Ryba’s Fudge Shops

27 07 2009
  • PO Box 1410, Main Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 4974
  • (906) 847-4065
  • Website
  • Menu
Rybas Fudge Shops on Mackinac Island.

Ryba's Fudge Shops on Mackinac Island.

There’s really no other place on Earth where the main purpose of a trip could be to buy fudge.  It wasn’t the main purpose of our trip, but it was a perk that we were looking forward to. 

We put off the actual fudge buying until we were ready to leave.  Had we given in and bought fudge when we got there, we would have been eating fudge all day.  Not a bad thing from a taste perspective, but you know what chocolate and sugar can do to you. 

After eating dinner at The Pink Pony, we started to make our way back to the Arnold Transit Company docks.  We had been debating all day which fudge shop we would try.  It was hard to make a decision because every store had a sign proclaiming “Best Fudge on Mackinac according to the Detroit News.”  Like I mentioned in my post about the Island, they must just rotate every year. 

The store we ended up choosing was Ryba’s.  There are a number of Ryba’s on Main Street.  There was at least three just downtown and I noticed one on the way to the Grand Hotel as well.  The store we actually went into was the one next door to the Chippewa Hotel.  It was the first one we came across and there weren’t many people inside. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Candy, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Reviews

Pink Pony Bar & Grill

27 07 2009
  • P.O. Box 250, Main Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-3341
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pink Pony Bar & Grill in downtown Mackinac Island.

The Pink Pony Bar & Grill in downtown Mackinac Island.

After our carriage tour of Mackinac Island, J and I made our way back to Main Street.  It was now pushing 5:30 and we still hadn’t bought any fudge.  J mentioned we should probably buy some then added she could go for dinner.  I felt the same way. We burned a lot of energy today and lunch seemed so long ago. 

This was going to be our last meal on the Island and there were still so many choices. I picked up a Mackinac Island dining guide from the Visitor’s Center, but there were no address or maps of where any of the places were.  As we toured the Island, we walked by a number of places that would normally catch our attention. I stopped and browsed menus at a few, but when it comes down to it, J and I are really pub food people. 

I thought it might be nice if we could spend the end of the day enjoying dinner overlooking Lake Hudson.  The first place that popped into my head was the Pink Pony.  We walked by earlier in the day and it looked cute plus the back of the building overlooked the harbor.

The Pink Pony Bar & Grill is on Main Street inside the Chippewa Hotel.  The bar/restaurant takes up a large portion of the bottom floor and it’s divided into several sections.  If you walk into the bar, there is no hostess station, but there is a sign pointing you to the lobby of the hotel.  We just stayed outside and walked to the lobby where we found a hostess just in front of the main dining room.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Martha’s Sweet Shop

27 07 2009
  • 7395 Main
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-3700
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Marthas Sweet Shop in downtown Mackinac Island.

Martha's Sweet Shop in downtown Mackinac Island.

It’s not hard to find sweets on Mackinac Island.  If you’re like me, the hard thing is choosing which one to try.  Everything looks good.  My biggest fear was that I would pick the wrong one.  Since we were only spending one day on the Island, I wanted to make sure everything we did would be a good experience.

After walking around for a few hours, J wanted to get something to cool down.  It was hotter than we expected and the sun was out while we were expecting rain.  We may have over dressed a little which made us a little warm.

We walked down Main Street a few times and nothing jumped out right away.  I finally suggested we cross the street and right away, we ran into a little mall that had air conditioning.  The first store in that mall area was an ice cream shop.  Since we were there, I pushed J towards the door so we could sit down and enjoy something cold.

Martha’s Sweet Shop is on Main on Mackinac Island.  It’s in the downtown area even though Google maps is showing it out by the airport.  There are two entrances.  One is off the road.  The other is off the little mall area that connects to a few other shops.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ice Cream, Mackinac Island, Michigan

Yankee Rebel Tavern

26 07 2009
  • 3 Astor Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-6249
  • Website
  • Menu
The Yankee Rebel Tavern on Astor Street on Mackinac Island.

The Yankee Rebel Tavern on Astor Street on Mackinac Island.

As soon as we got off the ferry from the mainland, we started looking for food.  Mackinac Island has a number of restaurants downtown and none of them are chains.  That makes choosing some place to eat when you’re only going to eat two meals on the Island a little difficult. 

Before we took the trip, I did my research online like I always do before out-of-town trips and one of the places that stood out to me was a colonial themed tavern.  We went looking for that on Main Street and just happened to look down one of the side streets to see the sign.

The Yankee Rebel Tavern is on Astor Street between Main and Market on Mackinac Island.  As the name implies, there is a little bit of a colonial theme to the place.  We got to the Island about 12:15 and this was stop #1.  Even though it seemed like there were quite a few people on the Island, I was a little surprised when we got in the door and didn’t see anyone. 

The hostess took  us to a booth along the wall and set down plastic place mats in front of us as well as the menus.  On the way to our table, we saw one other party at a booth near us.  That would change very quickly. 

The decor of the bar isn’t that much different from any other bar we’ve eaten in.  It’s a very comfortable family atmosphere.  It is non-smoking which always gains a place a few more points in my book.  There are a row of booths along one wall and the bar is on the other.  The space in between is filled with tables.  It’s not a huge building by any means, but it’s not tiny either. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Mackinac Island

26 07 2009
  • 7274 Main Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-3783
  • Website
Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

J and I finally feel like Michiganders (or is it Michiginians?).  It seems like every weekend, our friends who grew up here always say they’re “going up north.”  That’s it.  No specific place.  Just up north.  Since we don’t have family here or a cottage somewhere, there’s really no reason for us to “go north.” 

Since moving here, I’ve wanted to go to Mackinac Island.  J went when she was younger.  Her family did the circle tour one year and Mackinac Island was one of the stops.  I’ve never been.  We had plans to go for a couple days in June, but wedding plans made it impossible to take the trip.  A couple weeks ago, J and I were noticing our weekends off, alone together were slowly becoming more and more rare.  We looked at the calendar and figured out the last weekend in July could be the last chance until next spring for us to get away for a day, so we made plans.

Our day started early.  We got up around 7:30 and got on the road about 8:00.  We knew we couldn’t afford to stay on the Island and we knew we couldn’t afford to take the ferry two days in a row, so we decided just to make it a day trip.  Yes, it was a long day with a lot of driving, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Mackinac Island is abouta  3 1/2 hour drive from Lansing, but it’s all four lane highway which is really nice. 

We pulled into Mackinaw City at about 11:30.  We found our way to the Arnold Ferry.  When we pulled in, a guy pointed us to a parking lot across the street.  We parked and walked back to get our tickets.  Arnold was the one ferry company that had a AAA discount.  I showed my card and got a couple bucks off.  The tickets were $22 a piece for the round trip, so the ferry round cost us $44.  I was hit with sticker shock when I first saw the prices, but it’s the only way to get there. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Entertainment Venues, Live Entertainment, Mackinac Island, Michigan