Since the opening of its newest features in June, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park near Mackinaw City has increased its attendance close to 20%, a great achievement considering attendance at Mackinac State Historic Parks is down 5% overall, director Phil Porter told the Mackinac Island State Park Commission at its meeting Friday, July 25, at Fort Mackinac.

"We are facing a very challenging summer, tourism-wise," Mr. Porter said. "Mill Creek's success is remarkable, considering the downward trend in Michigan right now."

An adventure tour that includes a 450-foot aerial cable ride over a pond, a forest canopy bridge, a climbing wall on a 50-foot lookout tower, and an extended nature trail are some of the latest additions to the park. The renovations have been especially attractive to families with children, although even senior citizens have enjoyed the zip line across the pond. The new attractions, at the site of a reconstructed Revolutionary War-era sawmill, Mr. Porter said, are responsible for the park's newfound success.

It is southeast of Mackinaw City.

Park Commissioner Jim Williams said he has been talking with families on their way out of the park, and they have been enthusiastic about their experiences.

"The parking lot is always packed," Father Williams said. "It's affordable, and kids are saying it's fun and interesting."

The Mackinac Island State Park Commission owns and operates a number of historic properties in the Straits of Mackinac area, including Historic Mill Creek and Colonial Michilimackinac on the mainland, and Fort Mackinac and the Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island.

Also at the meeting, Mr. Porter said museum collections have swelled by 51 pieces this summer. Recently-acquired items include an 1812 newspaper which details the surrender terms of Fort Mackinac, a Mackinac Island souvenir cup from 1900, a set of keys to the tower of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse from the 1950s, and photographic prints of the Island by W.H. Gardiner, circa 1910.

Gerald Vieau and Scott Thompson, carpenters at the parks, along with exhibit designer Dave Kronberg, are constructing a replica 18th century bake oven at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Mr. Porter said. The outdoor oven, which is documented on early maps of the site, will be used by park interpreters for baking bread during historical demonstrations.

The park operations crew also completed kitchen renovations at the captain's and major's quarters at Fort Mackinac, which are used to house commissioners and other dignitaries, continued work on the airport terminal building, and began construction of a fence marking the perimeter of the airport.

Lilac curator Jeff Young of the University of Vermont's horticulture research center will work with the grounds crew to preserve healthy lilacs and choose new varieties that will replace diseased and damaged trees.

As of July 11, visitors purchased 1,239 vacation packages, designed to boost attendance by offering discounted services.

The Park Commission received a $1,600 grant from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation to purchase benches for high-traffic areas in the park.

The summer archaeological field crew at Michilimackinac is excavating a layer of soil formed early 1781, when the fort was moved to Mackinac Island and the remnants on the mainland were burned.

Registrar Brian Jaeschke and three summer interns will complete the inventory of historic collections. Conservator Jennifer Lis and her staff are conserving the wood-burning stoves in the Post Schoolhouse and Hill Quarters.

The park's annual audience survey is underway at all Mackinac State Historic Parks sites. Exit interviews and indepth questionnaires, as well as tracking and timing studies, will help park administrators gauge the satisfaction of visitors.