Because cars aren’t allowed on the island, leaving horse-drawn carriages and bicycles as the chief modes of transportation, Mackinac (MAC-i-naw) Island retains the atmosphere of the 19th century and the imprint of history. In view of the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, the largest expansion bridge in the world, it has been a famous resort for the last century. The island was called "great turtle" by Native Americans who believed that its towering heights and rock formations were shaped by supernatural forces. Later, because of its strategic position, the island became the key to the struggle between England and France for control of the rich fur trade of the great Northwest. Held by the French until 1760, it became British after Wolfe's victory at Québec, was turned over to the United States at the close of the American Revolution, reverted to the British during the War of 1812, and finally was restored to the United States.

With the decline of the fur trade in the 1830s, Mackinac Island began to develop its potential as a resort area. Southern planters and their families summered here prior to the Civil War; wealthy Chicagoans took their place in the years following. Today, the island remains the home of the governor’s summer mansion, where a long line of Michigan governors have spent at least a portion of their vacations. Horse and carriages and bicycles can be rented. Passenger ferries make regularly scheduled trips to the island from Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, or visitors can reach the island by air from St. Ignace, Pellston, or Detroit.