Michigan Tourist Attraction: One Of The Most Popular In The U.S.
Certain tourist attractions bring in millions of tourists each year: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China, or the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. In Michigan, there are some well-known gems that immediately come to mind. For instance, Mackinac Island, Frankenmuth, and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. These spots have always been crowd-pleasers for visitors from near and far. However, there’s one place in the state that has recently claimed the spotlight and soared to the top ranks of popularity.
According to Family Destinations Guide, the Mackinac Bridge reigns as Michigan’s ultimate tourist hotspot, earning the title of the third most popular attraction in the United States. It surpasses landmarks like Central Park and the National Mall.
Great Tourist Attraction Reviews
The vacation site looked into the U.S. tourist attractions with the highest percentage of five-star or excellent reviews on Tripadvisor to compile their list. The Mackinac Bridge dominated the competition with 82% of reviews rating it a solid five stars.
Melissa S., an enthusiastic traveler from Indiana, shared her experience on Tripadvisor, stating, “Worth the drive for the views. We drove across and turned around and came back just for the experience of driving the famous bridge.”
A first-time visitor to the Upper Peninsula Charlotte W., from Portsmouth, VA expressed her love for the “Mighty Mac.” She wrote “Have heard about this bridge for years. It is really impressive. The views are great.”
The Mighty Mac
Notably, the Mackinac Bridge proudly ranks as the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world, spanning five miles. Since its opening to traffic on November 1, 1957, it has become an iconic symbol of Michigan’s rich history and natural beauty.
See the complete list here.
Michigan: Our 1 Mile Freeway + More Fun Facts About Our Roads
Michigan's shortest freeway is 1.1 miles long.
Currently, Michigan has one of the nation’s shortest signed interstates. The shortest freeway in Michigan is only 1.1 miles long. Though not signed, New York has a 0.70 miles freeway, which is even smaller than Michigan’s smallest.
Michigan has the longest remaining camelback bridge.
The three-span US-12 camelback bridge in Mottville is Michigan’s longest remaining bridge of this type. Constructed in 1922, these bridges are found primarily in Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
Michigan has a bridge with towers almost as tall as the Washington Monument.
The towers on the Mackinac Bridge or “Mighty Mac” (552 feet high) are almost as tall as the Washington Monument (555 feet high). The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world.
Michigan's first road map only had 3 roads on it.
The first Michigan road map, with only three roads on it, was published by the United States Congress in 1826. As a matter of fact, the first surveyed road in Michigan was Pontiac Road (now called M-1 or Woodward Avenue) connecting Detroit and Pontiac in 1819.
Michigan has the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned.
M-185 on Mackinac Island is the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned. Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on Mackinac Island since 1896 because the horses were disturbed by the noisy engines of some of the island’s first cars. Furthermore, carriage drivers formed an association, convincing islanders to ban automobiles.
The longest highway in Michigan passes through six different states.
The longest highway in Michigan is I-75, which runs 395 miles from the Ohio border to the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie. I-75 also passes through six different states. At its north end, it starts on the Canada/U.S. border at the top of Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie. Then it heads south to Naples in Florida, where it bends east and runs across to Miami.
Michigan has a total of 120,256 miles of paved roadway.
MDOT says that there is enough pavement on Michigan roadways to build a one-lane road from the Earth to the moon. Michigan has a total of 120,256 miles of paved roadway. This includes 9,669 route miles of state trunkline, 89,444 route miles of county roads, and 21,198 route miles of city and village streets. However, according to NASA, the Moon us an average of 238,855 miles away from Earth.
Several Michigan highways began as Native American trails.
Eight Michigan highways began as Native American trails, US-2 (from Sault Ste. Marie to Green Bay); I-75 (from Detroit to Saginaw), I-94 (from Detroit to St. Joseph; I-96 (from Detroit to Grand Rapids), I-94 (from Detroit to Port Huron), US-41 (from L’Anse to Marquette), and US-12 (from Ypsilanti to Chicago). Michigan’s three largest tribes are the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottowa) and the Potawatomi (also called the Bode’wadmi). Michigan also federally recognizes these tribes and others in the state.
