Hi, I'm Pat and welcome to my blog, Life's A Trip!
I love traveling, food and getting a great deal on anything - which is what this blog is about.
I'll share not only my travel destinations including accommodations, dining hot spots, and top (and weird!) travel attractions with you - but how to make any trip more budget friendly.
My dad always said I should've been born a fish.
I remember him taking me to Simmons Beach as a kid to swim in Lake Michigan. The water would be less than 40 degrees, I'd be turning blue and he still had to drag me kicking and screaming out of the lake.
I also had this inexplicable fascination with ships so after swimming and Dad thawing me out, he'd take me to see the ships in the harbor.
Ships in the old Kenosha Harbor
In particular I had an inexplicable, intense fascination, almost an obsession with the Titanic.
I think what helped kick this fascination with Titanic off is that I became a certified advanced scuba diver in high school. Most divers start out slow...not me. I went straight to diving the wreck of the Wisconsin in 130 feet of water with visibility so poor I nearly smacked my facemask on the side of the ship before I saw it.
That wreck dive was all it took. I was hooked on shipwrecks.
A fellow psychic friend of mine finally solved the Titanic mystery. She knew nothing whatsoever about my fascination with Titanic, I'd never even mentioned it to her.
She was reading me and said "In your last lifetime here you died in a shipwreck. I'm seeing a Swedish flag...I think you were Swedish? You and your brother were sailing together on this ship...they never found your bodies after it sank. I'm getting your name was Johanna...last name starts with an A.Patty? I think you were on the Titanic!"
Nah! Couldn't be. Could it? Curiosity got the better of me...I looked through the list of Titanic passengers and what do I find?
Johanna, last name began with an A - Ahlin. Traveling back to America from visiting her family in Sweden, accompanied by her brother Johan. Traveling Steerage. Both lost in the sinking, their bodies never recovered.
My friend had gotten it exactly right. But it gets more weird yet...
My grandmother from Sweden
My grandmother was from Sweden. She and her brother traveled together to America on a ship.
They settled in the same town Johanna had when she arrived in America.
Johanna's husband was in the dairy business. My cousin Lisabeth in Sweden owns and runs a large dairy farm.
The synchronicities kept piling up...and I began to wonder how it was that I could tolerate the cold water of Lake Michigan as a kid, even to the point of turning blue? Was that why my inexplicable fascination with ships and later, shipwrecks?
I've attended a number of Titanic re-enactments where you're assigned an actual Titanic passenger's identity and you don't find out until near the end of the event whether or not you as that passenger survived.
I've always gotten a passenger that was lost in the sinking of the Titanic, regardless of what class that passenger had traveled on the Titanic.
Which brings us to the Grand Hotel's Titanic Weekend and Mackinac Island.
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
The Grand Hotel is aptly named and is the gem of Mackinac Island. It is opulent, even having an evening dress code in all interior areas of the hotel.
Grand Hotel first opened its doors in 1887 as a summer retreat for vacationers who traveled to Michigan by train, and then came to Mackinac Island via steamer and boat. Throughout its time as America’s Summer Place, one family nurtured and guided the hotel’s growth to a highly celebrated and much-beloved getaway.
Today, this National Historic Landmark continues to beguile guests with old-world hospitality and charm, inspired enhancements, and a heritage to be preserved for generations to come.
It's old fashioned charm blends in perfectly with that of Mackinac Island.
Mackinac Island (pronounced Mack in naw) is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was long home to an Odawa settlement and previous indigenous cultures before European colonization began in the 17th century. It was a strategic center of the fur trade around the Great Lakes.
Visiting Mackinac is like stepping back in time. No cars or motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, transportation is by walking, horsedrawn carriage, and/or bicycle. All of its architecture is turn of the century, there are no modern looking buildings. Even the decor in the B&B's and hotels is turn of the century.
How to negotiate your arrival at Mackinac
There are essentially two main ways to get on the island: boat and plane. The main way people are getting on the island is by ferry.
During the full open season of Mackinac, you will find a couple ferry companies (Shepler’s and Star Line, now called Arnold Transit) who run pretty frequently back and forth to the island daily.
