Experiencing McGulpin Point Lighthouse in Mackinac City

Mackinac City and Mackinac Island is probably two of my favorite places to visit in Michigan.  My husband and I honeymooned on the island at the Grand Hotel and Mission Pointe Resort and some hotels in the city.  I remember growing up and coming to both places often and now I'm enjoying sharing the experiences with our girls.

There is so much history which is perfect for homeschoolers like us, haha!  A few years ago, I remember driving around in Mackinac City towards the more rural parts of town and we found a cool old lighthouse set back from the water, which was odd.  Unfortunately, it was all fenced in and not open to the public so we couldn't really see much which was a bummer.  We love searching for lighthouses.

This past week we took the girls for a little drive back behind Mackinac City and to our surprise it said that the McGulpin Point Lighthouse was open to the public and for free!  We were so excited.  We got to tour inside the lighthouse and also go up in the tower.  So exciting!  Climbing up those spiral steps into the tower was a little scary at first but so worth the climb as you can see in the pics below. 

They are having a few fun fall events this October that we are definitely heading back for during our fall homeschool trip.  Can't wait!

Me taking a pic outside of the tower looking in!

Daddy showing Bethany how to use the Binoculars inside the Lighthouse tower!

The McGulpin Point Lighthouse from the tower casting a perfect shadow!

Just mommy and daddy being silly, hehe!

A shot of the trail from the lighthouse tower.  Never got a shot of the bridge on this angle!

Heading back down from the lighthouse tower!

After touring the lighthouse we took a walk back on their little trail down to the water.  (Lake Michigan side.) So beautiful seeing everything from that angle.  It was also a beautiful day.  Can't beat that!

Now taking a walk on that trail down to the water.  Just a little blurry, oops!

Lake Michigan.  I just love how crisp and clear!

Ugh, mom! It's too sunny! Oh well, it was a fun day anyways!

We can't wait to return in the fall and also visit Discovery Park down the road which teaches about the solar system along a trail in the great outdoors.  We are hoping to add this to our homeschool trip in October.  The plus side of all of this is a lot of it is free.  As homeschoolers, that's music to our ears!

If you want to learn more about the history of McGulpin Point Lighthouse, click here!