Spring Break, Blossoms & Birds in the Straits of Mackinac Area
Lovely anytime of the year, don’t miss out on springtime in the Mackinaw City region. Call it a springtime fling because that’s when Mackinaw City businesses and hotels offer vacation specials and events such as the 4th Annual Mackinac Meltdown. Here’s some of what’s going on.
April 1-16 — Spring Break Splash at Pirate Cove Waterpark
Things are heating up inside…with $5 fun, April 1-16 at Pirate’s Adventure Waterpark inside the Crown Choice Inn & Suites Lakeview (720 S. Huron Avenue). Mackinaw’s largest indoor waterpark features a pirate head tipping bucket, three waterslides, bubbler jets, crawl tunnels, water guns, climbing nets, an oversized indoor pool and a whirlpool sauna. Call 231-436-5929 for details.
Saturday, April 6 (11am-2pm) — Taste of Mackinaw
Enjoy delicious foods from local restaurants as well as craft beer and wine at the Mackinac Island Brewhouse & Mackinaw Island Winery inside the Mackinac Bay Trading Company downtown on Huron Avenue, across from Conkling Heritage Park. Tickets are $10 per person.
Discover Birds of Prey at Raptor Fest!
Currently birding is the second fastest growing hobby in the United States after gardening, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In Michigan we take our birding seriously with more than 2 million birdwatchers residing in the state. And this area of Michigan is a birdwatching hot spot. Every year thousands of hawks, eagles, vultures, and owls follow the curves of Lakes Michigan and Huron to the Straits of Mackinac. From there, to save energy, they use rising air drafts, rising high in the air and then gliding across the 5-mile expanse of the Straits.
Note that though they’re no longer protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle remains protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch conducts scientific studies and takes inventory of hawks, owls and other raptors migrating through this region of northern Michigan, educating the public about the birds and their migratory patterns.
Raptor Fest, April 3-5, is their largest annual event, a three-day celebration of all things raptor including sightings of migrating birds and educational workshops.
For more information visit Mackinaw City.
