There are so many interesting places and ways to travel, but few have ever considered taking a road trip minus the car. It sounds crazy, but there's a place in Michigan where you can hit the road-- as long as you aren't in one of those fancy automobiles. Or, rather, a vehicle with a motor. Vehicles with legs are totally cool, though! It's Michigan's M-185 on the adorable little vacation destination of Mackinac Island, a town where everyone travels by foot, horse or bike, and whose main export to the rest of the mainland is fudge.
Mackinac Island
The M-185 was actually built in the 1910's, a good 20 years after motor vehicles were banned all across Mackinac Island, a ban that remains in place to this day-- as the story goes, the local doctor had brought over a newfangled automobile, but because it was so noisy, it scared the rest of the residents' horses-- their complaints prompted the ordinance. Because Mackinac is so small and has had a history of being a tourist/vacation destination (for a few years, it was a National Park; in fact, it was the second one in the whole country, after Yellowstone), there was never a great need for cars. M-185 was declared a state highway in 1933, and actually remained unpaved until the 1950's.
So how does one use the highway, exactly? It's open to foot traffic, bikes, and horse-drawn carriages, which makes it a really pleasant route to take. They even pick up litter in a horse-drawn wagon! Another advantage is that the road, which at points is either called "Main Street" or "Lake Shore Road", has a picture-perfect route that loops around the whole coast of the island. You'll pass by natural features, like Arch Rock and an allegedly-haunted cave that locals call "The Devil's Kitchen", historic sites, like the spot where the British landed during the Battle of Mackinac Island during the War of 1812, and tons of other features unique to the island.
The road offers a gorgeous view of the Mackinac Bridge, and the Grand Hotel, as well as access to the boardwalk and downtown district among other things. And, at only 8 miles long, it's perfect for a leisurely bike ride-- and for burning off the calories from all that fudge :)
And while all that makes the road incredibly safe, it's not totally perfect. Until 2005, it had the unusual but honorable distinction of being the only state highway with 0 automobile accidents-- while cars are essentially banned, a few exceptions are occasionally made, and the island definitely has emergency vehicles as well. In fact, that lone accident happened when the town firetruck dented the door of the town ambulance as both rushed to respond to a ferry passenger that needed medical attention.