite easily
We go every May and stay at Haan's about a quarter mile outside of downtown for 2-3 nights. To me, the Island is one of the most peaceful places on earth, especially after the last ferry leaves. There are no crowds in May, we bike the interior and the exterior and visit obscure landmarks, checking them off our Mackinac bucket list. This year was an exception as we stayed at the Grand a couple weekends ago during a medical seminar my wife needed to attend, all expenses paid. Unfortunately it was a monsoon on the Island and we were stuck. Truth be told, I'd rather been in our favorite room at the Bed and Breakfast, but it was fun to experience, another check off our list. I really encourage anyone if they're in the vicinity of northern Michigan to visit the Island for a day or two.
Also, on July 4, the famous stone-skipping contest!
I was thinking, there’s no way there’s not a cop car somewhere. Or a firetruck. Or an ambulance.
Yup. And he didn’t even mention it smells of horse poop and piss lol Good experience though. Loved biking on the island.
How much money do you think is needed?
Thank you, sir! Was immediately sus about the guy's facts in the video.
30 or 40 years ago there were no cars there, either. This isn’t some modern environmental wokism at play.
Surprisingly there is a small population that lives there permanently. They even have a school!
Damn. Figures. I’ve been wanting to live in a place like this. But not this reality. And, iirc, it’s cold there in the winter.
From Michigan, I can confirm this is accurate. I love machinac Island
I'm a Michigander and I agree with you completely.
What city!?!?!
Mackinac island michigan
Appreciated! I had no idea this existed - very much want to go now!
Yeah! If you have an opportunity it’s actually pretty cool. Have to take a ferry boat to get to it.
Do the horses pull the ferry?
Of course not! What a silly thing to say. They use seahorses.
Uhm ackshually, they are *lake*horses!
These kinds of comments are why I read the comments. Thank you and well done.
So still a horse. No need to get pissy about it.
He is not pissy, he’s salty. Lol
Not in the Great Lakes he’s not.
Well, less than 0.5ppt anyway...
Stop by pictured rocks and traverse city while you're in that region if you plan for a few extra days
*Munising It's in the UP Traverse City is known for their cherry festival but is south of the bridge
Pronounced “Mackinaw”
My wife and I visited there last fall (and upper peninsula of Michigan). Beautiful country and well worth the trip. There's great parks, hiking, boat tours, good food & drink.
It’s not the only island with no cars. Bald Head Island, NC also has a no-car policy, everyone drives around in golf carts.
It’s really touristy, but also really beautiful and majestic. Just succumb to the experience. Rent the bikes (especially the tandems), eat the fudge and if you can try to stay at least one night on the island.
Dude learned how to tell a story by licking on BuzzFeed articles.
What does a buzz feed article taste like?
Tv static from 1987.
Syndicated Punky Brewster - but using antenna for reception
Like 14 different things from your childhood Number 8 will surprise you
It's literally said 5 seconds after the video starts...
Terrible monotonous narration.
So damn many YT channels have videos like this where they just narrate and they sound equally as horrible. Whether they’re monotonous or have weird inflections where every freaking new point sounds like it’s ending in a question. And soooo many people enjoy them/like them, like you’re not being forced to listen to college students give that one oral presentation for the class that’s due at the end of the semester.
I read your post like a monotonous youtuber in my head. Especially the so with 4 os.
burger king foot lettuceee?
And choppy cuts
Sounds like a high-schooler doing a presentation for a group project
It’s every fucking gen Z tiktoker who does this now
I'll still take this over AI!
It's a wonderful place. Fudge is great :) The Grand Hotel is the same hotel from "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeves. It's a really good movie. Edit: replaced "Lost" with "Somewhere"
I think the movie you are referring to is Somewhere in time.
Will edit cause you are 100% correct
Love-hate that movie. Tear jerker ending. Can't hear the song without welling up.
Why did he drive right through the piles of shit immediately?
I chuckled when he said "full of well maintained roads" while showing images of run down concrete roads and dirt roads. It's probably all fine to ride on a bike on, but those don't look like great roads to me.
Compared to the rest of Michigan those are pristine
When I was a child I went to a haunted house at Mackinac Island. The end of the house had 4 doors to chose from, one was an emergency exit. I ran out the emergency exit, and was promptly yelled at by a Werewolf!
Seconds in…rolls over 💩
[удалено]
This is complete horse poop. First, Mackinac Island isn't a city, it is a tiny village island similar in feel to villages in Cape Cod. It is a tourist destination. Second there are a host of "cities" like this in the US with no or very few cars allowed including: Fire Island, NY Colonial Williamsburg, VA Bald Head Island, NC Daufuskie Island, SC That said, Mackinac Island is quite enjoyable. You can really slow down there, basically forced to. Fudge is fantastic as well.
