UPDATE: WE JUST RECEIVED THE GO AHEAD THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO TOURS TO THE SHIPWRECK, CEDARS AND LODGE.
The historic island tours drive through the sights of the island to allow visitors to see more in their day. We have Kubota tractors that pull trailers with padded seating. Tours are open air and we will get out and walk around or hike at each stop. You will receive a history of the island along the way.
TOUR COST: Adults: $12 Kids 12 or under: $7
See the crew on board the boat on your way over to the island to sign up. Tours begin at 12:00pm and take 2-2.5 hours. There is only enough time in a day to do one tour, so you will have to come back and visit to do the other one!
The schoolhouse has been restored with old desks and books.
Farm and Schoolhouse Tour:
The tour heading to the schoolhouse and the old farmsteads is a historic tour. We begin in the village with a history of the island to help you understand and orient yourself towards life on the island and the settlers who inhabited it. Then, we head to the one-room schoolhouse. We walk through the inside of the schoolhouse, which has been restored with old desks and books.
The next stop is the Beck farm, which is also in the process of restorations. We walk
The Beck farmhouse is open to walk around inside!
through the Beck farmhouse as well as the old split white cedar foundation barn. After the Beck farm, we drive through the Hutzler farm. Our last stop is the cemetery, where we share some ghost stories of people who lived on the island. We end back in the village at the lighthouse, with plenty of time to climb up to the top and out on the catwalk, where you can see the entire island from up above.
The split white cedar foundation barn is filled with old farm equipment that has been found throughout the years.
Cedar and Shipwreck Tour:
The co-champion white cedar tree stands right off the boardwalk.
The tour heading to the Valley of the Giants and the wreck of the Francisco Morazan has about a mile total of hiking involved. Similar to the farm tour, we begin in the village with a history of the island. We then drive out to the Valley of the Giant Cedars, andhike through part of the trail. This grove of white cedar trees includes some of the largest and oldest in North America. Many of the trees are 300-500 years old. One of the fallen trees showed 528 growth rings. These trees are over twice as large as the average White Cedar. The trail loops through this area, so you can get a good appreciation for the size and number of these trees.
The bluff that overlooks the shipwreck is just a short hike off the road.
We then do a short hike out to the bluff overlooking the shipwreck, the Francisco Morazan. The old Liberian cargo ship ran aground in November of 1960 and the hull of the ship still sits above the water. It can be seen clearly from shore.
The wreck of the Francisco Morazan sits mostly out of the water and can be seen clearly from shore.
We end in the village by the lighthouse with plenty of time to climb up to the top and out on the catwalk, where you can see the entire island from up above.
MANITOU ISLAND TRANSIT IS AUTHORIZED WITHIN SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE TO PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES: FERRY TRANSPORTATION SERVICE TO NORTH AND SOUTH MANITOU ISLAND, MOTORIZED GUIDED LAND TOURS OF SOUTH MANITOU ISLAND, TRANSPORTATION OF PERSONAL WATERCRAFT, AND CHARTER TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO NORTH AND SOUTH MANITOU ISLANDS.