I took a tour of Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. It was magical
This historical hotel, where the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time was filmed, will make you feel like time travel is possible.
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“Is it you? Is it?” Actor Elise McKenna murmurs these words to playwright Richard Collier when, standing beside a lake, she sees him for the first time. Later, she explains what she meant: Are you the man who’s going to change my life?
Elise (Jane Seymour) and Richard (Christopher Reeve) are main characters in the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time, based on the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. In the movie, Richard becomes infatuated with Elise via an old photograph he comes across in his hotel’s “Hall of History”. Through self-hypnosis, he travels back to 1912 to meet her; despite her controlling manager, things go (mostly) well, until he discovers a 1979 penny in his pocket and is catapulted back to the present.
The 388-room Grand Hotel, on Mackinac (pronounced Mack-in-awe) Island, Michigan, has been welcoming guests since 1887 and is a key setting in the film. If staying here doesn’t suit your schedule or budget, day admission, which includes a self-guided tour, is an option for visiting the hotel’s movie locations.
From the ferry dock, I stroll 800m past Victorian architecture, souvenir shops, and horse-drawn carriages (motorised vehicles aren’t allowed on the island) to Grand Hotel’s eastern entrance. Stepping inside, I’m giddy with excitement to find a Hall of History, which displays memorabilia and photos from Somewhere in Time as well as This Time for Keeps (1947), which was also filmed here.
Upstairs is an elegant, expansive parlour with decor I recognise. In the movie, this is where Richard checks in. The space did serve as the lobby from 1887 until 1979; today, it’s used for traditional afternoon tea.
On the 201m front porch – the world’s largest – I gaze out to the Straits of Mackinac, before descending the steps where Richard and Elise embrace.
An island map points out other filming locations: the “Is It You?” plaque off Lake Shore Drive; a gazebo, relocated from its original position to a spot east of historic Fort Mackinac; “Baxter’s”, where Richard buys his 1912 coins; and Mission Point Resort, home to the theatre where Elise performs.
While on Mackinac, I also enjoy a carriage tour, fudge tasting on Main Street, and a couple of Michigan beers. I try one, Bell’s Brewery’s Big Porch Ale, while perched in the beautiful Cupola Bar, the hotel’s highest point.
Draining my glass, I turn to leave. On the blue seat beside me is a 1979 quarter. It wasn’t there when I arrived, and no one is lingering nearby. Did a fellow movie fan place it there?
Though it’s not a penny like Richard found, the find feels magical. Pocketing it as a souvenir, I walk out of the hotel, and back into the world, content that time travel, at least to these movie settings, has been possible.
How to tour Grand Hotel
Book self-guided tours (9am-6pm) of Grand Hotel online for $US12 per person and $US6 per child aged six to 12. A dress code applies. The hotel hosts an annual Somewhere in Time weekend in late October. The tour is also offered as a shore excursion from Viking Cruises’ Great Lakes itineraries.
How to get to Mackinac Island
Ferries to Mackinac Island depart from Mackinaw City and St Ignace, 370km and 397km north of Grand Rapids, respectively. Charter flights operate from St Ignace to Mackinac Island Airport.
The writer was assisted by Grand Hotel and Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau.
Originally published as I took a tour of Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. It was magical
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