Mackinac Island

“I am a born and raised LA girl and pretty much exclusively plan my travel around going to big cities, but there is always an exception to this rule!! My extended family is all from Northern Michigan, so every summer I would spend all of my time out there. We would always do a little trip to one of the most bizarre and magical places in the world - Mackinac Island. Mackinac (pronounced Mack-in-awe) Island is a teeny tiny island in Lake Huron, just below the upper peninsula of Michigan. On this tiny island there are a plethora of absolutely stunning Victorian homes (many tuned into BNBs), kitschy gift shops, townie bars and lots and lots of FUDGE. Every 5 shops or so you'll be able to look into the window to watch pounds of chocolate being poured onto marble slabs and formed into fudge loafs. The island is so small that they do not allow any cars whatsoever (minus one ambulance I believe?), so everyone gets around on bikes, horsedrawn carriage or on foot. The crown jewel of Mackinac is the Grand Hotel (pictured above). It was built in the late 1800's and boasts having the largest porch in the world (not an exaggeration!). The grounds themselves are absolutely stunning - beautiful gardens, insane views, huge gorgeous pool. The inside is just as spectacular - wild colorful carpets, rugs, artwork, amazing original architectural details, etc. A perfect day spent in Mackinac would be renting a bike from one of the many local shops, riding around the perimeter of the island (it's only 9 miles around, and the entire ride itself is gorgeous and serene on the waterfront), have lunch at the Pink Pony inside the Chippewa hotel overlooking the harbor, then wander up to the Grand Hotel for drinks at one of their bars before retiring back to one of the hotels on the main strip (the Lilac Tree hotel is a fave). Don't forget to get some fudge!!”