Biking on Mackinac Island

The Magical Reason Cars Are Banned In This American City

By Amanda Finn

VACATIONS

The charming Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan is the only city in the U.S. that has banned cars completely. Other towns don't have cars, but Mackinac has outlawed them entirely.
The Michigan city is a living Victorian-era history museum circa the 1800s. The clopping of at least 600 working horses in peak season adds to the vintage vibe.
Per the island's website, the idea of no cars took hold when carriage men asked the village council to prohibit vehicles in 1898, as the fledgling autos scared the local horses.
However, the ban did not become an official state law until 1960. So, before you arrive by boat across Lake Michigan, you'll need to leave your car at the ferry dock.
The island has made an exception to the car ban, keeping fire trucks, an ambulance, and a police vehicle for emergencies, but this exception won't extend to personal vehicles.