Mackinac Island Carriage Tours Reviews

Great. Nice ride. Drivers very friendly and informative.

We've taken this tour several times and we've never been disappointed! It's a bit pricey per person but well worth it. The horses are amazing!

We had an awesome driver from our home town of Joliet, IL and I m here to say that guide was the BEST out of the 3 we had! He needs a pay raise because you can tell not only does he love his job but he enjoys it! Cheers

Awesome - drive your own carriage around the island!

Tour was enjoyable. However, at the end, I stepped off and thought I would thank Jewel and Whistler by giving them a pat on the neck. As I did so, I hear someone scream "PLEASE DON'T PET THEM!!! I looked up to see it was our driver Katie. I did not know it was against the "rules" and I must have missed the warning signs. A simple "sir, it's our policy to not allow people to pet the horses" would've sufficed. I have 5 horses, it had been two days since I had got to pet and scratch on a horse so I really didn't think it was that big a deal to give those two a quick pat. Oooops, my bad.

I'm sorry, but the worst tour I've had. No information and the horses were so tired and irritable from the constant fly bites. Our view was no more than just woods for a beautiful island. The history of the sites were just as short. Such a waste of money. Do yourself a favor and just rent your own horse(which is possible) and venture off.

Was the worst money I have spent i would give it 0 stars we had a rude driver we were promised stops to take pictures every time we stopped we were in the woods no stop at the hotel when we stopped at the arch for a pic the line was a 10 minute wait we were told to bad if you can't see it i will leave without you and it's a long walk back she was right on that we had a person with a injured foot with us by the time we got a pic our carriage was gone i will be calling the tour today to complain dont waste your money

Tour guides we got were funny and knowledgeable. Excellent views from the route, and a quick stop at Arch Rock for photos. The horses were fun, and the stop halfway through at the butterfly house and stables was a nice explore at your own pace experience.

Loved it. Our driver up the hill was John from Romania. Very funny, informative & not bad on the eyes. The driver down the hill was Brittny. She was very informative, but I'm a woman, so I'll leave it at that. She did have a few corny jokes.

Jeff is a rude dispatcher!!! Horrible service via phone!!!! Change your attitude!!!

Very informative and interesting. I went all around the state park and I had a great time.

Prior to our trip we purchased the "Mackinac Island Experience Package" which included this tour. It's a nice tour that provides a lot of information about the island as well as just a good way to tour the island spots. From downtown we head to Surrey Hill and the Butterfly Conservatory (Wings of Mackinac) - the Wings attraction costs extra but was included in our package. From there you transfer from a two horse carriage to a three horse carriage that will take you to Arch Rock and the Fort (again Fort is extra but was also included in our package). From the Fort you can go to the Grand Hotel (again extra but included in our package) or just stay on the carriage to be taken back downtown. If you get off at the Grand Hotel, you will have to walk back as the carriages do not pick you back up there (unless you call for a taxi carriage and pay extra). The walk is downhill and not that bad.

I feel in love with this place! Our tour guide was Paul from Transylvania, he was so funny and knew so much about the island and loved his horses, the care that they put into the horses is amazing too, it s almost like stepping back in time!

Mackinac is a great mini vacation, we have Benn there twice and we always have fun.

Great tour. Highly recommend. If you doubt want to walk back to town stay on the coach until the end then get on th he 2 horse coach back to town.

We loved our visit to the island and all the different rides on the carriages..but we especially enjoyed the shuttle rides with Hannah back and forth from Stone Inn. She was so friendly and entertaining.

I enjoyed the tour, our first driver Jon was very funny and entertaining. I liked the stable museum as well. The 2nd driver Don was very informative and funny. Overall I learned a lot of the islands history and really enjoyed myself.

Took the carriage tour back in July of 09.

The tour was nowhere near worth the price. The first tour guide pretty much just sounded like she was going through the motions and just didn't want to be there. The second guide was friendly and personable.

My biggest problem with the tour was that you couldn't stop and take time to see anything. The guide would drone on about every little thing in the world but when it came to something of actual interest they would merely say that it was there and then continue blathering on about the horses or joking that the local fudge was made from horse droppings.

The only times the tour did stop was at the Museum (more of a gift shop really), a scenic spot where your only given 5 minutes to wrestle your way up a narrow metal landing amongst a fair number of other tourists in hopes that you can get a picture in the crowd. Then you go to the Fort (which you can just walk up the hill to see from the town). Finally you come to the Grand Hotel (The only reason to go to the island based on my one experience).

If I ever go again, I will just rent a buggy and tour the island on my own. Price will be a little higher but at least I won't feel ripped off.

Never thought I would a place where horses and bicycles are the mode of transport. Services is sweet. The staff is warm and friendly. Booking is very easy.

The tour was a waste of time and money. Young tour drivers wasted time trying to tell stories and jokes while most on the tour wanted to move on. Nobody was laughing. They stopped the tour and sat there several times telling stories, while we could have used the time in town. You are a captive audience with no control. Then, at the end, you are invited to disembark and hike down a two block, steep hill back to town, or wait 45 minutes to catch another buggy at the barn area. Nobody wanted to waste another 45 minutes. But, when my wife has an above the knee prosthetic leg, the options are few. The need to walk back to town was not mentioned at any point, until the tour stopped to let you off. But, she chose to walk down the steep hill with support from me, rather than waste more time with the tour.

