The Mackinac Blog

Grand Hotel Opening Weekend – May 2 – 4, 2025

Grand Hotel Opening Weekend

Grand Hotel Opening Weekend, a First Look with Dorothy Draper & Company

For familiar traditions and something all new, join us in the festivities of Grand Hotel Opening Weekend.  Be the first to experience our exciting restorations of the Parlor, Main Dining Room and an update on the Facade! Take exclusive guided tours, meet the designers Sebastian Varney and Rudy Sauders from Dorothy Draper & Company, and get an insider’s look at the latest transformations. Don’t miss this rare chance to experience the reveal of our exciting restorations and all that beautifully unfolds in the springtime on Mackinac Island!

Enjoy elegant meals in our Main Dining Room, explore over 70 miles of bike trails, play lawn games in our Tea Garden (and find our Secret Garden as it begins to bloom), listen to our Resident Historian’s first lecture of the year, and experience all we have to offer as we kick off our 139th season! Highlights include:

Friday, May 2, 2025

Opening Ceremony and Champagne Toast

Saturday, May 3, 2025

Grand Opening with Toast

Front Porch Restoration Project Tour with Dorthy Draper & Company designers and architects from HopkinsBurns

Opening of The Jockey Club & Kentucky Derby Celebration – Champagne Toast for winner

Evening Cocktail Reception

Package Includes:

  • Grand Hotel accommodations
  • Breakfast and dinner daily
  • All resort amenities
  • Afternoon History Lecture
  • Friday Opening Ceremony with champagne toast
  • Friday evening Season Opening reception and celebration
  • Saturday Evening Cocktail Reception
  • Annual Kentucky Derby Party in the Terrace Room

The Grand Hotel Opening Weekend package can also be booked by calling Grand Hotel reservations at 1-800-334-7263.

View Grand Hotel Policies and Information >> to learn more about our evening dress code, luggage process, and more.  

View the Tentative Agenda below. Please note that the events, times and locations listed in the Tentative Agenda are subject to change.

*Subject to 6% Michigan sales tax, 3% Mackinac Island assessment, 19.5% resort fee, and a $15.00 per person, per stay, baggage-handling charge. Regular children’s rates apply. Extra charges apply for additional adults over double occupancy rates. Dates are subject to availability, 30-day cancellation policy applies.

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Grand Hotel On Facebook

Below are the latest postings from the Grand Hotel Page On Facebook.

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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Grand Hotel – Spring Murder Mystery Weekend – May 2 – 4, 2025

Spring Murder Mystery Weekend

Consider yourself warned: Not everything is how it seems at Grand Hotel during the Spring Murder Mystery Weekend. Immerse yourself in a mystery at Grand Hotel that can only be solved by you and your team.

It’s springtime in the 1960s, and you’re part of an exclusive, underground betting ring gathering for the Kentucky Derby. It’s a gas, until a murder threatens to bring an end to the festivities – and the riches. You and your team will need to put your heads together to find the killer and get this event back on track, or you’ll get zilch! In the high-stakes world of illegal gambling, deceit and betrayal are around every turn. Hang tough and track down this conniving suspect to take your place in the Winner’s Circle!

Package Includes:

  • Grand Hotel accommodations
  • Breakfast and dinner daily
  • All resort amenities
  • Friday Welcome Reception
  • Friday after dinner event
  • Saturday morning and afternoon investigation sessions
  • Sunday morning “Who Done It” closing session

This Murder Mystery Weekend package is also available to book by calling Grand Hotel Reservations at 1-800-334-7263.

View Grand Hotel Policies and Information >> to learn more about our evening dress code, luggage process, and more. 

View the Tentative Agenda below. Please note that the events, times and locations listed in the Tentative Agenda are subject to change.

About the Murder Mystery Weekend

This invite comes from somebody with murder on their mind. Your invitation promises plenty of excitement and intrigue. However, beyond the glitz and glamor of this event lies something more sinister.

You and your party play the detective in this interactive game of mystery and murder behind the closed doors of Grand Hotel. Investigate the scene of the crime, interrogate suspects, and solve a murder. This one-of-a-kind event promises to be nothing short of a “Grand” ol’ time.

Upon check-in, receive your first packet of information and clues. Friday is the kick-off performance, which sets the tone of events and when the first murder takes place. On Saturday, there is a brief gathering with the Detective, who explains the hunt for clues. (This also allows you some time on your own to enjoy the beauty of Mackinac Island and Grand Hotel.)

Come back on Saturday afternoon, when Act II is performed and another murder takes place. The evening concludes with three interactive mysteries, where guests in different groups will be rotated into the mystery experiences. Sunday morning the mystery is solved!

Watch “Grand Hotel Presents The Murder Mystery Company” Video

*Subject to 6% Michigan sales tax, 3% Mackinac Island assessment, 19.5% resort fee, and a $15.00 per person, per stay, baggage-handling charge. Regular children’s rates apply. Extra charges apply for additional adults over double occupancy rates. Dates are subject to availability, 30-day cancellation policy applies.

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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Grand Hotel – Mother’s Day Weekend Package – May 9 – 11, 2025

Grand Hotel - Mother's Day Weekend Package

Have an unforgettable time with mom and take advantage of all the fine amenities at Grand Hotel during our Mother’s Day Weekend celebrations. From special receptions, daily activities, and nightly entertainment, to a delectable Grand Luncheon Experience, crafted by our chefs to delight mom with local flavors and a celebrate timeless traditions at Grand Hotel.