Once the season ends at the end of October, you can get to the island by plane, personal boat (assuming that Lake Huron is not frozen), and Star Line runs a ferry from St. Ignace only. Flights run all year.
From October to April there is limited ferry service from Star Line in St. Ignace and you can fly to the island.
The runway is not designed for large planes, only small planes.
Taking the ferry to Mackinac Island is by far the easiest. Once you arrive in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace, you can park your car with one of the ferry companies and get a ticket to go to the island. During high season a ferry is running about every 30 or so minutes back and forth. You will need to check with the ferry companies (Shepler’s, Star Line) for prices, schedules and parking info.
I used Shepler’s when going to Mackinac Island because it takes about 16 minutes each way.
The way it works is, you can either book a ticket online (and you can usually get a deal) or you can book a ticket when you arrive. Check their websites before purchasing a ticket as they sometimes offer specials that are available ONLY ON THEIR WEBSITES. You will need to book these tickets in advance to coming to the island to get this deal. So plan ahead if you want to save some money.
Note that you are not buying a ticket for a certain day or time, the ticket is good for the entire season.
Parking:
Both ferry lines have parking available at various price points.
Shepler’s Parking Rates (subject to change):
Shepler’s Mackinaw City overnight parking:
$5 per night, located off site and 4 blocks away. There is a tram that runs back and forth. You can pull in to unload luggage and then go park your vehicle.
$25 per night, located on site. You can pull in and unload your bags, then find a parking spot on site.
St Ignace Overnight Parking:
$5 per night, located on site. Pull in and unload your bags then go find a parking spot on the lot.
**Shepler’s will tag your bags if you are going to a hotel that offers luggage delivery and make sure it gets there for you so that when you get to the island you will be free to do what you would like.
This is another reason I took Shepler's. If you're not taking Shepler's, then you need to see if your accommodations handles your luggage transfer to your accommodations! Let them handle that for you!
Since Star Line was sold to Arnold's I don't know what their new parking and luggage handling policies are so you'll have to check their website.
Once you get off the ferry, here is what happens next:
The ferries dock right on Main street where everything is happening.
If you had your luggage tagged before you got on the ferry and it is being sent to your lodging, you do not need to collect it at the ferry. It will be transported to your destination for you and you will get it later in the day after check-in. You want to make sure you have your luggage tagged BEFORE you board the ferry!
If you did not have your luggage tagged and/or your lodging does not offer transfer, you will collect your luggage in the ferry terminal.
If your luggage is being taken for you to your lodging, you can either go check in or hit the ground running and explore Mackinac. What I recommend is taking a carriage tour to get the lay of Mackinac.
The Mackinac Island Carriage Tour makes stops at the Surrey Hills Museum, Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory, Arch Rock, Fort Mackinac Avenue of Flags, and the Grand Hotel. The tours generally run about 1 hour and 45 minutes in length.
The route extends beyond the Island’s Downtown area, so you’ll get a feel for what else is around.
Setting Sail Into History: The Grand Hotel’s Immersive Titanic Weekend
The Grand Hotel sells its Titanic Weekend as a package.
Package Includes:
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Grand Hotel accommodations
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Breakfast and dinner daily
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All resort amenities
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Friday evening Bon Voyage party and reception
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Friday evening themed entertainment
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Saturday morning History Lecture with Resident Historian Bob Tagatz
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Saturday afternoon presentation
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Saturday dinner inspired by the last meal served on the Titanic
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Sunday morning wrap-up
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Admission to the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum
You'll have to inquire as to package pricing when making reservation as it's not listed on the Gracn's web page. (The last Titanic weekend my friend Rose and I attended there was around $2000 per person.)
There's a Bon Voyage party that takes place Friday night that features live music and dancing in the hotel ballroom. The movie showing and other presentations take place Saturday morning through early afternoon.
The1st Class final Titanic dinner re-enactment is Saturday night and there's a short wrap-up party on Sunday morning before you depart the hotel.
COSTUMES
These are diehard Titanic enthusiasts you'll be meeting during the weekend. When we attended there was NO ONE who wasn't in costume. As I mentioned earlier, the Grand Hotel has a dress code in the evenings.
