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I grew up in this area, as a black person, I do not recommend traveling to Northern Michigan in general. People are (usually) too scared to throw slurs, however people will stare, whisper, point and giggle, staff at establishments will treat you poorly and there’s not much to do. It’s pretty to see but this area struggles terribly with the opiate pandemic and relies heavily on Jamaican’s with work visas to keep the economy going April-October. Everything practically closes November- March. Again, as a black person who lived here for 20 years, I do not recommend traveling here.
We decided to visit Mackinac Island for my grandma’s 85th Birthday. It’s a unique experience because cars are not allowed on the island so you can only get around by foot, horse and carriage, or by bike. Overall it was a nice experience.
As a Black traveler I would say that it’s safe but perhaps not necessarily overly welcoming primarily because most of the Black people that you see there are working so they are not enjoying the island as tourists. We also had an issue hailing a horse carriage one evening.
Pro tip! There’s a surprising number of Jamaicans who work on the island. Check out the Black and Jamaican owned restaurant called Kingston’s Kitchen. The Sorrell Sangria is the best Sangria I’ve ever had!
Also recommend stopping by the Butterfly House! My niece and nephew really enjoyed it.