Package Includes:

  • Grand Hotel accommodations
  • Breakfast and dinner daily
  • All resort amenities
  • Saturday History Lecture with resident historian Bob Tagtz
  • Saturday evening reception
  • Sunday Grand Luncheon Experience in the Main Dining Room with a Mother’s Day champagne toast
  • Rose at check-in for mom
  • Admission to the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum

This Mother’s Day hotel special package can also be booked by calling Grand Hotel Reservations at 1-800-334-7263.

View Grand Hotel Policies and Information >> to learn more about our evening dress code, luggage process, and more.  

View the Tentative Agenda below. Please note that the events, times and locations listed in the Tentative Agenda are subject to change.

*Subject to 6% Michigan sales tax, 3% Mackinac Island assessment, 19.5% resort fee, and a $15.00 per person, per stay, baggage-handling charge. Regular children’s rates apply. Extra charges apply for additional adults over double occupancy rates. Dates are subject to availability, 30-day cancellation policy applies.

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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Mackinac Island Fort2Fort Five Mile Challenge – May 11, 2024

Mackinac Island Fort2Fort Five Mile Challenge
The 2024 Fort2Fort Five Mile Challenge will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024, beginning with the sound of the musket at 9:00 am. Runners and walkers will start inside Fort Mackinac, then through the Sally Port gate to the racecourse ahead. All proceeds help support the Mackinac Historic State Parks!

There will also be a Virtual Race, which can be run or walked anytime at participant’s convenience. All virtual times can be logged by the participant in a separate Virtual Race category (no awards).

The Fort2Fort Five Mile is part of the Mackinac Island Trio Series! Register and complete either the Fort2Fort Five Mile Challenge or the Lilac Festival 10K, plus both the Mackinac Island Eight Mile and Great Turtle Trail Run, and you will receive a special Mackinac Island Trio Series medal. This will be a separate medal from the other finisher’s medal and will be awarded following the Great Turtle Half Marathon. (Note, Virtual events count as participation in the Trio).

STARTING TIME

The start of both the 5 Mile Run and Walk will begin inside Fort Mackinac at 9:00 am with the sound of the musket firing. Runners and walkers will go through the Sally Port gates to the course ahead on Huron Road

Fort doors will be open and rest rooms available inside. Restrooms are also available outside at the Huron Road Pavilion.

LOCATION

The race will finish on the lawn behind and east of Fort Mackinac (next to start line).

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Zoo-de-Mackinac – May 16, 17 & 18, 2025

The Zoo-de-Mackinac is a weekend of huge parties with great bands, one of the most scenic bicycle rides in the country, a lot of sunshine, views of the mighty Mackinac Bridge, and one magical island.

This is Not a Race!

The Zoo-de-Mackinac is a collection of outdoor enthusiasts (2,500-4,000) who want to enjoy a little physical exercise together in one of the most beautiful areas in the state of Michigan. The bike ride starts Saturday morning at Boyne Highlands Resort and spans 51 miles along Lake Michigan on a paved road with very little automobile traffic. Riders pedal through rolling countryside and trillium covered forests, along sandy beaches, and are surrounded by breathtaking views of Lake Michigan from 400′ high bluffs. We stop approximately half way, at a unique place called the Legs Inn for a leisurely lunch and to swap stories. The ride continues on to Mackinaw City, where Star Line Ferry boats have been chartered for the ride over to Mackinac Island. Once on the magical island, check into your hotel and stroll into town to forget the aches and pains from the day’s ride. As the evening wears on, the island comes alive with The Gatehouse, Pink Pony, and Horns hosting post ride parties with incredible live bands!

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Visit the Zoo-De-Mackinac Website >>>>

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Zoo-De-Mackinac On Facebook

Below are the latest postings from the Zoo-De-Mackinac Page On Facebook.

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Zoo-De-Mackinac

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Visit the Zoo-De-Mackinac Facebook Page >>>

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Visit the Zoo-De-Mackinac Website >>>>

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Grand Hotel – Memorial Day Weekend Package – May 23 – 26, 2025

Grand Hotel - Memorial Day Weekend Package

For something different, something fun, come celebrate Memorial Day Weekend at America’s Summer Place! Explore the historic landmarks and natural beauty of Mackinac Island, enjoy the tradition of Afternoon Tea in the Parlor and nightly live musical entertainment, kick back and relax in a rocking chair on the World’s Longest Porch, and be one of the first guests to dive into the Esther Williams Swimming Pool in 2025.

 

Package Includes:

  • Grand Hotel accommodations 
  • Breakfast and dinner daily 
  • All resort amenities  
  • Friday night Family Game Night Bingo in the Terrace room 
  • Saturday morning History Lecture with Resident Historian Bob Tagatz 
  • Saturday Duck Races at Esther Williams Swimming Pool 
  • Saturday Meet the Horses of Grand Hotel 
  • Saturday evening reception 
  • Sunday afternoon Ice Cream Social
  • Friday afternoon 2025 Esther Williams Swimming Pool Opening Ceremony 
  • Coffee break each morning
  • Admission to The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum

Memorial Day Weekend reservations are also available by calling Grand Hotel Reservations at 1-800-334-7263.

View Grand Hotel Policies and Information >> to learn more about our evening dress code, luggage process, and more.  

View the Tentative Agenda below. Please note that the events, times and locations listed in the Tentative Agenda are subject to change.

*Subject to 6% Michigan sales tax, 3% Mackinac Island assessment, 19.5% resort fee, and a $15.00 per person, per stay, baggage-handling charge. Regular children’s rates apply. Extra charges apply for additional adults over double occupancy rates. Dates are subject to availability, 30-day cancellation policy applies.

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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Visit Grand Hotel Website >>>>

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