There's a background story to this trip.
Ever since I was a little kid I've had this weird fascination with ships. Titanic in particular. I had no idea why. Nor did I know why my dad would take me swimming at Lake Michigan in less than 40 degree water and yet, he'd have to drag me kicking and screaming out of the water as I was turning blue with the onset of hypothermia.
None of it made any sense to me.
One day I was visiting with a fellow psychic friend of mine when she began to read me. I'd never even mentioned this obsession I had with Titanic.
"I'm seeing you on a ship," she said. "You weren't alone though. There was a younger male with you. A brother I think? You were 3rd class passengers. I'm seeing the flag of Sweden. I think you were Swedish. Your name was Johanna. I'm also seeing an A so I think your last name began with an A. Patty, this ship sank and both you and your brother were lost...OMG PATTY! I'm seeing the TITANIC! You were on the Titanic!"
Curiosity got the better of me. I looked up Titanic's 3rd class passenger list.
Sure enough...there she was.
Things got even more weird...
My grandmother (at left) emigrated from Sweden on a ship with her younger brother.
My grandmother settled in the same city Johanna had.
Johanna's husband was in the dairy business. My Swedish family owns a well-known 400+ year old farm over there and my cousin owns a dairy farm.
The parallels and sychronicities between Johanna and my Swedish family just kept piling up.
Was I Johanna Ahlin on the Titanic? There's no way to ever know for sure but it's an interesting conversation starter at a Titanic re-enactment at the least.
I've always attended every Titanic event I could, even before I knew of Johanna. Is it coincidence that I always pull the name of a woman passenger that perished that night...and never that of a survivor? I don't believe in "coincidence' especially after what happened at the Mackinac Island Titanic weekend...
For any of my fellow Titanic buffs out there, this Titanic weekend re-enactment is held every year at Mackinac (pronounced Mack-in-aw) Island's Grand Hotel.
The Grand Hotel
Here's what you can expect at the Grand's Titanic weekend:
The Year is 1912 and you have a First-Class Ticket on the Titanic. Experience a weekend of glamour and decadence in a way that only Grand Hotel could offer. Be whisked away each night with live bands, dancing, and authentic cuisine in the ballroom. Learn what it was really like to be on the “Unsinkable Ship” with our professional Historians and watch a special viewing of the Oscar-winning movie. Our immersive actors and authentic costumes will transport you aboard the Titanic for a weekend you’ll never forget.
Additional nights are available at a discounted rate.
Package Includes:
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Grand Hotel accommodations
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Breakfast and dinner daily
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All resort amenities
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Friday evening Bon Voyage party and reception
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Friday evening themed entertainment
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Saturday morning History Lecture with Resident Historian
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Saturday afternoon presentation (The movie, Titanic)
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Saturday dinner inspired by the last meal served on the Titanic
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Sunday morning wrap-up
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Admission to the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum
Titanic Weekend is also available by calling Grand Hotel Reservations at 1-800-334-7263.
Just a head's up...The Grand has a dress code. Because the hotel is a resort, guests are encouraged to dress in comfortable attire to ensure their comfort during their stay. During the day, casual resort clothing is appropriate.
TIP: Ladies should refrain from wearing midriff-baring tops, sweatpants, or cut-off shorts. Men should avoid sleeveless shirts, sweatpants, and cut-off shorts.
Every evening at the hotel is considered to be a special occasion, the dress code for the main areas of the hotel — including the Parlor, Lobby, Terrace, and Main Dining Room — requires ladies to wear dresses, skirts, blouses, dress sweaters, or dress slacks.
Gentlemen are expected to wear a suit or sport coat, necktie, and dress pants — denim or shorts are not allowed. Children above the age of 12 are required to dress similar to adults.
If you're participating in a Titanic weekend, the dress code won't pose a problem for you as everyone is in Edwardian formal dress the entire weekend, except on the morning you leave Mackinac Island.
I recommend you bring two Edwardian era costumes with you, one for Friday and one for Saturday.
I paid a bit extra for a room with a balcony overlooking Mackinac Straits since Rose and I would be sharing a room.
Rose and I had decided to spend a couple of more nights on Mackinac after the Titanic weekend to explore so I'd booked us at the Harbor View Inn as I'd gotten a deal through Kayak and it was far cheaper than the Grand. More on Harbor View Inn later.
