Oh The Aroma Of Fudge, Lilacs And Horses!!!

I went to one of my favorite places for the past 2 days, Mackinaw Island. It is about a 4 hour drive from my house in Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, just east of Mackinaw City at the very top of lower Michigan. It is only 3.8 square miles in land mass. You can only get there by plane, boat or ferry boat and snowmobile in the winter across the ice. There are about 500 people that live year around on the island and approximately 15,000 visitors a day during the peak summer months. I am always one of those visitors,  I absolutely love the island.

We almost always go to Mackinaw for the 4th of July, and we plan to this year. We went these past few days to experience the lilac festival. There are beautiful lilacs on the island and they are all currently blooming. It was just a glorious display of color and the lovely fragrance is intoxicating.

When you get to Mackinaw City, (or you can cross the 5 mile long Mackinaw Bridge to St Ignace) and take a ferry boat to the island. It takes about 20 minutes and is a very enjoyable ride. You have an excellent view of the bridge, there are several lighthouses and you see many of the landmarks on the island.

When you arrive at the dock you walk down the pier to the scents and sounds unique to the island. As you arrive on the main street you will immediately hear the clip clop of horses hooves on the pavement. There are no cars on the island so you either walk, ride a bike or a horse! The horses and wagons are one of my favorite things about the island.

As you walk down the main street, you will not only smell the horses, but the aroma of fudge fills the air. There are numerous candy and fudge shops along the streets, as well as retail shops and many restaurants. It is reminiscent of an old western town. There are flowers everywhere.

As you continue down the street you will come to the marina which is usually filled with boats from various locations. It is a beautiful scene, the lovely harbor with all the boats bobbing in the water. Across from the marina is a park located at the base of a Fort that was built by the British and saw 2 battles during the war of 1812. The park is filled with many varieties of lilac bushes. This is the first time I have seen them in full bloom. I took many pictures and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. My husband attended a lilac planting seminar where he learned more tips about growing them. We have hundreds of them at our house and we bought more to bring home! We have many different kinds and they add such beauty to our yard in the spring. They only bloom for a few weeks but the bushes are nice throughout the summer months.

There are many things to do on the island and I will tell more of the things we have enjoyed there in my blog over the 4th of July. It is an absolutely wonderful place to visit. I have been there almost every year for 38 years!