Mackinac Island has downtown hotel, another restaurant staying open this winter

On Nov 17, 2022

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI – One of downtown’s most well-known hotels has announced it will stay open all winter, and another popular restaurant will do the same beginning in December, giving Mackinac Island’s off-season visitors more options for the first time in years.

The Bicycle Street Inn & Suites will keep taking reservations at its Main Street location all winter, opening 43 hotel rooms and its larger suites to guests, said General Manager Melanie Libby.

“The options for accommodations range from our beautiful but simple guest rooms to our largest suites that will sleep up to six. You’ll get that beautifully snowy downtown panorama right from your balcony, and you’re right in the middle of all the fun.”

Winter on Mackinac has a decidedly quieter vibe than its jam-packed summer season. The locals trade their bikes for snowmobiles and only a handful of horse teams remain to keep deliveries and people moving through the streets. Unless there’s a winter event going on (you can see the list here) or a local street hockey game, the downtown has a hush that only an island sitting out in the Straits of Mackinac can achieve.

Libby believes winter guests will find it’s a great way to disconnect and enjoy some quiet time. “Especially in the winter for someone who wants to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s a beautiful way to do that.”

Planes still land at the island’s airport in the winter and Star Line/Mackinac Island Ferry Company’s “Mighty Huron” winter ferry is in service with daily trips to and from the mainland as the lake’s ice conditions allow.

Most of the island is state park land, which means there are miles of trails for winter hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Stargazers will find the night sky out here pretty incomparable, too.

Bicycle Street’s lodging options will come with a continental breakfast and afternoon snacks. To make a reservation, check here.

Mackinac Island in winter — St. Anne’s Catholic Church, set against a winter sunset in the Straits of Mackinac. Photo provided by the Bicycle Street Inn & Suites.

Just down Main Street from the hotel, winter guests will also find The Mustang Lounge open year-round for food and drinks. And this winter, The Kingston Kitchen at the Village Inn will also be open for lunch and dinner, starting in December. Executive Chef Shawn Fearon, who has run the lively restaurant here since 2019, said he wanted to try serving meals this winter to locals as well as off-season travelers. He’s already put together a winter menu, which boasts some of his signature Jamaican flavors as well as some more Americanized dishes.

“I tend to cook to my audience, ” Fearon laughed. “And I have the ability to be patient. For the winter, I am patiently walking my winter clients into what a Caribbean Jamaican cuisine is like.”

Fearon, who has been a staple on the island for more than 20 years, believed this season would be a good one to test the waters with winter hours. “This is the winter,” he said. “Probably going forward, we’ll do it every year.”

You can see Fearon’s delicious winter menu here.