Your Home Port


A gathering place for centuries, the Upper Peninsula city of St. Ignace, Michigan, continues to draw travelers by land and freshwater seas.
The first people of Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, where the waters of the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan mingle, inhabited this part of the Upper Peninsula for thousands of years. Michilimackinac, including Mackinac Island, was a meeting place and a sacred place for the Anishinabek. By the 17th century, the waterway between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas had become a nautical highway for French explorers, fur traders, voyageurs and missionaries, including Father Jacques Marquette. In 1671, the Jesuit priest established the St. Ignace mission, named for Society of Jesus founder St. Ignatius of Loyola. Through the 1700s, the Straits evolved into an important fur trading center, and was a strategic military outpost until the War of 1812 was settled.
In the late 1800s, the region became a destination for steamships transporting city-dwelling tourists seeking its fresh air, clear water and natural beauty. St. Ignace, the second oldest European settlement in Michigan, is now a city of about 2,300 residents that attracts visitors in all seasons. Located at the northern end of the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge — the only physical connection between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas — it is the gateway to the U.P., a departure point for passenger ferries to Mackinac Island and, as the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau describes it, “Your Home Port.”
A prime location
Bureau Executive Director Lora Brown ticks off a list of destinations easily accessible by water from St. Ignace: Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Les Cheneaux Islands, Cheboygan and the North Channel. But, she says: “St. Ignace is not just for boaters. We think of our town as a place to stay and take day trips. You can go to places like Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Les Cheneaux, Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Point and year-round activities,” including birdwatching, snowmobiling, hiking and fat tire biking trails. Within a 45-minute drive west of St. Ignace along the US-2 Top of the Lake Scenic Byway are miles of dunes and sandy Lake Michigan beaches, the Cut River Bridge, GarLynn Zoo Wildlife Park and Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum. At the Garfield Township Marina in Naubinway, a giant Michigan map recognizes the northernmost point of Lake Michigan.
In the immediate St. Ignace area, Brown says, “There is a lot to do, including fun for families.” Longtime roadside attractions include Deer Ranch, which, since 1950, has allowed close-up interaction with dozens of whitetail deer and fawns at what is called the oldest live whitetail exhibit in North America. For generations, the “World Famous” Mystery Spot has entertained and confounded with its guided tour of gravity defying and optically challenging settings. It caters to all ages with ziplines, a maze and 18-hole miniature golf.
Castle Rock, an ancient sea stack of breccia stone that towers 195 feet above Lake Huron, was known as Pontiac’s Lookout, after Ottawa Chief Pontiac, for its miles-wide vistas. Since 1929, it has been accessible to tourists via 171 stairs up to the viewing platform. Chuck LaBash, visiting from the Detroit area with his wife, Cathy, and two young grandchildren, says: “It was a beautiful view when I made it to the top. Incredible views of the bridge and the lake. I highly recommend it and would do it again.”
Discover the Straits story
The Museum of Ojibwa Culture is an indoor/outdoor cultural campus that explores Native culture through exhibits, a sculpture park, clan park and recreated longhouse. The museum hosts live programs focused on traditions, teachings and history, as well as workshops and activities for kids. Each May, the day-long Native American Festival fills the museum grounds with the sights and sounds of traditional dancing, drumming and heritage demonstrations.
Adjacent to the former chapel that houses the Ojibwa museum exhibits and Native American arts gift shop, Father Marquette Mission Park marks the very location of the St. Ignace Mission established by the Jesuit priest 354 years ago. The historic site is also the final resting place of Father Marquette.
The mile-long, waterside Huron Boardwalk becomes a self-guided history tour through interpretive displays that dot the route between Kiwanis Beach and the American Legion Memorial Park. Along the way, a dock leads to the Wawatam Lighthouse, an active aid-to-navigation.
castle rock facebook; museum website

