Destinations
The Grand Hotel On Mackinac Island… For That Special Getaway or Annual Vacation Destination
T
The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan. Dave Weiman Photo
he next time you want to do something special for a friend or your significant other, jump in your plane, fly to Mackinac Island, Michigan, and stay at the glorious “Grand Hotel.” The Grand Hotel is by far the most lavish hotel on the island, and priced accordingly. Once only accessible by ferry, visitors today have the option of flying to the island and landing at a top-notch, state-owned airport – Mackinac Island Airport (KMCD). A spacious ramp awaits you, but there are no services, other than a state park ranger who will call for a horse-drawn taxi and collect a $15.00 per night tie-down fee. Bring your own tie-down ropes, and stakes if the ramp is full and you have to park on the grass, which is seldom. Refreshing is the fact that there are no automobiles on the island. Transportation is by horse-drawn carriage, horseback, bicycle or you walk. During the summer, there are 500 horses on the island. Year-round, there are only 600 residents. If you need fuel, the closest airport with 100LL and Jet A is 5 nm across the bay at Mackinac County Airport (83D) in St. Ignace, Michigan. Nice, friendly people, and it is self-service. The common traffic advisory frequency for both Mackinac County Airport and Mackinac Island Airport is 122.7, and Mackinac Island Airport has AWOS, as do a few other airports in the area. Mackinac (MACK-in-awe) became one of our nation’s favored summer resort destinations during the Victorian era. Vacationers arrived in large lake excursion boats from Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit seeking the cooler weather on the island. They danced to Strauss’ waltzes, listened to Sousa’s stirring marches, dined on whitefish and strolled along the broad decks. Mackinac Island became a summer getaway beginning in 22 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 MIDWEST FLYER MAGAZINE
1886, but accommodations were limited. To accommodate overnight guests, boat and railroad companies financed the construction of the Grand Hotel, which opened in 1887. Room rates then were $3 to $5 a night. In the 1890s, the front porch of the Grand Hotel, said to be the longest in the world, became the principal meeting place for all of Mackinac Island, as well as a promenade for the elderly and a “flirtation walk” for island romantics. In 1895, Mark Twain gave a lecture in the Grand Hotel Casino. Admission: $1. In 1897, the West Wing was added to the hotel, and by the turn of the century, the automobile found its way onto the island until the 1930s when an island-wide ban on any motorized vehicle was put into place. In 1919, W. Stewart Woodfill was hired as a desk clerk, and later purchased and became the sole owner of the hotel. In 1947, Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel was the site of the film “This Time For Keeps,” starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams. The outdoor pool was built especially for Ms. Williams, and the room she stayed in is named in her honor. The Grand Hotel was also featured in the motion picture “Somewhere In Time” in 1980, starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer. A hat worn by Reeve in the movie is on display off from the main lobby. In 1951, R.D. (Dan) Musser joined the hotel staff and in 1960, W. Stewart Woodfill appointed him president. The Mussers purchased the Grand Hotel in 1979. R.D. (Dan) Musser III was named president of the Grand Hotel in 1989, the East Wing was added, and the U.S. Department of Interior designated the hotel a national historic landmark.