There are lots of great places to visit in Michigan and Fort Mackinac just happens to be one of them. The British constructed this fort during the American Revolution, so it has some interesting history surrounding it. The Fort is located on Mackinac Island at 7127 Huron Road. If you are interested in having your GPS take you there the coordinates are N 45-degrees 85.306; W 84-degrees 61.778. The fort has been around for more than 100 years and the 14 original buildings are incredible to see and think of how they must have been when they were first built. It truly is a great history lesson and one the entire family can enjoy. The fort offers a play area for kids, interactive exhibits, and there is even a museum store that has a Victorian theme.
Visitors will especially enjoy the soldier interpreters that are on the fort’s grounds. They look as if they walked straight out of the 1880s and they fire rifles, play concert music, and even impress visitors with a cannon salute over the harbor. There is a new exhibit called “Military Medicine at Mackinac” and it allows visitors to explore how medicine was practiced in the 19th century. It is located in the Post Hospital. Visitors will also be able to watch how a physician from 1837 made his rounds, look through a giant microscope, and even see the surgical and medical equipment used during this period. All of this is done in the 1829 Post Hospital, the oldest hospital building in Michigan!
Pets are welcome to visit, too, and visitors may enter the Fort through the entrance on Huron Road or from the south sally port that faces Main Street on Mackinac Island. Admission for adults is $10 and $6.25 for youth ages 5-17. Kids 4 and under and Mackinac Associates may visit free of charge.
