Heritage Village at Mackinaw

Heritage Village at Mackinaw Mackinaw City's Heritage Village lets visitors explore life in the Straits of Mackinac as it was in the 1880-1917. Park open dawn to dusk.

Buildings open when docents are on site. Memorial Day - Labor Day Thursday - Monday 10-4, Wednesdays 4 PM-8 PM. Our village now includes:

• An 1880's one-room school from the community of Freedom, a few miles east of Mackinaw City
• The Mackinaw City pest (pestilence) house from the same era as the school house
•The sawmill that cut the logs for the locks at Sault Ste. Marie right after the turn

of the century
• A tarpaper work shack
• A vintage base ball field (yes, it was two words back then)
• An artifacts building
• A community garden
• A community pavilion
• Modern outhouses

An 1897 church from Brutus, a machine shed, a replication of a prominent family's farm, the Stimpson Homestead, are on site and slated for completion in the near future. Educational programs are in place or are being developed to bring each to life. Our most treasured objective is to educate children through exciting interpretation, participation, and enthusiastic retelling of the history of that time. In a typical year hundreds of school children visit Heritage Village. We invite teachers to bring their students to our Village to "really see what Great Grandma Smith meant about no lights, no cars, no planes, no telephones when she was a girl." High school and college students, home for the summer, fall in love with base ball using 1870's rules when gentlemanliness was the standard and an umpire could simply ask, "Were you safe or out?" and a "ballist' (player) would respond honestly, much to the delight of the "cranks" (fans).

Tuesdays are quiet at the village, our grounds are open, buildings are closed and the photo ops are endless as David S w...
06/23/2026

Tuesdays are quiet at the village, our grounds are open, buildings are closed and the photo ops are endless as David S who captured this moment.

06/22/2026

The village buildings are open today 10-4.
Stop by and say hi to Mark!

We are excited to host a wedding on Saturday, a few buildings might be closed to the public, and driving around the circ...
06/19/2026

We are excited to host a wedding on Saturday, a few buildings might be closed to the public, and driving around the circle drive will be closed for the event too. The trails will be open for you to explore.

Our May Woids Trails join up with the Tip of the Mitt Trail and the Headlands trails, always good to stay on the marked ...
06/18/2026

Our May Woids Trails join up with the Tip of the Mitt Trail and the Headlands trails, always good to stay on the marked trails.

Our 325 miles of trail pe*****te northern Michigan's most beautiful places, from the wooded interior to the sugar sand beaches. There's so much trail, it's hard to experience it all. There are countless incredible views, and you never have to leave the trail to see the best stuff.

With that much public territory to explore, we want to remind trail users to always respect private property owners along the trail. That means staying on the marked trail. We know how tempting it is, but just because you can see something interesting from the trail doesn't mean you necessarily have access to it.

Aside from disrespecting property owners, trespassing can lead to legal fines and more. Most of the time, private property is well marked with a variety of signage. Trail users should always abide by it, affording property owners their privacy.

We always want to have good relationships with, and cooperation from trail-side property owners. Respecting their rights is essential.

Ahhhh the dog daysof summer will be here June 21st. Our village park is open dawn to dusk. Buildings open Thursdays- Mo...
06/18/2026

Ahhhh the dog daysof summer will be here June 21st. Our village park is open dawn to dusk. Buildings open Thursdays- Mondays 10-4 and Wednesday evenings 4-8. (Weather permitting).

We are excited to have our resident docent.
06/17/2026

We are excited to have our resident docent.

The flowers are blooming and the butterflies are fluttering around the village. Tonight the buildings will be open 4-8. ...
06/17/2026

The flowers are blooming and the butterflies are fluttering around the village. Tonight the buildings will be open 4-8. Stop by and sit a spell and check out some of our new artifacts too!

Our gardeners have been working their plots. Flowers, herbs, and veggies are all starting to grow with vigor. The Victor...
06/16/2026

Our gardeners have been working their plots. Flowers, herbs, and veggies are all starting to grow with vigor. The Victory Garden is one of a kind!

Address

1425 W Central Avenue
Mackinaw City, MI
49701

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 4pm - 8pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4:59pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+12319770045

Website

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