Pretty area around the lighthouse. It was not open to go in but the walk up to it was nice with a…read moresmall park.

Nice little rest area and trail right after you cross the bridge to enter the UP. They have a…read morevisitors center, but it's never open when we stop. There's usually no one there so it's a great place to stop before continuing your journey - get out and run around to your heart's content. Bathrooms can be a little dicey at times, but they've always worked.

I don't see a rest area here. Wtf. Wtf . Wtf wtf. No rest area here. No rest area anywhere here. No…read morerest area. No rest area at all. I don't see a rest area.

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big…read morelake they call 'Gitche Gumee' The lake it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy" (Gordon Lightfoot) This monument honor's the area's fishing heritage and pays tribute to the 25 commercial fishermen from Mackinac County that were lost at sea between 1851 and 1999. The memorial was dedicated during the St. Ignace Fish Feast Saturday, July 28, 2007. You'll see a four-sided stone pedestal with a sculpture of a fish atop the pedestal. The monument has two embossed metal tablets. One lists the 25 lost fishermen, and the other bears this inscription honoring the fishing tradition of the Great Lakes: The Great Lakes are known for delicious freshwater fish. Before the white man came, Native Indian tribes supplied their needs with fresh and dried fish from these lakes. Later, others joined in the fishing business, many of them from the Scandinavian countries. In the 1800's sailing ships transported hundreds of barrels of salted fish from nearby St. Helena Island to Chicago and Detroit. In the early 1900's passenger ships stopped at St. Ignace and picked up fish for their guests. Daily trains also picked up tons of fish to deliver on their routes to New York. Now in the 2000's commercial fishing is still carried on, mostly by Native American fishermen. The most famous Great Lakes fishing disaster occurred on November 10, 1975, when the American freighter Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm in Lake Superior and killed all 29 aboard. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song of the same name.

If you're coming from the lower peninsula of Michigan, you're probably crossing the Mackinac…read morebridge. Right as you return to terra firma and pay the toll, there's a right turn you can make into the Welcome Center. There's a spacious parking lot, with a dog run and two trails. The two trails flank the dog run, with the North Country trail running north and one from Straits State Park on the other side. The visitor center itself has bathrooms with multiple stalls, a water fountain, and a lobby jam-packed with maps, pamphlets, displays, and more. There's a worker at the desk who also can dispense advice on what to do, where to eat, and more. It is a very welcoming welcome center, with bright natural lighting and climate control. It's worth a stop by to stretch your legs and take a look!

This is my third time on the bridge. It's been a smooth ride every time. I have friends that are…read moreafraid of it because of bad experiences they've had when it was windy. Thankfully, I haven't dealt with those conditions.

The Mackinac Bridge crosses 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac. Its exposed span means it…read moresometimes closes due to extreme weather. I drove across the bridge, through the four dollar toll and asked the tow collector where to Best see the bridge. She said that there is a park along the water and I followed the signs for the park. Our ferry right to Mackinac Island brought us under the bridge.

This is the organization responsible for maintaining the famous Mackinac Bridge that connects…read moreMichigan's Upper Peninsula with the Lower Peninsula and goes over the narrows between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It is entirely within the state of Michigan. The bridge was opened in 1957 and replaces a ferry service that in its last year of operation, transported 900,000 vehicles. That's A LOT of vehicles! In order to fund the bridge, there were bonds. They were paid off by tolls and maintenance of the bridge continues to be funded by tolls. For my van - rated as a passenger vehicle - the toll is $4. They do not have reciprocal agreements with any of the toll transponder organizations, so if you don't have their own "Mac Pass" transponder, it is $4 cash or credit card (not AmEx). Interesting fact: The pronunciation is not "-ACK" it is "-AW". [Review 17931 overall - 334 in Michigan - 1452 of 2022.]

It cost $4 to cross the bridge…read more It's a quick ride across the bridge. Toll booths are quite easy and convenient too. Some great views of he bridge at foot and other end of the bridge here.

"Don't know much about history But I do know that I love you…read moreAnd I know that if you love me too What a wonderful world this would be" (Sam Cooke) If local history is your thing, you'll surely love the wonderful world that awaits you at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture. For example, you can stroll around in scenic Father Marquette Park with displays about his life. On the Museum grounds is the site where Marquette's French Jesuit Mission was located, where he lived, and where he was buried. Marquette established the French mission around 1671 as the area became a center of the flourishing fur trade. The old St. Ignace Mission is beautiful. Around the grounds, I saw plenty of displays of the area's Indian heritage, stylized statues of a Medicine Man, Indian Maiden, and several stuffed animal displays alongside plaques of the animal's Indian name. So if you're ever engaged in a bar bet about the Ojibwe name for a deer, you can confidently say "Wawashesh'she". There's also plenty of indoor and outdoor exhibits to grab a glimpse of Ojibwa culture and the lifestyles of the Huron Indians. Walking the Museum's beautiful grounds was relaxing, peaceful, and very educational.

One of the best museums I've ever been in! Don't be fooled by its size; the content is well…read moredisplayed with explanations that take time to read but make the exhibits much more meaningful. Gift shop is Native American based, not cheap knick knacks. Don't know how this museum is able to be open with no admission, so please be sure to donate generously.