Forge a Memory — Attraction in Mackinac Island

Alright—I am not a paid reviewer, I have no connections to this place whatsoever. I say that because my review of this place is so overwhelmingly positive and want it to believed!

Ken, the lead in the smithy the day that we came, was as charismatic as he was knowledgeable about his craft. We showed up and he brought us in m, got our aprons and face protection on, and after we watched the group ahead of us go through we were up. He took turns with each of our group personally along with the other apprentices in the shop, Brison, Gideon, and Ernesto while we pounded away at the hot steel that we were all making into knives of different sizes. Ernesto was the one that sharpened my knife, and dang—this thing is so well done. Thanks, man!

It was such a cool experience. The hammers definitely made my arms tired, but my 4’ 10’ lil’ wife could lift them so you probably can too!!

If you don’t have time to make the knife, you can also buy one of their knives too! A word of warning—if you are not able to do loud noises, you may want to avoid being in the smithy, but it’s to anyone without a hearing sensitivity it’s totally do-able. :)

Seriously, this was probably my favorite experience while I was on the island for our honeymoon. The smithy was just the coolest place, and with sparks flying and hammers beating, it made you feel like you were in a completely different era. The staff friendliness, help, and overall experience was incredible; if any guys out there are reading this and are worried there won’t be something awesome to do while you’re on the island, please put your fears to rest!

Thanks Ken and apprentices!! Y’all...

Heat, Iron and Art. Chad Osborne is a former two time contestant on History Channels “Forged In Fire”and owns and operates a forge on the island called Forge a memory. Here you can create a beautiful piece of art like rose or something much sharper. You are invited to forge one of 4 different knives ranging from 25$-100$ depending on the style you choose. My wife and I both made knives , she a smaller Pony knife made from an actual horse shoe and I made a blade from a rail road spike. Chad and his associate Cody will prep you with tools and equipment and help you actually craft the blade. Chad is an expert in his craft and walks you step by step through the process. Yes , you are swinging the hammer and flattening and forming the steel yourself under his expert guidance. After you are done ,he or one of his associates takes your blades refines it and puts a beautifully wicked sharp edge on it before giving you your own sheath to carry with you. While we were there two very excited young girls were also swinging the hammer and having a out of fun. I highly recommend this if you have ever wanted to see what being a blacksmith is like or just wanted to make something beautiful and artistic. A must for your next Mackinac...

Called four days in advance to book an appointment and spoke to the owner, Chad. He said they won’t be busy, so don’t worry about an appointment. We planned a vacation around Forged in Memory because it was really something we wanted to do. When we got to the shop we were informed that they were booked up and could not fit us in for the day. This is was very disappointing as we had traveled hundreds of miles and even tried to pre-plan our experience. The workers were kind and expressed condolences and gave us free t shirts. They did try to squeeze us in with another group but there was not enough room for our whole party and we would’ve had to wait until evening. I was extremely disappointed especially since we made a good faith effort to book an appointment but were told by the owner not to. The employees seemed great but it’s disappointing the owner doesn’t know how to run his own business. I would highly recommend making an appointment even if they tell you that you don’t need one. Sad that we planned to come to mackinac island solely to forge a memory and were not...