ADULTS ONLY: Maritime Bingo for Books
2026-07-10 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Detroit) | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Join Executive Director Bailey Sisoy-Moore for a riotous, rowdy, and downright ridiculous night of fun at the Michigan Maritime Museum.
On Friday, July 10, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, we’ll gather in the R.B. Annis Room for a special adults-only Maritime Bingo for Books.
Think bingo—but like you’ve never seen it before.

Which Great Lakes captain lived fast, loved hard, and left behind the most marriages?
How big can a monster sturgeon really get—and would you want to meet one?
Which lonely lighthouse kept the same three souls watching the horizon for generations?
What ship stretched longer than your imagination—and ruled the lakes because of it?
Which American “princess” turned shipping fortune into a jaw-dropping $3 million dowry?
Which ship met a dramatic end just miles from safety?
What cargo once made fortunes—and disappeared overnight?
Which Great Lakes storm rewrote maritime history in a single night?
And so much more….

No maritime knowledge required—this isn’t trivia. It’s bingo with bite-sized lessons woven in: part show, part lecture, and an absolute blast, where anyone can play, win, and have a great time.

All game supplies are provided.
In the great tradition of bingo halls, this is BYOB—please bring your own drinks and snacks to enjoy during the event.
Winners will select a fabulous maritime book of their choice from Maggie’s Ship Store, the museum’s gift shop. Whether you’re interested in Great Lakes history, invasive species, or legendary shipwrecks, there’s something for everyone.
This special presentation contains adult themes and is not suitable for children or families. Guests of all ages are warmly invited to attend our regular Maritime Bingo for Books, taking place the same day from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
Come ready to learn, explore, and win.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE
Cost: $10 for members | $15 for non-members

Great Lakes Learners x Sarett Nature Center: Slime and Scales
2026-07-11 10:30 - 11:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Slime and Scales
The Michigan Maritime Museum is excited to host the Sarett Nature Center and their Slime and Scales program. Discover the world of herpetology by looking into the differences between reptiles and amphibians. Both native and non-native species will be discussed using live animal ambassadors. This program is free with your museum admission ticket and limited to the first 40 participants.
Morning Session: 10:30-11:30 AM

Fish Tales Storytime
2026-07-15 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-22 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-07-29 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-12 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-19 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Come visit the Michigan Maritime Museum for a weekly storytime featuring a rotating selection of books and storytellers every Wednesday, June through August, from 11:00 to 12:00 PM in either the Jerry Mason Learning Center or, weather permitting, under the Ruth Wiser Innovation Tent.
This event is free with membership or admission to the museum.

Maritime Makers
2026-07-17 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-07-24 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-07 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-14 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Set sail for creativity at the Museum every Friday from 1:00–3:00 pm, June through August. Drop in for a hands-on maritime craft perfect for curious kids and families. No registration needed—just bring your imagination. The activity is free with membership or museum admission.
Sponsored by Cathy and Clark Carmichael

MMM Lecture Series: The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes
2026-07-22 18:30 - 19:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Eber Brock Ward (1811–1875) began his career as a cabin boy on his uncle’s sailing vessels, but when he died in 1875, he was the wealthiest man in Michigan. Decades before moguls such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, Ward was already vertically integrating his operations into an empire. And yet, despite his countless successes, Ward’s life was filled with ruthless competition, labor conflict, familial dispute, and scandal. Join us as we uncover this forgotten, but fascinating figure of Michigan history with Michael Nagle, historian and author of The Forgotten Iron King of the Great Lakes.

Tickets are free for Museum members and $10 for non-members. Doors open at 6 PM. You can purchase tickets for this event online, over the phone, or in-person.

This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Sue Smith.
The virtual viewing is made possible thanks to Steve & Emily Holt.
Reserve Tickets Here!
Purchase your Virtual Lecture Pass Here!