The best! I love so mush! The guys are asom, the tur is simple amazing, the island is beautifully

Not a good experience! Incredibly busy. We were waiting in line, told that we could purchase tickets, and then told by another employee that they were closed.

We hired Mackinac Island Carriage Tours Taxis to help get some of our guests to & from the wedding. They have available a "low rider" that we booked in advance for the grandparents and other guests with mobility issues. This taxi is easier to step up onto than most. The staff were very helpful with coordinating boat schedules & pick up times. They were very gracious when I had to make a few last minute time changes. Highly recommend this place for taxis and tours.

The taxis take about as long as it takes to walk to your destination to even get to you. We were told our taxi would get to us "immediately to 15 minutes from now," then ended up taking them almost 2 hours. We were not the only party who had been waiting hours to get from The Inn at Stonecliffe to downtown. While we were waiting,3 taxis made pick-ups at The Woods and 2 carriages (same driver) with a single bag of luggage and no passengers came to Stonecliffe and screamed "I'm not here for you!" when we walked to the door assuming differently.

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Michigan and then down through the Midwest. We enjoyed its oh much and the carriage tours was a blessing honor feet of not walking. We got to see the whole island without any problems. Had a great time!

4 adults crammed into bench seat that should only seat 3. Had to stop 3x to rest horses, which I fully support, however it's because they jam too many on the wagon. Did not see anything spectacular on tour that you couldn't see by taking a short walk - unless you want to see the barn where the horses are kept, trees & back of fort. Asked to go on next tour since so packed, they said no. There are other carriage companies on island that didn't look packed & way more nice. Don't use this company.

Awesome historical tour. One thing though, drop the people off where you picked them up

The island was awesome but I highly recommend the carriage ride tour. Most people we saw riding bikes were in anguish on the hills. The horseback riding looked like slow motion because the horses were plodding along.

When we got to where we board my mother who is dependent on a walker to even stand was told she would have to leave it because they dont stop so she wouldnt need it. After finally convincing them they let her have it on with her. At arch rock they had no stairs for her to get off the carriage to see it. They took us to a spot to unload and we had to tell the guide twice please get stairs we needed them and I needed closer to our stroller because 2yr old was having meltdown and I am 5 months pregnant. After a sarcastic response they finally let us off where we boarded so we had stairs. Egon or Ivan the tour guide had some knowledge about things on the island however I think we stopped every 2 seconds for him to drone on about something. People were walking faster than us.

Great way to see the island! Plus a history lesson. Tour guide needed to learn her info a little bit better.

Our driver Skyler was great. We bought the tickets not expecting much but it turned out to be one of the high points of our visit. Thanks!

Have taken this tour many times and drivers are always wonderful story tellers

Private livery carriage told us $132/hr. So we booked two hours. They charged us $330. Math isn t their strong point. Bait and switch.

The absolute most boring tour we've ever endured and the biggest waste of time and money!! A total rip off! Would advise anyone to AVOID .... unless you enjoy being bored to tears and throwing away your money.

I love this company. Always a great experience even when I ask for horseshoes.

just better than just shopping. interesting history friendly drivers

Though we did not stayed overnight as not able to find decent hotel, but it's best to live overnight and carriage tour is a must with tour on a bicycle on the island is wonderful.

The tour should be on your "must do" list. They take you on a horse drawn carriage and give an historical narration to complement a fantastic journey through Mackinac Island.

Best way to newly get acquainted with the Island history. We had a great tour guide with a dry whit to his standard guide talk. Wonderful!

Molly and Zach both did an awesome job, we had a great time

My tour with my school group was enjoyable, and I would love to do it again.

Excellent way to see the Island in a relaxed manner. Didn't like how your dropoff is different than the pickup place.

Taxis are almost impossible to get. Last night we called from Stonecliffe and they told us they would arrive in 15 minutes or less. So we dropped everything and rushed to the lobby, only to wait 90 minutes. There were two other groups who had been waiting longer. By the time we got to town, only one restaurant was still serving. And a return trip? Forget it. They could guarantee nothing so we walked back in the dark. Very disappointed.

Disappointing I want history not a comic in training. Who was not funny.

Upon arrival at Mackinac Island, part of our tour group was put on a carriage with Chef . Oh my goodness- what a treat!! He was FANTASTIC & Sooo naturally humorous!! We are with Flo & Friends from Memphis . Please tell him hello from us & that we LOVE him - especially, since he learned to speak SOUTHERN for US!!

See picture. Excellent guide on the tour. 1-1/2 hours. My 1 year old grand daughter watched all the interesting sights.

Had two great tour guides Eden and Zach both gave their audience lots of laughs. Made our stay very worth it keep up the great work guys!

Service was great. I just hope they treat the horses well.

