10 Things to do Good for Kids in Mackinac County That You Shouldn't Miss

Linking Michigan's two peninsulas, this mighty bridge has a total length of five miles.

Arrowhead Carriages has been taken over by Gough Livery Carriages. New company, same gig! We still offer private, narrated horse-drawn carriage tours of beautiful Mackinac Island.

Kayak and stand up paddle board rentals with 2 locations: one on Mackinac Island, MI and one in Mackinaw City, MI. For beginners we offer basic instruction and guided tours in the calm waters of the marina, and for our more experienced paddlers, we lead tours to Arch Rock, Devil's Kitchen, the Mackinac Bridge, Round Island, and Bois Blanc Island, on the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Huron. Our summer tours are popular, and they book up fast, so reserve on our website now to secure your time!

Step into this blacksmith shop and forge your own knife! Chad Osborne, two-time Forged in Fire competitor will guide you through the process. There are 4 sizes of knives to choose and the price ranges from $25-100 depending on the knife you forge. All knives come with a sheath. This activity is perfect for visitors that would like to Forge a Memory while visiting Mackinac Island.

Iconic. The cannon blasts, the rifles fire, the soldiers march and history comes alive. The oldest building in Michigan and 13 other historical structures boast exhibits explaining everything from military training and battles to medical treatments to family life within the fort. More than just a military outpost, Fort Mackinac served as a home for soldiers and their families and eventually the headquarters for Mackinac National Park, where tourists to the island visited the great fortress on the bluff, much like they do today. This is Mackinac.

We are OPEN for the season. At this National Historic Landmark, visitors can learn about 17th century St. Ignace: the Ojibwa who formed the population, the Huron refugees and the French who established the area as the center of fur trade. Check out our award winning Clan Park, the fun kids area, our authentic Native store along with the beautiful new Sculpture Park and our Longhouse on our grounds. Also visit Father Marquette's burial site in our Marquette Mission Park. Admission is by donation. Must be seen to be believed! Amazing! Bus tours welcome..please call ahead.

Narrated tours of this island that doesn't allow cars.

A Time of Change. Step into the home of Agatha and Edward Biddle, merchants who moved in around 1830. This was a time of change, and the 1830s were critical to the Biddles for another reason: as an Anishnaabek woman, Agatha and other indigenous people witnessed their culture subjected to immense changes. The decade transformed the Anishnaabek, linking old ways with Michigan’s modern indigenous culture. The continuing story of the Anishnaabek of northern Michigan is not always a happy one. It is a story of battles won and lost, promises made and broken, and cultures repressed and resurgent. Most importantly, the story in which the Biddle family played a role is one that continues today. This new exhibit, created in conjunction with tribal partners, explores that story and how it still resonates on Mackinac Island and throughout northern Michigan. This is Mackinac.

See native and exotic animals up close. Including tiger, cougar, bobcat, river otter, grizzly bear, camel, ring-tail lemurs, reindeer and much, much more.