Tourism at Mackinac

Tourism at Mackinac. Mackinaw City Historical Pathway. , Before the railroads were extended to Mackinaw City in 1881, the Straits area remained isolated. Its activities were limited to commercial pursuits such as lumbering and serving the expanding shipping industry. Once land routes were cut through the wilderness for railroads and later automobiles, the natural beauty of Northern Michigan was finally opened to tourism., Mackinac attracts sightseers, fishermen, hunters, boaters, and history buffs but it gained much of its resort popularity from the area's low pollen count. Hay fever sufferers from all over the Midwest found relief in the latter part of summer., Historically, the tourist season lasted around 100 days, Memorial Day through Labor Day. With increasing activities such as color tours, winter festivals, snowmobile gatherings, and other off season events, Mackinaw City hopes to find itself a year-round resort., [Captions:] , Ice fishing was, and continues to be, a popular winter sport on inland lakes., Deer hunting has always been popular. Early last century, the carcasses were transported home by rail., Camping around the lighthouse was popular from the 1920s until 1970.