Mackinac has always been strategic. The island controlled the straits connecting the Great Lakes; whoever held it controlled the fur trade. The French built a fort in the 1670s; the British took it in 1761; the Americans seized it in 1796, lost it to the British in 1812, and regained it in 1815. Fort Mackinac, perched on limestone bluffs above the harbor, was one of America's last frontier posts. But as the military importance faded, tourism grew. Cool summer breezes, beautiful scenery, and steamship access made Mackinac a resort destination by the 1870s. Wealthy Chicago and Detroit families built summer cottages; the Grand Hotel opened in 1887.

The automobile arrived on Mackinac Island briefly in 1898. The horses panicked. Summer residents complained. The village council banned 'horseless carriages' from the island. Three exceptions exist: emergency vehicles, service vehicles during restricted hours, and snowmobiles in winter when the horses are stabled. Otherwise, the ban has held for over 125 years. The island's 500 year-round residents get around by bicycle, horse, and foot. The 600 horses on the island outnumber cars by infinity. The ban created Mackinac's character - without it, the island would have modernized like everywhere else.

The Grand Hotel opened in 1887, built by railroad and steamship companies to attract tourists. Its front porch stretches 660 feet - the longest in the world. The hotel maintains strict Victorian standards: jackets required for men after 6 PM, no blue jeans in the main dining room. The 1980 film 'Somewhere in Time,' starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, was filmed here and created a cult following. The hotel charges a fee just to walk on the porch if you're not a guest. It's expensive, exclusive, and unapologetically old-fashioned - exactly what a certain type of traveler wants.

Mackinac Island is America's fudge capital, producing an estimated 10,000 pounds daily during tourist season. The first fudge shop opened in 1887; now there are more than a dozen, and the smell of cooking fudge permeates downtown. Shops let visitors watch the process: the boiling, the pouring onto marble slabs, the folding and working until the texture is right. 'Fudgie' is the local term for tourists, often said affectionately, sometimes not. The fudge industry developed because it solved a tourist need: a souvenir you could eat, made locally, with a spectacle of production. Mackinac without fudge would be like Mackinac with cars - possible, but wrong.

Mackinac Island is accessible only by ferry (from Mackinaw City or St. Ignace) or small aircraft. No cars allowed - if you need a car, leave it on the mainland. The island is small enough to bicycle in a few hours; bike rentals are abundant. Horse-drawn carriage tours provide island history. Fort Mackinac, on the bluffs, offers military history and views. The Grand Hotel welcomes non-guests for the porch (for a fee) and expensive dining. Fudge shops line Main Street. Accommodations range from the Grand to modest B&Bs; book early for summer weekends. The island is crowded midday when ferries arrive; stay overnight for the evening quiet. Pellston Regional Airport (PLN) is the nearest commercial airport. The island essentially closes in winter.