St. Ignace
St. Ignace is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan, at the north end of the Mackinac Bridge.
Get in
By car
St. Ignace can be reached from the south over the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge. The north-south I-75 connects Sault Ste Marie, on the northern border of the United States, with Detroit. U.S. 2 connects St. Ignace with Duluth and points west.
By bus
Indian Trails offers daily bus service to and from Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Chicago, Milwaukee, Escanaba, Houghton-Hancock, and Duluth.
By other means
St. Ignace has a paved runway but no commercial air service. Ferryboat lines run from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island in the late spring, summer, and fall.
Get Around
See
- 🌍 The Museum of Ojibwa Culture, 500 N. State St, ☏ +1 906-643-9161. On St. Ignace's waterfront, celebrates the 1671 establishment of contact between the Ojibwa (also called Chippewa or Anishinabe) people and the French-Canadians. The grounds of the Museum contains the site of the Mission Chapel, reconstructions of the "long homes" built by local Native Americans, and a gravesite believed to be that of explorer Jacques Marquette. As of January 2006, the Museum was open from Memorial Day weekend until early October of each year. The admission fee was $2.00.
- Fort de Buade, 334 N State St, ☏ +1 906-643-6627. Tu 11AM-5PM. A reconstructed French fort with more exhibits on Native Americans and early European settlement in the area.
- Straits State Park. Includes the Father Marquette National Memorial.
- Mackinac Bridge. The Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) is an impressive long-span Suspension Bridge connecting the upper and lower pensinsulas of Michigan. It once was the longest bridge in the entire Western Hemisphere. While there is no pedestrian access on the bridge, crossing it is still an impressive experience. Drivers should keep in mind that the two middle lanes of the bridge are an open steel grating, where the two outer lanes are regular pavement.
Do
Go to the Putt Putt Golf. Go parasailing - it's a great way to see the island from a bird's eye angle.
Eat
- St. Ignace is on the eastern end of Upper Peninsula pasty country. While the Cornish pasty is more closely identified with the hard-rock mining country of the central and western Upper Peninsula, the main dish can be found in and around St. Ignace, typically from small roadside diners on U.S. Highway 2 west of the town.
- Mackinac Island-style fudge can be purchased on the town's waterfront main street.
- Bentley's BNL Cafe is a wonderful stop for lunch while passing through. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as ice cream treats. The whitefish is fresh daily from Lake Huron.
Sleep
- Breakers Resort and Beach Bar, 927 N. State St. Tel: (906) 643-7733.
- Cedar Hill Lodge, 680 US 2. Tel: +1 906-643-9900.
- Quality Inn Lakefront, 1021 N. State St. Tel: +1 906-643-7581. Balcony view of Mackinac Island. Located on the shores of Lake Huron. Secure Online Reservations.
- Quality Inn, 561 Boulevard Dr. Tel: +1 906-298-6614. Indoor pool/hot tub courtyard, complimentary breakfast.
- Voyager Inn, 750 US 2 W. Tel: +1 906-207-8111. Indoor pool, free breakfast and nightly popcorn.
Go next
| Routes through St. Ignace |
| Sault Ste Marie ← | N S | → Mackinac Bridge → Mackinaw City |
| Escanaba ← Manistique ← | W E | → END |