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mystery spot facebook
st. ignace visitors bureau
Recreational opportunities in St. Ignace include the 181-acre Straits State Park with camping, a mile-long hiking trail, picnic areas, playgrounds, beach and views of the Mackinac Bridge. Golfers may be distracted by the scenery at the city’s St. Ignace Golf & Country Club, which overlooks the Mackinac Bridge and Straits. The nine-hole course dates back to 1927, 30 years before the graceful suspension bridge opened to traffic. Golf carts and club rentals are available.
Mackinac Straits Watersports Rental Co. makes it easy to get out onto Lake Huron by kayak, paddleboard and PWC. Guided kayaking options include excursions to the Mackinac Bridge and fireworks tours. Electric bikes and bicycle beach cruisers are also ready to rent.
Shopping is always an option, and the one-of-a-kind stores that line State Street, the main vein through town, do not disappoint. From the work of local artists to antiques and vintage wares, Native American crafts, souvenirs, wearables, fine jewelry, Michigan-made food products, furnishings and home goods, the variety and quality of goods reflect the care and attention of the locally owned and operated businesses.
A taste of the Straits
This is the home of Lehto’s Pasties, an institution since 1947. The pasty (pronounced past-ee) is a handheld meal of meat and root vegetables wrapped in a sturdy but flaky crust that was favored by copper miners in the far western U.P., but has remained popular long after the mines closed in the 1960s.
Whitefish, fresh from the Great Lakes, pops up on menus all around town, including tasty tacos at Jose’s Cantina and as appetizers and entrees at The Galley. Locally smoked fish is a must, simply flaked onto crackers or in dip, sausage and jerky.
Since 1940, Bentley’s BML Café has been baking pies and making from-scratch soups and classic American diner fare in an authentic soda shop setting. At old-fashioned Clyde’s Drive-In, rave-worthy burgers, fries and shakes are delivered curbside by carhops. Java Joe’s Café is the colorful spot for a shot of espresso and extensive breakfast and lunch menu.
Salty Mac Brewing Company brings locally made craft beer to St. Ignace, in a combination coffee house within the brewery. It joins the Boardwalk Coffee & General Store in pouring specialty coffee drinks and other beverages.
The Boardwalk, located across the street from the marina, also serves a short menu of sandwiches, soups and sweets, and carries a selection of specialty charcuterie items and packaged foods.
It is the second local business opened by Californians Charlie and Rene Chiara, and neither venture was planned. Charlie discovered St. Ignace while in northern Michigan working with a marketing client, Avalon Pontoons, and decided to rescue a 1928 lodging. The couple transformed the three-story brick structure into The Boardwalk Hotel & Fireworx Bar, a luxe, 14-room boutique property.
Rene’s eclectic, vibrant décor in the individually designed guest rooms and the new, first floor lounge is, Charlie admits, “a little different” for St. Ignace, where typical accommodations are mom-and-pop motels and chain properties. However, he says, “People are craving something different.” Fireworx Bar has become a place for live music, socializing and enjoying specialty cocktails and small plates, and fills a void in St. Ignace for both residents and travelers.
Visitors Bureau’s Lora Brown is excited about the hotel as a tourism attraction, the addition of a 100-room waterfront Hampton Inn, the historical asset of the upcoming new Straits Cultural Center and more.
“We have really grown over the last few years,” she says. “A lot of people have discovered the Upper Peninsula and what towns like ours have to offer.”
st. ignace visitors bureau; Lehto’s Pasties; brewery website; hotel facebook

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Events
St. Ignace bustles with free, public events throughout the warm weather months, including Bayside Live! and Music By the Bay concerts, and Saturday night fireworks over the water. The Bayside Farmers Market brings fresh produce, baked goods, syrup, jams and other prepared foods to the waterfront every Thursday afternoon July through September.
• February: Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey
• May: Native American Festival
• June: Car Show Weekend
• July: Fireworks Over the Bay
• August: St. Ignace Heritage Festival
• August: Rendezvous at the Straits Pow Wow
• August: Arts Dockside
• Labor Day: Mackinac Bridge Walk
Also dotting the calendar are parades across the Mackinac Bridge from Mackinaw City to St. Ignace, dedicated to specific vehicles including Jeeps, antique tractors, Mini cars, semi trucks and antique snowmobiles.
all photos courtesy of st. ignace visitors bureau except: arts dockside website; powwow facebook
The Marina
The Wawatam Lighthouse welcomes boaters to the city’s St. Ignace Marina on Lake Huron’s Moran Bay. Open from mid-May through mid-October, the 136-slip facility can accommodate boats up to 150 feet in length, with slips reaching 18 feet deep.
“Located in the center of town,” describes Marina Director Joe Stearns, “it’s an easy walk to shopping, the museum, library, dining, bars and host of other activities. We also have two courtesy bikes with baskets available for patrons who need to make a grocery run for supplies. It’s a short walk to two hardware stores.”
The marina recently upgraded its internet service to fiber through a grant from the American Inflation Reduction and Recovery Act. “Our customers now enjoy high-speed and continuously connected internet, perfect for the family traveling together, or the work-from-home seasonal customers who choose St. Ignace as their ‘work-from-anywhere location.’”
Stearns continues. “We have fuel services, pump-out, ice and laundry facilities available. We maintain our restrooms and showers in the best state of cleanliness as possible. We work with our young staff to instill a sense of service in their onboarding, and teach them the importance of radio contact and dock line help.”
Maybe the most striking advantage of the St. Ignace Marina is the seawall constructed to protect the harbor from the ferry boat wakes, and the notorious east winds, which can be challenging for boaters in the northern Great Lakes.
“We try to accommodate all cruise-ins, but our summer season can get very busy, so please consider making a reservation to ensure a slip during your stay.”
marina/benjamin dusendang
The Ferries
There are two ferry lines that transport passengers to Mackinac Island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.
Since 1945, Shepler’s Mackinac Island Ferry (sheplersferry.com) has been shuttling passengers to and from Mackinac Island. The ferry company is also well-known for its fall color cruises, lighthouse cruises, night sky trips, a can’t miss 4th of July fireworks viewing experience and private charters. The ferry company was recently acquired by Hoffmann Family of Companies (HF Companies).
The other ferry option visitors have is the Arnold Transit Company (arnoldtransitcompany.com), formerly known as Mackinac Island Ferry Company. The company revived its historic name, which was originally launched in 1878, after also recently being acquired by HF Companies.
For more information on either ferry service, visit: stignace.com/ferry-service.
sheplers website; ferry facebook page
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