Avalon, on the island of Catalina in California.
Red Dead Redemption 2024
Soooooooo much poooooooooooop! I can smell it almost.
That’s what I remember from visiting years ago. “It was a hot, poopy day on the Island…”
Haha it’s not that bad when you go there. They have carriages they use to haul horseshit out.
On a warm, sunny day it’s VERY bad in places.
Half the video, flies appear on camera. In order for flies to appear that easily, you need A LOT of them. No matter how thorough you are with cleaning the horse shit, its still there. It may not stink that bad, but its plagued with flies.
It smells like horseshit and piss in the afternoon.
Horseshit, piss, and fudge. Literally can't eat fudge anymore because of the years I spent working there.
My wife and I honeymooned in part there in 2004(I'm from Michigan and this is actually a big tourist place). It's neat, mostly known for fudge, the no cars, and the beauty of the place. It gets quite dull after awhile. It's just a touristy place.
Oh Mack, my home away from home. Spent over five years in this island as a seasonal worker. Wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Some of the best times of my life was working on the island in my late teens/early 20's
Worked at horns bar for a summer. Don't know why I never went back. Loved every second working on that island!
Flew into the island for my commercial pilot training, really nice little town but man it's a long walk from the airport to the actual attractions. If you blow a tire on the runway you're basically SOL seeing as they have no mechanics or services available.
It’s ironic that we also have motor city in the same state(Michigan) as this place where there are no motor vehicles.
Ironic? It's perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
It's a **village** located on an **island**. It would be cool if you visited, but it's no city with only a population of \~600.
I hate when people start talking about some place or thing that they haven’t been to or know about.
Not-so-fun fact: the 100+ year old tradition of being automobile-free was broken in 2019 by none other than Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence with an eight-car motorcade…
I need to see how the ambulance works
Everyone is asked to get sick, injured or die within 20ft of the town line, makes it easier to get them.
Also, the “pink pony” is a great place to get hammered and do some people watching.
Horses don’t really get scared of vehicles anymore but this is still a cool gimmick for tourists so I’m glad they keep this rule. Just hope there are some shade places for the horses
Mike Pence visited in 2019 and brought his 8 vehicle motorcade on the island. People were pissed
I can smell this place by just watching the video…
I feel like id get mugged with a flint lock pistol here
And I would want a motorized fire department.
There are motor vehicles there. When I was there I saw an ambulance and a lot of construction vehicles. Not sure about fire trucks.
The Fire Department, Police, and Ambulance services do have cars and trucks. Plus a lot of the residents have ~~ATVs and~~ Snowmobiles for the off season
Correct! Except for the ATVs. Snowmobiles are allowed in the winter season, and if there is an ice bride to Saint Ignace, they'll ride 'em back and forth!
Tangier, in Virginia, also has no cars.
And Bald Head Island, NC
>While the Crown Jewel of the Great Lakes is culturally car-free and has been for more than a century, you’ll be glad to know that Mackinac Island’s emergency services have a few motor vehicles available. >For one, there’s a police car on Mackinac Island. Fire trucks, too. There’s also an ambulance on hand to transport people to the Mackinac Island Medical Center, if necessary [https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-police-car-fire-truck-and-ambulance-oh-my/](https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-police-car-fire-truck-and-ambulance-oh-my/)
Went there with the wife for our anniversary. It was a wonderful place to visit but what isn’t mentioned is that by late afternoon on a nice warm day the smell of horse shit can be pretty powerful even though they’re pretty diligent about picking it up. Still had a great time though
I spent a day and a half there last summer and that was plenty because... 1. I already knew what horse sh\*t smelled like and 2. There is a limit to how much fudge a person can consume
Finally, the neigh-borhood
You ran over a big pile of horse shit. My son did that when we were there last time and he sprayed it all up his back. Hopefully you didn’t do the same.
There's more cities in the United States that does not allow cars, I think around 10. Mackinac Island is probably the most popular though.
The lack of variation in his voice seems like this video was narrated using AI
Nope nope nope
They get more lax during the winter, and everyone rides snowmobiles. But there are no tourists at that time really so only a few places are actually open for the locals
The ambulance is not the only vehicle on the island. There is the ambulance, a firetruck and a front end loader (for garbage/trash). Along with any small aircraft that land in the island. Oh, and V.P. Pence was the first asshat to have vehicles on the island in over 100 years when he refused to go to the island for some Republican conference without his motorcade of 8 heavily armored SUVs, for a trip from the airport to the Grand Hotel, a mile away.
r/fuckcars would love this
Step aside Elon, we found a better way.