BEFORE YOU GO TO MACKINAC...
ARRIVING AT MACKINAC ISLAND
There are no motorized vehicles allowed on Mackinac Island. You have 3 transportation options to get around the island - walk, bicycle or horse drawn taxi/carriage. (I strongly recommend you bring your bike as we did. You can rent bikes on the island but during the summer, the island gets very crowded with tourists who all have the same idea.)
In order to get to Mackinac, you must take one of the ferries over. Two ferry companies service Mackinac Island - Shepler's and Star Line. Ferries to Mackinac Island depart from docks in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. You'll be leaving your car in one of those two cities.
Mackinac Island ferry dock
When your ferry docks, you have 3 options" Walk to your accommodations carrying your own luggage
Hire a horse drawn taxi service
If you're staying at the Grand, take their horse drawn taxi service for $9 per person.
We brought our own bikes with us as they're already set up for ourselves as far as riding them, whereas rental bikes are not. So we took advantage of the Grand's horse drawn shuttle and our luggage and bikes were delivered right to our room.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations on Mackinac include hotels, inns, B&B's or resorts. You won't find anything like a Motel 6 on the island. If you plan on visiting the island in the summer, you want to make your reservations months in advance or you could find yourself sleeping on a park bench.
Of course, the Grand Hotel is THE place to stay but I'll warn you, it's expensive even with the discounted weekend rate we got because we were participating in their Titanic weekend. I'll give you a peek at it though...
The Grand just underwent a $10 million renovation. I'm an artist, I love color...but personally, I think they should've kept the $10 million in their pocket. Or hired a different design firm. There's colorful and then there's well.,,dare I say it? Gaudy.
You name it, the Grand has it - ballroom, multiple dining establishments, beautiful gardens, swimming pool, spa, golf course..
To spend the rest of our time on Mackinac, I booked us into the Harbour View Inn.
Our booking included continental breakfast each morning - nothing to write home about, your typical continental breakfast fare. But the location is beautiful and ideal, you can easily walk or bike to downtown and most attractions.
Room was clean and comfortable so we really had no complaints given the price we paid.
ATTRACTIONS
BIKING MACKINAC
One of the best ways to explore Mackinac Island is by bike. You can bring your own or rent one on the Island. We brought our own as they were set up specifically for us, unlike rental bikes. If you want the full scoop on where to rent, what to bring, and the best routes, check out this detailed Mackinac Island Bike Guide to plan your perfect ride.
Consider biking the 8.2-mile M-185 shoreline loop. It’s the only state highway in the U.S. that doesn’t allow cars, and the lake views are unbeatable. Pack a picnic and stop at British Landing for a snack.
TAKE A HORSE & CARRIAGE TOUR
See the island the old-fashioned way—from a horse-drawn carriage. It’s the best way to learn island history and spot hidden gems you might miss on foot.
Contact Mackinac Island Carriage Tours to pre-purchase your tickets.
EXPLORE FORT MACKINAC
Fort Mackinac is one you don't want to miss! At minimum plan a half day at the Fort and you still won't see everything.
As you can see from the map below, the Fort is quite large.
The oldest building in Michigan and 13 other historical structures boast exhibits explaining everything from military training and battles to medical treatments to family life within the fort.
Walking tours of the fort include learning about the changing face of the fort, the people who lived and worked at Fort Mackinac, and what equipment was distributed to soldiers station there. Even the kids won't be bored.
Demonstrations and tours by costumed interpreters are scheduled throughout the day, including musket and cannon firing. You can even fire the cannon yourself!
Of course I fired it! LOL
THE BIDDLE HOUSE & MACKINAC ISLAND NATIVE AMERICAN MUSEUM
Dating back to 1830, the Biddle House is believed to be the island’s oldest home. Now a museum, it features exhibits on fur trading, local history, and Agatha Biddle’s Anishnaabek heritage. There are 2 exhibit galleries inside the house, a historically restored parlor and your tour continues outside the house.
If you've bought either the Historic Downtown ticket or the Fort Mackinac ticket, your admission to Biddle House is included in those tickets. If not, you can purchase tickets here.
HIT THE FUDGE SHOPS
Mackinac Island is known for it's fudge and fudge shops! And you have no shortage of fudge shops to choose from:
The Original Murdick’s Fudge at 7363 Main St.
