A Day in St. Ignace






What’s the first thought that comes to mind about St. Ignace? Mackinaw’s poorer sister? The other side of the bridge? The place where Mackinaw employees live? In reality it’s more like a slower paced, less tourist-congested Mackinaw City. St. Ignace still has restaurants, tourist shops and perhaps most importantly ferries to Mackinac Island. All with less traffic and less people.

We stayed at the Straits State Park Campground. There are campsites right along the straits, some with a bridge view. The park also boasts trails and lookouts for picturesque photo ops. My stepfather woke up early to take the dog for a morning walk along one of the trails. Not a bad view to wake up to.

After a campground picnic—who doesn’t love eggs and bacon—we drove up to Castle Rock. First, we meandered around the shop of knickknacks and t-shirts, before paying ($1/person) to climb up Castle Rock. (Side Note: If you’re going to Mackinac Island pick up a Mackinac Money bag, there’s a coupon for 4 free climbs at Castle Rock and BOGO ferry tickets.) We said hi to Paul Bunyan and Babe before climbing up the stairs. It’s a bit of a climb, so I paused and took some pictures to break up the hike. The climb is worth it though for the 360 view at the top.

Heading into St. Ignace, we visited one of Father Marquette’s debated burial places in Marquette Mission Park next to the Mission church established in 1837. The mission church is now the Museum of Ojibwa Culture. Both the park and the museum were very informative. There’s also a fun children’s section in the museum.

We walked along the Huron Boardwalk from Mission Park to Chief Wawatam Park. Along the way, we stopped at an art festival, peaked at the Edith Jane, a historic Mackinaw boat built in 1899, and walked out the boardwalk to Wawatam Lighthouse. We shopped our way back along State Street. We got Bridge Walk shirts at Gifts Galore, cappuccinos at Coffee Society and wine at the Winery (both at the Pavilion) and viewed St. Anthony’s Rock—another sea stack like Castle Rock.

We swung by Clyde’s and grabbed burgers for a late lunch. Then explored the Marquette National Memorial and the trails through its park. We saw the bridge from the northwest side. The many angels of Mackinaw Bridge.

Finally, we headed up to Kewadin Casinos - St. Ignace. After wandering around the casino and taking in the lovely views, we played a few games and had dinner at the buffet. And back we went to the campground, we needed a good night’s rest. I think you can guess where we were headed next.

Have you ever stopped in St. Ignace? Did I miss your favorite place in St. Ignace?

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