Why We Can’t Wait for Halloween – Part 1

Fall is here and Rob and I have been talking for weeks about taking a weekend getaway to enjoy the seasonal beauty of Pure Michigan (a common catchphrase within our home state). We had some extra money left over from our honeymoon and have been brainstorming what we should do and where our destination should be. Heading northward was a given. But where to go? Traverse City? Petoskey? Suttons Bay? Should we go wine tasting? Or beer tasting? Or perhaps just have a quiet weekend away at my family’s cabin upstate?

Then, last week I heard a commercial for the ultimate fall getaway in northern Michigan: Halloween Weekend at the Grand Hotel. Oh. My. Word. I was so excited it took every once of my self control not to call Rob and wake him up at 6:40am to tell him that I knew what we should do!

The thought of a Halloween getaway had never even crossed my mind. When I think of Halloween vacation weekends, I think of children. Lots of children. And candy. And noise. Since I teach kindergarten, you can imagine that mixing children, candy and noise into my vacation plans doesn’t sound like the best idea. But a Halloween getaway for adults sounds like an amazing experience. Especially one at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Now if you are not from Michigan, this is where I need to back up about 10 steps and fill you in on one of Michigan’s ultimate vacation destinations: Mackinac Island. We have a Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. All three places are located at the northern tip of the lower peninsula. All 3 are pretty awesome in their own way. Also, all three are pronounced “mack-in-aw,” even though it looks like it should be “mack-in-ack.”

Mackinac Island is completely charming and one of the most unique places to visit in the country. You can only access the island by boat or plane. Vacationers and tourists that wish to visit the island can catch a ride on one of the many ferry companies that provide daily transportations to and from the island. An interesting element of life on the island is a distinct lack of motorized vehicles. There are no cars, trucks or busses on the island. People travel by horse and carriage or bike. As a result, the general noise level is quite low and the island feels very tranquil.

The Grand Hotel is basically the gem of Mackinac Island. The historic hotel first opened its doors in 1887 and Grand doesn’t even begin to describe it. The hotel boasts of 390 guest rooms and no two rooms are exactly the same. Every room is ornately decorated to complement the hotel’s history.

There are also several named rooms and suites which have a distinct personality all their own. A few examples of named suites include: the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Suite (there are several suites named after former First Ladies), the Tiffany Suite and the Vanderbilt Suite (shown below.)

The hotel’s majestic front porch also happens to be the longest front porch in the world. Like most Michiganders, Rob and I have visited Mackinac Island several times throughout our lives, but neither of us has ever stayed on the island overnight. An weekend stay at the Grand Hotel has long-been an item on my bucket list.

The sunlight hits the porch just right in the fall. ☀️?#grandhotelmichigan #mackinacisland #americassummerplace #makeitmackinac

A photo posted by Grand Hotel (@grandhotelmichigan) on Sep 10, 2015 at 9:49am PDT

And then there is the iconic film, Somewhere in Time. The movie, filmed in 1980, stars a very young Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. In the movie, Christopher Reeve’s character, Richard, finds a way to travel back in time to meet Jane Seymour’s character, Elise, after becoming fascinated by a vintage portrait of her hanging in the Grand Hotel. The movie is filled with epic romance and is a classic.

Michigan natives also love sharing a fun piece of trivia from the movie: Although the movie was filmed on Mackinac Island, some aspects of island life have changed. Namely, the ban on motorized vehicles doesn’t exist in the film. The City of Mackinac Island actually had to grant permission for automobiles to enter the island for the movie. All of this just adds to the magic and legacy of of the Grand Hotel’s distinct history.

Now, that I have completely gushed and caught you up on why Mackinac Island (and the Grand Hotel in particular) is such an amazing destination, I can barely contain myself about Halloween Weekend at the Grand Hotel. Imagine all of the charm of Mackinac Island, combined with the majesty of the Grand Hotel. Now throw in some autumn colors and add a few Halloween festivities. It sounds like the best weekend ever, right? That’s what we think too!

Rob and I are so excited for Halloween weekend, we can’t even contain it all in one blog post. You can read all about the weekend’s events and what we are planning to do for our Halloween costumes in this blog post. As you might expect, I’m excited to have an excuse to wear a beautiful new dress! Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to do a little birthday celebrating today. We also have a movie date planned tonight so Rob can finally watch Somewhere In Time. Bring on the popcorn and wine!

This is a sponsored post. Rob and I received payment, trade and/or products from Grand Hotel in exchange for promoting. All of the gushing thoughts and opinions are our own and we only promote companies we truly love.