Great Lakes Learners- Invasion of the Vampire Fish
2026-07-25 10:30 - 14:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Invasion of the Vampire Fish
What are sea lampreys, and where did they come from? What can we do to prevent invasive species from entering our Great Lakes? This program is free with your museum admission ticket, though it is limited to the first 40 participants per session.
Morning Session: 10:30-11:30 AM
Afternoon Session: 1:30-2:30 PM

P.I.R.A.T.E Camp Session 2
2026-07-28 09:00 - 2026-07-31 17:00 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
P.I.R.A.T.E Camp stands for…
Play. Imagine. Research. Adventure. Think. Explore.
Each camp session will be split into two age groups: Grades 3 to 4 and Grades 5 to 6. Please note that the June session and July session will be the same program.
P.I.R.A.T.E CAMP SESSION 2
Tuesday, July 28-Friday, July 31, 9:00 am-5:00 pm (aftercare available until 5:30 pm)

Set sail on a summer of discovery with the Michigan Maritime Museum’s full day summer camp! We’ll set sail on our tall ship Friends Good Will, paddle aboard a voyager canoe, get up close with local wildlife, make baggywrinkles (you’ll have to find out), and even go on a treasure hunt! Pirate camper crafts include making signal flags, sewing felt fish, and assembling our own wooden boats.
Afternoon snacks and reusable water bottles will be provided. Campers will need to bring their own lunch (no refrigeration). Sails and activities are all weather permitting, however, fun is happening rain or shine.
Price: $200
Member Price: $175
Registration is closed, all slots have been filled.
Thanks to the sponsorship of Cathy & Clark Carmichael, Mike & Sue Smith, and the South Haven Area Community Foundation.

From Forest to Shore: Stories of Michigan’s Land and Lakes- Commercial Fishing on Lake Michigan
2026-07-30 18:30 - 19:30 | Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49090-1065, United States
A Collaborative Lecture Series by Kalamazoo Nature Center & Michigan Maritime Museum
Discover the rich tapestry of Michigan’s natural landscapes and maritime heritage in this engaging lecture series. From Forest to Shore brings together maritime experts and naturalists to explore the deep connections between the state’s inland ecosystems and its Great Lakes waterways. Through captivating stories, scientific insights, and cultural perspectives, each lecture will highlight how forests, wetlands, and shorelines have shaped Michigan’s history, ecology, and communities. Join us as we journey across time and terrain—celebrating the resilience of nature and the enduring legacy of life along the lakes.
Join Michigan Maritime Museum Director Bailey Sisoy-Moore as she explores the rich, often gritty history of one of the Great Lakes’ most important industries! Trace the evolution of commercial fishing on Lake Michigan from Indigenous fishing traditions and early hand-set gill nets to steam-powered tugs, state regulation, and the industrialization that reshaped the trade and meet the people who pulled their livelihood from the lake and the communities that grew up around docks and nets.
Tickets are free for Michigan Maritime Museum members and Kalamazoo Nature Center members. $10 for non-members.
This event will be hosted at Kalamazoo Nature Center.
This event was rescheduled from 6/11/2026

MMM Lecture Series: The Civil War Comes to the Great Lakes: Confederate Raiders on the Inland Seas
2026-08-06 18:30 - 19:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
When the Civil War is discussed in Michigan it is often as events that happened in such exotic locales as Virginia, Tennessee or Arkansas. While this is mostly true, it was not exclusively so, with subterfuge, secrecy and invasion fears popping up in places like Detroit throughout the conflict. This was especially true in September of 1864, when a group of Rebel plotters hijacked a steamer with an aim to set the shores of the Great Lakes ablaze and lay its cities in ruins. Together we’ll explore the events of that dramatic raid, the personalities of those involved, and discuss how close the Great Lakes came to being a battlefield.
About the speaker: Jeff Pollock is a public historian, event organizer, and advocate for the ‘Vernors Cure.’ Prior to coming to Detroit History Tours, Jeff (known as Pollock at Detroit History Tours) had stints at museums in Monroe, Sanilac County, Macomb County and Detroit. He has a passion for history, but is especially drawn to the history of crime in Detroit, the Civil War, sports history and the W.P.A. He is an advocate for all things history, and relishes a good trivia question. He has been Executive Director at Detroit History Tours since May of 2025.

