Lecture Series: Forgotten Heroes, The U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes
2024-09-25 18:30 - 19:30 UTC | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Our Lecture Series is back this September with renowned Great Lakes historian and author Fred Stonehouse. Stonehouse will be presenting, “Forgotten Heroes, The U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes” starting at 6:30 PM Wednesday, September 25th. From 1874 until 1915, when it became the U.S. Coast Guard, the men of this remarkable organization displayed incredible courage and bravery in rescuing over 55,000 people from potential death on the Great Lakes. Despite personal danger or difficulty, the life-savers invariably accomplished the rescue. This is their story of courage in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. Their unofficial motto was, “Regulations say we have to go out, they say nothing about coming back.”

Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history, many of them focusing on the Great Lakes. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes, won a national publishing award and is the predominant work on the subject. Stonehouse teaches maritime history at Northern Michigan University and is an active consultant for numerous maritime oriented projects and programs. He currently resides in Marquette, MI.

Lectures are $10 per person and FREE to Museum members. Tickets can be purchased in advance here.

Lectures are proudly sponsored by the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund & Mike and Susan Smith.

Membership Celebration Picnic!
2024-10-10 17:00 - 19:00 UTC
Join us on October 10th to celebrate YOU! Join us for a fun evening where we can honor our members and volunteers. You won’t want to miss the yard games, cornhole, or the Volunteers of the Year awards.
This members only event is free with food and beverage available for purchase. Reservations are required and memberships must be current to attend. RSVP today!

Lecture Series- Michigan Maritime Museum: 50 Years of Legacy
2024-10-16 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
Join the Michigan Maritime Museum Wednesday, October 16th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm for the next segment of our 2024-2025 Lecture Series. The upcoming lecture will celebrate the vibrant history of the Museum itself with Michigan Maritime Museum: 50 Years of Legacy presented by the Museum’s Director of Education & Programs, Ashley M. Deming.
The Michigan Maritime Museum was founded in 1974 by Rowland Sylvester with the goal being to share Michigan’s rich maritime history and legacy with the generations to come. What started out as a single exhibit, the 1939 fish tug Evelyn S., has grown into a sprawling waterfront campus with an ever expanding collection of exhibits and on-water fleet. Now 50 years later, the Michigan Maritime Museum has become the shining star of South Haven’s maritime district and continues the tradition of celebrating, preserving, promoting, and stewarding the vibrant heritage and culture of Michigan’s Great Lakes and waterways.
The Museum Lecture Series runs from September through April with a new lecture topic every month. Lectures are $10 per person and FREE for Museum members. Reserve your tickets HERE.
Lectures are proudly sponsored by Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund & Mike and Susan Smith.

Kids' Halloween Spooktacular
2024-10-25 16:00 - 18:00 UTC
Join us on October 25th for our Kids’ Halloween Spooktacular, featuring trick-or-treating through the haunted steamship, carnival games, activities, and tons of fun. The best part… this event is FREE! Put on your costumes and come on down to enjoy this Spooktacular event!

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony Livestream
2024-11-10 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
The Michigan Maritime Museum will once again serve as a broadcast venue for participants to watch the livestream of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society’s Annual Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony. The in-person memorial service held at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, MI, is closed to the public and is a solemn event primarily intended for the families of those lost on the Fitzgerald which sank in 1975.
Doors will open for the livestream event at the Maritime Museum at 6:30 pm on Sunday, November 10th with the ceremony beginning around 7 pm and expected to complete just after 8 pm. The livestream is free and open to the public.
*Participants wishing to view the ceremony from home should visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum website shipwreckmuseum.com for the link.

Lecture Series - Lost on the Lady Elgin
2024-11-13 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
Join the Michigan Maritime Museum Wednesday, November 13th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm for the next segment of our 2024-2025 Lecture Series with guest speaker Valerie van Heest.

