Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with Kids | Busy Family Travel on a Budget

Last year, we surprised our kids with an end-of-school celebration trip to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. It was a family-friendly destination in Michigan they’d been wanting to visit for some time. We were able to visit Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with kids on a budget, and we had a blast spending three days together as a family!

Family-Friendly Lodging in Mackinaw City on a Budget

If you’ve ever looked for a hotel room on Mackinac Island or in Mackinaw City, you might have gotten sticker shock. In general, you can expect to pay higher than average prices, especially if you’re looking to stay on the island, overlooking the water, or have more than four people in your family.

Wanting to make our trip to Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with kids an affordable one, we decided to take a risk and book a “value hotel” in Mackinaw City. We stayed at America’s Best Value Inn in Mackinaw City.

Pros:

three queen beds in the same room for less than $100/night (we stayed early in the season, so rates were slightly lower than mid-summer rates)

a large, clean indoor pool
free breakfast
within walking distance to our ferry dock (about a 5-minute walk)

less than a mile from “downtown” Mackinaw City (we were able to jump on a walking trail and walk downtown in about 20 minutes)
laundry facilities on-site

Cons:

older style motel, not super clean

limited parking available (we got there early in the day and were able to snag a spot directly in front of our room)
free breakfast was mediocre (cereal, toast, fruit, etc.)

While the motel worked for our purposes on that particular trip (family-friendly on a budget), we probably won’t return unless we’re trying to squeeze in another budget-friendly trip. There are other options in the area (campgrounds, vacation rentals, other hotels) that we’d like to try in the future.

Family-Friendly Things to Do in Mackinaw City on a Budget

Not wanting to spend a lot of money on our trip to Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with kids, we looked for family-friendly activities on a budget.

Budget-Friendly Things to Do in Mackinaw City with Kids

Once we were settled into our motel room, we decided to go exploring. We jumped on the walking trail nearby and headed for “downtown” Mackinaw City. It took us about 20 minutes to walk downtown (it was about a mile away).

We decided a stop at the Mackinaw Outfitters was a must, even though we didn’t buy anything (yet). It gave us some good ideas for what souvenirs we might like to pick up later in the trip. And the kids enjoyed posing with the bear statues.

After walking down the main street in town and window shopping at several stores, we decided to grab some dinner before trekking back to our motel. We opted for Mama Mia’s Pizza – one of the best local restaurants in Mackinaw City… and we’re SOOO glad we did!

The food was delicious and the price was perfect for a family trying to enjoy Mackinaw City on a budget! We will definitely be making Mama Mia’s a must-visit destination on our next trip to Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with kids.

Free Things to Do in Mackinaw City with Kids

Before heading home on Sunday, we decided to see what other free things to do in Mackinaw City we could find. We discovered the Mackinaw City state park.

We enjoyed looking around the visitors’ center and spending some time on the water before our 4+ hour drive home.

Now knowing that the park is there (it was a brand new park for us to explore), we definitely want to plan extended time there on our next trip to Mackinaw City & Mackinac Island with kids!

Family-Friendly Fun on Mackinac Island

As I mentioned previously, staying on Mackinac Island isn’t generally “budget-friendly,” especially for larger families. But there are plenty of ways for families to enjoy Mackinac Island with kids on a budget. I suggest doing some research and choosing a handful of experiences ahead of time, or you might end up overwhelmed and over budget.

Getting to Mackinac Island with Kids

There are two public ferries that transport visitors to and from Mackinac Island. We’ve personally utilized both. However, on this particular trip to Mackinac Island with kids, we chose to use Star Line.

able to purchase discounted tickets online
kids had a free pass from a school fundraiser

conveniently located within walking distance of our motel

We grabbed a copy of the ferry schedule the night before we planned to head to Mackinac Island. The Mighty Mac ferry ride (which goes under the Mackinac Bridge) was departing around the same time we’d hoped to head to the island, so we made plans to arrive at the ferry dock early enough to get on it.

The kids LOVED sitting up top on the ferry boat and getting to see the underside of the Mighty Mac!

Budget-Friendly Fun on Mackinac Island

It is completely possible to spend an entire day on Mackinac Island without spending a single penny (other than the ride over to the island). We’ve almost done it (minus a late afternoon stop for fresh-squeezed lemonade). But on this particular trip, we budgeted a small amount of money to be able to enjoy a few “extras” while exploring Mackinac Island.

Walking Trails and Natural Beauty

Mackinac Island is a nature lover’s paradise, and most of the natural beauty is accessible to the public for no charge. We started our day on Mackinac Island by exploring a new-to-us trail along the southeast shoreline: Dennis O. Cawthorne Shoreline Trail. The kids loved seeing the various plants and wildlife along the trail, and of course, we had to check out the shoreline.

At the end of the trail, we arrived just down the road from the bottom of the stairs leading to Arch Rock. This worked out well as that was our destination goal at the start of our trek.

The views from the lookout on top of Arch Rock are breath-taking.

A Picnic in the Park

After climbing all the way to the top of Arch Rock, we needed a bit of a break, and it was almost lunchtime. We headed back to the downtown area and set up a picnic lunch at the base of the hill leading to Fort Mackinac. Packing a picnic lunch is a great way to save money when you visit Mackinac Island with kids.

Local Attractions

Since our legs were somewhat recovered, we decided to walk along the southern edge of the island and show the kids the Grand Hotel.

Three of the six of us had previously stayed at the Grand Hotel, so we were looking forward to seeing it again. While we didn’t pay for the privilege of touring the inside of the hotel, the kids enjoyed seeing it from the outside.

Fort Mackinac with Kids

While Fort Mackinac might not be considered “budget-friendly,” especially when you have a family of six, it’s a “must visit” destination for families on Mackinac Island. If at all possible, work it into your budget.

The kids LOVED visiting Fort Mackinac, and they didn’t want to leave. Not only is it a real-life fort, it still contains many of the original buildings.