Ive been to mackinac island and it is so cool. The buildings still have the frontier asthetic and, with all the horses walking around with carraiges in tow, it feels like traveling back in time to the 1800s and early 1900s (that is if you dont include the modern tourists walking around everywhere lol). It is absolutely underated when it comes to U.S. historical sites. Fun fact: Only emergency vehicles are allowed all over the island, whereas golf carts can only run on the golf course properties. The only reason snowmobiles are allowed is because of the loophole that this motorized vehicle technically doesnt touch the ground of mackinac, as it is suspended above it by being on a layer of snow. Goofy reasoning, but considering its seasonal, it helps out a lot.
@@Mephmtit was the first battle of the war of 1812 and the British invaded at night, catching the fort by surprise and capturing it without a single shot
Hi! As someone who has worked on the island as a Boy Scout they do have a few other cars that a lot of people don’t know about. There is one box truck on the island which is likely owned by the airport and the parks service has at least 2 trucks as well as a large (tractor sized) lawn mower!
@@TateLapine depending on where you live there might be a troop that goes up near you that you could go with, I know the troop that I go up with has people from around 4 troops
During summer months UPS runs deliveries off horse drawn drays (run by The Mackinac Island Service Company). The dray driver wanders around the Island with a load of packages and a uniformed UPS delivery person jumps off and takes them to doorsteps. Winter gets interesting, especially when ferries shut down. Packages arrive by plane and the airport wraps the terminal with tarps hanging from overhangs. Every time a flight comes over the excess capacity of the aircraft is loaded with packages and they are stashed at the airport. Residents have to come to the airport, usually by foot or snowmobile, to sort through the chaos and find their deliveries. You can bring all kinds of vehicles onto the Island if needed (usually winter months only), and if you pay some substantial permit fees. Permits have to be approved by the City Council. Trailers, are allowed during all months for a small fee ($15). They have to be single axle and remain below 3000lbs (1360kgs) and are towed to their destination behind horse drawn drays. (I brought two onto the Island this year) Every morning during summer a flat barge is towed to the Island, usually loaded with a few refrigerated semi truck trailers full of food and supplies. Pallets are removed from the trailers via forklift and placed on drays for delivery. Concrete is also an interesting one. It can't generally be poured in winter months when a redi-mix truck would be allowed, so the island has one towable cement mixer that the drays can move. Concrete pours have to be done with bags of cement delivered by drays. State park runs gas powered mowers. E-bikes are allowed as long as they are pedal assist and do not have a throttle. The street sweeper runs every morning and is horse drawn with the sweeper and vacuum powered by a gas engine. I've never seen the battery powered on mentioned in the video.
What a gimmick all for the kept tourism dollar. I wonder what that island really costs to operate for the State of Michigan. For companies, it's like operating at Disneyland with the hoped-for advertising and exposure as a good corporate citizen.
One of my favorite facts is that due to the highway on the island still being managed by MDOT, they have to place all the construction signage at intervals meant for cars. Also Amazon has a delivery horse.
Do they sell motor fuel on the island ? There isn't actually a ban on internal combustion engines ? (Snowmobiles ok) Just motorized wheels ? What about E bikes, etc ? Gas riding lawn mowers and weed wackers are ok ? As long as nothing moves on, "the road " ? Michigan taxpayers are on the hook for the roads they aren't allowed to drive on.
I think i found the loophole. Snowmobiles are fast, versatile, powerful modern machines. They can also be ridden year round. (They don't need snow) They can even be ridden across water. Each state has their own very thick DMV manuals on what constitutes a vehicle. (Plus, the federal government has overriding requirements of their own). I just see a unique marketing ploy that is used to set this tourist destination (trap) apart from others for the profit of likely a small group of investors.
I used to deliver furniture in northern Mi. One day we had a delivery on Mackinac Island. Normally our route would have around 20-40 deliveries per day depending on the size. This day we had 2. One in St. Ignace and one on Mackinac Island. We assumed we’d just be dropping it off at the Ferry and be on our way but we were told “nope, you need to deliver it to their house”. We were actually excited because Mackinac island is such a cool place and now we basically were getting paid to be there 😂. The only way we could deliver our items was by Dray Cart. The only Dray that day was mostly postal items and our stop was almost last on his route. I think he said we’d probably get there around 5pm….it was 10am. So we helped him get his route done by noon and spent the rest of the day having fun on the island. Even got to eat at a super nice restaurant that had a dress code. Because we were wearing our uniforms we technically met the requirements 😂. If you ever have the change to go to Mackinac, DO IT! You’ll never see anything like it elsewhere.
I grew up in Michigan throughout the 80’s and 90’s and regularly went to Mackinac each year. Even since moving to another state, I’ve still returned to Michigan a few times each year and gone to Mackinac about every other year. Yes, it can be touristy. But not like other places like Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Niagara Falls, Pigeon Forge, or areas of Orlando. And especially not anywhere on the island other than the main downtown area. I’ve always liked staying on the island at least a night or two, if not more, when I’ve gone. Mainly because so many people only come across for the day, and if you’re there in the evening, night, or early morning it can be incredibly peaceful and serene. Those times have been my very favorites. I’m also an avid distance runner, and running around the perimeter of the island in the early morning hours, so that you finish just as the sun goes up? Wow. One of the very best running experiences in the world. Usually not a single other person, cool weather, light breeze off the water, perfectly quiet other than the water lapping up on the shoreline, and you finish with a beautiful sunrise and view of the bridge. I suppose there are limited activities on the island, but that’s not necessarily the point. It’s a place to relax, and not be bothered by city-relate things. Almost like camping. Can’t say enough good things about Mackinac though, and such a gem of Michigan in my opinion.
How it works in the winter: the ice is thick enough to drive on - both snowmobile and car. There is a brief time when there is too much ice for the ferry and not enough to drive on that the island is pretty isolated from the mainland, but in the depts of winter the ice gets thick and it's easy enough to traverse.
The old winter world war II trick. Everyone forgets that at least before the world started to get a bit warmer most of the winter, the ice on lakes is thick enough to support multi-ton motor vehicles
@@klaykid117 The Great Lakes don't freeze over in winter. Never have beyond the lakeshores. They're way too big. The area between the island and the mainland there is an exception due to how thin the lake is in that stretch of water between the island and the coast combined with the coastal ice flows clogging the passage up.
There’s a tradition of placing discarded Christmas trees on a path across ice that’s been determined to be safe enough to carry snowmobiles. Late in the winter, losing the trail of trees means that the ice is breaking up, and you need to turn back to safety. Unfortunately, the reverse isn’t true: just because the trees are still there, doesn’t mean it’s safe.
@@pseudonym995 Doud stepped down???? Holy crap - I was under the impression that broad would NEVER be replaced! She was mayor when I was driving for whichever outfit (Service Co, Carriage Tours, Ryba, and even some time for Dale Gough) needed a teamster and made a decent offer) back in the early 90s! For a while, I worked for Ryba's Star Freight - an upstart competitor to Service Co (I think it lasted 3 years?) and Doud was all kinds of against us - every legal trick in the book to try to block us from getting started. We got our toe in the door by taking away the UPS contract from Service Co, flying the packages over and loading the drays at the west end of the runway, then heading out to deliver them, but then Doud and the council (most of whom had at least some level of vested interest in Service Co remaining a monopoly on the island) tried to zone us out, block us from access to the ferry docks, fenced off our access to the end of the runway, and eventually, convinced the Mussers (Grand Hotel) to buy out the property where our barn at StoneCliffe stood, bulldoze the barn, and turn it into "the back nine" of the Grand's golf course.
I didn't know it was mispronounced. Even the rednecks in my neck of the woods pronounce it correctly. I get how people MIGHT, but, I've never heard it. And I've talked about it more times than I would have imagined.
In his defense, Sam is a fluent French speaker who probably clocked "Mackinac" immediately and assumed everywhere here would be pronounced as a French word. There's two smaller towns called St. Ignace in French-speaking parts of Canada that pronounce it the way he did.
Speaking of horses, we took the family to Mackinac Island twice, and when our kids were little we used to playfully let them stomp in puddles after a rain storm. While on the main street in Mackinac Island, we had to tell them not to stomp in the puddles in the gutter, because that was not rainwater. It was also an object lesson knowing why old cartoons had a guy going down the street with a broom and a garbage can.
