For the past 68 years, Mackinac Island has celebrated the bloom of the lilacs with parades, tours, art exhibitions, food tasting, and my personal favorite, fudge.
This was my first year visiting the island when the lilacs were in bloom. I was impressed by the colors; purples, pinks, whites, and wine. Some were fragrant while others were just plain beautiful.
We did expected a lot more lilacs and events to be occurring during the infamous Lilac Festival, but sadly things were a lot quieter than usual on the island. We were told that the festivities occur more on the last Saturday and Sunday of the festival.
Although we came for the lilacs, we did decide to do some exploring of the island. This took us away from the bustle of the village and to the quiet, serenity of Stonecliffe Inn. If I ever stay on the island, this is where it would be.
After a quick stop at the airport (I had never seen it), we trekked on to Fort Holmes. Roughly 360 feet above Lake Huron, this spot has without a doubt some of the most beautiful scenic views on the island.
The 75 foot Sugar Loaf rock formation was the final stop on our adventure. Made up of several layers of limestone rock, this massive tower stands high above anything else in the area. It is a pretty impressive sight and photographs don’t do it justice.
We end our trip back at Mackinac Harbor with a walk through the lilacs. Even though we weren’t too impressed with the festival, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent on Mackinac Island and am looking forward to our next visit.
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