Mackinac Island Hotel and Grandeur ~ Movie Somewhere in Time

Time Travel

This unique concept of being able to travel backwards (or forwards) in time is no longer limited just to science fiction fans who love reading books, watching television shows like the many Star Trek versions or movie going aficionados.

It can be realized by stepping back in time and seeing and experiencing the grandeur of what life was like (and still can be today) at a place called the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island which was built and opened its doors to the public in 1887.

A consortium of railroads and steamship companies were responsible for initiating the concept and bringing this Grand Hotel into existence.

The name is certainly appropriate.

What could better describe this large and magnificent hotel that has hosted guests including Presidents from the United States, foreign visitors including Heads of State, inventors, authors and other august persons for more than a century in elegant fashion?

(c) Peggy Woods - All Rights Reserved

Grand Hotel

This stately Grand Hotel reputedly has the longest front porch in the entire world.

The porch is wide and some 660 feet ( 200 meters ) in length and literally has hundreds of geranium boxes planted with those classic blooming flowers.

Wooden rocking chairs accommodate countless guests and/or visitors to the Grand Hotel who wish to soak up the sumptuous atmosphere overlooking the gardens below and the nearby vista of Lake Huron.

The Grand Hotel is not only a National Historic Landmark but is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to my grandparents who have stayed at the Grand Hotel many years ago, we have several good friends who have also visited that most historic of splendid places on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

The photos in this hub have been shared by these same friends and make me all the more eager to someday visit this place in person and experience the views and ambiance of the elegant Grand Hotel.

This Time for Keeps



This is the title of a movie starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams which dates back to 1947. It was filmed on Mackinac Island and one of the prime locations was at the Grand Hotel.

There is a 220 foot ( 67 meters ) large heated pool at the Grand Hotel named after the famous actress and synchronized swimming expert, Esther Williams.

Synchronized swimming is very athletic in nature but also very beautiful to watch. It is also described as water ballet. Women athletes perform rhythmic twists and turns in the water together at exactly the same time whether exposing their arms, legs or bodies...and often holding their breath while underwater.

Esther Williams became a rather famous pinup girl during World War II because of frequently appearing in her bathing suit for films once she was discovered by MGM.

Xavier Cugat's band also performed in that movie. For those who are old enough to remember , he was a popular and charismatic band director who helped make Latin music popular in the United States. His band performed for many years at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Jimmy Durante started out in the days of vaudeville and went on to perform on radio, in movies and on television. He was not only a good musician but quite the comedian. He always made fun of his big nose and I remember first seeing him at my grandparent's house when they owned a television set prior to my parents getting one in those early days of television.

So with our time travel theme...by watching this romantic comedy film one can see what the Grand Hotel looked like during that time as well as viewing some of those famous personalities featured in that 1947 movie.

Mackinac Island

As already explained in the hub that I did featuring the historic Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the island so people get around by horse drawn carriages, bicycling or by walking.

Since the island is small...just shy of four square miles...this is also like stepping back into a time prior to those first noisy and sputtering Model T Fords and other "horseless carriages" that began populating the highways and byways after the Grand Hotel was first built.

When my grandparents were born everyone commonly traveled with the use of horses and carriages or by railroads and steamships among other modes of transportation. When my maternal grandmother was young, she was taken back and forth to a convent school with horses and a buggy.

That generation saw the rapid expansion of travel made easier by the use of automobiles and they also saw the very first airplanes. My paternal grandmother often commented to me regarding her amazement of living during the time of those early bi-planes to seeing man walk on the moon. Her first husband flew in those bi-planes during World War 1.

Grand Hotel gardens and grounds

The grounds of the Grand Hotel are beautiful judging from the photos that our friends took.

Water views of Lake Huron as well as views of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac bridge are breathtaking from this location.

For those who wish to do more than sit on the grandiose porch in rocking chairs and sip on drinks delivered by accommodating and friendly hotel waitstaff, there are exercise facilities which include the Esther Williams swimming pool, tennis courts, 18 holes of golf, jogging trails and of course beautiful grounds in which the manicured gardens, fountains and other eye-catching attractions can be viewed and enjoyed while out for a stroll.

More photos below show some of this scenery.

Grand Hotel interiors

Our friends chose to stay elsewhere on Mackinac Island and merely visit the Grand Hotel on several occasions.

This imposing structure with wonderful amenities comes with a not surprisingly high price-tag if one wishes to stay in one of their rooms or suites which are all individually decorated...some of them even named after some of our Presidential first ladies like Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush and Rosalyn Carter.

One day Doug and Lisa enjoyed themselves by having an Afternoon Tea at the Grand Hotel. A harpist played beautiful music during that interlude of time. Delicate little finger foods accompanied their choice of teas served in fine china.

Several times our friends simply enjoyed those rocking chairs on the porch and sipped on tasty and refreshing drinks after exploring other parts of Mackinac Island.

At a certain point approaching evening, if one wishes to stay on the front porch at the Grand Hotel, a dress code is mandated. A sense of proper decorum is maintained at the Grand Hotel keeping it in line with how life would have been more commonly observed in the past.

Visitors can wander through the public rooms of the Grand Hotel and enjoy the amenities although it costs an admission fee as of the time of this writing if not staying there as a guest.

Somewhere in Time

This is the title of a classic movie made back in 1980 and is hauntingly beautiful not only due to the period costuming and setting of the Grand Hotel, but also due to the most beautiful music played throughout the movie.

The 18th variation of Sergei Rachmanioff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is one of my all time personal favorites! The Somewhere in Time music theme was based upon Rachmanioff's masterpiece creation.

The title of this movie foretells the fact of this being a time travel movie.

Christopher Reeve, the beautiful Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer are main characters in this film.

At one point the character played by Christopher Reeve travels back 68 years in time to the year 1912 to meet the famous actress Elise McKenna ( played by Jane Seymour ) with whom he has a romantic connection.

There are some twists and turns to the story but these lovebirds are suddenly torn apart and once again separated by irreversable time in a dramatic climax.

Somewhere in Time Convention

At the Grand Hotel, there is an annual weekend in October where the hotel guests dress up in vintage clothing and pay homage to the movie Somewhere in Time.

That must be a sight to behold!

If visitors from outer space would happen to see only Mackinac Island and not other parts of our world, they would certainly have a skewed version of what life is like on earth...particularly if they came on that particular weekend at the Grand Hotel.

Thus, if looking for a completely different way to spend a deluxe vacation in a dignified manner dressed in beautiful clothing dating back a century, check out the timing for the next annual Somewhere in Time convention at the Grand Hotel and make reservations.

That special weekend probably sells out fairly quickly!

Hopefully you enjoyed learning about this grand Mackinac Island Hotel called the
Grand Hotel. Whether you go to experience it by staying there, or merely visit it during the day as several of our friends have, or even plan to enjoy a Somewhere in Time annual convention...it will be an experience you are not likely to soon forget.