Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Colonial Michilimackinac, Mackinaw City, MI

Photo: WMrapids, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffFamily Favorite

Colonial Michilimackinac

102 W Straits Ave · Mackinaw City, MI

Why you should go…

Colonial Michilimackinac is a reconstructed fort and fur trading post, built by the French around 1715 and held by the British from 1761, at the tip of Michigan's lower peninsula. You walk inside the palisade past the Church of Ste. Anne, the King's Storehouse and rowhouses, while interpreters give demonstrations and reenactments. Archaeologists have dug at the site every summer since 1959, and the Mackinac Bridge rises just beside it.

  • #historic fort
  • #living history
  • #archaeology
  • #state park
  • #mackinac bridge

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Colonial Michilimackinac, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Mackinac Bridge

    Under $25

    Drive five miles across the Straits of Mackinac on the suspension bridge that links Michigan's two peninsulas.

    2.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Stay
    Iconic

    Grand Hotel

    Under $25

    Stroll the 660-foot front porch of this 1887 island resort, tour its gardens, or stay over and arrive by horse-drawn carriage.

    6.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Mackinac Island

    Free

    Ride a ferry to a car-free Lake Huron island of horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, fudge shops and a hilltop fort.

    7.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Fort Mackinac

    Under $25

    Explore a hilltop military outpost built during the American Revolution, with costumed interpreters, cannon and rifle firings.

    7.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Arch Rock

    Free

    You climb 207 steps or bike Arch Rock Road to see a limestone arch framing Lake Huron far below.

    7.9 mi awayMore like this