No denim or shorts. Men are expected to wear jackets and ties. Women must dress in a dress, skirt or dress pants.
For this reason, most of the attendees brought at least 2 costumes - one for Friday, one for Saturday and you'll be meeting the dress code. Dress in 1912 was Edwardian and for this re-enactment weekend at least, your "ticket" will be First Class so you'll be a First Class passenger.
Rose and I had nearly as much fun designing and making our costumes as we did at the event itself. My friend Karen is a vintage clothing expert and owns a large vintage clothing shop so was a great help in Rose and I putting our costumes together. She also taught us how fashion worked in those days, which was interesting.
Fashion trends were based on what came out of France. But due to the lack of communications back then,the upper class wouldn't get these 'new; fashions for months at the very least. The upper class would buy the newest fashions and when the went out of style, they'd donate or sell them to the middle and lower classes. So those 2 classes were always a couple of years behind the upper class as far as being in style.
Rose and I made 2 costumes apiece...
You can check costume rental shops to rent costumes, Etsy has ready made Edwardian outfits (although they're usually quite expensive), Amazon has women's Edwardian garb at far more reasonable prices, if you're good at sewing you can make your own costumes or you can check vintage clothing shops.
Friday night kicked off the weekend with the Bon Voyage party in the Grand Hotel ballroom - live music of the era and dancing.
Rose and I had both seen the movie Titanic numerous
times that Saturday so we decided to skip it and explore the Island.
Luckily we'd had the foresight to extend our trip a couple of days past the weekend so we could spend more time on the Island.
During peak season it's a good idea to have your accommodations reservations already booked before you arrive on the Island.
We returned to The Grand later that afternoon as the re-enactment of the 1st Class last dinner on Titanic was that evening.
Dinner during the Edwardian era wasn't seen as a meal by the upper class, it was seen as a social event that began somewhere around 5 p.m. and wrapped up around midnight or later. Dinner involved multiple courses. In the case of Titanic's last meal, 10 of them.
It's amazing the amount of food 1st class passengers consumed in itself didn't sink the Titanic. No wonder women squeezed themselves into corsets that gave the illusion their waists had the diameter of a No. 2 pencil.
We aren't accustomed to 10 course meals so thankfully, the Grand pared it down to a more normal amount of courses.
What was interesting to note was the change of demeanor among everyone present as dinner progressed and we came closer to the "sinking". The air of festivity dissipated, to be replaced by a more solemn atmosphere, everyone seemingly becoming lost in their own thoughts. Were they contemplating the fate of the passenger they were playing? What he/she must have gone through that night?
In a way, it was gratifying to see that people today still respected those who lost their lives over 100 years ago now, still saw the loss of their lives as significant all of these decades later.
Sunday morning there was a short wrap up program to the re-enactment before everyone left for home. We'd made some new friends we said goodbye to and then Rose and I headed to our next accommodations at the Island House Hotel.
This year (2025) the Grand Hotel will host its Titanic weekend Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1.
See details here
A final note: I've done a few years of research into the sinking of the Titanic. What I ultimately discovered shocked me. I'll save that for a surprise ending to this article.
dining
There are so many good places to eat on Mackinac Island...
On Saturday afternoon while scouting out accommodations for a future Mackinac trip, I asked the locals where they'd recommend we go for lunch, where the locals hung out and ate. We got the same answer from everyone we asked - The The Chuckwagon
Don't blink or you'll miss it. This little place reminded me of one of our own local haunts, Dinky Diner.
A long narrow place with counter seating and a few tables lining one wall.
Don't let the simple surroundings fool you. I was surprised to discover this little diner had been written up in several national magazines!
Their specialty is burgers so we both ordered the Olive Burger. One of the better burgers I've had - tasty and cooked to perfection.
They also serve breakfast.
If you go to Mackinac you definitely want to stop at the Chuckwagon for breakfast or lunch! Also, the prices are super inexpensive. $
The food was so good we returned there the next morning for breakfast.
For lunches, we tried Millie's On Main when we found out how long the wait was for Pink Pony.
We were seated immediately and staff was very friendly and courteous. Locals had advised us to try the chicken salad sandwich. I thought this was kind of an odd thing to suggest - until we tasted it. YUM!
