"Wisconsin-Happy Festival State", by Eve Phillips. My husband and I love to travel in the state of Wisconsin where we live and get great pictures on the way. My name is Laurie Kutil and photography has become a great passion of mine since 2010. One thing I have learned in researching each town before visiting it is that, "Every town has it's story". When I do uncover those stories by connecting with local residents, our experience becomes so much richer. In turn, sharing the stories with you brings me joy :)
There are other small garden plots within the park. The crops of Wisconsin are represented here.
The path leading to the large sunflower field.
We were not here long since a storm was coming. The sunflowers were beautiful!
The sunflower season is short so be sure to stop in when they are blooming! The last week of July is their Sunflower Days event. They love visitors any time of the year though and donations gratefully accepted!
Mackinac Island is located in the Straits of Mackinac, between Lakes Michigan and Huron. The size is small, only 3.8 square miles. Don’t let the size fool you, it played an important part in the War of 1812 and Americans lost their lives defending it. In present times it is a great vacation spot that remembers its past. The name in Ojibwe means “Big Turtle”. About 500 residents live here year-round, almost everyone you see during the busy summer season is a visitor from somewhere else. Many workers here at the many businesses are also just there for the summer.
It was not my first time here, it was Al’s though. My family took a trip here with my grandparents in 1971. Since we could not all go, I recreated the picture later. It was great to be back 45 years later!
Two things Mackinac are best known for are fudge and it’s abundant lilacs. Island visitors are in fact nicknamed “fudgies” by the locals. The island has a 10 day Lilac Festival every June to celebrate the abundant flower. We were lucky to see some left even in late June.
No motor vehicles are allowed here(except a few emergency). Horse-drawn wagons, bicycle and walking are how you get around here. Be prepared for many hills, some steep. The flattest route is around the perimeter of the island. If you have your own bicycle, bring it. It will save you money if it will be your prime mode of transportation. No worries if you don’t have a bike, there is a great selection at Mackinac Cycle across from the Arnold ferry dock.
If your time on the island is short or you just want to take it slow, take the Mackinac Island Carriage Tour. It takes almost 2 hours, and is narrated. The kiosk is across the street from here. Here is the route. The stops are short, you get about 7 minutes at Arch Rock so have your camera ready!
You can even ride a Taxi, but you have to arrange the ride in advance here through the dispatch. You can’t “hail” a taxi like you can on the mainland. Cash only.
Here I am in Marquette Park, then and now. It was fun! Never thought I would get this chance to re-create this silly picture.
Let’s explore Marquette Park, as long as we are here. Pick up island info at the visitors center across the street.
In the park there is a statue of Father Jacques Marquette. On it are 3 plaques. The statue was erected in 1909. Before this was a park, it was a large vegetable garden. See about most historical island features here.
Behind and above the park is Fort Mackinac, we hope to visit it next time.
A beautiful day to soak up the sun amidst the lilacs!
Be a part of the action! Take a cruise on Sail Mackinac! If you have sailing knowledge, they encourage you to assist the crew if you desire to.
Also in the park is a Missionary Bark Chapel replica, an early small church on the island. You can go inside and see this diorama.
From here you can see the McGulpin House, one the oldest house on the island, built around 1780. The house is on the corner of Market and Fort Street.
On the left of this view is a Statue of Liberty replica. It was recently restored.
The harbor looks especially beautiful at night, view is from Arnold ferry boat dock.
Above Marquette Park is the East Bluff, with a great view of the harbor below. We went up there early Wednesday morning. The early ferries were bring supplies to the island before the first passengers.
You could also find a couple historical markers up here on the other end of the road by the bluff. The first one is for Lewis Cass who distinguished himself with great service to this country. He also was Governor of Michigan Territory. Cassville, Wisconsin was named after him.
Also up here is Anne’s Tablet, a local author who loved the island. The view is wonderful, especially in the morning when the island is waking up.
