Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Michilimackinac State Park, and the Mackinac Bridge

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is gorgeous. The castle-like appearance of the 1890 Norman Revival-style lighthouse tower combined with its setting overlooking the blue and turquoise waters of the Straits of Mackinac and the flowing lines of the Mackinac Suspension Bridge makes it one of the prettiest lighthouses I’ve visited. Possibly also one of the most needed as it guides ships through the narrows of the Straits of Mackinac wherein multiple cargo ships have sunk as they attempted to make their way between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. As in many lighthouses, part of the keeper’s quarters have been restored while other sections provide information on construction and occupation of the structure as well as local maritime history.

After touring the lighthouse and climbing the tower I stopped in the small Mackinac Shipwreck Museum located in the carriage house. Though their were many excellent displays, I was most impressed by the models of the Cedarville, the largest wreck in the Straits; the 604-foot freight steamer sunk after a collision in 1965 taking ten crewman down.

After touring the fort and the lighthouse we then crossed the straits to the upper peninnsula via the Mackinac Bridge, a beautiful classic suspension bridge which is currently the fifth longest in the world. Again, the waters of the straits were amazing vivid blues and turquoises.