Our Dog-Friendly Day Trip to Mackinac
Can you believe I’m from Michigan but I’ve never been to Mackinac Island? When I was a kid, we went up north and camped in Mackinac City but never went over to the island itself. When I found out how dog-friendly it was, we planned a trip!
After dropping my ring off to be resized in Petoskey (shoutout Arlington Jewelers), we headed over to Mackinac. It’s less than an hour drive from there. From Grand Rapids to Mackinac, it would be about a 3.5 hour drive.
We ended up getting to Mackinac around noon and we had to cross the Mackinac Bridge before we did anything else. Did you even go there if you didn’t cross the bridge?!
There is a toll you pay upon entering and exiting but absolutely worth it for the views and to explore a bit. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the water was!
Where We Stayed
Photo taken from Hotel Planner
My hubby booked the hotel room and we stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites Beachfront Hotel. It was good for the night and conveniently located right by where the ferry dock was. It is also dog-friendly! There is a pet fee.
Tip: It is walking distance to the ferry dock, don’t pay $25 for parking like we did 😅
There are dog-friendly places to stay on the island but we decided to do a last minute trip so there wasn’t anything available.
What We Did
Lunch at Dusty’s Gourmet Dog House in St. Ignace
(across the Mackinac Bridge in the Upper Peninsula)
We stopped at Dusty’s Gourmet Dog House on a whim and it ended up being the perfect place! Filled with colorful dog decor and even a portion of your purchase goes to a local animal shelter. I can’t recommend this place enough!
Ferry to Mackinac Island
Thanks to a couple blogs from Mackinac Island themselves, we found out that there are a couple dog-friendly ferries that take you to and from Mackinac Island. We booked with Starline and had a great experience. So fun to bring the boys with us! There was no additional cost to bring the boys along with us either.
The blogs were very helpful for us to figure out dog-friendly places to visit on the island. You can read the blogs below:
Dogs of Mackinac: Fido’s travel guide to the island (in pictures)
A Dog-Friendly Trip to Mackinac Island
Drinks at The Mustang Lounge
When we got off the ferry, we started walking and it was pretty crowded. The Mustang Lounge was the first bar we saw off the main road so we opted to get a few drinks there. The patio is dog-friendly and the waitress even brought the boys their own water bowls. It was here we figured out Dawson doesn’t like horses 🤣
Fun Fact: There are no cars allowed on the island so you will see a lot of horse drawn carriages and bikes.
Great Turtle Brewery & Distillery
Great Turtle is Mackinac’s first and only craft brewery and distillery so we knew we had to check it out! We got some drinks and appetizers here while the dogs enjoyed relaxing on the patio.
After Great Turtle Brewery and Distillery, we walked down by Hotel Iroquois and got some photos of the boys by Lake Huron. We do have a couple of old boys so we knew we wouldn’t be able to walk around too long. It was also mid-July and was definitely warm outside. We walked back down the main strip, grabbed some Mackinac Island fudge and grabbed a ferry back to Mackinac City.
Dinner at Rusted Spoke Brewing Company
We ended our evening with a date night at Rusted Spoke Brewing Company. This wasn’t dog-friendly so we let the boys relax in the hotel room while we ate dinner. Decent food and good drinks and again, walking distance to the hotel we stayed at.
Photos at the Mackinac Bridge
We had to end the trip with family photos by the bridge! This is a must do!
We had a great day on Mackinac Island and are excited to make another trip there in the future! Let us know if you take a trip and visit any of these places.
