St. Ignace

Onto the St. Ignace leg of my road-trip! It was definitely one of the most touristy spots I visited, in the peak of summer, but I honestly loved my time spent in St. Ignace. I spent two nights here, worked mostly during the day (libraries rule), but made the most of my evenings to get out and explore. Plus I had a bit of time on Friday morning before transitioning to Drummond Island to check out some of the sights. Read on for a… trip to their lighthouse (which I lovingly refer to as rest stop lighthouse), a climb up to Castle Rock, a drive around Straits State Park, some of the best food I had on this trip, a visit to the Museum of Ojibwa Culture, breakfast at Java Joe’s, and the prettiest sunrise (where I also happened to lock myself out of my hotel room for an hour, lol.)

WAWATAM LIGHTHOUSE

Ahhhhh, rest stop lighthouse! This is definitely not a historic lighthouse, but she’s a beaut. This light was built in 1998 as a Michigan Welcome Center travel icon in Monroe, Michigan. In 2004, when the welcome center was being revamped, the lighthouse was put up for relocation and St. Ignace was the recipient and the structure was trucked here in five pieces! It was repainted, reassembled, and even certified by the U.S. Coast Guard (and contains a fresnel light). The name comes from the late railroad ferry Chief Wawatam, which used this same dock. This light was first lit in 2006, and it’s visible for more than 13 miles out over Lake Huron, now an official aid-to-navigation. Neat, right?! You’re okay in my book, rest stop lighthouse. ❤️

CASTLE ROCK

My second day in town… I ended up working from the St. Ignace Library all day (which is so dope), because my hotel internet was trash. And then during the evening, I headed up to Castle Rock! It’s been years since I’ve climbed up here! It’s considered to be one of the oldest lookout views near St. Ignace and was known as “Pontiac’s Lookout” by the Ojibwa Tribe. It’s 195 feet above water level, offering scenic views for up to 20 miles… including Mackinac Island! You can check out the viewing binoculars at the top too for an even better view. It’s $1 to climb to the top, and you walk through a gift shop first, which is one of my favorite things to do in touristy towns. I was huffing and puffing by the time I got to the top (quite a lot of stairs!) but it’s such a pretty view and definitely worth it.

WHERE I ATE

My first night in town, I decided to head to Mackinac Grille! It was delicious. Honestly, surprisingly, St. Ignace had the best food of my entire 3-week road trip. But this restaurant is a great spot — it’s overlooking Lake Huron and has railroad station inspired decor with an authentic caboose room. I ended up ordering the “poorman’s whitefish” which was one of my favorite meals. Next level good. It was whitefish brushed with butter and spices, baked in foil with potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, tomato & onions. NOMMMMM. For lunch, the next day, I went to Mackinaw Pastie & Cookie Co., which was one of the better pasties I’ve ever had and the cookies looked fire, even though I didn’t partake. And for dinner on my second night, I drove past a restaurant called Jose's Cantina that said “award winning whitefish tacos” so I wanted to try those… and was very skeptical, but no. These are WORTHY of the sign “award winning”. By far the best whitefish tacos I’ve ever had. 10/10 recommend. And for breakfast before heading out of town, I went to Java Joe’s Cafe! Very quaint and fun place, breakfast was yummy, and Joe himself was walking around talking to every table, which I just found endearing. St. Ignace, you have my food heart!

Sunrise on Lake Huron

MUSEUM OF OJIBWA CULTURE

I also feel like you need to check out some of the historic spots in St. Ignace if you’re visiting! There’s a lot of history here, between Native American culture, and Father Jacques Marquette. This museum is a National Historic Landmark, and provides indoor and outdoor exhibits to learn about the culture and lifestyle of the Ojibwa Native Americans and the Huron Indian Village! The grounds were once home to the French Jesuit Mission and is the final resting place of Father Jacques Marquette. St. Ignace itself is one of the oldest Europoean settlements in the state of Michigan. The museum is open 10am to 6pm, 7 days a week from May until October. Be sure to check it out while you’re visiting! Hope you enjoyed my trip to St. Ignace… if I missed anything of note, let me know! (Mackinac Island, I know, I know… in the off season.)

View from Straits State Park