When her hand touched the wood stock of a musket laying in a field of debris on the bottom of Lake Michigan from the once palatial sidewheel steamer Lady Elgin, it ignited a passion for the study of the ship’s tragic sinking on September 8, 1860, off Highland Park. Now 164 years after the worst disaster on the open waters of the Great Lakes, Valerie Van Heest, takes the audience back in time to the era of passenger travel on the Great Lakes, to the eve of a presidential election, to the brink of Civil War, and to stormy night when more than 300 people lost their lives on the Lady Elgin. Valerie’s multi-media presentation, with an accident reenactment and underwater footage, explores the ethical dilemmas surrounding the shipwreck incident, the discovery of its wreckage in 1989, a 10-year court battle over ownership of the wreck.

The Museum Lecture Series runs from September through April with a new lecture topic every month. Lectures are $10 per person and FREE for Museum members. Click here to reserve your tickets today!

Lectures are proudly sponsored by Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund & Mike and Susan Smith.

Cookies & Cocoa with Captain Bob
2024-12-14 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Join Captain Bob for a festive morning including cookies, hot chocolate, and books from our children’s library.

This family event is FREE to attend! (Museum admission not included)

Holidays at the Heritage Center is proudly sponsored by Greg and Marian O’Niel.

Selfies with Santa!
2024-12-18 15:30 - 18:00 UTC
Join us in the Smith Grand Atrium on December 18 from 3:30pm to 6pm as we host Santa! Bring your camera to take photos of your family with Santa, and tell him what you want on the big day! There will also be a holiday craft and other festive activities in our Jerry Mason Learning Center.

Meeting Santa is FREE! (Museum admission not included)

Holidays at the Heritage Center is proudly sponsored by Greg and Marian O’Niel.

Maritime Holiday Concert
2024-12-18 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
The Michigan Maritime Museum invites you to join us for a Maritime Holiday Celebration! Join us in our Maritime Heritage Center on December 18th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm for a special holiday concert featuring a violin/cello duo from the Kal-Haven Strings. Get in the holiday spirit with this family-friendly concert featuring sea-shanties, Celtic classics and holiday tunes.

The Kal-Haven Strings are West Michigan’s premier wedding and event musicians, performing for over 50 events each year. The ensemble was founded in 2014 as graduate students at Western Michigan University. Highly adaptable and versatile, they are skilled in performing a variety of styles, from Vivaldi to Roddy Ricch, Metallica to Taylor Swift, Post Malone to Bach, and more. The KalHaven Strings are the resident quartet for the Candlelight Concerts by Fever series in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, performing engaging concerts featuring pop covers, movie music, and holiday favorites. Members can also be found performing with the Kalamazoo, Lansing, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and West Michigan symphony orchestras and teaching local youth.

Tickets are $10 for museum members, $15 for non-members, and FREE for kids 12 and under. Holidays at the Heritage Center proudly sponsored by Greg and Marian O’Niel.

Purchase Tickets Here

Maritime Days
2025-01-02 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-01-03 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-01-04 10:00 - 15:00 UTC
Winter Break is coming up fast and we’re ready to fill your last days of break with some nautical family fun at Maritime Days January 2-4! On Thursday, experience water science demonstrations, science experiments, and hands-on activities in our Jerry Mason Learning Center. Friday, you can get a behind-the-scenes experience with our Winter Work Session crew in the Padnos Boat Shed where you’ll learn about Friends Good Will and vessel maintenance, linework, knot tying and more! On Saturday you can pick up our Maritime Days Adventure Agenda that includes scavenger hunts, activities, games, and exhibit explorations throughout the whole campus. All Maritime Days activities are included with Museum admission. Bring the whole family and join in Maritime Days!