This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Sue Smith.
The virtual viewing is made possible thanks to Steve & Emily Holt.
Reserve Tickets Here!
Purchase your Virtual Lecture Pass Here!

Great Lakes Learners- Knot Tying and Secret Messages
2026-08-08 10:30 - 14:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Knot Tying and Secret Messages
First, we’ll learn all about how to tie nautical knots. Then, we’ll explore how we can send secret messages on the high seas! This program is free with your museum admission ticket, though it is limited to the first 40 participants per session.
Morning Session: 10:30-11:30 AM
Afternoon Session: 1:30-2:30 PM

Model Wooden Boat Demonstrations
2026-08-12 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-19 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Wednesdays in the Jerry Mason Learning Center from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Learn more about this fascinating hobby that blends hands-on crafting and nautical history with MMM volunteer Sally Nye as she constructs a replica of the 1776 Gunboat Philadelphia.

All ages are welcomed but ideal for adults, seniors, and all lifelong learners.

This event is free with membership or admission to the museum.

MMM Lecture Series: The Three Lives of USS LST-393
2026-08-19 18:30 - 19:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Landing Ship, Tank (LST) vessels were among the most essential — and least celebrated — ships of World War II. Join us as USS LST 393 Veterans Museum Director Ryan Lancaster tells the story of this ship which lived three distinct lives; first as a WWII amphibious warship on the beaches of Normandy and across the European Theater, as a postwar working vessel on the Great Lakes, and finally as a museum in Muskegon, Michigan. Drawing on crew accounts, archival research, and ongoing preservation work, this presentation will explore how LSTs operated, what daily life was like aboard these ships and why preserving USS LST 393 matters so much today.

Tickets are free for Museum members and $10 for non-members. Doors open at 6 PM. You can purchase tickets for this event online, over the phone, or in-person.

This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Susan Smith.
The virtual viewing is made possible thanks to Steve & Emily Holt.
Reserve Tickets Here!
Purchase your Virtual Lecture Pass Here!

Rock the Boat 2026
2026-08-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Join the Michigan Maritime Museum August 21st for our 5th annual Rock the Boat concert, Rock the Boat V, Stayin’ Alive! Come rock out at an evening of fun, food, music, and dancing on the Museums waterfront campus. Proceeds benefit the Michigan Maritime Museum.
Back by popular demand, The 1985 Band will surely get you up on your feet and jammin’ to some sick beats. Featuring the best of what 80’s music has to offer, The 1985 combines lights, videos, costumes and more to create a totally immersive music experience.
EVENT GROUNDS:
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Concert begins at 7:00 pm.

Please bring your own beach or camp chairs, seating is not provided for general admission guests.

VIP TABLES:

Doors open at 6:00 pm. Concert begins at 7:00 pm.

Proudly sponsored by Scott & Julia Robbins and Clark & Cathy Carmichael.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Great Lakes Learners- Create Your own Fossil
2026-08-22 10:30 - 14:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Create Your own Fossil
Learn like a paleontologist and step back on the geological timeline to explore a variety of plant and animal fossils. And after that, create your own salt dough “fossil.” This program is free with your museum admission ticket, though it is limited to the first 40 participants per session.
Morning Session: 10:30-11:30 AM
Afternoon Session: 1:30-2:30 PM

