*** About Mackinac Island
There is nothing quite like the Mackinac experience; a vacation with no automobiles, waking up to the gentle clip clop of horses and buggies amidst the fresh air, soft lake breezes and the beauty of nature surrounding everything and everyone. Mackinac Island offers outstanding dining, shopping, arts, architecture and nightlife. Resorts, hotels, historic inns, bed & breakfasts, apartments, condominiums, town homes and home rentals offer the amenities travelers have come to expect from economical to extravagant.
*** Mackinac Island Music Festival August 19-21, 2008
Brought to you by the Mackinac Arts Council and the generous Mackinac Island community, the Music Festival features a lineup of talented musicians who perform at a variety of island venues. Musicans include alto saxophonist (and Music Director at Grand Hotel) Alex Graham, dobro player extraordinaire Kraig Kenning, Michigan's best Southern Rock band Rick Niemi and Shotgun Willie, songwriting duo the Mickey's, Northern Michigan legend John D. Lamb, the Forbes Brothers, Colorado favorites Elephant Revival, a funky, gyptic, hippie folk band and headlining this year at the theatre at Mission Point Resort will be Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
*** Grand Hotel Labor Day Jazz Weekend, August 30-Sept. 2, 2008
Each year Grand Hotel welcomes the
artistic excellence of nationally known entertainers which makes this Labor Day
Jazz Weekend one of the most popular with guests. Past headliners include
Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, Pete Fountain, John
Pizzarelli and Diane Schuur. You will be treated to daytime concerts in the Tea
Garden and evening concerts in the elegant Theatre. The Jockey Club at the
Grand Stand provides a more relaxing atmosphere for late evening jazz. Then
Sunday morning you will awake to the inspirational and soulful sounds of gospel
being played on the Front Porch. Tickets are available at Grand Hotel during the festival, though we recommend staying at Grand Hotel to get the full experience. Special accommodations packages at Grand available here.
*** Stonecliffe Summer Songwriter Series, June 4-Aug. 27, 2008
Each Wednesday, the Inn at Stonecliffe presents their singer/songwriter series with nationally touring songwriters.
Packages are available for those who'd like to spend the night in this gorgeous estate mansion from $99 for either Tues/Wed or Wed/Thurs..
*** Mackinac Island Nightlife
Grand Hotel offers nightly entertainment for their guests and non-guests alike. All guests, however, must be dressed properly after 6 pm, meaning that men must wear proper jackets and ties and women must wear their finest couture. The Terrace Room is home to Alex Graham and the Grand Hotel Orchestra. The Hotel Iroquois' piano bar in their Carriage House Dining Room is a popular spot to listen music, watch the sunset and view the boats entering the harbor.
*** Downtown Club Scene
Tuesday night is wine and jazz night with the Alex Graham Quartet at the foothills of Grand Hotel in the new Grand Gate House, formerly the French Outpost. The room is excellent for live jazz.
In the center of Mackinac downtown nightlife, Patrick Sinclair’s Irish Pub offers opportunities to drink the night away with traditional Irish sing-a-longs on weekends. Contemporary acoustic musicians may be heard singing Great Lakes ballads on weeknights.
Just next door, Horn’s Gaslight Bar (recipient of the Best Venue to See a Live Band award from a Detroit news readers poll) presents seasoned rock, blues, and reggae bands every weekend during the peak season. On Wednesdays, DJs bring music and light shows for those who are ready to dance the night away.
Across the street past the Arnold Line, the famous Pink Pony Bar & Grill where well-known Michigan acoustic artists perform nightly and involve the crowd with requests as much as possible.
Mission Point Resort offers acoustic music in the Round Island Bar and Grill, one of its many restaurants. Weather permitting, acoustic musicians perform on the deck of Mission Point’s Bistro on the Green outside overlooking the Greens of Mackinac, the Resort’s 18-hole executive putting course.
Up to date information on who’s playing where can be obtained from front desk personnel, websites of the Island watering holes and in the entertainment section of the Town Crier.
