Tucked away in a back harbor of Lake Michigan, in the historic city of Manistee, you'll find a…read morepiece of history that is patiently awaiting your visit. It's the car ferry SS City of Milwaukee, built in 1931. The ferry was a product of Manitowoc Shipbuilding, constructed for the Grand Trunk Railroad. She replaced the Grand Trunk Railroad car ferry, the SS Milwaukee, which was lost at sea with all hands in 1929. First thing, let's clear this up: a car ferry was built to haul railroad cars across Lake Michigan, not automobiles. The SS City of Milwaukee was the last of six sister ships built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding to the same design in the 1920s. Car Ferries hauled freight cars across Lake Michigan to avoid rail congestion in Chicago. The golden era of Lake Michigan car ferry service was in the mid 1950s but by the 1970s, trucks were taking away freight customers and with better trackage rights in Chicago, car ferries became too expensive to operate. The SS City of Milwaukee ceased sailng as a car ferry in 1981, and in 1988, was purchased by the Society for the Preservation of the SS City of Milwaukee. She was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 23, 1990. The SS City of Milwaukee is the last car ferry built prior to WWII that remains in an as-built condition. Everything on board is as she was built, from the engine room to the the car deck, to the bridge, and all the beautiful woodwork in the passenger ares. If you take the tour of the ship, which I highly recommend, your guide will explain how freight cars were loaded and prepared for the voyage. You'll see the engine room and the triple expansion steam engines that drove the ferry across the lake. You'll see the "flicker" (crew quarters) gally, captain's quarters, the bridge, passenger space and staterooms. Speaking of staterooms, you can stay overnight (in season) in a stateroom, aboard what is probably the only bed & breakfast that floats. Docked with the SS City of Milwaukee is the USCG Acacia, a buoy tender that is also a floating museum. Take the tour of the Acadia, too! Be aware, there is a lot of walking, and any number of stairs that are narrow and steep. (These are ships, after all, where space is always at a premium.) Just the same, the tour is well worth the effort! Now, about the SS City of Milwaukee as a bed & breakfast...remember, this was a working packet, not a luxury cruiser on the Carribean Sea. The ship was at sea for only a few hours on each crossing. As a result, the state rooms are cozy and rest rooms are communal. The ship is not air conditioned, however, there is an air conditioned area in the forward observation room, so you can cool off there. Each room is equipped with a fan and a nice, evening breeze off the lake helps keep you cool. (During the Covid-19 issue, breakfast has been suspended.) Tip: Pack lightly! It's a long walk from the parking area to the passenger deck. Spending the night in the SS City of Milwaukee is an adventure in living history, and probably a third of the price of that fancy motel across the highway. It's also far more romantic. If you're a rail fan, or a fan of Great Lakes shipping, a fan of history or just someone who likes a new adventure, book a room on the SS City of Milwaukee and have an enjoyable stay that you can brag about for years!

So I love that this had a guide to take up on tour and he knew what he was talking about and…read moreprofessional, I would highly recommend it,you get to go all over the ship ,please remember this is a tour for people who can't climb stairs but it was great .

Stop what you're doing and book a stay at the Dempsey Manor. It's an old Victorian home that has…read morepassed hands a few times, and currently is a bed-and-breakfast, one of the most charming and cute that I've ever seen. Stayed here for one night during a Northwest Michigan nature getaway. Jan and Jim are both super hip kind folks that gladly take care of your every need or want. Jan was very accommodating with my vegan lifestyle and made me a delicious breakfast. The rooms are all decorated different, with lots of original and traditional Victorian decor. Lots of opportunity to learn about the history of the home, the prior owners, and the town. Plenty of literature. The sunroom is fantastic! There's really so much to say, but I'll leave it at-trust this five star review and book your stay here, ASAP!

I didn't get to stay here yet because I did t make a reservation early enough, but I still got to…read morego in for a tour. For a fifteen dollar donation I got to enjoy two hours of Jim's hospitality, meeting the cats and the talkative parrot Josefina - Jose for short. The collections are really impressive, the architecture is both stunning and cozy. I wish I could hang out with Jim and Jan for the whole weekend just learning about them, the house and the collections. I learned a lot!

This children's museum is amazing. It's the definition of small but mighty: It doesn't look like…read moremuch from the outside, or even when you first step inside. But as you explore through it, you'll see that it has way more magic hiding in every corner than you first thought. Sandcastles Children's Museum is three stories of fun. We took our 7 and 11 year old boys, and the 11 year old had just as much fun as his younger brother. That said, I would say that this museum is best suited for kids who are preschoolers through around 10 years old. One of the best parts of this museum is that it subtly references popular Ludington icons and landmarks. You'll see a play SS Badger ship, popular local restaurants on the second floor, and lots of other things that pay homage to the beach town in which the museum resides. One of our favorite spots in the museum is located on the third floor. It's there that you'll find a mini stage with several real, full-sized instruments that kids are invited to play. There are steel drums, ukuleles, guitars, pianos and lots of other instruments to try out. There's also a TV where you can watch yourself jamming on the instruments. All throughout the museum, you'll find things to play with, like a sand pit with digger toys, a play farm, play grocery store and restaurant, a veterinary office, a post office, craft station, rock climbing wall, science station, theatre stage with costumes, and lots more. There is just so much fun stuff for kids, and my children were occupied for hours.