(From the Looney Tunes Western parody "Drip-Along Daffy") Daffy (after being presented with a street cleaner's canister): I told you I'd clean up this one-horse town! Porky: Lucky for him, this IS a one-horse town.
That's Midwestern quirkiness for ya. We have goofy accents, dumb tourist traps, church signs with bad puns, painfully esoteric local customs *and we fucking love every last bit of it, dammit!*
2 fun facts 1. The island does have a high school robotics team, it required the use of a charter plane to get materials off the island during the winter competition. 2. The island's school district has exactly one school bus in St. Ignace for field trips in the pinesulas.
Fun Fact: Mackinac Island was the SECOND National Park, after Yellowstone. It included most of the island and was administered by the Army, until the fort was decommissioned in 1895. The federal government turned over responsibility to the state, and it become Michigan’s first *state* park.
I haven't been to Mackinac since I was kid, but I do remember the lack of cars. It is quite remarkable (as a North American) to be somewhere where there are no cars. (In addition to the fudge, the smoked fish is also amazing!)
I love Mackinac Island! So many memories from my childhood of riding bikes around the island with my siblings and cousins! Lots of wonderful locally made fudge and candies! I don't even play golf, but I am struck by how beautiful the golf course there is. The whole island is lovely with interesting history. I'm sure that it rains sometimes, but all of my memories are of sunny days and vast green lawns with beautiful flower gardens! Yes, I've only ever been there in the summertime. The last time that we were there, a decade or so ago, we literally met the Harlem Globetrotters! My husband and I had to explain the trope to our son. The guys on the team were lovely and we ended up doing early American dancing with them at the Fort. Mackinac is truly a magical place!
In other places where horses are working animals, there's a 'skirt' that is attached to the traces and the underside of the vehicle. It's a crap-catcher. They are emptied regularly, and it means it almost never hits the street. Search for images of horse drawn carriages in in Brugge, and in New York's Central Park. Pedestrians never need dodge a steaming pile.
It's a fun place to visit! My wife and I really just enjoyed the time there. Lots of cool side trips like the haunted house, butterfly house, the fudge stores, and the Grand Hotel (we were able to get in without paying). Also, the fort is amazing. Wish we had time to get to the other side of the island. It's a lot bigger than it looks! You just have to watch out for the "road apples", what we called the horse manure, and the "cider" which is the old #1.
I am a full time resident of Mackinac Island! You did your research on this one and I’m impressed! If the lake is frozen over and the ferry can’t run, all of our mail and packages get delivered by plane along with food for the grocery store etc. Which causes other logistical problems (price of milk going up because it’s heavy to fly, certain packages can’t be flown because they contain batteries). And if the lake is frozen enough people attempt to cross to the mainland by snowmobile, dangerous but locals still do it because it’s the quickest they can ever get back and forth and their convenience. Would be happy to try and answer any other questions you have!
Highly recommend looking up "Jack Barnwell" who is one of, if not the, largest landscaper on the island. He discusses the challenges associated with building and maintaining the beautiful properties on the island!
6:30 I loaded the Mack Island truck at UPS Rudyard for a bit a while back. When the ice freezes, they just fly everything over. Its more expensive but the island gets subsidies because both the Republicans and Democrats hold big conventions on the island, according to the boss there. Luckily in the winter, most shipments are pretty low. Just a couple dozen boxes on the floor of one of the St. Ignace trucks. Also, I did once load an entire sim racing rig for Mackinac Island, which I found quite ironic.
So, technically, this is not the USA's only car-free village. The village of Bald Head Island, NC is also car free. They use golf carts and bicycles primarily to get around. Emergency vehicles do still exist but they are pretty rare. People get there via ferry from a couple locations, but most commonly from South Port, NC.
There is also a car-free island at the Toronto Islands (which is the largest car-free community in North America). They do have vehicles for emergency and maintenances purposes.
@@shashankmahalingam5254why? it involves the same island but it’s not on the same topic. in any case, many people may have missed the first video, and it was very generous of him to create another original one rather than simply reposting the first one. which again, isn’t exactly the same topically-speaking.
The absolute serendipity of it all... literally yesterday I finished reading a random used paperback mystery novel that I found in a grocery & gift shop in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The setting was 100% based on Mackinac Island. Crazy how the universe just does that sometimes
Getting around in the winter can also be by cross-country skiing. I even asked about it once and was told that it does take place. You can always do skijoring behind a snowmobile or a year-round horse if you tire easily...
KMCD is a nice little airport. It has a 3500 foot runway and three instrument approaches. Top off before you go as they don't have fuel. Interesting comment in the A/FD: "Pitot covers recommended while parked; check tubes before departure due to mud daubers."
I flew in there once. Very scenic but challenging approach. I got some surprise windshear due to the breeze blowing across the 400’ hill that is the island and then dropping towards the cold lake water.
I go there one or twice a year and once ran into someone online who lived there year-round until they started college. It's honestly really cool to see all the pictures on the island in the video and know exactly where they are
As someone who grew up near the island and worked for the ferries for many seasons, it was great seeing HAI make a video on it! The island has gotten more and more attention worldwide, so I love seeing the area I live getting so well known. The only criticisms I have of the video: Huron is pronounced "HERE-on", St. Ignace is pronounced "Saint IG-niss", and Rudyard is pronounced "Rud-yerd"
I grew up in Grand Rapids. Granted, I rarely ever spent any time along the shores of Huron, but I never heard the lake's name pronounced "Here-on." I think I'd get a strange look if I pronounced it that way on the westside of the state.
Definitely not the only car-free village. There's Bald Head Island in NC. Fire Island in New York. Catalina in California. I'm assuming there are probably others.
More precisely, the Fire Island community of Cherry Grove is completely car free, and the community of Pines has no individually owned cars, but there are some municipal pickup trucks etc in Pines. But definitely nothing that anyone would consider a car or truck is allowed in Cherry Grove. I’m confident there are other communities with similar situations, Sam’s just making a click-bait video title
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Maybe it’s not technically a village, but Bald Head Island in North Carolina is car free except for emergency vehicles. You once could drive there if you had off-road vehicles as it was connected to Ft.Fisher, but it was broken away by storms over the years and remains inaccessible.
Hey there, I was wondering if someone would point this out! My family has been on the island since the early 80s. It actually is a Village nowadays. Early on, people that lived out at east beach had to use Jeeps, but today it's all electric carts except for ems/police. They have their own police force, water treatment, etc, it's a legit small city now, especially in the summer.
Also, I think the cut that made BHI an island filled in. I've never heard of anyone driving from Ft. Fisher on the beach. Although I'm sure it's been done. Lots of history there. But is definitely a village - mayor, city council, everything. Cheers!
I suspect that some exceptions are made for construction vehicles. When you need a crane, there's not much in the way of alternatives and digging foundations with a shovel would get very expensive in terms of labor costs.
I have grandparents in Michigan. When visiting, my dad would take me to Mackinac Island almost every year when I was a kid and teen. It’s really fun and I recommend going! It’s a great way to get some exercise or meet some horse friends. The food is good and the people are very nice! If you can’t make it to the island, Mackinaw City also has the same food, but it does have cars. Fun fact: my grandpa was on one of the only motorized Mackinac Island vehicles. Years before I was born he had an appendicitis and had to take the ambulance to the local doctor. Then they had to ferry him to the mainland for surgery.
As someone with the surname Carless, this was a strange video to watch. It's not often I hear my surname in other contexts, and "the blissful serenity of carlessness" is definitely the best one yet.
I visited the island numerous times! In my younger days, my wife and I rented bicycles to get around. We rode around the entire island! 10 years ago, our family visited the island. We love the old 1780 Fort and many of the old historic homes. Some of these houses date back to before the American Revolutionary War carried on sleds across the ice from the earlier fort Michilimackinac built in 1715 by the French. If you ever decide to go one summer, make reservations early. The older fort on the lower peninsula side just across and next to the Big Mac Bridge has been restored and a must to visit. It's not far from the boat launches to the island .
I attended a destination wedding on this island for a very close friend... Who is no longer my friend and was separated in about a year. Oh and my wife was several months pregnant at the time. Widely remembered as one of the worst trips my friends an I have ever gone on. But also chalk full of some awesome memories. "You girls lookin for some fudge? " honestly pretty neat place.
