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Mackinac Island Best Summer Travel Destination | MI Best Adventures | For the second year in a row, Mackinac Island has been named USA Today's #1 'Best Summer Travel Destination.' Eric takes the Island's accolade to heart... | By MIBest | Long time ago, there was a documentary called Endless Summer. It followed two surfers circumnavigating the globe looking for the perfect wave. In Michigan, I feel we treat summer the very same way. Approaching its fleeting nature with the same energy as we attempt to get as much juice out of the giant orange in the sky as we can in the time that we have with this beautiful weather. So today, we are on the island to take a look at it with our summer eyes and there's a couple new things I want to show you, something I've never done and one of my favorite spots on the island. Let's start with Arch Rock which has one of the largest new things you will see on the island this year with the Millikin Nature Center. How cool is this building? So, when I was up here in the winter, there was none of this stuff. So, we're not quite ready for prime time but man, this thing looks incredible and on the way down the path, nature had a fun surprise for me. Did you see it? I'm hoping that's a sign of how great this trip's going to be and no trip to Mackinac's complete without heading to the Grand Hotel where the tulips were amazing and while the mini golf course isn't necessarily new, it might be new to you. If you ever thought to yourself what would it be like to mini golf in Narnia? That is what this thing is with all of the ferns and the mossy greens and the flowers. It looks like you're literally golfing in a chapter of a fantasy novel. Right around the corner is of course the secret garden. If you have trouble finding it, you look for this sign and you're greeted with this incredible view and for this part of the season, they've even added a portion of the garden that makes up the shape of this great state and from there, I thought I grab lunch at one of my favorite spots on the island. I'm up near the bluff area of the island at some elevation so I can check out these breathtaking views. I find it's a great chance to enjoy a sandwich, take a deep breath, and take in everything that Mackinaw Island has to offer. So if you don't actually want to take the long way around Fort Mackinaw, this is the shortcut. We're right next to the inn on Mackinaw and there's a staircase right behind me. We'll take you right up to that spot. It's a much easier way if you don't want to go the long way. Now, I want to show you one of the other cool things that's new this year. It's the audio tours. Maybe you've been to Mackinac a bunch or you've never been. Either way, this thing is super fun. You don't have to use it the way I'm using it, showing you how it works. You can turn on the app, put it in your headphones, put it in your pocket, and it uses GPS as you traverse the island. It tells you what you're looking at. You can do it walking or you can do it biking. It is such a fun addition to a trip on Mackinac Island. It is dinner time and we're going to go check out a place that's known for its bourbon and its whiskeys and specifically a bourbon infused with pecan and cayenne to make up an old fashioned and the have fish and chips the size of your arm 'cuz we are going to Winchester's. Winchester's is known for a couple things. The aforementioned giant fish and chips, barbecue, and a great whiskey list and I am here for the old fashioned. Infused with pecans and cayenne pepper, this thing has heat in all the right places. If you love a good cocktail, this is a spot for you. They also do a orange-infused vodka cocktail and a berry-infused gin cocktail. I wasn't super hungry so giant fish was off the menu Instead, I went with the Shrimp Pool Boy which was perfect. Up next, we're going to do another thing that I've never done here and I've been here a lot. We're going to go on the sip and sail cruise and see if we can catch the sunset. Tonight, we're on the Isle Royal Queen three and it does not look like the weather is going to cooperate with the sunset but you know me. Any chance to get on the water, I'm going to take it and the cruise has a couple things going for it. One, as I said, you're on the water. Two, you've got entertainment the entire time. You might recognize Paul, he plays a lot at the Pink Pony and nights that he's not the Pink Pony he's aboard the sip and sail cruise and third is the bar so you can get a cocktail to enjoy the voyage but the star of the show is the Mackinac Bridge and no matter how many times I am this close to the bridge it wows me every time and that got me thinking about Mackina Island where of course you can enjoy the serene nature of the island but iconic structures like the Mackinac Bridge remind you that you can also take in magical human ingenuity and it's with that energy I get ready for our adventure.
