We all lived this place. My kids didn't know at first if they would like it but my teen and…read moreelementary aged kids ended up loving it as much as the adults did. It is only $5 a person to enter and we spent a good hour in here just looking at all the details. Definitely worth the price!

Wacky is right! So is weird, funky, funny, kitschy, and educational.... This small inexpensive…read moremuseum ($5) is a real hoot! I am glad I saw this on the Roadside America website. I had been to an all frog version of a place like this in Croatia for alot more money and there they didn't allow photography. This place has a totally different vibe from the friendly artist owners who greet you. Very creative dioramas of taxidermied mice in all types of activities along with many other wild animals in interesting scenarios. There are also many descriptions on the history of taxidermy and past artists. This is a must stop if you enjoy weird Americana.

For those of you who still like to hold books in your hands and turn pages, Island Bookstore is…read morehere for you. This is a cute little bookstore that's tucked into a small shopping center area off of Main Street. Mostly, this bookstore specializes in regional and Mackinac-specific books and gifts. You will find some popular commercial books, but this isn't like one of those big chain bookstores. This is a niche bookstore, where you can find books about hyper-local topics. You'll also find things like maps, bumper stickers, magnets, calendars and other things like that -- mostly about Michigan and island life. They also have a huge selection of children's books, plus some toys and plushies. When I visited at the end of the tourist season, they were having a huge sale. Books were anywhere from 25% to 40% off! So, I guess if you're looking for a deal, the time to visit is at the end of the season, when they're trying to move product.

Nothing says Mackinac Island like ending up in one of the bookstores. The last couple years I've…read moretold myself I'm not going to buy a book and then I end up in the bookstore anyway looking at all the history books on Michigan and Mackinac Island. The last time I was in, I spoke to the employee who rang me up for a good 10 minutes. Told her the same thing I'm writing now that I don't neeeed a book and then get one anyway. I ended up getting 2 books however! Those 2 books came out to almost $50 and I think that was the most I spend that day on the island (besides renting a bike) haha. Maybe next year I'll have the willpower to stay away. But they do such a good job displaying books in the window that make you want to walk right in.

There are a LOT of shops to browse on Main Street, but Destination Mackinac is one of my favorites!…read moreIt feels a bit more elevated without being stuffy. They have a decent selection of 8.2 merch for anyone like me who wants to commemorate their completion of the 8.2 mile bike loop around the island. I also grabbed some fun illustrated bookmarks and postcards.

A very cute souvenir and bicycle theme logo apparel shop on Mackinac Island's Main Street…read more I'm glad that we took the time to stop here and look over what was on offer- they have a unique selection of items in all price ranges. We bought matching t-shirts to remember our tandem bike adventure around Mackinac Island and stickers (called "graffity") also!

The name is now Herbon Pottery- same location and same artist, John Herbon. He produces amazing…read moreart. We especially love his work that includes trout.

Herbon Pottery is exceptional. Don't miss these marvelous art pieces. Mr. Herbon has astounding…read moretalent. There is something here for everyone on your gift list and of course for yourself.

Why not have a butterfly greenhouse on an island that's only accessible to visitors for half of the…read moreyear? You might as well. I'm kind of jealous of these butterflies and insects that live at The Original Butterfly House. They get to flit and walk about, undisturbed, from November through April. But come May, they have to dust themselves off and fluff their hair, because visitors are coming. Mackinac Island's busy times are late spring through fall (late October), and I imagine that's when the butterfly house is also busy. We visited in fall, the week before the island started closing up. We got to see lots of butterflies in the greenhouse (apparently, there are hundreds!), plus the resident insects and even a hedgehog. At certain times of the day, some of the animals and insects will be taken out of their containers, and a docent will display them and talk about them. The hedgehog was super cute, but we didn't get to touch him -- just look at him. You experience lots of live butterflies flying and landing on you in the greenhouse. Some people (me) think that it's cool to have a butterfly land on you. Other people (my youngest child) do not think it's cool, and they are grossed out and it makes them scream. Your mileage may vary! Fortunately, if you ain't about those winged insects, you can keep it moving and just visit the other exhibits, which feature insects that live safely behind glass. But if you ask me, the greenhouse is a nice, peaceful place to sit and enjoy looking at butterflies and tropical plants. This is a small attraction, but your admission price grants you access all day. So, come and go as you please!

