Audience: Vacation Takers, Recommended for Over 20 Years Old

Although Mackinaw Island is very small, it is very beautiful and has lots of exciting activities, such as bicycling, horseback riding, buggy riding, and fudge shopping. Mackinaw Island is located in the upper part of Michigan between Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It makes a perfect place for a quick getaway. The tourist season runs from mid-May to mid-October. The Island, being only 8.2 miles around, looks like a small old-fashioned town.

Mackinaw Island is usually packed with people making the main road look narrow. Often fifty bicycles or more are parked on both sides of the road every 300 feet. People are walking in every direction. Horses walk on the right side of the street and horse buggies wait to pick up passengers. The place looks very congested and it doesn't look like an enjoyable vacation spot but a little farther away from the downtown area peace and beauty exists.

Mackinaw Island has beautiful scenery. One unique place, the Arch Rock, looks very neat. It towers above the tourists. The rock has a huge round hole carved in it making it resemble like a donut hole. It is about fifteen to twenty feet in diameter. Through the hole, tourists can only see the bicycle path and Lake View. The lake has clear blue water. One of the other attractive places it has is the butterfly house. Hundreds of butterflies fly around the house. When they get tired, they sit on one of the wire fences. They are in every size and color. Some of them look like ladybugs and others look like zebras with black and white stripes.

Mackinaw Island has lots of activities to do from riding bicycles to horse carriage tours. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the Island. One of the exciting activities the Island has is the bicycle riding, which is different from other bicycle rides because it is around the shoreline. The bicycle path is seven miles around the shoreline road. The path is very peaceful, unlike the Island's downtown area. Signs on brown boards on the left side of the road describe the next upcoming scenery. Wherever there is scenery to view there is a special parking place for the bicycles. When tourists get tired while riding bicycles they can just pull over on the side and sit along the lake and enjoy the sun and the Lake View.

Horseback riding is very exciting and fun. They have different size horses ranging from small to big. The horse owners are very friendly. They help visitors pick out a horse based on your previous experience riding horses. The horses are healthy looking. The horses are well trained; for example they know which path to follow. They walk in a row and only on the right side of the road behind one another. Once the horse reaches designated spot in the forest they start running faster. The green trees make the forest look naturally beautiful. The horses make the ride very exciting by taking the tourists in the forest.

Another interesting activity Mackinaw Island has to offer is the horse carriage tour. First the carriage takes the tourists to horse stables where they can observe horses daily activities. Interesting facts about the horses in carriages are that they are raised together, so they get along very well, and work as a team. Then the carriage tour stops at a famous fudge stop name Blacksmith Shop. It stops there for few minutes to fudge shop. The horse buggies also make a stop to see unique houses and beautiful gardens. The houses are well designed and gardens are decorated with many different types of flowers.

Mackinaw Island has a wonderful chocolate cooking smell in the air. There are many fudge shops. In Mackinaw Island most of the shops are filled with fudge. The fudge shops have varieties of fudges, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Cherry and more. The fudge is sold at reasonably priced.

Finally, I think Mackinaw Island is small but an attractive place to visit. It has many wonderful activities such as bicycling, horseback riding, horse carriage tour and fudge shopping. At first the Island looks very crowded but once you go a little farther away from the Island's downtown area it is very beautiful and peaceful. Mackinaw Island is known for beautiful gardens and unforgettable scenery to view. The Arch Rock is one of the unique places. A huge carved hole in the rock makes it very impressive. The Butterfly House is also something phenomenal to see. Hundreds of butterflies fly in the house. The pretty colors make the butterflies very attractive. The bicycle riding activity is very different and pleasant. The bicycle path is in an excellent spot along the shoreline where tourists can enjoy the view of the lake and enjoy the natural beauty of the Island. At Mackinaw Island the horse owners are very helpful. They help tourists find horses that will suit them based on their previous experience riding horses. The well-trained horses are very gentle and they also show the forest side of the Island. Mackinaw Island is a wonderful vacation for a quick getaway. Mackinaw Island has very relaxing and enjoying atmosphere. It is a very attractive place to go. When I went to Mackinaw Island I enjoyed it very much and I recommend you to go to this place so you don't miss out on something very important. It is one of the best vacation places you'll never forget so plan your next vacation at Mackinaw Island.