Fort Mackinac

Hubby really enjoys history, so I knew he would love it, but surprisingly I did, too. Just walking up the steep hill to get to it is quite a workout. It was entertaining watching people who had rented bicycles trying to make it. I used to subscribe to Family Fun magazine when our children were younger and they rated it among the top 10 tourist attractions at one time! This place was founded during the American Revolution and the first land battle of the War of 1812 was here when the British recaptured the fort and only gave it back to us after the war. Not just a military outpost, families of soldiers lived here as well. You will enjoy walking through the 14 buildings there all open to the public. They make history come alive with tours, exhibits, re-​enactments, rifle/​cannon demonstrations and well-​versed docents. The staff is informative and willing to answer all questions. Interestingly, there were many boy scouts around to assist staff there. Not only does your $ 12 get you into the fort, but into a few other buildings on the island including an art gallery. Great value and educational opportunity!

Like most, our time was limited on the island. We wanted to browse through the stores, see the Grand Hotel and see the historic sites. From street level the fort looked cool and even as we climbed the hill to get a better look, felt we wouldn’t drop $ 30 to see the inside. When we got to the top we changed our mind. Good call!
I’ve been to many forts and this one ranks as one of the best. Most of the property is as it was 125 yrs ago, with each building preserving it’s historical signicance and use.
Artifacts are well documented, many buildings include video and/​or audio enhancements and visitors are able to walk away learning a great deal about the fort.
Favorites here included the cannon shot, the troop reenactment, amazing views and the artifacts in each building. Don’t leave the island without stopping in, it’s a national treasure.

Aside from riding your bicycle in a continuous loop, this is the best attraction Mackinac Island has going for it. My wife and I spent several hours exploring and learning the history of Fort Mackinac. We got to see musket demonstrations and a reenactment of a court martial. My wife is a former history teacher so I knew she would like it, but I was surprised at how much fun I had! Highlight for me was the infirmary and learning some history of Dr. William Beaumont, whose namesake hospital signs my paychecks. The view from the fort is awesome and the $ 12 it cost to gain admission seemed very reasonable, as it affords you access to other historical points on the island (the former fur trader building, the art museum, etc). It was a surprisingly fun way to spend an afternoon.

Very good national park. They have frequent demo’s/talks where they show things and explain it in great detail. The cannon demo was the most interesting. They have many buildings and lot’s of information to read about the history of the fort and see how they lived and much much more.
The view from the fort is amazing and worth the entrance fee itself.

This was a great stop 12 dollar admission fee cheap for vast amount of things inside to learn about and see as well.
When I and my wife stopped by we took many photos of the volunteers from cadets to employees too the environment and atmosphere of the fort was beautiful and educational as well including entertaining. During our time we got to see
A re-​enactment of a garrison court marshal.
Singing of my sweet clementine.
Firing of the Canon on the wall.
All these things were few of the many things that were witnessed while taking in all the sights they had to offer as well. It was very fun and we’ll worth my time and money in would do it again if asked but I’m only here for a few more days and want to take in all the sights possible.

Must see! Informative and engaging and worth the price of the tour!
Stop by the gift shop and you will find Michigan-​made gifts and Native American jewelry!

Informative and engaging visit. Live demonstrations help bring the history alive and entertain the kids. Overall worth it if you are on the island. Very friendly docents too.

What a fun place to visit for the 200^th Anniversary of the battle at Mackinac Island! The interpreters and re-​enacters were very good, the fort is in wonderful condition and the displays of life in mostly the 1870’s very good. There is an admission fee but you can spend quite a bit of time here — there are activities for children and a small café.

We went to Mackinac Island for a day trip on our way to the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. After spending most of the day at the Grand Hotel, we checked out the rest of the island including Fort Mackinac.
Fort Mackinac is a very historical spot. There is an admission fee to get in. I believe it was about $ 12. They have some reenactments here showcasing some of the history which took place here. There are informative exhibits. I enjoyed watching the rifle firing and the firing of the cannon. Those were very cool demonstrations.
I liked our experience here. Worth checking out if you have the time.

My teenage son is a history fanatic, and I can’t remember the last time we took a trip that didn’t involve one or more fort tours. We started the day with the carriage tour, and when it arrived at the fort we got off and did the fort tour (the cost of the fort tour is not included in the carriage ride tour). As far as forts go, this one is certainly not the largest I’ve seen, but for what it is they have done a really nice job with it. Many of the buildings have been set up like they would have been at the time the fort was active, so you could see the types of furniture, provisions, etc. that would have been normal for that time. There were interactive exhibits for smaller children, there were some small movies or audio recordings playing in some of the buildings giving further insight into life at the fort, and in the center grassy area there seemed to be demonstrations going on one after another — firing, dancing, marching, etc. And of course, there is a magnificent view of downtown Mackinac, the harbor, etc. which is wonderful. When done, we could have waited for the next carriage to complete our ride into town, but chose to walk down the short, but very steep sidewalk. It’s steeper than it looks, so really think twice if it has rained or anything that would make it slippery. This is really worth seeing!