Oh, that was great! I grew up in Michigan, and a trip to Mackinac Island was always a treat. You offered some details I never heard, imparting TRUE erudition - Kudos! I live in upstate NY now for 30+ years, and can truly say the BEST FUDGE ON THE PLANET is back on 'the Island.' All of the decent fudge makers in NY have abandoned the marble slab for shortcut methods. Loved your production values - fantastic little film.💖
I wasn't going to read through all 869 comments to see if anyone else had noted this, but the UPS wagon is brown and it's drawn by two brown horses. I always find that hilarious🙂. I once had to journey to the Island for work and was met at the dock by a wagon to help me haul all my equipment. Very considerate of them, I thought I was going to have to be my own horse. One other thing: go the the northeast corner of Marquette Park. There you'll find a staircase which will led right up to the top of the hill - where you'll find the gazebo from Somewhere in Time and, if you visit a few trails through the cedars, the best view of the Island you'll ever find! Plus it's way easier than slogging up that hill on foot!!!
Two corrections: 1. It’s pronounced “Saint Igg-Niss”. Don’t ask me why, lots of places in Michigan are pronounced different from what you’d expect. If someone claims to be from Michigan and you think he’s lying ask him how to pronounce Lake Orion. 2. There’s one other car. It’s an old rusted junker in the dump.
The one that drives me the most crazy is Saline, pronounced suh-leen. For years I assumed it was named after a person, but it was named after the natural salt water spring that’s there. It broke me to learn it was literally named after salt, but still isn’t it pronounced say-leen, like wtf? And I’m a native Michigander too & it still bothers me that we correct people who are saying it right 😂
Was lucky enough to visit this lovely place last September. Very touristy right off the ferry, with dozens of shops, and more flavors of fudge than you can shake a stick at. If you do go, I highly recommend the carriage tour, the butterfly house, and seeing the fort. One day was sufficient for me to see most of the stuff on the island, but if you wanted to take a real leisurely pace, and explore absolutely everything, you can could spend 2 or 3 days there.
I go there every year, my dad worked there for a few years as a kid. The mountain biking is pretty good and the dynamic of "I'm going really fast and will blow by you and don't care" and "those damn kids riding their bicycles too damn fast" is also still exactly the same as it is on highways, lol. The cops have e-bikes but they're otherwise banned.
Point O woods on fire island NY is also a car free town, its a private community but unlike this island they have a narrow gauge railroad to handle freight and passenger traffic on the half mile line.
Man you must read my mind! Just the other day I was reading about Mackinac Island, and of course I was looking for a video like this. And well.. here we are.
Same!! This past weekend I found a used paperback mystery in a gift shop in rural California, set on Mackinac Island (the novel called it Breakfast Island). I was pretty sure the setting was a real place with the name changed but I didn't know which of the Great Lakes it was on. Then a day after I finish the book, BAM, Sam answers that question and several more I didn't know I had!
Fun fact: the Anishinaabeg name for Mackinac Island is Michilimackinac (also the name of the british fort on the island). The name directly translates to "big turtle; place of the big turtle". The island holds immense religious significance among the Anishinaabeg and Native Americans at large as the literal center and birthplace of the entire world. The entire island is considered incredibly sacred and many import figures were burried there. It is also a joyous place to give thanks for nature. If you're interested in the story of how and/or why Michilimackinac is the center and birthplace of the world, I highly recommend looking up an indigenous telling of the story. It's very fascinating. But to *briefly* summarize for a youtube comment: In the beginning, the world was only water so that all the animals had to swim, and they grew tired. Then, Skywoman fell from the heavens, and ended up in the waters of the world swimming to stay afloat. Then a great, large turtle offered her refuge on its back. Skywoman then promised to create land for all the animals to rest should somone bring her mud from the bottom of the ocean. Many animals tried and all failed, until a little muskrat successfully brought up a fistful of mud. Skywoman thanked the muskrat, and with the turtle's permission placed the mud on its back and began to sing and dance with praise and thanks. As she sang and danced, the mud grew and expanded into a vast land of mountains and valleys and plains and rivers and wetlands and all manner of land for the animals to live on and rest. As the land grew, Skywoman also tossed the seeds and nuts she brought from above and thanked them as they grew into forests and grasslands and marshes and all manner of ecosystems. The land Skywoman brought into existence is known as Turtle Island (i.e. North America), and Michilimackinac is the exact spot she put the mud on the turtle's back. It's also worth noting, the Anishinaabeg do not own the island as it belongs to the state of Michigan and the USA as a whole Also (please correct me if I'm wrong), they do not have any treaty rights to the island. To use a crude analogy, this is their garden of eden and they do not own it or have any rights to it. #LandBack
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A lot of people on the island heat with propane, so theres a couple 30,000 gallon propane tanks on the island for storage. The thing is, the storage tanks aren't connected to individual houses, so gas still needs to be pumped off the big tanks, transported to the home, and pumped into the small tanks outside their homes... a job usually done everywhere else by a bobtail (semitruck with a large propane tank mounted on the frame). At one point, years ago, the village commissioned my grandfathers company to build a horse-drawn propane tank with a gas-powered pump to transport propane around the island. They built it and delivered it to the island, but i dont think it was ever used. I remember hearing something about pesky regulations with explosive gasses, internal combustion engines, and livestock prevented it. I think now they just let the bobtails drive on the island when needed.
Im from Michigan. When we show each other where we live we use our hand. We hold it 4 fingers together with a thumb out and point on our hand where we live in Michigan
There is also the car free village of Ocean Beach, on Fire Island, in New York. “cars are not allowed in the Village of Ocean Beach on Fire Island: No public roads: The village has no public streets, roadways, or highways. Car-free village: The village is designed to be car-free, and motor vehicles are not permitted. Alternative transportation: Visitors get around by walking, biking, or using wagons. There's also a wagon parking lot next to the ferry dock. Fire Island is a 32-mile-long barrier beach. You can drive to the Fire Island Lighthouse and the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness, but you can't drive the length of the island. You can also drive to two state parks, Robert Moses State Park and Smith Point County Park, but you can't leave the parks by car to access the rest of Fire Island. “
I think it'd be really interesting to see a video about the modifications made to create accessibility for disabled folks here. So much accessibility in the US is motor vehicle based I'd imagine the civil engineers for Mackinac would be creative.
If you have restrictions that make it difficult to walk/climb the hills you can use horse drawn cabs (they have ones that are wheelchair accessible) or electric scooters.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't ALL of the US car-free at one stage? It'd be nice to go back to that. I'm sick of traffic. I want trams and trains, with bicycles in-between.
No you wouldnt, cars do serve an important purpose. Before cars they used horse drawn carriages to do those tasks instead and as a result the cities were drowning in horse manure. Cars were an environmentally friendly replacement for the horse.
Traffic sucks but not even the island that banned all cars can do everything without them, sure it's mainly emergency services but cars do serve a very vital purpose in todays world and are pretty much necessary for any large area to succeed in developing. What makes the US so different from countries in Europe for example is that the US was built up around the time the automobile became a thing and shifted towards it pretty quickly meaning most of the modern infastructure was built entirely around the car which is the reason why it's so different from other countries with roads being very prominent everywhere and also being very large, much larger than most other places. It has it's positives and it's negatives and it should certainly be reworked but going back to no cars is not an option anywhere.
I think cars should still exist but not as a main form of transport, not everyone should need a car (at least where I live, cars make cycling or walking really dangerous) Really bikes, trains and trams should be the most used transport, and cars should be there for emergency purposes (ambulances, firetrucks, etc).
In the winter, if the lake freezes over sufficiently, they survey it for safety, and then mark what they call the ice bridge with Christmas trees. Then, people can safely walk, bicycle, or snowmobile to the mainland.
I live in Northern MI and only go to the island just days before the end of the season when everything shuts down. Very few tourists and since I love the cold it's perfect. I like riding the ferry when the water is usually choppy that time of year. Doesn't hurt that all the prices are cut rate too. There's a charming little restaurant where I always have potato soup and hot chocolate before leaving.
Interesting about the use of snowmobiles in the winter. I've known of the car ban for a long time, but had presumed it applied to all internal combustion powered personal conveyances. So the sum total is peace, quiet, and clean air in the summer, and in the winter... Kind of the opposite. I'd have thought it would be horses and horse-drawn sleighs.
