Things to do nearMackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge opened in November 1957 after more than three years of construction, replacing a ferry system that had long been the only way to cross between Michigan's two peninsulas. At the time of its completion, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world measured between anchorages, a record it held for years. The project required thousands of workers and drew engineers from across the country, and the five men who lost their lives during construction are commemorated at the bridge's north end in St. Ignace.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge takes roughly ten minutes by car, and the experience changes depending on the season and weather. On clear summer days the straits shimmer beneath the towers, and freighters from the Great Lakes shipping lanes pass slowly under the span. In autumn, low clouds can swallow the towers entirely, giving the bridge an almost mythic quality as you drive into the gray.

The surrounding area rewards those who linger. Mackinaw City on the southern shore offers Fort Michilimackinac, a reconstructed eighteenth-century fur-trading post and military fort that sits within sight of the bridge's south anchorage. St. Ignace to the north provides ferry access to Mackinac Island, where no motor vehicles are permitted and horse-drawn carriages remain the primary transport.

The Mackinac Bridge is more than a piece of infrastructure. It is the connective thread of Michigan's identity, and crossing it remains one of the most memorable drives the Great Lakes region has to offer.