One of the true treasures for the State of Michigan is Mackinac Island.  Only a couple of times of the year, does the manure of the politicians exceed the manure of the horses.  You see, there are no motorized vehicles on the island, save for a couple of government emergency cars, ambulances and trucks.  A couple of years ago, they experimented with allowing motorized bicycles, but I think that will be terminated, because of the rash of accidents.  So, the main modes of transportation are by horse, manual bicycles and foot traffic.  There is a small airport on the island, just in case the people that are anti-fossil fuel need to get on the island to complain about the excessive use of fossil fuel, or they can moor their yachts.  Otherwise, mere mortals must use the commuter boat services from the two peninsulas of Michigan to Mackinac Island and they have facilities to park your car on the mainland for however long you are going to stay on the island.  If you are a true romantic, the film “Somewhere in Time” was filmed there and most of the structures on the island didn’t need any alterations.  

There are two main hotels at the opposite ends of the main street in the downtown district.  Add that the multiple smaller hotels, bed and breakfasts, boarding houses and that doesn’t include the former dormitories for all of the employees that live on the island during the peak season; there are only a handful of hardy souls that reside on the island, year-round.  It is amazing the number of places one can eat on the island, from coffee shops, delis, pizzerias and other family-oriented eateries. Then there is enough fudge and popcorn emporiums, that have a made a name for themselves that they can be found in most of the tourism communities throughout the state.  There are also establishments that cater to adults and to some that should learn how to be adults. 

Finally, there are wonderful locations that have selections of wines, both with casual sides or full-service white table clothed establishments that further enhance the reason to go to a resort setting.  Only a few places feel the need to request proper attire, and there are plenty of locations that don’t.  I think that the fine dining is such a bonus on the island, and considering the logistics of getting the food, and the beverages, it is one of the greatest places to visit at least once.  We were going to the Upper Peninsula and because of the car rental requirements, we had to leave a day early and made the most of it, and having a casual afternoon and then some excellent fine dining for one day, before going back to the real world.