Never been there so no idea of what island life is like there but I do know all about lake effect snow. Winters in and around the great lakes are different. It's not just snow you have to deal with. It's mountains of snow.
Gentle reminder that the car saved London from the Great Horse Manure Crisis. It was the *environmentally friendly* option, because horses made a mess (with consequences also on sanitation and water drainage).
This video felt almost like a mini Wendover piece ;) Car free islands are actually pretty common here on a lot of German islands. Most of the times the fire department, ambulance and maybe the garbage truck will be the only cars allowed.. makes for great tourist experiences.
As a Michigander my biggest bone I have to pick on this island is the famous Grand Hotel with the beautiful porch charges you 12$ to simply sit and enjoy the view. I think that's ridiculous but I still love the island!
Coming from a former michigan resident, I'm pretty sure I heard that deliveries in the winter are done by snowmobile after the ice gets thick enough to drive safely across the lake but don't quote me on that
French + Native American leads to a lot of strange names in the Great lakes. Having grown up in Michigan I often forget about how weird so many of our names are
After Christmas local residents donate their Christmas trees and, once the water between the island and St. Ignace is safe, they use the trees to mark out a route between those two points and residents can make easy trips to St. Ignace for supplies until the ice melts.
As a newly-annointed Michigander, I'm ecstatic about this deep dive on Mackinac Island. Learn something new every day? I just have to correct one (or a couple of) thing(s): 1) Lake Huron/Michigan effectively don't freeze anymore, and 2) Thanks, Global Weirding!
Fun fact, I've had a semi tractor and 53 foot trailer on that island, to pick up scrap paper that must be taken off occasionally, all hidden far away from the hotel and main parts of the island
Aside from having mo desire to ever deal with a tourist season again, it sounds awesome. I would love to see a broader rejection of personal vehicles. (I live in a rural area, so I understand that it's not so easy if you live in the boonies.) A small town like mine could put in a few trolley lines and bring back horses. I know it's basically a pipe dream, but I like the idea.
Interesting place, I had to run a service call on some equipment at the Grand Hotel earlier this fall. Definitely adds some logistics, load tools/parts on a hand truck, ride the ferry, hike uphill to the Hotel....all in all an enjoyable day at work though. I've been there many times as a tourist but it was neat to go as a worker and see some of the behind the scenes stuff.
I guess the year-round residents of the island figure that their ability to get around in harsh Michigan winters when the tourists are gone is more important than the feelings of RUclips commenters.
Michigan has another island that is also free of cars… but is no longer a village. Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior is accessible only by passenger ferry or seaplane, and the only way to get around is on foot or by canoe/kayak/boat. Mackinac’s ubiquitous bikes and horses are nowhere to be seen, either. (You’re technically allowed to bring a bike, but you can’t take them on the trails, so there’s not much point.) There is almost no pavement anywhere: just a little between buildings at the two ferry ports.
Forklifts, emergency vehicles, construction equipment, and snowmobiles are all noncars you will see during both the summer and winter. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you will see a pickup or 2 doing work on the island.
Please consider doing a video about peach tree city Georgia where they have multi use paths in the whole city that is often used by golf carts in addition to bicycles
As someone who has been watching this channel since 2017, this video was already made on the channel back in February 2019. It’s actually kinda funny how they’ve made 450 videos and there only NOW recycling ideas
To be fair, it's not *entirely* recycling if they're doing longer form videos on the same subject. Sure, it's only a couple of minutes extra, but that does allow for substantially more material given their format and pacing.
He is too strictly anti-abortion for democrats and most moderates, but he is not loyal to trump so he is hated by some (most?) of the right. But yeah if you are making videos about horse-pulled carriage communities,an excursion into hating on an unrelated former governor and VP seems a little weird.
As someone that's involved with the Grand Hotel's merch clothing, I wondered what the deal is. Then I found out about the rooms. Turns out the whole island is really intriguing
Ive been to mackinac island and it is so cool. The buildings still have the frontier asthetic and, with all the horses walking around with carraiges in tow, it feels like traveling back in time to the 1800s and early 1900s (that is if you dont include the modern tourists walking around everywhere lol). It is absolutely underated when it comes to U.S. historical sites.
Fun fact: Only emergency vehicles are allowed all over the island, whereas golf carts can only run on the golf course properties. The only reason snowmobiles are allowed is because of the loophole that this motorized vehicle technically doesnt touch the ground of mackinac, as it is suspended above it by being on a layer of snow. Goofy reasoning, but considering its seasonal, it helps out a lot.
That’s not the frontier aesthetic it’s colonial style housing. Trust me I was ACTUALLY just there
@mazza3571 I would argue its a mix of both.
Also fun fact: The British invaded the island in the war of 1812 and won! Yep, the USA has been invaded before.
@@Mephmtit was the first battle of the war of 1812 and the British invaded at night, catching the fort by surprise and capturing it without a single shot
Oh boy, I'm glad this comment summarized the video for me!
Hi! As someone who has worked on the island as a Boy Scout they do have a few other cars that a lot of people don’t know about. There is one box truck on the island which is likely owned by the airport and the parks service has at least 2 trucks as well as a large (tractor sized) lawn mower!
yes I was also a scout on the island. My uncle was surveyor and got to drive a truck on the island during their off-season
Yall are so lucky to be put there in scouts I’ve always wanted to
I believe emergency services like fire trucks and ambulances are also the exception, for obvious reasons.
@@TateLapine depending on where you live there might be a troop that goes up near you that you could go with, I know the troop that I go up with has people from around 4 troops
@@bluedestiny88 Tell me you skipped the video without telling me you skipped the video
During summer months UPS runs deliveries off horse drawn drays (run by The Mackinac Island Service Company). The dray driver wanders around the Island with a load of packages and a uniformed UPS delivery person jumps off and takes them to doorsteps. Winter gets interesting, especially when ferries shut down. Packages arrive by plane and the airport wraps the terminal with tarps hanging from overhangs. Every time a flight comes over the excess capacity of the aircraft is loaded with packages and they are stashed at the airport. Residents have to come to the airport, usually by foot or snowmobile, to sort through the chaos and find their deliveries.
You can bring all kinds of vehicles onto the Island if needed (usually winter months only), and if you pay some substantial permit fees. Permits have to be approved by the City Council. Trailers, are allowed during all months for a small fee ($15). They have to be single axle and remain below 3000lbs (1360kgs) and are towed to their destination behind horse drawn drays. (I brought two onto the Island this year)
Every morning during summer a flat barge is towed to the Island, usually loaded with a few refrigerated semi truck trailers full of food and supplies. Pallets are removed from the trailers via forklift and placed on drays for delivery.
Concrete is also an interesting one. It can't generally be poured in winter months when a redi-mix truck would be allowed, so the island has one towable cement mixer that the drays can move. Concrete pours have to be done with bags of cement delivered by drays.
State park runs gas powered mowers. E-bikes are allowed as long as they are pedal assist and do not have a throttle. The street sweeper runs every morning and is horse drawn with the sweeper and vacuum powered by a gas engine. I've never seen the battery powered on mentioned in the video.
If the lake is frozen over and there's a bad snowstorm you're screwed for a couple days I take it.
@@dannydaw59 snowmobile.
Sounds like they're trying way to hard to stay in the 1700s
What a gimmick all for the kept tourism dollar. I wonder what that island really costs to operate for the State of Michigan.
For companies, it's like operating at Disneyland with the hoped-for advertising and exposure as a good corporate citizen.
So where does all the waste go?
One of my favorite facts is that due to the highway on the island still being managed by MDOT, they have to place all the construction signage at intervals meant for cars. Also Amazon has a delivery horse.
Do they sell motor fuel on the island ? There isn't actually a ban on internal combustion engines ? (Snowmobiles ok) Just motorized wheels ? What about E bikes, etc ? Gas riding lawn mowers and weed wackers are ok ? As long as nothing moves on,
"the road " ? Michigan taxpayers are on the hook for the roads they aren't allowed to drive on.