Lecture Series- The Best Dressed Women in the World Today: A Style Examination of the United States Coast Guard SPARS
2025-01-15 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
Join Tri-Cities Historical Museum Assistant Curator Joshua Simon as he examines how consumerism, especially that associated with dress, and gender were integral components of the SPARS’ experience as enlisted service members, sometimes in contradictory ways. The presentation will also showcase Tri-Cities Historical Museum’s newest exhibit, Ship Shape Sisters: The Women of the Coast Guard SPARS. The stories of some specific SPARS from Michigan and beyond will be highlighted as well in this engaging lecture.
Joshua D. Simon is the Assistant Curator of Exhibits at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven, Michigan. He also manages the Museum’s collection and is an independent researcher. His research has examined a variety of subjects related to fashion history, including a revival of the Gibson Girl aesthetic in the mid-twentieth century, the style of former First Lady Betty Ford, and sartorial aspects of depictions of Saint Sebastian.
This lecture kicks off our newest lecture series in our 2025 theme Whispers Across the Water that will showcase minority contributions to Great Lakes maritime history and heritage. SPARS are an integral part of United States maritime history. Their groundbreaking service significantly expanded women’s roles in the Coast Guard. By studying the function of gender and dress, we can better understand the experiences of women enlisted in the SPARS.
Lecture Series proudly sponsored by the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike and Susan Smith.
Purchase Tickets Here

CAP Student Showcase at the MMM
2025-01-30 17:30 - 19:30 UTC
The goal of the Challenge Accepted Program (CAP) is to serve school students who excel in academics, creative expression, critical thinking and problem solving. It is designed to allow students to be challenged with engaging projects, complicated tasks and opportunities to tackle real-world problems. These students were selected because they are ready for more academic rigor than what is traditionally offered in a grade level classroom. Part of the work they do each semester is to complete an in depth research project on a given topic and share it with an audience. This year’s theme for 4th grade was called We Are South Haven, highlighting topics relating to our local area. This provided a great opportunity for collaboration with local organizations and professionals and the MMM was selected to assist students with their research projects. Museum Director of Education and Programs. Ashley Deming, was able to connect with both 4th and 5th grade CAP students digitally and in person to discuss research techniques, provide resources, and guide and encourage students throughout the project process. Many students chose maritime and water-based topics making it a perfect fit.
Fourth and fifth grade CAP students from North Shore Elementary have been working hard on their research projects for the past four months and we are pleased to announce that these amazing students will be presented at the We Are South Haven Student Showcase open house event January, 30th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at the Michigan Maritime Museum. Attendees can also stop in and meet the future engineers and innovators of the South Haven elementary and high school robotics teams who will be demonstrating some of their robots at the Showcase.
This event is FREE and open to the public. Come support and cheer on these incredible students!

Ice Breaker at the MMM!
2025-02-01 10:00 - 15:00 UTC
Don’t miss out! Cross the bridge this year during the Ice Breaker Festival to check out the fun and excitement at the Michigan Maritime Museum! Our campus will be bustling with activities from 10am-3pm.
In our parking lot enjoy complimentary hot beverages, warming stations and games. We will be participating in this year’s Chili Cook-Off in partnership with Captain Lou’s. Make sure to stop by and vote for what is sure to be the best chili in town! We will also have South Haven High School students here carving this year’s ice sculpture.
Inside, make sure to take advantage of our Ice Breaker Special, $5 admission all day long! Learn about the US Coast Guard by taking a guided tour of the Van Oort Boatshed Coast Guard exhibit and interacting with members of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. At 12pm catch a special lecture from Michigan Maritime Museum On-Water Fleet Captain Kirk Hoffman. Captain Kirk will discuss how the 1941 36ft Motor Lifeboat 36460 came to be at the MMM and how the boat is utilized to showcase Great Lakes maritime history and heritage related to the US Coast Guard and to the public. Captain Kirk’s presentation will be followed by a Q&A with Museum volunteer and USCG Station South Haven veteran Dave Richards. Dave will discuss his history with the South Haven Station Coast Guard in the 1960s and his current volunteering at the Michigan Maritime Museum.

