Wouldn’t it be fun to actually celebrate Labor Day, instead of using it as an excuse to unwind on a beach? Best place to do this is probably in Michigan (they do know a thing or two about how to honor Labor..). 

Anyway, first thing is to check out the Michigan hotels and see what they offer, in terms of Labor Day specials. Didn’t have to poke far, since there’s a quintessential American hotel - The Grand Hotel - which takes great pride in touting its history (opened 1887, family owned enterprise and remains so…) and offers a comprehensive Labor Day package deal at a place renowned for its Labor Day festivities - Mackinac Island.

The Grand sits on a hill in Mackinac Island, peering down on the Straits of Mackinac between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, and the first thing you see when you approach the island by ferry is the magnificent 660 foot hotel porch. And the historic and timeless quality of the Grand is emphasized even further by the fact that Mackinac Island still does not allow motorized vehicles. Horse and carriage, along with walking and bicycles, are the only modes of transportation on the Island. Let’s just say that its an escape from reality into a Victorian paradise.

And the Grand is in fact more of a family getaway resort than simply a hotel. Facilities on the hotel grounds include an 18-hole golf-course, tennis, swimming, bicycling, an exercise facility, horse riding and carriage tours, duck pin bowling and lots of other fun stuff. Children are kept happy and busy with a range of adult-supervised activities designed for the kiddies. There’s even a special ‘Rebecca’s Children’s Area’. Nights at the Grand are livened up withn entertainment and dancing and music-fests everyday.

With 12 restaurants and bars dotting the grounds, there’s no shortage of dining and drinking options either. The Salle a’ Manger serves a full breakfast and five-course dinner and an afternoon buffet spread. Other dining options include the Bavarian-style restaurant, Woods, The Jockey Club at the Grand Stand, The Gate House, Carleton’s Tea Store, and the Fort Mackinac Tea Room. 

Speaking of which, the hotel offers 385 plush guest rooms, including 53 named rooms. These 53 special rooms are named in honor of personages and include six former first ladies. There’s also a Lodge of Teddy Roosevelt, and the Napoleon and Josephine Suites, and the Lord and Lady Astor Suites. Plus, breakfast and the five-course dinner are inclusive in the room rates. And here’s the kicker - No tipping allowed anywhere inside the hotel. 

Standard rates starting from $375 (single) and $225 (double, per person rate). Children below age 11 stay free (age 12-17 extra $55). Specials at the Grand include a 3rd night free package deal and a Labor Day Jazz Weekend package which has a 4th night free. More details here.

And what about Mackinac Island? Other than gawking at the reenactments in Fort Mackinac, the things to do in Mackinac Island include tours of historic buildings like Biddle House, Benjamin Blacksmith Shop and Mission Church. There’s also a haunted history tour which includes a Haunted Theatre. There’s carriage tours which take you around Mackinac Island State Park, and there’s plenty of trails for bicycling, hiking, horse riding and walking. Photo copyrights - Mackinac Bridge Authority. 

And the last, but probably the best thing about Mackinac is the Labor Day Bridge Walk. An annual event which is being held on Sep 1since 1958, two lanes of the Mackinac Bridge are closed to traffic and people walk across the length of the 5-mile bridge to Mackinaw City, in the Lower Peninsula. Well over 50,000 people participate in the walk and the event is a major draw and an attraction all by itself.

Grand Hotel - 1 Grand Ave  Mackinac Island MI 49757; 800-33-GRAND; www.grandhotel.com/

Posted on August 11th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Hotels