The Amazon delivery horse was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen
@michaelmccarthy4615 the ban is on cars and motorcycles of any kind of propulsion
I think i found the loophole. Snowmobiles are fast, versatile, powerful modern machines. They can also be ridden year round. (They don't need snow) They can even be ridden across water. Each state has their own very thick DMV manuals on what constitutes a vehicle. (Plus, the federal government has overriding requirements of their own).
I just see a unique marketing ploy that is used to set this tourist destination (trap) apart from others for the profit of likely a small group of investors.
@@michaelmccarthy4615 There is a gas pump (the only one I believe) that is behind the fort in the trash storage area
I used to deliver furniture in northern Mi. One day we had a delivery on Mackinac Island. Normally our route would have around 20-40 deliveries per day depending on the size. This day we had 2. One in St. Ignace and one on Mackinac Island. We assumed we’d just be dropping it off at the Ferry and be on our way but we were told “nope, you need to deliver it to their house”. We were actually excited because Mackinac island is such a cool place and now we basically were getting paid to be there 😂. The only way we could deliver our items was by Dray Cart. The only Dray that day was mostly postal items and our stop was almost last on his route. I think he said we’d probably get there around 5pm….it was 10am. So we helped him get his route done by noon and spent the rest of the day having fun on the island. Even got to eat at a super nice restaurant that had a dress code. Because we were wearing our uniforms we technically met the requirements 😂. If you ever have the change to go to Mackinac, DO IT! You’ll never see anything like it elsewhere.
I grew up in Michigan throughout the 80’s and 90’s and regularly went to Mackinac each year. Even since moving to another state, I’ve still returned to Michigan a few times each year and gone to Mackinac about every other year. Yes, it can be touristy. But not like other places like Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Niagara Falls, Pigeon Forge, or areas of Orlando. And especially not anywhere on the island other than the main downtown area. I’ve always liked staying on the island at least a night or two, if not more, when I’ve gone. Mainly because so many people only come across for the day, and if you’re there in the evening, night, or early morning it can be incredibly peaceful and serene. Those times have been my very favorites. I’m also an avid distance runner, and running around the perimeter of the island in the early morning hours, so that you finish just as the sun goes up? Wow. One of the very best running experiences in the world. Usually not a single other person, cool weather, light breeze off the water, perfectly quiet other than the water lapping up on the shoreline, and you finish with a beautiful sunrise and view of the bridge. I suppose there are limited activities on the island, but that’s not necessarily the point. It’s a place to relax, and not be bothered by city-relate things. Almost like camping. Can’t say enough good things about Mackinac though, and such a gem of Michigan in my opinion.
How it works in the winter: the ice is thick enough to drive on - both snowmobile and car. There is a brief time when there is too much ice for the ferry and not enough to drive on that the island is pretty isolated from the mainland, but in the depts of winter the ice gets thick and it's easy enough to traverse.
Put wheels on the snowmobiles and drive them year round. It's doable.
The old winter world war II trick. Everyone forgets that at least before the world started to get a bit warmer most of the winter, the ice on lakes is thick enough to support multi-ton motor vehicles
@@klaykid117 The Great Lakes don't freeze over in winter. Never have beyond the lakeshores. They're way too big. The area between the island and the mainland there is an exception due to how thin the lake is in that stretch of water between the island and the coast combined with the coastal ice flows clogging the passage up.
I remember seeing a news article on how they had a hovercraft because some of the kids went to high school on the mainland.
There’s a tradition of placing discarded Christmas trees on a path across ice that’s been determined to be safe enough to carry snowmobiles. Late in the winter, losing the trail of trees means that the ice is breaking up, and you need to turn back to safety. Unfortunately, the reverse isn’t true: just because the trees are still there, doesn’t mean it’s safe.
3:02 so you're telling me that somewhere in America, there's a town whose local government has a poop knife budget?
State issued poop knife
yes. and in fact their mayor is one of the longest continuously serving mayors in america
Actually they have a new mayor, the old one just retired this year.
@@pseudonym995 Doud stepped down???? Holy crap - I was under the impression that broad would NEVER be replaced! She was mayor when I was driving for whichever outfit (Service Co, Carriage Tours, Ryba, and even some time for Dale Gough) needed a teamster and made a decent offer) back in the early 90s! For a while, I worked for Ryba's Star Freight - an upstart competitor to Service Co (I think it lasted 3 years?) and Doud was all kinds of against us - every legal trick in the book to try to block us from getting started. We got our toe in the door by taking away the UPS contract from Service Co, flying the packages over and loading the drays at the west end of the runway, then heading out to deliver them, but then Doud and the council (most of whom had at least some level of vested interest in Service Co remaining a monopoly on the island) tried to zone us out, block us from access to the ferry docks, fenced off our access to the end of the runway, and eventually, convinced the Mussers (Grand Hotel) to buy out the property where our barn at StoneCliffe stood, bulldoze the barn, and turn it into "the back nine" of the Grand's golf course.
You can include several major cities that still have mounted police in them. Not sure how many still do.
As a native michigander I appreciate you pronouncing Mackinac properly.
Edit: not St. Ignace though :(
I didn't know it was mispronounced. Even the rednecks in my neck of the woods pronounce it correctly.
I get how people MIGHT, but, I've never heard it. And I've talked about it more times than I would have imagined.
Once you get north of Big Rapids, you can forgive "foreigners" for not pronouncing 90% of the places up there correctly.
I clicked on this just to see if he pronounced it right.
that St. Ignace hurt oof
In his defense, Sam is a fluent French speaker who probably clocked "Mackinac" immediately and assumed everywhere here would be pronounced as a French word. There's two smaller towns called St. Ignace in French-speaking parts of Canada that pronounce it the way he did.
Speaking of horses, we took the family to Mackinac Island twice, and when our kids were little we used to playfully let them stomp in puddles after a rain storm. While on the main street in Mackinac Island, we had to tell them not to stomp in the puddles in the gutter, because that was not rainwater. It was also an object lesson knowing why old cartoons had a guy going down the street with a broom and a garbage can.
Those puddles are not ones you want to splash in
(From the Looney Tunes Western parody "Drip-Along Daffy")
Daffy (after being presented with a street cleaner's canister): I told you I'd clean up this one-horse town!
Porky: Lucky for him, this IS a one-horse town.
Getting out an OG automobile just to ban it a century later is absolutely hilarious
3:15 why bot use bike ?
Bicycles 🚲
That's Midwestern quirkiness for ya. We have goofy accents, dumb tourist traps, church signs with bad puns, painfully esoteric local customs *and we fucking love every last bit of it, dammit!*
@@Fragolux i thought all churches had punny signs. Is that really a midwestern thing?
2 fun facts
1. The island does have a high school robotics team, it required the use of a charter plane to get materials off the island during the winter competition.
2. The island's school district has exactly one school bus in St. Ignace for field trips in the pinesulas.
What's a Pine sula? LOL
yes they do , i believe we played against them at the state competition in Saginaw Valley
Didn't you do a video on this island before?
"The highway where cars are banned"?
That he did
Yes he did
Logistics tho
Everyone loves a reboot.
ruclips.net/video/tof52FXyZds/видео.html
This one. It was only 4 years ago as well
Lots of islands in Germany are completely car free too. Helgoland is quite interesting, because cycling is also banned there.
No, I think Legoland has cars
@@skylark.kraken Lego cars? :D
In Greece as well. But government/utility vehicles are allowed.
How the hell are you supposed to get around in Heligoland without even a bicycle?
@@ferretyluv It's so small, you can walk everywhere or use a non-electric scooter, as these aren't considered bikes under German law.
Fun Fact: Mackinac Island was the SECOND National Park, after Yellowstone. It included most of the island and was administered by the Army, until the fort was decommissioned in 1895. The federal government turned over responsibility to the state, and it become Michigan’s first *state* park.
I didn't know that either - truly fascinating, from the perspective of a Wolverine State expat in NY state.
I haven't been to Mackinac since I was kid, but I do remember the lack of cars. It is quite remarkable (as a North American) to be somewhere where there are no cars.
(In addition to the fudge, the smoked fish is also amazing!)