From Forest to Shore: Stories of Michigan’s Land and Lakes- Prohibition in Michigan
2026-08-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI, 49090-1065, United States
A Collaborative Lecture Series by Kalamazoo Nature Center & Michigan Maritime Museum
Discover the rich tapestry of Michigan’s natural landscapes and maritime heritage in this engaging lecture series. From Forest to Shore brings together maritime experts and naturalists to explore the deep connections between the state’s inland ecosystems and its Great Lakes waterways. Through captivating stories, scientific insights, and cultural perspectives, each lecture will highlight how forests, wetlands, and shorelines have shaped Michigan’s history, ecology, and communities. Join us as we journey across time and terrain—celebrating the resilience of nature and the enduring legacy of life along the lakes.
Discover how Michigan’s rivers, lakes, and shorelines turned into front-line battlegrounds during the era of the 18th Amendment. The Detroit River, St. Clair River, and Lake Michigan were major smuggling corridors, moving liquor from Canada into cities and small towns alike. From rum-running boats and winter ice routes to organized crime, law enforcement, and everyday citizens who quietly defied the law, we’ll take a look at how waterborne networks made Prohibition impossible to fully enforce and ultimately positioned Michigan as a key player in the national fight for repeal.
Tickets are free for Michigan Maritime Museum members and Kalamazoo Nature Center members. $10 for non-members.
This event will be hosted at Kalamazoo Nature Center.

From Forest to Shore: Stories of Michigan’s Land and Lakes- Fossil Ecology of the Great Lakes
2026-09-09 18:30 - 19:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
A Collaborative Lecture Series by Kalamazoo Nature Center & Michigan Maritime Museum
Discover the rich tapestry of Michigan’s natural landscapes and maritime heritage in this engaging lecture series. From Forest to Shore brings together maritime experts and naturalists to explore the deep connections between the state’s inland ecosystems and its Great Lakes waterways. Through captivating stories, scientific insights, and cultural perspectives, each lecture will highlight how forests, wetlands, and shorelines have shaped Michigan’s history, ecology, and communities. Join us as we journey across time and terrain—celebrating the resilience of nature and the enduring legacy of life along the lakes.
Take a step back in time with Kalamazoo Nature Center’s Ezra Montero, and look back on the ancient history that shaped our Great Lakes state. We’ll examine the ancient Cambrian seabed, explore the massive Laurentide glacial sheet, and trace the epochs that shaped the fossils we find on our beaches today.
Tickets are free for Michigan Maritime Museum members and Kalamazoo Nature Center members. $10 for non-members. Doors open at 6 PM. Tickets will only be available for purchase in person.

Maritime Bingo for Books
2026-09-11 15:00 - 16:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Maritime Bingo for Books is a lively, family-friendly event designed for curious minds ages 8 and up (children must attend with an adult), this 90-minute program puts a big, interactive twist on classic Bingo—and everything you need to play is provided.
Each number called connects to a fascinating maritime fact. You might hear B1 and learn that Eber Brock Ward was Michigan’s first millionaire, making his fortune in shipping, or B9 to discover that 9 pounds is the average weight of a steelhead trout caught in Lake Michigan. Every call turns the game into a fast-paced learning experience.
Winners choose a children’s or adult book from a curated gift shop selection, receive a sticker prize pack, and—of course—earn high fives all around. Hosted by Michigan Maritime Museum Executive Director Bailey Sisoy Moore. We hope you’ll join us.
Reserve your tickets here
Cost: $10 for members | $15 for non-members

MMM Lecture Series: Death and Lighthouses on the Great Lakes
2026-09-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
Losing one’s life while tending to a Great Lakes lighthouse—or any navigational beacon anywhere in the world for that matter—sadly wasn’t such an unusual occurrence. Death by murder, drowning, suicide, or other unnatural and tragic causes, while rare, was not unheard of. In fact, more than a dozen lighthouse keepers around the Great Lakes met their maker at the hands of others—by fire, poisoning, bludgeoning, and other unknown means. Join us as Dianna Stampfler, author of Death and Lighthouses on the Great Lakes, delves into her research, which brought these stories to life… despite the deaths of those featured.

Tickets are free for Museum members and $10 for non-members. Doors open at 6 PM. You can purchase tickets for this event online, over the phone, or in-person.

This lecture series is made possible thanks to the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Sue Smith.
The virtual viewing is made possible thanks to Steve & Emily Holt.
Reserve Tickets Here!
Purchase your Virtual Lecture Pass Here!
