Dave Sullivan has gone from working quietly alone at his Ann Arbor, Michigan, home to spending every minute of every day alongside his wife and three young kids with remote learning schedules.
"We've been cooped up for six months and just to top off 2020, the fantastic year it's been so far, we're now doing full-on virtual school," he said. "We're tired of seeing the same walls or computer screens. It's not sustainable."
When Sullivan heard about special family remote-learning getaway packages on Mackinac Island, he planned to discuss the option with his wife, Kristy, immediately.
Imagine, he said, taking the kids on an extended field trip as a celebration to end a year that has offered little to celebrate.
Two popular hotels on Mackinac are capitalizing on the idea of virtual learning in an American vacation wonderland, offering parents a place to work and escape with their children.
Lesson plans have been created to help parents explore the island and apply math and geography and history in conjunction with the state parks. Schools won't be offering those fields trips this year because of COVID-19 concerns.
This is the first time the island has promoted the idea of an educational escape for families, in September and October. If not for the coronavirus, hotels would be packed with meetings and conventions and major events, all of which have been canceled.
Internet and cellular connections have recently been updated on the island. Tourism officials said working executives at conferences expect it. Now all that conference space and all those rooms are available to families. This is the first time hotels have organized major family events in the fall.
Educational resources, now available to download in PDF format, have been refreshed by state parks workers to help guide children on island at this time of year. They include reading, activities, lesson plans, music and games.
Lesson plans include topics such as the Straits of Mackinac, the fur trade and its voyagers, how a sawmill became Michigan's first industrial complex, a day in the life of a soldier stationed at Fort Mackinac, native American contributions, archaeology, 18th and 19th century games, folklore tales, diets of native Americans, fur traders and soldiers of Mackinac and vocabulary lists.
"The island is breathtaking but also interactive," said Liz Ware, whose family owns and operates the Mission Point Resort. "There are 70 miles of hiking and biking on the island. It's 8 miles around the island. The interior is magical. The leaves are changing. This is a wide-open space, a historic destination, with turquoise water that looks tropical. We have biking and horses and history. It's a perfect destination to bring your family for remote learning."
The hotel has completed more than $12 million in renovations over the past six years, most recently updating its conference center to offer families space to work with their laptops. After parents finish their work and children finish their studies, families can do real-life learning, Ware said.
There is a library area in the lobby with books about the island and its topography, offering visitors an opportunity to learn about science and rock formations and water levels and the history of lakes. There are garden and history tours run by hotel staff.
At Mission Point, which sits on 18 acres of the sunrise side of the island, the two-day family package starts at $316 a night per adult, $160 per child ages 13 to 17 and $60 for children 12 and under. The package includes daily breakfast and a two-course dinner including a glass of wine for adults, half-day bike rentals, a round of golf at the Greens of Mackinac, Fort Mackinac tickets, Butterfly House tickets, round-trip ferry tickets on Shepler's and luggage transfer and handling.
"Being outside and having a place to go that has a feeling of safety, this is what we offer," Ware said. "Mackinac Island is 80% state park. When you are out of the downtown area of the island, there are places to spread out.
"The island is committed to face masks in public places and staying safe," she said. "As a parent myself, it's really important."
Ware's three children, a college student and two high school seniors, are learning remotely at home in Grosse Pointe for now.
On the island, her father, Dennert Ware, is the owner of the hotel and her brother, Mark Ware, is the CEO. Liz Ware handles sales and marketing.
"Once you get on the ferry, the mainland distractions are left behind," she said. "You can relax and get away. It's so important when kids have all these things going on in their heads and they can really relax and focus on school and enjoy everything the island has to offer."