Oh, let's not forget the pasties ! 😍
I love Mackinac Island! So many memories from my childhood of riding bikes around the island with my siblings and cousins! Lots of wonderful locally made fudge and candies! I don't even play golf, but I am struck by how beautiful the golf course there is. The whole island is lovely with interesting history. I'm sure that it rains sometimes, but all of my memories are of sunny days and vast green lawns with beautiful flower gardens! Yes, I've only ever been there in the summertime. The last time that we were there, a decade or so ago, we literally met the Harlem Globetrotters! My husband and I had to explain the trope to our son. The guys on the team were lovely and we ended up doing early American dancing with them at the Fort. Mackinac is truly a magical place!
Bikes were so expensive 5 years ago, we chose to just walk.
In other places where horses are working animals, there's a 'skirt' that is attached to the traces and the underside of the vehicle. It's a crap-catcher. They are emptied regularly, and it means it almost never hits the street. Search for images of horse drawn carriages in in Brugge, and in New York's Central Park. Pedestrians never need dodge a steaming pile.
I was wondering why they don't use these.
It's a fun place to visit! My wife and I really just enjoyed the time there. Lots of cool side trips like the haunted house, butterfly house, the fudge stores, and the Grand Hotel (we were able to get in without paying). Also, the fort is amazing. Wish we had time to get to the other side of the island. It's a lot bigger than it looks!
You just have to watch out for the "road apples", what we called the horse manure, and the "cider" which is the old #1.
I am a full time resident of Mackinac Island! You did your research on this one and I’m impressed! If the lake is frozen over and the ferry can’t run, all of our mail and packages get delivered by plane along with food for the grocery store etc. Which causes other logistical problems (price of milk going up because it’s heavy to fly, certain packages can’t be flown because they contain batteries). And if the lake is frozen enough people attempt to cross to the mainland by snowmobile, dangerous but locals still do it because it’s the quickest they can ever get back and forth and their convenience. Would be happy to try and answer any other questions you have!
Highly recommend looking up "Jack Barnwell" who is one of, if not the, largest landscaper on the island. He discusses the challenges associated with building and maintaining the beautiful properties on the island!
6:30 I loaded the Mack Island truck at UPS Rudyard for a bit a while back. When the ice freezes, they just fly everything over. Its more expensive but the island gets subsidies because both the Republicans and Democrats hold big conventions on the island, according to the boss there. Luckily in the winter, most shipments are pretty low. Just a couple dozen boxes on the floor of one of the St. Ignace trucks.
Also, I did once load an entire sim racing rig for Mackinac Island, which I found quite ironic.
So, technically, this is not the USA's only car-free village. The village of Bald Head Island, NC is also car free. They use golf carts and bicycles primarily to get around. Emergency vehicles do still exist but they are pretty rare. People get there via ferry from a couple locations, but most commonly from South Port, NC.
Golf carts are still considered cars
I was just coming here to say this!
What do they have in Bald head though?
@@dizzotizzo69beauty. Shopping. Gorgeous homes. Beautiful beaches. A few restaurants and b&bs.
There is also a car-free island at the Toronto Islands (which is the largest car-free community in North America). They do have vehicles for emergency and maintenances purposes.
My first job was driving the horse drawn tour carriages on Mackinac Island, so I always like hearing someone talking about this special place.
Fun fact: This is the second video Sam has made about this topic and town on HAI.
So really this is a Quarter As Interesting video.
Yeah I was confused for a second.
@@shashankmahalingam5254why? it involves the same island but it’s not on the same topic. in any case, many people may have missed the first video, and it was very generous of him to create another original one rather than simply reposting the first one. which again, isn’t exactly the same topically-speaking.
@@sethd6485 I'm not complaining. I just said I was confused because I've seen the other video, so when I saw this I was getting deja vu.
The absolute serendipity of it all... literally yesterday I finished reading a random used paperback mystery novel that I found in a grocery & gift shop in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The setting was 100% based on Mackinac Island. Crazy how the universe just does that sometimes
Getting around in the winter can also be by cross-country skiing. I even asked about it once and was told that it does take place. You can always do skijoring behind a snowmobile or a year-round horse if you tire easily...
KMCD is a nice little airport. It has a 3500 foot runway and three instrument approaches. Top off before you go as they don't have fuel. Interesting comment in the A/FD: "Pitot covers recommended while parked; check tubes before departure due to mud daubers."
Ah yes, good ol bug in pitot tube accidents
I flew in there once. Very scenic but challenging approach. I got some surprise windshear due to the breeze blowing across the 400’ hill that is the island and then dropping towards the cold lake water.
What's the fella out of Dune doing to the tubes? Does he think the pilots are Harkonen?
@@Late5555 I have to admit, that took me a minute. 😁
@@johnopalko5223 haha - as I typed it I knew I was fighting against the odds. I'm so pleased it actually landed 😁❤️
I go there one or twice a year and once ran into someone online who lived there year-round until they started college. It's honestly really cool to see all the pictures on the island in the video and know exactly where they are
the guy from wendover and the guy from HAI posting on the same day 😮 0:10
St. Ignace, in the tradition of Michigan place names that are spelled funny, is pronounced like Saint Ig-niss
It's a french name, and in french, it's pronounced Saint Ig-nass
0:18 as a Chicagoan, this is accurate. Half the tourist in Mackinac Island are from Chicago area
As someone who grew up near the island and worked for the ferries for many seasons, it was great seeing HAI make a video on it! The island has gotten more and more attention worldwide, so I love seeing the area I live getting so well known.
The only criticisms I have of the video: Huron is pronounced "HERE-on", St. Ignace is pronounced "Saint IG-niss", and Rudyard is pronounced "Rud-yerd"
I grew up in Grand Rapids. Granted, I rarely ever spent any time along the shores of Huron, but I never heard the lake's name pronounced "Here-on." I think I'd get a strange look if I pronounced it that way on the westside of the state.
@gogreen7794 it's a subtle difference, but it's there. it's not like a strong HERE, but it's also not HER. I don't know how else to describe it.
Definitely not the only car-free village. There's Bald Head Island in NC. Fire Island in New York. Catalina in California. I'm assuming there are probably others.
a lot of German (danish? and dutch?) Northsea island are mostly careless too, also some alphine villages
Fire island off long island, NY is also almost completely car-free
More precisely, the Fire Island community of Cherry Grove is completely car free, and the community of Pines has no individually owned cars, but there are some municipal pickup trucks etc in Pines. But definitely nothing that anyone would consider a car or truck is allowed in Cherry Grove. I’m confident there are other communities with similar situations, Sam’s just making a click-bait video title
@@jpe1 Just a few months ago I was there and there were a few cars...
By the definition in this video, bald head Island, NC is as well
*I hit $113k today.* Thank you for all the knowledge and nuggets you had thrown my way over the last months. Started last month 2024. Financial education is indeed required for more than 70% of the society in the country as very few are literate on the subject.
I would really love to know how much work you did put in to get to this stage.
It's essential for you to have a mentor to keep you accountable. Myself, I'm guided by Evelyn Vera. for years and highly recommend her I focus on him. To be honest, I almost didn't buy the idea of letting someone handle growing my finance, but so glad I did.
Wow! wow! please is there any way to reach her services?
Yes, this is her WHAT'SAPPS 🇺🇸
+121
Maybe it’s not technically a village, but Bald Head Island in North Carolina is car free except for emergency vehicles. You once could drive there if you had off-road vehicles as it was connected to Ft.Fisher, but it was broken away by storms over the years and remains inaccessible.
Hey there, I was wondering if someone would point this out! My family has been on the island since the early 80s. It actually is a Village nowadays. Early on, people that lived out at east beach had to use Jeeps, but today it's all electric carts except for ems/police. They have their own police force, water treatment, etc, it's a legit small city now, especially in the summer.
Also, I think the cut that made BHI an island filled in. I've never heard of anyone driving from Ft. Fisher on the beach. Although I'm sure it's been done. Lots of history there. But is definitely a village - mayor, city council, everything. Cheers!
I suspect that some exceptions are made for construction vehicles. When you need a crane, there's not much in the way of alternatives and digging foundations with a shovel would get very expensive in terms of labor costs.
Roman-style crane powered by humans or horses?
I have grandparents in Michigan. When visiting, my dad would take me to Mackinac Island almost every year when I was a kid and teen. It’s really fun and I recommend going! It’s a great way to get some exercise or meet some horse friends. The food is good and the people are very nice! If you can’t make it to the island, Mackinaw City also has the same food, but it does have cars.