And this is the former Indian Dormitory building, now the Mackinac Art Museum.
Beautiful Main Street, where many hotels and great shopping (and fudge) can be found.
Speaking of fudge, let’s stop by May’s Candy Shop and see how the experts make it. They were the only shop open during the sugar-rationing days of WWII that made fudge. They made only one batch a day and sold only one pound per customer. They even have a trademarked quote, “Famous Mackinac Fudge”® Let’s watch them make a half-batch of peanut butter fudge!
There are MANY places to stay overnight on Mackinac Island, not just the Grand Hotel (staying there would be lots of fun too! 🙂
Many people say they can’t afford to spend the night on Mackinac Island, but that may be they are not keeping alert for price specials that happen often. The hotel Facebook pages are often where specials are posted. We chose to spend our night at the Murray Hotel, right across from the Arnold Ferry docks on Main Street. Their service is impeccable and hotel beautiful and in the heart of downtown. We were in room 318, a quiet interior room we would choose again. Check-in is officially at 3, but this room was available at 1:15 when we arrived! A porter was at our door with our luggage when we got there. We highly recommend the Murray! We also enjoyed their pizza buffet for dinner.
Next to the Arnold dock is the Chippewa Hotel and Pink Pony Bar and Grill. It’s lights reflected on the water were real pretty that night.
Their sister hotel is the Lilac Tree Suites and Spa. A beautiful hotel by day, the purple lights outside really set it off at night.
On the ground floor is the Little Luxuries gift shop. I found the perfect souvenier, this cute necklace created at Loveonthespot.com it captured my love for Mackinac Island so perfectly!
The island has many interesting rock formations, we saw the best known ones. Arch Rock is a favorite! You can see another lookout above right see the lake.
On the same side of the island is Dwightwood Springs. Don’t drink the water.
Sugar Loaf Rock has a commanding presence above the landscape.
Devil’s Kitchen is off the perimeter road on the island (I-85).
Over 80% of Mackinac Island is a State Park , boundaries are clearly marked by signs. Neighboring Round Island Lighthouse lights the way for freighters and other boats to pass safely in the Straits.
Once day a year, tours are given of the light house. A great view of the lighthouse is at Windmere Point, owned by the Windmere Hotel.
The red object on the waterfront is a retired buoy from the Race to Mackinac from Chicago. This year is the 108th year of the race, beginning on July 23. See details here about the race, sponsored by the Chicago Yacht Club. It is the longest freshwater sailboat race in the country.
We went to the waterfront at sunset to see the lighthouse, and a rainbow!
And the whole scene, with Round Island in the middle of both light stations.
The Mackinac Bridge gleamed like gold, what a beautiful evening that was.
To learn more about the history on Mackinac Island, the Public Library is a great place to visit.
We did some more important historic sites on the island. On Codette Ave. on the way to the Grand Hotel is the beautiful Little Stone Church.
British Landing is where the British came ashore in 1812 to take possession of the island. A cannon is there facing the water and a historical marker. At this juncture is also a sign telling how far other landmarks are.
You can grab a bite to eat at the Cannonball while you are here.
From here we took a right to see the Battlefield, airport and cemeteries.
A historic golf course is up the road from here.
We also went by the cemeteries, airport and aforementioned Sugar Loaf Rock on this route.
All this exploring works up an appetite! We enjoyed dinner at our hotel that first night. The next morning we had breakfast at the Pancake House, delicious pancakes and all the trimmings too!
Lunch was at the Grand Hotel, quite an amazing meal with a great view!
With only about 27 hours available, we couldn’t see everything, but we did our best! We hope to come back in 2017 to get to what we missed and see even more. Thanks for helping us make some great memories! our parting shot was people talking and laughing at the Pink Pony. It was time to board the Ottawa back to Mackinaw City at 5:00 to explore on Thursday. It was difficult to leave, we plan to come back.