Millie's won't WOW you but the food was very good and the price fair. $$
Millie's is directly across from the ferry docks, next to the island tour carriage loading.
7294 Main St, Mackinac Island, MI
On Monday we headed to Yankee Rebel Tavern for lunch.
It was something different and very good.
Yankee Rebel Tavern is located at 1493 Astor Street, Mackinac Island, MI
We had a hankering for Mexican food so our last lunch was at Horn's Bar & Restaurant.
7300 Main St., Mackinac Island, MI
The restaurant interior is very colonial-looking, reminding me of Williamsburg taverns.
They serve gourmet American fare at reasonable prices.
I ordered the Walnut Summer salad: Mixed greens tossed with a bright and zingy champagne herb vinaigrette. Served with caramelized walnuts, dried cherries, bleu cheese and pears.
Walnut Summer Salad
The interior of the restaurant was nothing special, pretty much your typical restaurant and bar.
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We split an order of nachos as an appetizer and then had a taco basket for lunch.
Both were good but pretty much what we expected.
By far the best dinners we had were at establishments owned and run by the Grand Hotel, like Wood's Restaurant.
Remote, sophisticated, and cozy Bavarian hunting lodges began as a simple shelter for hunting parties that would later become grand timber-built castles and halls for feasts and gatherings.
This is Woods Restaurant, a culinary hideaway chalet, located in the wooded interior of Mackinac Island.
The interior of the restaurant does make one feel as if they were in a hybrid of hunting lodge and a Tudor mansion. It's also the only gourmet restaurant I know of that has its own antique duckpin bowling alley, one of the oldest bowling alleys in Michigan.
I've heard of walking off dinner...but bowling off dinner???
At any rate, I got adventurous and did something I normally don't do because I'm not fond of wild game unless it's prepared so there's no gamey taste to it. I ordered the rack of elk and was surprised to find it tasted amazing. No gamey taste at all to it.
But then the Woods kind of specializes in resourcing local regional ingredients and wild game entees.
The Woods was rumored to be the best restaurant on all of Mackinac Island and it delivered.
Rack of elk
We also tried out our in-hotel restaurant, the 1852 Grill Room.
It too had some fantastic views of Mackinac and Lake Huron. However, my beef with the place was that entrees only came with the specific entree item, no sides. Everything is ala carte and at the price one pays, I would've expected far more. Even ordering sourdough bread was ala carte!
So even though the food and service was excellent, I'd give the 1852 Grill Room a pass and not return there unless I won the lottery.
attractions
Rose and I had booked a couple of days at the Island House Hotel to extend our visit and give us more time to explore the island.
We didn't need anything fancy so had booked a 2 double bed room with private bath.
The hotel had a 906 Rewards Club that was free to join and rewarded you with bonuses, savings, and giveaways from different Island establishments. We got a $5 bonus just for signing up. We were also entered into entered into their annual Mackinac Island Getaway Giveaway for a free trip to Mackinac.
There were 2 restaurants on site, a pool and the hotel even rented out bikes. (We started out walking but when we got tired of walking we rented a Trek tandem bike from Mackinac Bike Barn.)
No matter where you are on the Island, Fort Mackinac is likely within walking distance.
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.
Demonstrations and tours by costumed interpreters are scheduled throughout the day.
All fourteen buildings in the fort are restored and open to the public. They are furnished with period settings highlighting the building’s particular function or a themed exhibit.
You can even fire the cannon for opening cannon salute at Fort Mackinac. Click here to find out how!
We found the Medical Exhibit that explores medical care at the fort and changing nineteenth-century medical practices and the North Blockhouse Exhibit that plunges visitors back in time to the War of 1812 to experience the confusion, fear, and drama of the British capture of Fort Mackinac on July 17, 1812 really interesting.
Admission for adults is $17, children (ages 5-12) $10.25 and your admission includes:
admission to Historic Downtown Mackinac, which includes Biddle House, featuring the Mackinac Island Native American Museum, The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, American Fur Co. Store & Dr. Beaumont Museum, and McGulpin House. Dates and hours of operation vary.