Extremely barbaric and uncomfortable experience. The horses are worked until they are swaying back and forth about to pass out from exhaustion. Staff wasn t very nice either. Don t know how some people enjoy these rides. Hoping this will no longer exist soon OR it will be changed to be more ethical and animal friendly.

Tour guides are always kind and sometimes funny too. I do a carriage ride every time I come to the island.

Great ride. Drivers are very knowledgeable and humourous.

Paid for a full tour but only got half due to lack of clear instructions from staff. What we did was nice but very disappointed we did not get what we paid for.

Wow what an awesome tour! Our carriage guide was very knowledgeable of the island and had lots of interesting facts about it. He was funny and we had such a great time. Once your tour guide drops you off at the butterfly house a photographer will take a picture of the entire carriage and you can purchase it for $10.00 for a 6x9. Well worth the money doing this tour. We got to see a ton of the island doing this.

Our tour guide was quirky and funny. Knew everything about the island and answered all of our questions.

Pricey and long wait times but if you are on the island and you don't want to do a lot of walking. It works

Way too expensive for this retired couple . . . . $138.00 per hour the driver told us.

We lucked out every time we needed a Shuttle Carriage to and from The Inns at Stonecliffe and had Brandon as our driver. He was wonderful. My granddaughter and I arrived on the island August 12, 2019 and Brandon took us to Stonecliffe. On the way he stopped at certain points and told us about the area where we stopped. He is knowledgeable about the island which I'm sure all drivers are. On one trip we happened to be the only 2 on the carriage, my granddaughter asked him about his horses. He told us about the 2 sets that he uses. She asked so many questions and he was happy to answer them. She works at a stable on the mainland so they talked horses our entire trip. The next time he saw us he remembered her and asked if there was anything else he could answer for her, since she said no he started to ask her what she does at the stable where she works. How caring. When you travel to Mackinac Island I hope you can be as lucky as we were and get Brandon as your driver.

My father was in a wheelchair so we had to arrange that ahead of time. It was perfect we saw so many things on the island. I would recommend it for anyone.

Very informative and a fun thing to do on the island.

It's great fun & an informative carriage ride. They will ride you through all the major scenic places of the Island.

Horrible attitude from female driver, literally screamed at me for reaching toward a horse when nobody had said anything about not being allowed to pet the horses. If it s that serious you should have signs and warnings to politely inform customers.

We had a great fun & historical carriage ride , our tour guide Megan made it interesting with funny jokes, fun facts! This was a great way for the elementary class group to learn & listen during the ride .

It's a great place, go there. They give Carriage rides pulled by horses, in a 20 seat carriage with padded seats, you go through Surrey Hill shops and then hop on a 35 seater with hard seats. They also offer private tours. It is a multi-generation family owned company.

It was okay.

-We bought our tickets at the Scheplers ferry landing on the mainland to save a few bucks a person. Our intention was to take the tour to get a feel for how things worked on the island before venturing off on our own.

-The schedule was workable for us and we did not have to hang around waiting on a carriage.
-Our guide (I'll skip his name as he wasn't awesome nor terrible) provided the facts as he saw them about the island and I probably got more Mythology/Geology than I have had since college in the 70's. He was knowledgeable and very friendly. He had the history down but overall I felt like I had not learned a lot on the tour.
-My wife and I got off the carriage and looked at each other and both agreed it was okay but not the factual tour we had been looking for. Upon reflection, we probably would have been better served with a private tour.

Overall it was OK and you could use it to fill a few hours on island waiting on something else to happen. The carriage is fun in the woods and climbing hills and the kids on the tour had a blast.

Friendly staff and informative tour of the island highlights. A great way to spend a couple of hours on this treasure of an island.

Took the carriage tour today for the first time. The first driver Brian was excellent nice, funny, informated. The second driver Adam was very rude to my 2 year old grand daughter. Said she was talking over him and he could not concentrate. When she was quietly singing a song to herself. Being very good not crying or anything. He had spent the whole time yelling at the horses. I felt he couldn't control the horses. His stories where very loud and uninformed. I thought this was supposed to be a family fun tour.

Lovely ride!! Duck was great and provided a lot of good info

The guides/drivers were very knowledgeable about the island and very friendly. The carriage was comfortable and the horses were very well behaved. Would definitely recommend going on this tour.

One of the highlights of our visit. We had two great guides, Brianne and Matt. Matt was hysterical, very knowledgeable and he even sang us a song. Loved hearing about the personalities of the horses and seeing the majesty of ... skull cave. Lol

We reserved the handicapped carriage for a tour. They were very accomodating and very friendly. They were able to drop us at the handicapped entrance to the fort and came back to get us when we were done exploring. Great service provided for those who may otherwise not have been able to see the sights.

The guides are funny and knowledgeable. They know how to get the party started.

Fantastic experience! Our tour guide was amazing. We loved her, and can tell she really enjoys her job. She was a great story teller. I think her name was Megan, but I'm way better at remembering animal names... The horses were Judy and Mona.

Thank you so much for making our last activity on the island a fun and memorable one!