Mackinac Island, Michigan

Hopefully, a visit to many of the towns recommended on Small Town Gems will reward you with a taste of yesteryear. But on Mackinac Island, you can genuinely sample the atmosphere of this country before the advent of the automobile, since motor vehicles are prohibited on the island. In this town, the term horsepower still means the power of the horse. If you savor the aroma of equestrian ‘tailpipe emissions’, this town provides nasal nirvana. Crude commentary aside, Mackinac Island is one of the most romantic spots in America. The 1980 Heartthrob movie Somewhere In Time was filmed at Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel.
The town hosts an annual Lilac Festival, is home to a Butterfly House and insect museum and is renowned for their gourmet fudge. Bicyclists will love the 8-mile circumference road that hugs the shoreline.
Mackinac was named after the aboriginal native’s word for turtle because the island was said to resemble a large reptile in the Great Lakes. The entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.