Mackinac Island is located on Lake Huron, between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. The 3.8 square mile-long island has been a popular tourist attraction and summer getaway since the late 1800s. In 1898, motor vehicles were banned from the island because of safety considerations for the island’s residents and their horses. While nearby communities gradually dissolved the laws prohibiting motor vehicles, Mackinac Island remains a car-free island. Residents of the island travel by foot, bicycle, or horse. Visitors can reach the island by ferry, airplane, or in winter, via snowmobile over an ice bridge! Many visitors stay at the world famous Grand Hotel, which has hosted five presidents.

Mackinac Island is a National Historic Landmark and 80 percent of its land is part of the Mackinac Island State Park. The park features more than seventy miles of trails. Bogs, marshes, fields, and boreal forests can be found within the park. Mackinac Island is home to Fort Mackinac, a British fort that was originally built during the Revolutionary War. The fort played an important role in the War of 1812, where two separate battles were fought for control over it.