For a funny and informative video of Mackinac Island, enjoy this episode of Matt’s Rad Show on YouTube. It helped me in my research and made me laugh too.
The Grand Hotel ™ has been the centerpiece of grace and elegance on Mackinac Island since 1887. It is also known as “America’s Summer Place” and it is easy to see why if you sit out on the world’s longest porch and overlook the whole island below. This is the view of the hotel from the Arnold Ferry as you approach the island. The view from the lawn is even more impressive.
Don’t forget to drop by at night.
The entry to the hotel (under the small pointed roof in the center of the hotel).
No visit to the island is complete without coming here. You can also come dine in the main dining room or any of their other restaurants. See list here of their many dining choices. If you wish only to take the self-guided tour, it is $10. Every day, a schedule of events is posted for hotel guests.
No expense is spared in decor or any aspect of amenities to cater to the guests’ every need or desire. Even transportation, the Grand Hotel has it’s own horse and carriage to take guests to ferry docks or pick them up from there.
We looked forward to enjoying the hotel’s famous luncheon from 12-2 PM then taking the tour of the hotel and grounds. We arrived at about 12:20 and were seated in the main dining room by the window with a view of their famous porch, thanks! The view was breathtaking, especially when the freighter Presque Isle from Duluth, MN chugged by.
The views were just as impressive inside the dining room, and the food was almost too pretty to eat. You could hear a guitar being played in the background during the meal. Let’s listen in!
A further look at the dining room, the decor even looks like summer. This is the entry into the dining room, looking West.
The view looking East.
This view is toward the back of the dining room. I noticed the ceiling is the same shade of blue as the porch roof. There are many mirrors in the dining room, making it look even larger. The plates have a beautiful flower on them.
We began our tour after lunch, there is much to see here! We began in the main lobby where we came in. You can also get a map of the hotel so you don’t get lost.
Maps Provided by the Grand Hotel
In the small display case on our left is an original dinner plate the Grand Hotel used in the 1880’s.
A view looking toward the West Wing of the hotel from the lobby.
Just ahead of the center of the lobby is the Grand Ballroom that you can book for your own event.
On the left is the relaxing Audubon Wine Bar. The lighting inside is very creative. Boot lamps and grapes, they look so perfect for this room!
We continued our tour upstairs at the Cupola Bar. The windows wrapping around 3/4 of the room offer a panoramic view of the island below, as well as the Straits, Round Island, and the swimming pool below.
It is quite possibly the highest and most interesting views of the island. Dare I say it, “stairway to the stars” leading up to it.
The chandelier is beautiful too.
After admiring the view, we continued downstairs on the ground floor. The hotel check-in desk is to the right of the stairs. On the left are the boutique shops.
The Grand Hotel is also well known for being the main filming site of the movie, “Somewhere in Time” starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The hotel pays tribute to this each year by having a Somewhere in Time weekend, in 2016 it is October 28 to 30. For those who can’t make it, there are some artifacts from the movie on display on the ground floor.
The Bowler hat Christopher Reeve wore.
A collage of pictures taken during filming.
A portrait of Elise as seen in the movie.
Our tour concluded outside, where we read the historical marker outside and took our picture by a red English phone booth near the golf course. Great photo-op!
Horse and buggy topiary adorn the Great Lawn.
We hope you enjoyed seeing our visit to the Grand Hotel. Catch a summer breeze on the longest porch in the world and enjoy the view!
Spring has sprung at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, it was time to see what was going on in the plant world!
We had some warm weather recently that begun to make some flowers begin to come up outside. Inside though were flowers one would see from May to August, all at one time! Here is a guide to the many flowers present that you could look at while you were there.
The event was in the same room where the Holiday Express was, now outfitted for spring.
The theme of the show this year paired specialty artisan-designed furniture surrounded by the many flowers featured. These were the manufacturers represented.
Let’s see how creative these two mediums could be blended together. Here is a beautiful pond display. Here is a close up of the light fixture.