Fort Mackinac is located on Mackinac Island within the boundaries of Mackinac Island State Park, on the bluff overlooking the City of Mackinac Island and Haldimand Bay. There are two entrances: via the front ramp off Fort Street and at back off Huron Road at the Avenue of Flags.
Address: 7127 Huron Rd., Mackinac Island, MI
Fort Mackinac is home to The Tea Room, which is an informal cafe operated by The Grand Hotel. They serve lunch here from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and snacks, beverages, and desserts all day. Grab a seat on the patio balcony for an amazing view out over Mackinac Island, including Mackinac Harbor.
By the time we'd toured the Fort and rented our bikes, it was getting into late afternoon so we decided to ride down Main Street, where we found Murdick's Fudge shop. They actually have 3 locations on the Island:
Main Fudge Shop: 7363 Main St.
Downtown Fudge Shop: 7244 Main St.
Historic Surrey Hill Fudge Shop: Located on Hoban Avenue in the building where carriage rides of the island’s interior depart
Well, THAT was too good to pass up!
Murdick's Fudge was the first to open on the island back in 1887.
We decided to stop for a drink before heading back to the hotel to rest up for a bit.
The locals advised us to go to the
Pink Pony, everyone's favorite hot spot.
They have beer, wine and specialty cocktails like the Rum Runner.
Their outdoor patio is the perfect place to have cocktails while people watching and enjoying the Mackinac scenery.
Rum Runner
That evening we decided to do The Haunts of Mackinac ghost tour. The Haunts of Mackinac
offers several different ghost tours on the island, with their most popular being their Downtown Haunted History Tour, which lasts for 90 minutes and runs most summer nights.
They also offer haunted tours of the Mission Point Resort, and even ghost-hunting tours if you're into that.
During peak season these tours sell out 75% of the time so it's best to book your tickets online as far in advance as possible.
Less scary and more just interesting stories about the people who lived and died on Mackinac Island, as told by our tour guide. Be prepared for a good long walk, with very few places to sit and rest, and note that portions of the tour are over uneven terrain. Also note that the tour ends at the far opposite end of the road than where it starts, so you'll need to walk back into town if you arrived by bike to retrieve your bicycle. (The streets are lit well enough to easily navigate your way back). A great little tour for the price, and it could go a little longer than scheduled if lots of people ask questions.
The surprise ending to my Titanic research that I promised you...
The ship that sank and lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean is not the Titanic. It is the Olympic.
To tell you the entire story and give you the proof this is true would require its own article. But I spoke to a number of seamen as well as the great grandson (a shipbuilder himself in Ireland) of a man who worked for Harland and Wolff and helped construct the Titanic - and repair the Olympic to set sail as the "Titanic".
The White Star Lines was on the verge of bankruptcy and only had one ship in service (Olympic) due to a coal strike at the time. At least the Olympic was in service until Capt. EJ Smith ran her into the Hawke, nearly sinking that ship while damaging the Olympic beyond repair and to the point it was no longer seaworthy nor insurable. So JP Morgan and Bruce Ismay decided they could get the White Star Lines out of bankruptcy by committing insurance fraud and passing the now uninsurable Olympic off as the Titanic in the biggest insurance scam of all time.
Nope, it's not a "conspiracy theory". According to all I spoke to within the shipping industry, insurance fraudis a common and thriving business today. Happens all the time.
At any rate, the camera lens doesn't have an opinion, it doesn't lie, it merely records what it sees.
Here's photographic and video proof that the ship that sunk was OLYMPIC.
This was discovered when the Titanic name plates they'd covered OLYMPIC with on the side of the ship
rusted and fell off, revealing the 4' high letters MP beneath where the name Titanic had covered up the real identity of the ship.
The ship that sank wasn't the Titanic. It was the Olympic.
This was attested to not only by several who set sail on her but survivor, Eva Hart who lost both parents in the sinking and who was told by one of the Titanic's officers that the sinking was an insurance fraud scame and the only reason she survived was because she was a kid. He told her this twice, once as the child she was when Titanic sunk and many years later when she tracked him down as an adult.
Eva only ever spoke publicly about this fact one time before she died in 1996.
