Mackinac Island Carriage Tours FAQ

Q: Are you offering sleigh rides this winter?

A: Sorry, we are not able to offer any sleigh rides for the current winter season.

Q : Are your tours Wheelchair accessible?

A : We have one special carriage that is wheelchair accessible. This carriage needs to be reserved at least 24 hours in advance, with a specific time for the tour. Reservations are taken on a first come-first served basis only. Please keep in mind that there may be limited availability on busy days. The carriage will seat up to 2 persons in wheelchairs and up to 8 other people on bench seats in the front. The carriage is covered also. The rates are the same as the regular public tour rates for a regular sightseeing tour. The carriage can also be reserved for taxi service, or private tours by the hour, as available. Please call 906-847-3307 from 9:00 am to 4:00 PM, Monday-Saturday in season, to make a reservation.

Q: We are bringing our two Labradors to the island for a visit in September. Can they join us on a carriage tour?

Q: We have a 25 lb. Benji-type dog traveling with us to the island. Are we still able to take a carriage tour and keep our dog with us?
A: Dogs can go on the tour as long as they will not bark at the horses. If they are too big to sit on your lap, you would be charged a child's rate for them, since they would be using seat space.

Q : We would like to know if the carriage stops at different sights on the island where we can depart and look around. Is there a limited time to view each area? Will we be able to get back on a carriage to go to the next sight? Or do we have to stay on the carriage for the full tour? If we do, is it long walks to each sight?

A : There are a few stops on the tour. At Surrey Hill Carriage Museum you transfer from the 20 passenger to the 35 passenger carriage. There are restrooms, snack shops, gift shops and antique carriages on display in the building. Also, the new "Wings of Mackinac" butterfly conservatory is located next to Surrey Hill. You can spend as much time at Surrey Hill as you like, before boarding the 35 passenger carriage. The next stop is a very brief 5-10 minute stop at Arch Rock. There is a restroom, but you will need to reboard the same carriage when your driver calls you the 3rd time. The next stop is an optional one at the "Avenue of Flags" entrance to Fort Mackinac. The admission to the Fort is not included in the price of the carriage tour, but you are welcome to exit the tour and visit the fort on your own. You may reboard another carriage when you come out of the Fort as long as you keep your Carriage Tour ticket. After the Fort you may end your tour at the Governor's Mansion and walk down Fort Hill (very steep-not good for Seniors) or continue back to Surrey Hill and reboard the 20-passenger carriage again. After Surrey Hill you can either end your tour at the Grand Hotel or downtown. If you end at Grand Hotel, you would not be able to reboard another tour carriage to get to the downtown, but it is only a short walk from there. Horse-drawn taxi service is available at an additional charge. Please check the "rates" section for current taxi rates.

Q : My family and I are planning a 3-day trip to Mackinac Island the 2nd week of October and are interested in the carriage tour advertised on your website. I noticed that your tours run until October. Do you close the 1st of October or are tours running to the end of October?

A : We will have tours seven days per week, until late October. We normally close when the Grand Hotel closes, which is usually the last week of October. In the fall, the hours for the tours will be 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, weather permitting. I would advise beginning the tour by noon, if possible.

We have taxi service all year-around, by reservation in the winter.

Q : What time does your ticket office open daily and at what time do the tours begin?

A : We should have carriages departing every 5 to 10 minutes in July, so when you purchase your tickets at the ticket office, they will give you the next available departure. The ticket office hours vary. In peak season they are open 9AM to 5PM. In the spring and fall they are open 9 AM to 3PM. The ticket office hours in the summer are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Q : Do you take Master Card for payment?

A : Yes, we accept MasterCard, Visa & Discover cards, only.

Q : Does this tour include the butterfly exhibit or is it an additional charge?

A : The "Wings of Mackinac" admission is an additional charge. Please visit them at www.wingsofmackinac.com

Q : How long does the carriage tour stay at the butterfly exhibit?

A : At Surrey Hill, where Wings is located, you transfer from the 20-passenger to the 35-passenger carriages, so you can spend as much or little time there as you like, before boarding the 3-horse carriage for the second part of the tour. You can also visit towards the end of the tour, before you board the 20 passenger carriage again to return downtown for the end of the tour.

Q : Are private tours available for a family?

A : Private tours are available by the hour in 7-passenger carriages. You can make a reservation for the same day only, by calling 906-847-3325. Please check the "rates" section for current prices. Our drivers will narrate the entire tour. This tour may be customized to see different areas of the Island.

Q : I must make the reservation for a private tour the morning we will be arriving (same day)? If that is the case what time do you open? How many hours do you recommend, we have a 5 and a 3 year old?

A : Yes, for the private livery tours we make reservations for the same day only, unless it is for a wedding or motor coach group. The ticket office hours vary. In peak season they are open 9AM to 5PM. In the spring and fall they are open 9 AM to 3PM. If you have small children maybe one hour would be plenty. You can reserve 1 and 1/2 hours or 2 hours if you prefer.

Q : Do reservations have to be made in advance?

A : Reservations are not accepted for the public tour, except for tour groups or 20 or more, school & scout groups and weddings. The entire group must be paid by one person. You may call on the same day to reserve a private livery tour, however.

Q : We would like to take a carriage tour of the island in one big group. There are 6 adults and 7 children (ranging from 15 years to 7 months). I'm assuming the island will be very busy that day and figured we would need reservations. Is this true, and would it be possible to reserve a carriage?

A : Sorry, but we do not take reservations for the public tour in advance. You should be able to stay with your group. Just let the ticket office know when you purchase your tickets how many there are that want to stay together and they should be able to assign you to the same departure. Carriages should be departing every 5 to 15 minutes in July.

Q : I am planning a wedding at The Island House. I would like to plan a carriage ride between the ceremony and reception. How do I go about reserving your services??

A : In order to make a reservation, we need to know which carriage you want to book, the starting time, starting & ending locations, ceremony time, ceremony & reception location. To view the carriages, please see our web-site at www.mict.com and click on the icon that says "wedding carriages". From the wedding page, click on each small photo to the right, and it will enlarge and give you the rates and seating capacity of each carriage. The carriages are also on the inside of the back cover of the "Mackinac Island Wedding Guide" or we can send you our new wedding brochure.
When booking the reservation, we will also need both the bride & groom's names, mailing address and a daytime phone number or answering machine number. We will then mail you the contract, which you would return with a 50% deposit. We also accept Visa, MasterCard & Discover.

Q : We are getting married at the Grand Hotel. I am interested in finding out about the wedding carriages as well as obtaining taxies to take people from the hotel down to the tea garden and then back again after the ceremony.

A : Please visit our web-site at www.mict.com and click on the box that says "wedding carriages". From there, you can click on each small photo to enlarge and show you the rates and seating capacity for each carriage.
We book the carriages for a minimum of 1 hour. You may reserve the carriage for longer periods in 30 minute increments. The rate will be prorated at the hourly rate.
Regarding taxi service between the Grand Hotel and the Tea Garden, we can provide taxi service at a fee which is charged per each person, one way. (please check the "rates" section for current pricing) It is a little tricky getting in near the Tea Garden, however, so you may want to provide this just for your elderly guests or those who absolutely cannot walk up & down the stairs. If you are working with a convention manager at Grand Hotel, she can assist you in making carriage or taxi reservations with us also, or you can make them directly with us.