Fun fact: my grandpa was on one of the only motorized Mackinac Island vehicles. Years before I was born he had an appendicitis and had to take the ambulance to the local doctor. Then they had to ferry him to the mainland for surgery.
As someone with the surname Carless, this was a strange video to watch. It's not often I hear my surname in other contexts, and "the blissful serenity of carlessness" is definitely the best one yet.
So close to carelessness though... 😄
Mackinac Island is your destiny....
I have a friend named Carl who would probably like the surname Carless.
I visited the island numerous times! In my younger days, my wife and I rented bicycles to get around. We rode around the entire island! 10 years ago, our family visited the island. We love the old 1780 Fort and many of the old historic homes. Some of these houses date back to before the American Revolutionary War carried on sleds across the ice from the earlier fort Michilimackinac built in 1715 by the French. If you ever decide to go one summer, make reservations early. The older fort on the lower peninsula side just across and next to the Big Mac Bridge has been restored and a must to visit. It's not far from the boat launches to the island .
I attended a destination wedding on this island for a very close friend... Who is no longer my friend and was separated in about a year. Oh and my wife was several months pregnant at the time. Widely remembered as one of the worst trips my friends an I have ever gone on. But also chalk full of some awesome memories. "You girls lookin for some fudge? " honestly pretty neat place.
Oh wow, it sounds like you keep very interesting company.
What a shame, though, that you aren't friends anymore.
Oh, that was great! I grew up in Michigan, and a trip to Mackinac Island was always a treat. You offered some details I never heard, imparting TRUE erudition - Kudos! I live in upstate NY now for 30+ years, and can truly say the BEST FUDGE ON THE PLANET is back on 'the Island.' All of the decent fudge makers in NY have abandoned the marble slab for shortcut methods. Loved your production values - fantastic little film.💖
I’ve been there a few times…huge portions of it smell like fudge, not horses…it’s pretty incredible.
It really is one or the other, depending on where you are standing, and do watch your step!
I wasn't going to read through all 869 comments to see if anyone else had noted this, but the UPS wagon is brown and it's drawn by two brown horses. I always find that hilarious🙂. I once had to journey to the Island for work and was met at the dock by a wagon to help me haul all my equipment. Very considerate of them, I thought I was going to have to be my own horse. One other thing: go the the northeast corner of Marquette Park. There you'll find a staircase which will led right up to the top of the hill - where you'll find the gazebo from Somewhere in Time and, if you visit a few trails through the cedars, the best view of the Island you'll ever find! Plus it's way easier than slogging up that hill on foot!!!
Two corrections:
1. It’s pronounced “Saint Igg-Niss”. Don’t ask me why, lots of places in Michigan are pronounced different from what you’d expect. If someone claims to be from Michigan and you think he’s lying ask him how to pronounce Lake Orion.
2. There’s one other car. It’s an old rusted junker in the dump.
The one that drives me the most crazy is Saline, pronounced suh-leen.
For years I assumed it was named after a person, but it was named after the natural salt water spring that’s there. It broke me to learn it was literally named after salt, but still isn’t it pronounced say-leen, like wtf? And I’m a native Michigander too & it still bothers me that we correct people who are saying it right 😂
How is Lake Orion pronounced
Gratiot= grey sh*t
Was lucky enough to visit this lovely place last September. Very touristy right off the ferry, with dozens of shops, and more flavors of fudge than you can shake a stick at. If you do go, I highly recommend the carriage tour, the butterfly house, and seeing the fort. One day was sufficient for me to see most of the stuff on the island, but if you wanted to take a real leisurely pace, and explore absolutely everything, you can could spend 2 or 3 days there.
I go there every year, my dad worked there for a few years as a kid.
The mountain biking is pretty good and the dynamic of "I'm going really fast and will blow by you and don't care" and "those damn kids riding their bicycles too damn fast" is also still exactly the same as it is on highways, lol. The cops have e-bikes but they're otherwise banned.
Point O woods on fire island NY is also a car free town, its a private community but unlike this island they have a narrow gauge railroad to handle freight and passenger traffic on the half mile line.
Man you must read my mind! Just the other day I was reading about Mackinac Island, and of course I was looking for a video like this. And well.. here we are.
Same!! This past weekend I found a used paperback mystery in a gift shop in rural California, set on Mackinac Island (the novel called it Breakfast Island). I was pretty sure the setting was a real place with the name changed but I didn't know which of the Great Lakes it was on. Then a day after I finish the book, BAM, Sam answers that question and several more I didn't know I had!
Fun fact: the Anishinaabeg name for Mackinac Island is Michilimackinac (also the name of the british fort on the island). The name directly translates to "big turtle; place of the big turtle". The island holds immense religious significance among the Anishinaabeg and Native Americans at large as the literal center and birthplace of the entire world. The entire island is considered incredibly sacred and many import figures were burried there. It is also a joyous place to give thanks for nature.
If you're interested in the story of how and/or why Michilimackinac is the center and birthplace of the world, I highly recommend looking up an indigenous telling of the story. It's very fascinating. But to *briefly* summarize for a youtube comment: In the beginning, the world was only water so that all the animals had to swim, and they grew tired. Then, Skywoman fell from the heavens, and ended up in the waters of the world swimming to stay afloat. Then a great, large turtle offered her refuge on its back. Skywoman then promised to create land for all the animals to rest should somone bring her mud from the bottom of the ocean. Many animals tried and all failed, until a little muskrat successfully brought up a fistful of mud. Skywoman thanked the muskrat, and with the turtle's permission placed the mud on its back and began to sing and dance with praise and thanks. As she sang and danced, the mud grew and expanded into a vast land of mountains and valleys and plains and rivers and wetlands and all manner of land for the animals to live on and rest. As the land grew, Skywoman also tossed the seeds and nuts she brought from above and thanked them as they grew into forests and grasslands and marshes and all manner of ecosystems.
The land Skywoman brought into existence is known as Turtle Island (i.e. North America), and Michilimackinac is the exact spot she put the mud on the turtle's back.
It's also worth noting, the Anishinaabeg do not own the island as it belongs to the state of Michigan and the USA as a whole Also (please correct me if I'm wrong), they do not have any treaty rights to the island. To use a crude analogy, this is their garden of eden and they do not own it or have any rights to it. #LandBack
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waking up every 14th of each
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I do know Ms. Evelyn Vera, I also have even become successful....
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A lot of people on the island heat with propane, so theres a couple 30,000 gallon propane tanks on the island for storage. The thing is, the storage tanks aren't connected to individual houses, so gas still needs to be pumped off the big tanks, transported to the home, and pumped into the small tanks outside their homes... a job usually done everywhere else by a bobtail (semitruck with a large propane tank mounted on the frame).
At one point, years ago, the village commissioned my grandfathers company to build a horse-drawn propane tank with a gas-powered pump to transport propane around the island. They built it and delivered it to the island, but i dont think it was ever used. I remember hearing something about pesky regulations with explosive gasses, internal combustion engines, and livestock prevented it.
I think now they just let the bobtails drive on the island when needed.
Im from Michigan. When we show each other where we live we use our hand. We hold it 4 fingers together with a thumb out and point on our hand where we live in Michigan
"Michigan, the giant hand holding Detroit back from trying to fight Canada" - John Oliver
There is also the car free village of Ocean Beach, on Fire Island, in New York.
“cars are not allowed in the Village of Ocean Beach on Fire Island:
No public roads: The village has no public streets, roadways, or highways.
Car-free village: The village is designed to be car-free, and motor vehicles are not permitted.
Alternative transportation: Visitors get around by walking, biking, or using wagons. There's also a wagon parking lot next to the ferry dock.
Fire Island is a 32-mile-long barrier beach. You can drive to the Fire Island Lighthouse and the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness, but you can't drive the length of the island. You can also drive to two state parks, Robert Moses State Park and Smith Point County Park, but you can't leave the parks by car to access the rest of Fire Island. “
I think it'd be really interesting to see a video about the modifications made to create accessibility for disabled folks here. So much accessibility in the US is motor vehicle based I'd imagine the civil engineers for Mackinac would be creative.
If you have restrictions that make it difficult to walk/climb the hills you can use horse drawn cabs (they have ones that are wheelchair accessible) or electric scooters.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't ALL of the US car-free at one stage?
It'd be nice to go back to that. I'm sick of traffic. I want trams and trains, with bicycles in-between.