Lecture Series- Ladies of the Lights
2025-03-12 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
They were women before their time, taking on the romantic, yet dangerous and physically demanding job of tending to the beacons that protected the shoreline. In all, some 40 women have been identified who excelled in this profession over the years — dating back as early as the 1840s and as recent as present day. Nearly 70 images of keepers, their families and their lights make up this presentation. The program includes readings from newspapers and autobiographies, as well as handouts including the list of featured ladies and additional reading references for attendees.
Dianna Stampfler has been presenting lively and upbeat programs about the area’s historic lighthouses, historic sites, and other unique destinations in her home state of Michigan for more than 25 years. She is a passionate professional speaker, with a degree in communications from Western Michigan University and nearly 40 years’ experience in radio broadcasting and public speaking. Dianna is the author of Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses (2019), Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes (2022), and Kalamazoo County Characters (2025). As a self-professed armchair historian, Dianna is a proud is a member of the Historical Society of Michigan, Great Lake Lighthouse Keepers Association, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, U.S. Lighthouse Society and National Museum of the Great Lakes.
This lecture is part of our year-long programmatic series Whispers Across the Water that showcases and celebrates the invaluable contributions of minority communities to Great Lakes maritime history and heritage.
This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Susan Smith.
Tickets are free for Museum members and $10 for non-members. Doors open at 6 PM.
Purchase Tickets Here

Spring Break Fun!
2025-04-01 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-02 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-03 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-04 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-05 10:00 - 15:00 UTC
We have fun activities for families Tuesday-Saturday, April 1-5, 2025 all part of our Spring Break Fun! Tuesday will feature the Coast Guard Auxiliary and water safety activities. Wednesday will have hands-on demonstrations in our Padnos Boat Shed with our volunteers and crew as well as a Captain and Crew Meet & Greet from 11-Noon; maybe even sign a sea shanty! Thursday will have visitors creating their own steamship scenes in a make-and-take arts and craft event. On Friday, children’s author Pam Cameron will be reading from her book Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes, holding demonstrations of measuring water depths with a lead line, and helping families create cut and color dioramas related to Sport. Saturday our guests have the opportunity to watch our annual Uprigging process begin to get our tall ship Friends Good Will rigged and ready to start the sailing season.
All activities are included with general admission.
Spring Break programs are proudly sponsored by the Parker Family. Multi generations supporting maritime education.

Lecture Series- Lake Huron Red Tails: Recovering a World War II Tuskegee Airplane
2025-04-16 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
Whispers Across the Water continues with guest presenter Wayne Lusardi as he shares his experiences recovering a World War II Tuskegee airplane that crashed into Lake Huron in 1944.
Since 2015, Michigan’s State Maritime Archaeologist Wayne Lusardi has been leading expeditions to archaeologically document the airplane wreck in Lake Huron. In 1944 a Bell P39 Airacobra flown by Tuskegee airman Lieutenant Frank Moody crashed into the lake during a training mission. The pilot was killed and the aircraft was lost until divers discovered the wrecked airplane in 2014. Utilizing the skills and experiences of various organizations including law enforcement agencies, the State of Michigan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and members of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers and Diving with a Purpose, Lusardi organized and led a team that was able to document most of the scattered pieces of the wrecked aircraft. Following documentation, Lusardi has been actively working with a variety of partners to recover, conserve and exhibit the aircraft in Detroit.
This lecture is part of our year-long programmatic series Whispers Across the Water that showcases and celebrates the invaluable contributions of minority communities to Great Lakes maritime history and heritage.
Lectures are $10 per person and FREE for Museum members. Lectures are proudly sponsored by Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Susan Smith.
Purchase Tickets Here

Coast Guard Clean-Up
2025-04-26 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Semper Paratus! US Coast Guard and Auxiliary as well as Sea Cadets will be on our Museum campus to clean and polish our amazing historic Coast Guard vessels and clean up our Coast Guard exhibits to honor those that came before them.

