June 9, 2008

Mackinac Island, Mich. - A day trip to Mackinac Island just got easier to arrange and to afford: Four of the island's most popular attractions have joined with local ferry boat companies to offer an online vacation package that represents a significant savings off individual ticket rates.

Billed as the Mackinac Island Experience Package, it enables visitors to:

• see the city of Mackinac Island and scenic state park courtesy of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours;
  
• enjoy the delicate denizens of the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory;
  
• experience the kaboom of a cannon and tour Michigan's oldest buildings at Fort Mackinac;
  
• and stroll along the porch and other public areas of the elegant 1887 Grand Hotel. Ferry rides to and from the island - arranged through Arnold Transit Company, Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry or Star Line Mackinac Island Hydro-Jet Ferry - are also included in the package price.

"The only thing missing is the island's world-famous fudge," noted Greg Hokans, chief of development and marketing for Mackinac State Historic Parks, one of the participating organizations. "We hope visitors will enjoy that as they visit the shops and restaurants downtown."

Prices for the Mackinac Island Experience Package are $59 for adults, $55.75 for youth 13-17 and $28.25 for children 5-12 - a discount of nearly 25 percent off typical ticket prices.

Besides the cost savings, vacation planners will enjoy the convenience of online ordering. "You can purchase the package from the comfort of your home," explained Hokans, "and have your tickets in hand weeks before you arrive." At the package Web site, there's also a suggested itinerary for the day trip, so visitors can make the most of their time at this vacation spot - voted among the world's top 10 temperate islands by readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine.

The Mackinac Island Experience Package is administered and distributed by Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. For more information about the package or to make a purchase, visit www.mackinacpackage.com.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a pure Michigan family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites - which are accredited by the American Association of Museums - include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or on the web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).