Oh my goodness--all the butterflies!…read more We absolutely adored our visit to The Original Butterfly House. We came here after finding them on Yelp and really on a bit of a whim and then ended up spending more time than we had intended as we got so completely lost in the butterfly magic. After purchasing your tickets, when you first walk in, you can stop first and see a collection of live chrysalis, some with butterflies beginning to emerge and some butterflies having just emerged. It was magical and we were completely mesmerized. Then you enter the butterfly sanctuary that's rich, green, and teeming with butterfly life, It's relatively small but we so enjoyed wandering through and then eventually found a seat (careful not to disturb any butterflies, of course!) on one of their benches and just sat and enjoyed the fluttering scenery. Amazing! Get to it!

If you were at all interested naval history are you just love seeing ships? This is a must see…read more Completely worth the money.

We had a wonderful visit and tour. The guides were helpful and kind. The history behind the ship…read morewas intriguing. My 15 yr old and 11 yr old both loved it. Well worth the price of admission. We spent about an hour on the self guided tour.

This area offers a pleasant diversion/break point, while transferring carriages on the Island…read moreCarriage Tour. Combination museum, gift shop, snack area, photo shop, restrooms, etc.; this well-maintained facility allows folks to stretch their legs, wander about, rest, indulge in some shopping, snacking, etc., before continuing their touring.

This museum served as the midway point for the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. To my understanding,…read morethere is no admission fee. Inside, you'll find souvenir shops, a small food court area and antique carriages galore. The surreys on display are reminiscent of the Downton Abbey era of horse drawn carriage, which still exists today on Mackinac Island, but with more modern carriages. The museum shares property with Wings of Mackinac butterfly conservatory and the Grand Hotel Stables, where you can see horses and even more antique carriages.

What in the world? Of all the things I thought I would see and experience on Mackinac Island, a…read morekitschy, vintage haunted house was not on that list. But I saw the Orpheum Theatre right there in the middle of Main Street, with signs and arrows pointing to a haunted house awaiting inside. I'm a horror fiend, so how could I pass up an old-timey haunted house? There's no way I couldn't not stop in! I happened to visit during the month of October, which is peak haunted house / Halloween season, but apparently, the haunted house at the Orpheum Theatre is open year-round during the tourist season. This haunted house has been around for more than 50 years, and to be honest, you can kind of tell. But that's part of the fun! The monster wax figures throughout this walk-through haunted house look like they've been grinding for several decades (and they have!), so you will probably be laughing and screaming in equal proportions. My kids and I were groaning at the cheesiness one minute, and then screaming because one of those cheesy wax figures moved and scared us the next minute. As you make your way through the haunted house, you'll peer into rooms and see mythological wax figures, make your way through a mirror maze, and go through a laser light area. Mostly, though, the haunted house is really dark, and you can't see much, which makes it even more scary when someone whispers in your ear. (Yes, that happens!) For some reason, the creepy, whispering disembodied voice chose to zero-in on me, and every so often, I would sense something near me, and then hear a whisper in my ear. I screamed every time! We had a wonderfully, gleefully scary 10 minutes or so, which is about the time it takes to make your way through the haunted house. As of this writing, admission to the haunted house is $9 for ages 7 and older, and free for ages younger than 6 years old. It's completely worth the admission to experience this vintage haunted house.

We went in a huge group of kids of all ages and made a great memory! We were a bit too scared to…read morewalk in so it was about nine kids shouting at each other in the hall... so the man running it walked behind us to help! Thank you thank you thank you!! I would recommend this!!