The
Grand Hotel is a historic
lodging facility located on
Mackinac Island,
Michigan, a small island located at the eastern end of the
Straits of Mackinac within
Lake Huron between the state's
Upper and
Lower Peninsulas. Constructed in the late 19th century, the facility advertises itself as having the world's largest
porch. The Grand Hotel is well known for a number of notable visitors, including five
U.S. presidents, inventor
Thomas Edison, and author
Mark Twain.
Mackinac Island (pronounced /'mæk?n??/, like MACK-in-aw; note the silent "c") is a small island, 3.776&_160;square miles (9.780&_160;km2) in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two strategic battles during the War of 1812.[3]
In 1886, the Michigan Central Railroad, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company formed the Mackinac Island Hotel Company. The group purchased the land on which the hotel was built and construction began, based upon the design by Detroit architects Mason and Rice. When it opened the following year, the hotel was advertised to Chicago, Erie, Montreal and Detroit residents as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrived by lake steamer and by rail from across the continent. At its opening, nightly rates at the hotel ranged from US$3 to US$5 a night.[4]
Grand Hotel's front porch is purportedly the longest in the world at some 660&_160;feet (200&_160;m) in length, overlooking a vast Tea Garden and the resort-scale Esther Williams swimming pool. These areas are often used by guests on a casual family vacation, for large conventions, or concerts during the hotel's annual Labor Day Jazz Festival. The hotel has drawn some criticism for its charging a $10 fee for non-guests to enter the building and enjoy the view from the famous porch.[5]
