Mackinac Island and Jane Seymour Interview

Garrett Brown, MVC writer
November 14, 2022

Mackinac Island (pronounced mac-in-aw) is a city in Michigan that lies on Lake Huron. It is a unique place due to its lack of motor vehicles. There are some motor vehicles, but they are strictly for emergency purposes only. The main forms of transportation on Mackinac Island are walking, biking, and rides in horse drawn carriages. There are many bike rental shops around the main part of the town.
The island is open to tourists during the summer and early autumn months. During the winter, Lake Huron freezes over. Some of the island’s residents test the thickness of the ice, and place Christmas trees every 100 yards to line the safest path across. Afterward, many residents use snowmobiles to travel across this “ice bridge” between the island and the mainland.
Most of the island is a state park with views of natural caves, cliffs, and other rock formations. Other attractions include Fort Mackinac, Fort Holmes, various fudge and taffy shops, the Butterfly House and the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel is especially famous for its use as the setting for Jeannot Szwarc’s 1980 movie, “Somewhere in Time,” starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer.
To celebrate the movie, the island’s residents host an annual “Somewhere in Time” Festival Weekend. Although Christophers Reeve and Plummer have passed away, Jane Seymour still attends the festival to be photographed and sign autographs. This provided a unique opportunity for a quick interview with Ms. Seymour.

Q: What was your favorite part about filming Somewhere in Time on the island?
A: “I think the island and this beautiful hotel, but the most important thing was the beautiful story, and I had the privilege of working with the great, late Christopher Reeve and of course Christopher Plummer as well. It was just a magic time.”
Q: Are you working on anything, and what can you reveal about it?
A: “I have a movie I just finished called A Christmas Spark. It’s coming out on

(Left to right) Jane Seymour, Doug Brown Jr., Rowan Brown, Garrett Brown, and Kitt Brown at the Grand Hotel. The Browns were there to get warm after a chilly carriage ride.
Sign outside the Cannonball food stand
Swirl of very soft paper towels in the bathroom at the Harbour View Inn
Street view of Fort Mackinac, which was originally called Michilimackinac and on the mainland before it was moved to the island in 1781.
Front porch of the Grand Hotel
The Grand Hotel
UPS® packages are delivered by horse because there are no recreational motor vehicles.
Arch Rock, a natural rock formation along the southeastern shore of the island.
The harbor where ferries dock for tourists and residents to travel to the mainland during the summer season.
An apple cider recipe on a mug found in a shop on the main street.

November 27th on Lifetime television, and I have a series called Harry Wild, and I play Harry. That is on Acorn TV, which you can access through Amazon, and I’m about to go and do two more seasons of that.”

Mackinac Island is a unique tourist hotspot with many opportunities to experience nature and important parts of history. Anybody who plans to vacation there should be prepared to get a lot of exercise.