Here is a gardener constructed of chicken wire in his potting shed potting some plants, very creative!
This view is looking towards to gardens outside.
A pretty table with tall mirrors and translucent cabinet back-lit by the sun.
Creative use for a large wine bottle, make a table out of it 🙂
A simple desk with a great view.
Next to the room entrance is an array of potted plants and oval mirror with a small lamp on the table below.
Next to the desk near the entrance is an attractive array of potted plants and an oval mirror.
We finish our visit by venturing outside, rumor has it snowdrops and crocus have been spotted here as early as Feb 29 (Facebook post). It was true! Such brave flowers to grow even though it could snow again at any time.
Quite and beautiful flower show, including outdoors. Stop by Olbrich during these hours. The gift shop is amazing too! Members receive a 10% discount.
The last time I attended this event was in 2013, so it was time to see it again. This time Al joined me. Admission is $5 for adults, $3.00 for kids 3-12. Since we joined during Olbrich Botanical Garden’sGLEAM event in the fall, we had free entry! The inside of the building was so festive, with many poinsettia plants, some of which are for sale. Memberships are also 50% off during this special event.
We headed down the walkway to the Christmas display, showing our membership card for admittance and hand-stamped.
Greeting us with a train whistle and an “All Aboard!”, Olbrich volunteer Judy warmly greeted us and had information about upcoming events.
A different train is on the left side, and “Iron Horse” steam engine.
Let’s see them in action!
Two members of the Railway Society were there, Dick Jellings and his wife Elaine. For over 20 years he wore the Colonel Corn costume at the Sun Prairie Corn Fest. Now retired, he enjoys model trains and showing them to the public. They will be part of the upcoming Mad City Model Railroad Show and Sale on Feb 20-21, 2016. We plan on going to this fun event!
The LEGO™ displays were quite impressive. Star Wars fever was rampant even here, with a rebel base display called “Home One”.
Winter Street Scene
In the Bolz Conservatory, the CHOCOLATE: THE BITTER AND THE SWEET exhibit had Cacao trees on display and signs describing the history of chocolate and uses over the millennia.
A small Cacao tree and pod.
Purity of chocolate, white “chocolate” is not chocolate at all!
Some of the displays.
We had a great visit to Olbrich and we look forward to returning to their other events in the next year. We highly recommend becoming a member. They get many special benefits, including a discount in their gift shop.
And see it we did in the spring of the year. Greendale is a special community, one of only three “Greenbelt Towns” in the country. It was founded in 1936. Greendale itself is a National Landmark. This community was built under the FDR Administration to provide affordable housing near the city of Milwaukee during the Depression. It also is only 15 minutes west of General Mitchell International Airport. Greendale has also been dubbed a “Norman Rockwell town” and also has the largest Norman Rockwell collection in the Midwest!
Greendale also played an important part in the limestone industry. We learned more about that at Trimborn Farm. the boyhood home of Jeremiah Curtain.
Here is the Limestone Kiln building.
Greendale even has it’s own style of houses, logical too! Many of them are made of simple cinder blocks, but painted in many different colors.
Rockwell Plaza and Other Historic Buildings
Rockwell Plaza is the heart of Greendale, with many businesses and historic features. We enjoyed lunch there at Ferch’s Malt Shoppe, great food and 1950’s soda shop atmosphere!
Also in Rockwell Plaza..
Take a selfie by the clock 🙂 And see the former movie theater building to the left of the clock.
West of the Lake Gardens is a jewel in Manitowoc, accessible from the Mariner’s Trail also. A beautiful garden for all to enjoy, many volunteers keep it looking that way. The have many kinds of flowers, artfully arranged.
The Formal Garden
Mae West Garden with Proud Bird Sculpture
The Red and White Garden
The Rose Garden
The Sunken Garden
We are done with our tour, a great place to visit in the heart of the city.