A must see if you visit the island. The The actors were really well versed and seemed to be very knowledgeable. There is a lot of history here. The canon firing was cool.

The guides here do a great job multi-​tasking and are quite knowledgeable about their respective areas. They offer a canon firing and a rifle firing demonstration which is pretty neat. The exhibits are creative and well presented. The GF and I loved how in the hospital, there were 3 case studies presented of illnesses in the past and how current practitioners would treat those illnesses.
Doesn’t hurt to have the boyscouts who stay here over the week help ‘guide’ and ‘man’ the Fort! Great time.

Gorgeous views of the island. Fun to learn about the historical aspects of this now tourist destination.

I love historical buildings. I can’t get enough of them. This Fort, however, is pure cheese. I like my historical buildings empty. I want to have the experience of the building as it was, without a two bit actor and his terrible accent telling me about his life on the fort.
Every building is filled with possible inhabitants and histories. Which is interesting. But it really takes away from what the buildings actually are and the natural beauty and history of the place. I wish they had left more of it to speak for itself.
If you like reenactments, you’ll like Mackinac. If you prefer your beauty less altered, just take a bike ride around the island.

I truly love history and especially American history. Being able to tour the fort is great for anyone who loves early American history. If you go in the front entrance get ready for a steep incline walk to the top. It is wheelchair accessible, but if you are someone who requires that option, I hope you have someone help push you to the top!
There are people here dressed in historical costumes who will put on shows, teach kids how to play games of the time period, and speak of the times. Each building in the fort speaks about a different aspect of history: education, medical, living quarters. There is one larger building near the top of the hill that has the actual museum for the fort. This houses some artifacts of the time, and educational information about the fort.

Make sure you take your kids and grandchildren to this wonderful fort. As a former school teacher, I can tell you that kids of all ages will love it. The actors are dressed in full costume and the history lessons they tell are «real». I watched the faces of the children who where they, and they were loving it!

Fort Mackinac is something that everyone should do at least once.
The ramp up to the Fort is exhausting… but they do have a handicapped entrance on the north side of the Fort if you’re not able to make it up the ramp. Once you’re inside the Fort, some of the buildings are only accessible if you go up stairs… the Block Houses, for example. But the stairs aren’t steep and there aren’t many of them,
The displays in the Fort are interesting for the most part, showing things like old cells, disciplinary instruments, medical instruments, barracks, etc… but the most interesting parts are the tours. If you take the 1812 Tour (which we did with Adam) you will learn some of the real (and lesser known) reasons for why the War of 1812 actually happened, and how Mackinac Island and the Fort played a part. If you take one of the general Walking Tours, you’ll learn more information about life in the Fort over the years. Both of these tours are included in your normal fort admission. They also do cannon demonstrations and rifle demonstrations.
Another option, if you’re not interested in the day-​to-​day fort activities, is to go on one of the Ghastly Mackinac tours in the summer. This tour doesn’t focus on ghosts, though many people might think so because of the name… but instead focuses on the deaths, murders, punishment, and other gruesome things that happened in the Fort.

Come on… climb the steps, burn off some of that fudge, and get a history lesson.
If you don’t know about the Island and what it means to the US give it a whirl the Fort has a solid place in American History. Seriously this place is dripping in historical significance.
Mackinac Island is a feast for the senses — you have already treated your nose to the road apples and your tummy to some fudge why not treat your brain to the stories and your eyes to the views, some of the best on an Island that has many.

WOW! This place was amazing. We were actually going to skip it thinking that we really didn’t want to see a boring old historic site on our romantic honeymoon. We decided to meander up the steep hill deciding that we did need some cardio after our huge meal at the grand. Thank God we felt like porkers or we have missed one of the best parts of Mackinac Island!!! The demonstrations and the staff that participated in them were so friendly and patient. They answered each and every question we had and didn’t even get irritated. I was more irritated with our dumb questions than they were. The information in all of the buildings was fabulously interesting. Who would have thought touring a historical bathroom would be so captivating??? Indeed it WAS! We actually spent a few hours here and it was well worth it. I highly recommend it.

The Fort is the one essential stop on a visit to Mackinac Island. The views from below and up in the Fort itself are some of the best in Michigan. The buildings themselves are well-​maintained, the displays well-​interpreted, and the reenactment staff both entertaining and informative.
You can enter either up the front ramp or continue up further on Fort Street to the north entrance. You can also make the Fort your dropping-​off point at the end of the carriage tour through the interior of the Island conducted by the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours company and starting on Main Street across from the Arnold Line docks.
Tickets can be purchased either at the park visitor center at the base of the hill on the corner of Main and Fort, at the base of the south ramp, or at the north entrance.
Also — reviews for the Tea Room (which I have not visited) should really be under a separate entry to stop from dragging down the stars for the Fort itself.