Situated on over 18 acres of lakefront property, visiting the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, MI, is like stepping back in time to a more elegant age. With architectural styles spanning three centuries, the whole island is listed as a National Historic Landmark, and eight separate locations are listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Uniquely, motor vehicles have been prohibited on the island since 1898, and the primary methods of transportation are bicycle and horse-drawn carriage. This timeless quality of the island has led to it being used as a location for several feature films, notably the 1980 romantic fantasy “Somewhere in Time,” starring Christopher Reeve as a modern day playwright who travels back in time to fall in love with a beautiful actress who lived in 1912.
Mission Point prides itself on offering the most diverse set of amenities available on the island, including a full service spa and its own movie theater. It boasts over 38,000 sf of flexible meeting and event space, including a fully air-conditioned amphitheater and 20,000 sf conference center that can accommodate 450 classroom-style and 750 theater in its largest space.
The resort has just introduced a customized “Out Of Office Package” aimed at groups, which takes care of all the planning and budgeting so all attendees need to do is turn on their ‘Out of Office’ email response and leave for the resort. The basic package includes all accommodations, ferry tickets to the island for attendees, luggage transfers from the mainland, all meeting space rental, taxes and service fees. Additional add-ons can include group or individual meals, receptions and snack or coffee breaks, golfing or team building events tailored to your specifications.
Ideas for experiential activities include a “Sun-Up Session,” where guests enjoy a light morning hike to take in the sunrise over Lake Huron, followed by a breakfast of whitefish benedict, house-made croissants and maple-syrup glazed bacon. Optional yoga sessions are also available.
Other activities on the island include hiking and biking, kayaking, parasailing, horseback riding or horse-drawn carriage tours. The sprawling green space of the Mackinac State Park covers 80 percent of the island and encompasses the historic Fort Mackinac, Fort Holmes and the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. During the summer months, Fort Mackinac features tours led by costumed performers who reenact life in the 1880s, answer questions, play music and pose for photography. Golfers can spend an afternoon on one of several 9 and 18-hole courses on the island, such as the Golf at Greens of Mackinac or Wawashkamo Golf Club. Sip n Sail tours are also available, where you can explore the waters on an 81 ft vessel with heated cabins, multiple outdoor viewing areas and a full cocktail bar, or, fish for salmon, lake trout or brown trout in the Straits of Mackinac. For the less adventurous, the downtown streets are lined with restaurants and retail stores, including many confectioners who have been operating for more than a century. Mackinac Island is famous for its fudge, selling a wide variety of flavors, and touring the historic candy shops is known locally as “fudging.”