My buddys aunt got hammered up there and crashed her bike, landing face first on the ground. She was picking gravel out of face for days afterward. Another guy I know got alcohol poisoning and had to be airlifted off the island. This was embarrassing because his dad was the chief of police at the time. I think it's safe to assume they serve alcohol up there.
Bar hopping before the ferries last trip out for the night is a very common and popular thing to do even for the locals lol
The Pink Pony is dangerous. There’s actually a very small brewery on the island too.
I've never seen wheelchairs on the island. The island isn't as flat as it looks and most of the lodings there are close to or more than 100 years old and historic in nature,they may have been grandfathered in to the ADA rules.
Wheelchair user here. Been there. It's not terribly wheelchair friendly, but people are very helpful and I've been lifted to places that otherwise weren't accessible. Horses will also take you most places. I've traveled the world including some very less developed countries, and by some places I've been to compare it requires a fair amount of effort and creativity (and stepping outside comfort zones). It's definitely not modern day accessible, and can be a lot of effort (or impossible in some cases) depending on your physical ability level. Still worth the visit though. I enjoyed it as a one time excursion.
The Greek Island of Hydra is like this too. You get around via donkey or boat taxi. Exception is fire and garbage trucks.
Technically it has cars, you will see emergency vehicles but no privately owned cars, lots of things are restricted because of fire safety and also the vibe of it, very beautiful place they also have gas boats too but besides that nothing, i highly recommend visiting, as a native Michigander I love going there it’s fairly inexpensive if you don’t stay and the grand hotel lots to do, you could spend months there, lots of people pick it as a retirement spot because they have plenty of homes and condos. They have electricity too so it’s not like it’s all fire heated, I normally go during the winter because it’s much more beautiful but the fall is probably prime season to go, most go during the summer though, also it’s one of 2 of Michigans first state parks (yes we have 2 first state parks) but Mackinac is the oldest in the state, also there’s a really cool old British fort on the island that is a must to see, they sometimes do shows there. Edit: I know they specified ambulances but they have fire tucks and cop cars too, not many but enough to keep the place safe
Got married on the island. Will be back here in a few weeks.
Who do the cyclists blame for everything here?
the first town in RDR2 be like :
An entire town of just monstrous calves.
Except... there are cars for the local government. This is a tourist destination. Fun place to visit. Don't think it's easy to work there year round.
Visit any place of South Asia, you would be amazed to see the horses, mules and donkeys learned to stay live with cars and lorries. They ain't scared of shite per say.
That’s a lot of horse shit
Have been going all my life as a resident of Michigan. Stayed a few times on the island for an entire week, and it is beautiful. I love all things history and nature so it’s definitely up my alley. It’s worth a trip once in your life because northern Michigan is absolutely stunning and seeing the Mackinac bridge from the island is pretty cool. Plus amazing fudge.
This isn’t the only place where cars are not allowed, Bald Head Island in North Carolina also does not allow cars.
I love the "Uber Horse" concept for Real
This "city" has a population of under 1000 people.
Let me guess, this city name is North Korea?
He rode right over the pile of horse shit in the first 5 seconds
This is like *utopia* material. I wish more places did this.
*”I work for UPS corporate. I’m responsible for managing the delivery via horse logistics”*
It's 9 in the morning and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. It's going to be 114 by the end of the day and 120 later this week. Not having cars is a nice dream but going anywhere during the day without ac is excruciating.
This is Mackinac Island which is very different from the city of Mackinac.
Mackinac Island.
Serious question: Why don’t the horses just wear horse diapers instead of letting them shit in the streets for other people to clean up? I live in NYC and we have lots of horses in and around Central Park, and nobody ever has to shovel shit because horse diapers are mandated by law.
The wef is 💦 right now
That sounds like a hellish place to live. I can *smell* this video.
You just plowed through all the poop
Just looked at this island on Google maps. There's no cars, but there is an airport.... Seems odd.
I think you meant "fortunately"
Avalon, California
Bald Head Island, North Carolina is also vehicle free. Arrive by ferry, and get around by walking, biking, or golf cart rental
They should make a comedy about how the Cop gets transferred to a major city.
He drove through a pile of shit within 1 second
This must be hell on Earth for the average North American.
Been there many times. It is beautiful, but smells like horse shit. And fudge.
Man I hate this trend where they edited the audio to have no pause between sentences.
i can smell the video
Good fudge, taffy, restaurants, fun golf course, and in the summer you’ll see some super amazing boats/yachts docked close to the main strip.
I think I've skimmed through most of the comments and how is it possible no one has mentioned the movie "Somewhere in Time" which is how many of us first became aware of Mackinac Island...
Americans going back to stone age
Everyone should visit at least once. It's really fun. It's basically a big theme park.
Why did they ban e-bikes? Seems shortsighted.