5 Affordable and Small Beach Towns That Will Take You Back in Time

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Located in Lake Huron, Michigan’s Mackinac Island is an authentic old-timey small beach town. In 1898, all cars were banned, and the same modes of transportation remain today. So you’ll have to explore by bicycle, horse, and on foot.

In the early 20th century, the peaceful island became a huge summer destination for families from Detroit and Chicago, where Victorian-style hotels, cottages, and a small downtown area were built and flourished.

Once you get to the island by ferry, you can see these glorious old cottages high up on the island’s East and West Bluffs with the Fort Mackinac in the middle, built in 1715.

You can also check them out up close on a horse-drawn carriage tour while visiting this small beach town. One of its claims to fame is its historic fudge shops. According to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, downtown shops make 10,000 pounds of fudge a day in season.

So stop in to taste a few samples and see the fudge-making process in action. You’ll also want to see the American Fur Company Store. This general store seems to be stuck in time from the 1820s when Mackinac Island was a busy center of the North American fur trade.

And to step even further back in time, visit Colonial Michilimackinac, an 18th-century fort and fur trading village made up of 16 buildings that take you back to the days of the American Revolution.