Mackinac Island - Horse Sense

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. ~W.C. Fields


It's always been and always will be the same in the world: The horse does the work and the coachman is tipped. ~Author Unknown

When on the island one must take a carriage tour. If you are staying on the island head over to the tour as early as possible in the morning as the daytrippers don't start arriving until around 11 in the morning. You will
start out in a carriage drawn by 2 horses. These horses weigh between 1000 to 1200 pounds each. The guides are very knowledgeable and quite entertaining.

I suggest if you want to visit Fort Mackinac that you take the carriage tour first as it will take you up behind the fort and you can enter through the gates there. This will save you the long climb up from Main Street!

The tour will take you through town, up past the Grand Hotel where the horses get a break to rest from climbing the hill. Then up to the Surrey Hill Museum.  You will disembark from your carriage (after the mandatory photos are taken - for purchase at the end of your trip) You can then visit Surrey Hills Carriage Museum displays of historic carriages including a horse-drawn hearse, still used today, and an antique fire department pumper.

Topiary on lawn of Grand Hotel

You will then board an open 3-horse hitch carriage for the second part of the tour.

The second part of the tour takes you past the graveyards and you will learn that the flag is always flown at half-staff at four locations in the United States. These locations are Post Cemetery at Mackinac Island in Michigan, Punchbowl in Honolulu, the Gettysburg National Cemetery, and Arlington National Cemetery.

Your next stop is at the Arch Rock where you will have a few minutes to take some photos.

Then you will stop at the fort and you can do your tour of the fort without the climb!

Some interesting links:
Bree's Blog about living on Mackinac. In this post she talks about the carriage tours.

Cranberry Moms

And The Grand Hotel Blog