Ryba’s Fudge Shop.
Murray Hotel Fudge Company at 7260 Main St.
Sanders Candy at 7330 Main St.
May’s Candy at 7351 Main St.
Kilwins.
Joann’s Fudge.
Stop in to try some free samples and buy some to take home with you.
SEE THE BUTTERFLIES
Mackinac has 2 butterfly houses - the Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House or Wings of Mackinac. Hundreds of colorful butterflies flutter all around, making this a must-see for little explorers. Visit the links above for tickets and pricing.
DINING
Because meals were included most of the weekend we didn't do all that much dining out but I will give you the take on the restaurants we did hit.
CHUCKWAGON RESTAURANT
Ask the locals, they don't steer you wrong!
Chuckwagon reminds me of a diner we have here at home, Fay's Dinky Diner.
It's long, narrow and has a counter and a few tables along the wall.
One of Mackinac's best loved restaurants, the Chuckwagon has been serving locals and visitors for almost 60 years. There are very few places anymore that do something simple yet do it well. Chuckwagon is definitely one of them. $
THE PINK PONY
The Pink Pony is always packed during the summer. The outdoor patio dining affords you sensational views of the water while sipping on one of Pink Pony's signature cocktails.
The prime rib french dip sandwiches weren't bad either!
The Pink Pony is located within the Chippewa Hotel on Main Street. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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GOOD DAY CAFE
Again, nothing fancy but if you want to grab a sub sandwich to go, visit Good Day Cafe.
$
They also serve breakfast.
The Cafe is located on Main Street.
ICE HOUSE BBQ
Ice House BBQ is renowned for classic home-style smoked barbecue favorites and hand-tossed stone-fired pizza. $$
Tucked away in a tranquil garden oasis near the Mackinac Island marina, Ice House BBQ is a peaceful hideaway from downtown Mackinac Island. Just follow the path to the left of Island House Hotel.
BACK TO THE TITANIC WEEKEND...
When you arrive, you will be given a ticket/boarding pass with the name of an actual Titanic passenger on it.
This is where things got downright spooky.
There were 2228 people aboard the Titanic, 721 of them in 3rd Class.
What are the mathematical odds that I'd get the ONE ticket that had Johanna Ahlin's name and number
7546 on it?
That's whose ticket I drew.
As Jeff Foxworthy would say, "AND THERE'S YOUR SIGN!"
My friend Rose
I must have turned as white as a sheet when I looked at that boarding pass because Rose immediately asked "What's wrong? Are you ok?"
I handed her the ticket and her jaw hit the floor.
The Johanna Ahlin story made the rounds of the gathering, that's for sure.
The Titanic weekend kicks off with a champagne
reception where everyone gets to know one another. There's music and dancing in the Grand Hotel's ballroom as well.
On Saturday there was a Titanic historian that gave a presentation, followed by a showing of the movie Titanic. We'd both seen the movie numerous times so skipped out to do some exploring on our own before the re-enactment dinner that evening.
We had some professional actors from the American Immersion Theater leading the group and playing the roles of Capt. EJ Smith, the spirited Molly Brown, and the glamorous Dorothy Gibson, among others of the crew.
I was later told by one of them that they'd rehearsed the moment of truth "She's sinking!" scene over and over again to elicit the wide range of emotions the Titanic passengers must have felt that night. The actors did a fantastic job, as did everyone in attendance. People got right into the roles of their specific characters.
And it was interesting that while eating dinner, the conversation grew more and more hushed as the "She's sinking!" moment approached. Everyone honored the past, even as we reveled in the present, paying tribute to the indomitable spirit of humanity.
The weekend wrapped up Sunday morning with a toast to all who were on the Titanic that night. It was a fitting way to end the Titanic weekend and I have to admit...in a weird kind of way I felt a little closer to Johanna Ahlin.
Mackinac Island is a slow-paced, quiet kind of place defined by the clip-clop of horse hoofs and the lapping of waves on the shore. The air is washed by the water that surrounds the island, and its piney forests inland also lend their scent. Time moves slowly on Mackinac Island when you get around by foot, bicycle or horse-drawn carriage.
It's cathartic to take yourself off life's fast track and return to a simpler way of life.