Mackinac Island Horse Carriage Sightseeing

Carriage men officially began providing tours of Mackinac Island in 1869, when, the first city carriage license was issued. In 1948, the carriage men established Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. The carriage tours continue to be one of the most popular attractions on the island, especially since Thomas Chambers, president of the carriage men, petitioned to ban automobiles from the Island, as they startled the horses.

Descendants of the carriage men still manage the tour company, founded over one hundred years ago. Today, Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, Inc. is the world's largest, oldest and continually operated horse and buggy livery, with approximately one hundred freight and passenger carriages put in motion by over 400 horses. Mackinac Island Carriage Tours offers a number of sightseeing tours throughout the island going through some of the most popular destinations. Their most well known tour starts at the Surrey Hills Museum, displaying historical carriages and featuring on-site gift shops, and a trip to the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory, where you will see the magical free flight of thousands of colorful butterflies. This all-glass conservatory features lush plants surrounded by butterflies dancing around you to gentle instrumental music.

The tour resumes aboard an open three horse carriage, and next takes you to the Fort Mackinac Avenue of Flags, where you can spend as much time as you wish exploring the fourteen buildings which comprise historic Fort Mackinac. This registered historic area features informative and interactive exhibits, a children's play area, along with daily reinactments of cannon and rifle shooting.

The tour next stops by Arch Rock, a natural limestone formation with a span of fifty feet which rises 149 feet above the waters of the Straits of Mackinac. It is one of the most photographed places on the island.

Finally, the tour returns to the Surrey Hills Museum where you can venture back downtown or end the tour at the Grand Hotel.