Michigan Maritime Museum

Maritime Makers
2025-07-01 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-24 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-17 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-10 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Detroit) | Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, MI, 49090, United States
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

Fish Tales Story Time
2025-06-30 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-23 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-16 10:30 - 11:30, 2025-06-09 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.

Visiting Science Vessel
2025-06-28 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-27 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-26 13:00 - 18:00 UTC
Proudly sponsored by Mike & Susan Smith
We are excited to announce that the research vessel W.G. Jackson from Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute will be visiting the Michigan Maritime Museum this summer! Guests will have the opportunity to explore the vessel at the dock, speak with on-board scientists and educators about freshwater science, and get a chance for some hands-on learning about local watersheds and water quality. Dockside research vessel tours are available between 1 PM – 6 PM and included with General Museum Admission.
What you need to know:

You must have a Museum wristband to board the vessel.
The vessel will not leave the dock during the tours.
Onboard tours last approximately 10-15 minutes with the possibility of longer depending on availability.
Visitors of any age may come onboard to tour the vessel while at the dock. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
All bags brought onboard must be inspected by the captain. No weapons are allowed onboard.
Please note that there is no seating on the vessel.

Science Expedition Cruise
2025-06-28 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-27 10:30 - 12:00, 2025-06-26 10:30 - 12:00 UTC
Proudly sponsored by Mike & Susan Smith
The Michigan Maritime Museum has partnered with the Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI) to bring you this special research opportunity in the Black River and on Lake Michigan aboard research vessel W.G. Jackson. During each Science Expedition Cruise, participants will serve as freshwater scientists, collecting data and observations about the bodies of water through which they cruise. Onboard AWRI scientists and educators will provide information about local watersheds, maritime history that has impacted the environment, and more! The vessel will anchor out on Lake Michigan at a sample station and participants will conduct water quality testing experiments before heading back to the Museum docks. Become a freshwater scientist for day with AWRI and the MMM!

Tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold the day of the cruise.
Cruises are 90-minutes.
Passengers must be age 10 or above. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Please dress appropriately for the weather, including rain gear and sun protection as conditions warrant. Shoes should be non-skid and closed toe (no flip-flops or sandals).
We ask passengers to limit bags and personal items brought onboard are limited, due to limited space onboard. Potable water is also available onboard. Any bags brought onboard must be inspected by the captain. No weapons are allowed onboard.
Please note that there is no seating on the vessel. The W.G. Jackson is not wheelchair accessible away from its homeport in Muskegon, MI.
Tickets sales are non-refundable. Refunds will be issued only in the event the vessel captain cancels the cruise.

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Hands-On the Harbor Day Camp
2025-06-26 10:30 - 12:30, 2025-06-19 10:30 - 12:30, 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

Women of the Watch
2025-06-20 18:30 - 19:30 UTC
“Women of the Watch, Keepers of the Light,” written and performed by Kamryn Marck and directed by D.B. Schroeder, is an uplifting 45-minutes of music, laughter, and simple honest storytelling. The play follows Kamryn as she relives family trips to lighthouses in Michigan, which ignites a passion to share the spectacular stories of various female lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes. She details the lives of four particular keepers by donning voice and movement. As she steps into these brave women’s shoes, she discovers the tragedy of the hardships they faced and the beauty of their spirits. Each show is followed by a Q and A talkback for an hour long presentation. The show was commissioned by The Lorenzo Cultural Center in Macomb, MI.
This performance 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.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Lunch & Learn: White Waters, Black Wonderlands
2025-06-18 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
White Waters, Black Wonderlands: Escaping Race, Radicalizing Space, and Creating Place on the Water
Boats, beaches, bare bodies, and the “Water Wonderland” that Michigan had to offer were all facets of recreation that both white and Black Michiganders and Detroiters hoped to access, yet, with white people holding social, political, economic, and police power in the state, they possessed more agency in staking claims to the spaces where such recreation could take place, cultivating a white identity for Michigan along the Detroit River and on the shores of Lake Michigan. This pushed Black Michiganders to engage in their own resistant acts of placemaking in spaces both in and outside Detroit; beachy spaces that were more than fit for bare bodies, but which came to mean more than just a day out on the boat. White Water Wonderland and Black Water Wonderland were two very different things. These contested recreational sites include Belle Isle, Sugar Island, Woodland Park, Idlewild, the Black Bottom of Detroit, Muskegon, Traverse City, Holland, and Mackinac Island. Join University of Michigan students, part of the Detroit River Story Lab, as they discuss their research on the racialization of water recreation in Michigan.
This lecture is presented by University of Michigan part of the Detroit River Story Lab:
Edie Adams– A recent graduate from the University of Michigan with a degree in History and Linguistics and a minor in Sociology of Law, Justice and Social Change. While enrolled in the Detroit River Story Lab course, she had the chance to research race relationships and their associations with place, furthering her interest in developing representative teaching tools.
David Mori– A current Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, his work focuses on the history of the twentieth century in the United States, and focuses on Asian Americans, activism, and incarceration. Last year he had a chance to work on a project that examined the relationship between recreation, space, and race in Michigan while participating in a lab course with the Detroit River Story Lab.
Samantha L. Adams– A current Ph.D. candidate in English & Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, her dissertation research focuses on relationships between Black Americans and bodies of water beyond the Atlantic Ocean in African American literature and history. She is a proud former Intern and Research Assistant at the Detroit River Story Lab, where she discovered a passion for place-based education
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.
Lecture Series proudly sponsored by the Nielsen-Wells Grant Fund and Mike & Susan Smith

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.

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

*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

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.

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

Spring Break Fun!
2025-04-05 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-04 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-03 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-02 10:00 - 15:00, 2025-04-01 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- 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