I mean, technically the US existed for about 100 years before cards existed.
No you wouldnt, cars do serve an important purpose. Before cars they used horse drawn carriages to do those tasks instead and as a result the cities were drowning in horse manure. Cars were an environmentally friendly replacement for the horse.
Same here. I'm tired of traffic. I recently got some land to build a cool new mini, walkable town. Looking for help to design it now
Traffic sucks but not even the island that banned all cars can do everything without them, sure it's mainly emergency services but cars do serve a very vital purpose in todays world and are pretty much necessary for any large area to succeed in developing.
What makes the US so different from countries in Europe for example is that the US was built up around the time the automobile became a thing and shifted towards it pretty quickly meaning most of the modern infastructure was built entirely around the car which is the reason why it's so different from other countries with roads being very prominent everywhere and also being very large, much larger than most other places.
It has it's positives and it's negatives and it should certainly be reworked but going back to no cars is not an option anywhere.
I think cars should still exist but not as a main form of transport, not everyone should need a car (at least where I live, cars make cycling or walking really dangerous)
Really bikes, trains and trams should be the most used transport, and cars should be there for emergency purposes (ambulances, firetrucks, etc).
I went here for a weekend every year when I was growing up!! It’s so amazing to see a whole video about it, this brings back such great memories
I went to this island last summer and it is extremely nice. Definitely visit if you have the chance.
I've been there a couple of times. The fudge is so worth the cost of getting there.
"back to illinois" so accurate lmao
There is no other place quite as memorable as Mackinac Island. You will never forget it and will want to go back again and again.
In the winter, if the lake freezes over sufficiently, they survey it for safety, and then mark what they call the ice bridge with Christmas trees. Then, people can safely walk, bicycle, or snowmobile to the mainland.
I don't know. I wouldn't feel very "safe" walking on an ice road full of snowmobilers.
I live in Northern MI and only go to the island just days before the end of the season when everything shuts down. Very few tourists and since I love the cold it's perfect. I like riding the ferry when the water is usually choppy that time of year. Doesn't hurt that all the prices are cut rate too. There's a charming little restaurant where I always have potato soup and hot chocolate before leaving.
The horse poop problem:
When the horseless carriage was invented it was widely tauted as "the solution to pollution."
Interesting about the use of snowmobiles in the winter. I've known of the car ban for a long time, but had presumed it applied to all internal combustion powered personal conveyances.
So the sum total is peace, quiet, and clean air in the summer, and in the winter... Kind of the opposite. I'd have thought it would be horses and horse-drawn sleighs.
there are sleighs and sleighbells in the winter, but most full time residences don't have stables so your kind of stuck with a snowmobile.
Never been there so no idea of what island life is like there but I do know all about lake effect snow. Winters in and around the great lakes are different. It's not just snow you have to deal with. It's mountains of snow.
Gentle reminder that the car saved London from the Great Horse Manure Crisis. It was the *environmentally friendly* option, because horses made a mess (with consequences also on sanitation and water drainage).
This video felt almost like a mini Wendover piece ;)
Car free islands are actually pretty common here on a lot of German islands. Most of the times the fire department, ambulance and maybe the garbage truck will be the only cars allowed.. makes for great tourist experiences.
I love Macanac island. Very thankful to have been there before.
As a Michigander my biggest bone I have to pick on this island is the famous Grand Hotel with the beautiful porch charges you 12$ to simply sit and enjoy the view. I think that's ridiculous but I still love the island!
1:15 classic "Americans will use anything but the metric system" moment
who cares
My half ton Chevy has a 9/16 oil pan plug and with the filter takes 5.5 quarts of oil and then go two track on the 80 acre farm.
Coming from a former michigan resident, I'm pretty sure I heard that deliveries in the winter are done by snowmobile after the ice gets thick enough to drive safely across the lake but don't quote me on that
This is on my travel bucket list.
Two videos in two days? Christmas came early 😂
Please do a video about why the last c in Mackinac is silent and sounds like a "w"😂
French + Native American leads to a lot of strange names in the Great lakes. Having grown up in Michigan I often forget about how weird so many of our names are
@@maxtonherst6055 I'm from a part of VA where not a lot of French loan words exist but am very familiar with Native American named towns. I get it.
After Christmas local residents donate their Christmas trees and, once the water between the island and St. Ignace is safe, they use the trees to mark out a route between those two points and residents can make easy trips to St. Ignace for supplies until the ice melts.
5:26 Heh, map of Cincinnati. Definitely _not_ a car-less locale...
As a newly-annointed Michigander, I'm ecstatic about this deep dive on Mackinac Island. Learn something new every day? I just have to correct one (or a couple of) thing(s): 1) Lake Huron/Michigan effectively don't freeze anymore, and 2) Thanks, Global Weirding!
1:42 Moscow, Russia
Sadovoye Ring near Park Kultury metro station
Fun fact, I've had a semi tractor and 53 foot trailer on that island, to pick up scrap paper that must be taken off occasionally, all hidden far away from the hotel and main parts of the island
You think I wouldn’t recognize the GTA V map in the thumbnail 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Wait what I’m confused now
@@equertydon’t worry. That guy is the confused one.
It not it just looks like it so op decided to make a funny. @@equerty
Aside from having mo desire to ever deal with a tourist season again, it sounds awesome. I would love to see a broader rejection of personal vehicles. (I live in a rural area, so I understand that it's not so easy if you live in the boonies.) A small town like mine could put in a few trolley lines and bring back horses. I know it's basically a pipe dream, but I like the idea.
Whoa, this is insane! Keep it up!
As someone who lived and worked on this island all last summer… this video was a lovely surprise!
5:28 Bro why is my hometown Cincinnati on the stock footage? I’m dying 😭
This isn't the first time he's roasted Cincinnati stock footage 😂.
@ Half as City
D00d br00 fart fart
Interesting place, I had to run a service call on some equipment at the Grand Hotel earlier this fall. Definitely adds some logistics, load tools/parts on a hand truck, ride the ferry, hike uphill to the Hotel....all in all an enjoyable day at work though. I've been there many times as a tourist but it was neat to go as a worker and see some of the behind the scenes stuff.
You always keep it interesting!
I vacationed here four years in a row for a week each time. What happy memories.
The snowmobiles are disappointing
I guess the year-round residents of the island figure that their ability to get around in harsh Michigan winters when the tourists are gone is more important than the feelings of RUclips commenters.
Ever experienced lake effect snow? No horses are getting anywhere in that.
Michigan has another island that is also free of cars… but is no longer a village. Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior is accessible only by passenger ferry or seaplane, and the only way to get around is on foot or by canoe/kayak/boat. Mackinac’s ubiquitous bikes and horses are nowhere to be seen, either. (You’re technically allowed to bring a bike, but you can’t take them on the trails, so there’s not much point.) There is almost no pavement anywhere: just a little between buildings at the two ferry ports.
Pronounces Mackinac correctly, St Ignace incorrectly. 😂
Mackinac and Rudyard. Not St Ignace.
I screen-grabbed the aerial photos you have. Thank you for including those.
It feels like snowmobiles should also be banned in the spirit of the law.
Forklifts, emergency vehicles, construction equipment, and snowmobiles are all noncars you will see during both the summer and winter. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you will see a pickup or 2 doing work on the island.
Please consider doing a video about peach tree city Georgia where they have multi use paths in the whole city that is often used by golf carts in addition to bicycles
As someone who has been watching this channel since 2017, this video was already made on the channel back in February 2019. It’s actually kinda funny how they’ve made 450 videos and there only NOW recycling ideas
To be fair, it's not *entirely* recycling if they're doing longer form videos on the same subject. Sure, it's only a couple of minutes extra, but that does allow for substantially more material given their format and pacing.
What’s up with the Mike pence hate
If you have to ask, you don’t want to understand.
He is too strictly anti-abortion for democrats and most moderates, but he is not loyal to trump so he is hated by some (most?) of the right. But yeah if you are making videos about horse-pulled carriage communities,an excursion into hating on an unrelated former governor and VP seems a little weird.
As someone that's involved with the Grand Hotel's merch clothing, I wondered what the deal is. Then I found out about the rooms. Turns out the whole island is really intriguing
As a Michigander, I am compelled to tell you it's pronounced "IG niss"