Come see these incredible boats and meet the fantastic men and women of the US Coast Guard! Free with Museum Admission.

*CANCELLED* MMM @ Tulip Time
2025-05-02 10:00 - 2025-05-10 16:00 (America/Detroit)
**The event has been cancelled for 2025**
Due to extremely low water levels in South Haven Harbor, Friends Good Will cannot safely navigate an exit from its home port of South Haven to travel to Holland for the Tulip Time Festival. Visitors can still step aboard this iconic 1810 replica sloop at our docks at the Michigan Maritime Museum. Dockside tours are free with paid Museum admission during normal operating hours. Guests are encouraged to explore the full Michigan Maritime Museum campus during their visit.
For questions regarding dockside tours or Museum visits, please contact us at (269) 637-8078

Blessing of the Fleet & Fish Fry
2025-05-23 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Detroit)
Join the Michigan Maritime Museum for a celebration of the 2025 summer season!

Festivities begin with our annual Blessing of the Fleet where tall ship Friends Good Will, Museum vessels, and other South Haven harbor boats are part of a ceremony for a safe and successful season. The Blessing is followed by the fish fry celebration from the most picturesque location in the heart of South Haven’s Maritime District.
This event is proudly sponsored by Getman Corporation
Purchase Tickets Here

Fish Tales Story Time
2025-06-09 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-16 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Detroit)
Join us at the Michigan Maritime Museum at 10:30 am every Monday June through August as we read a maritime-themed story from our maritime children’s book library! These story times are perfect for young families and included with regular museum admission.

Fish Tales is a collaboration with the Michigan Maritime Museum, the American Association of University Women, and the South Haven Scott Club.

Maritime Makers
2025-06-10 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Detroit)
Join us at the Michigan Maritime Museum every Tuesday throughout the summer for a make-and-take arts and crafts program! Participants will create their piece of maritime-themed art at this drop-in program while educators provide assistance and exciting information related to that day’s theme.

These programs are geared towards children, but anyone can participate! Included with general admission.

Maritime Makers is proudly sponsored by Clark & Cathy Carmichael

Hands-On the Harbor Day Camp
2025-06-12 10:30 - 12:30 UTC
Hands-On the Harbor is a weekly Day Camp that is offered Thursdays June – August, starting June 12th, from 10:30am to 12:30pm. You can drop your camper off to enjoy Museum educator-led immersive and hands-on activities, exhibit tours, and fun at the Michigan Maritime Museum! Campers will participate in a variety of maritime-themed programs exploring both inside the Museum’s Jerry Mason Learning Center and out on our waterfront campus.
Registration is $10 per student per day, $7 for Museum Members. Capacity for each camp is limited to fifteen students, so register today! To sign up or for questions, contact leslie@mimaritime.org or (269) 637-8078 ext. 205.

Purchase Tickets Here

Antique & Classic Boat Show
2025-06-14 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Detroit)
The Michigan Maritime Museum presents the 44th Antique & Classic Boat Show in South Haven. This event celebrates all kinds of antique and classic small craft from power boats to paddle boats. Woodworkers and collectors alike will show their boats, demonstrations on boat building techniques will be featured, and toy boat building will be available for kids. Our aim is to help perpetuate the building, restoration, and use of classic boats and small craft to give participants and the public an entertaining and informative learning experience. Fun for the whole family!

Calling all antique and classic boat owners and maritime vendors. Registration for our Antique & Classic Boat Show is now open. We accept all types of boats large and small, homebuilt or otherwise, actual classics or just classic lines. We have space on our campus as well as at our docks to show off your watercraft. Come brag about your boat with us June 14th, during South Haven’s HarborFest weekend.

This event is proudly sponsored by the Frizzo Allkins Family

Click Here to Register

For questions contact us at boatshow@mimaritime.org or call (269) 637-8078 ext. 103.