A delightful spot to spend the day with wild kids. So many thoughtful exhibits with loads of hands…read moreon activities. My 4 year old loved the maternity ward and the 1.5 year old loved the grocery store. Loved our time at the museum. We also loved the mask requirement for all. A great way to feel safe in a world where people are getting so sick. Thank you!

Loved this place! Got to spend an hour with my grandsons that felt like 10 minutes - so much to do…read morein a safe, clean and welcoming space. The exhibits were very well done, and there were so many! Highly recommend this for kids of all ages.

Wonderful place for kiddos. So many cool animals and a ton of hands-on activities. The employees…read morewere very helpful and knowledgeable. Both my kids had a blast. Shout out to Ruby, the youngest "employee"!

This place is amazing! Its located in the mall. We accidentally parked near Dunham's but we found…read moreout that its closer to the other doors further down. They have doors that are hard to escape. They charge $10 per person but the membership is a lot cheaper. They also participate in the museums for all and charge $20 for a membership for the year for it. There is an area behind the counter area with a room for strollers and bags. You can also eat food there as well I believe. The kids had so much to do. They had a lot of educational areas and designs. They loved placing the balls in the tubes. They had a little vet area. They also had a kitchen area in the back. They had a car track and water table. They have a giant playscape with two slides. By the checkin they have a small store area as well. The kids had so much fun!

Our kids had a ton of fun here, especially at the water table!…read more We thought that it was an actual, standalone museum, so we were confused when we were walking through the mall, and we accidentally walked right past it because we thought it was a gift shop. Lo and behold, it's actually very roomy and has multiple interactive stations! Besides the water table, they also loved the vet clinic, play structure, food truck, and collecting eggs. This would be a great place for grandparents to take their kids while parents go shopping at the mall.

Big Sable Point Lighthouse was such a fun experience! The walk out to the lighthouse is about 1.8…read moremiles each way, so just under 4 miles round trip. The trail is a wide, sandy path, so it's not difficult, but it is a pretty long walk and definitely sandy. You walk through part of the campground before heading out toward the lighthouse, and the scenery along the way is really pretty. We weren't there during the hours when the lighthouse was open, and we weren't planning on doing the tour anyway, but I believe it was $8 per person to go inside and climb the lighthouse. Even without going inside, it was absolutely worth making the walk out to see it. I also really enjoyed all of the history around the lighthouse. There were informational boards where you could stop and read about the lighthouse, the history of the area, erosion, the sand dunes, and how the landscape has changed over time. I love when places do this because it makes you appreciate what you're looking at so much more. The lighthouse itself is really cute and makes for such a great destination after the long sandy walk. There are also picnic tables around the area, so you can sit and take a break before making the walk back. If you're visiting Ludington State Park, I definitely think the walk to Big Sable Point Lighthouse is worth doing. Just wear comfortable shoes, expect a lot of sand, bring water, and give yourself plenty of time. It's not a quick little stroll, but getting out there and seeing this historic lighthouse surrounded by Lake Michigan was absolutely worth it!

Beautiful place to visit I can't wait to go back in the summer. It's a very serene place to visit.read more

My wife and I visited this historic lighthouse for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed our…read moreexperience. It is conveniently located, adequate parking on the side of the beach road, we were welcomed by lighthouse staff, paid just $5 each for this visit!, safely walked up the winding stairs up to the lighthouse top area (watch your head tall friends!), a friendly staff member gave us some very interesting historic information related to the lighthouse and took several pics of us!, the self-guided tour was very interesting (you can take your time reading any and all of the nicely framed historic documents, lighthouse stories, etc.), there was nice, clean men's and women's restrooms in the main bldg, and the grounds and buildings were all nicely maintained. You gotta check this 2nd most important lighthouse in the USA!

This was an adorable place to stop and visit. So pretty especial during the fall time. We had fun…read moregoing here and enjoying the scenery.

Pros: Educates visitors on the subtleties of institutionalized and socialized racism. The exhibit…read moreon racism depicted in cartoons is most fascinating. Cons: Small, but growing collection of artifacts. No need to obtain a parking permit as metered parking and street parking are plentiful.

Very smelly inside and out. It was still super funny and would suggest you go as well…read more Just watch out for the live exhibits in the parking lot that will steal your wallet.

History is important. Knowing local history helps build community. Taking a bunch of area…read morehistoric buildings and putting them in one place, filled with period-correct furnishings? Brilliant! They told us we'd need a couple of hours to the see the place; we got there in the morning and stayed until closing time. If you read the signs - the way to actually learn something - 2 hours isn't nearly enough. We learned a lot about what drew people to the area, namely logging, and everything else those early residents needed in their lives. Highly educational, and we really enjoyed it.

I visited White Pine Village by myself, because my family wanted to stay at the beach, and…read morehonestly, I had a really good time here by myself. This is a historical museum, so you really need time to read things and absorb them at a slow pace. I love my children, but when they're with me at a museum, I don't have time to read or ponder anything -- I'm usually busy telling them not to touch something or stop climbing something or listening to them say how bored they are. So if you have children and you want to enjoy White Pine Village, I suggest ditching them and visiting by yourself. But! That being said, this living history museum has a lot to offer children, too. So if you do bring your kids, they will certainly have a great time. There are lots of displays to see, and lots of open areas to run around. There isn't much to touch or do, so for kids who like interactive museums, this isn't that. But you'll have fun peering into the different structures at the scenes that have been set up. My favorites were the displays with the medical supplies and the newspaper printing setup. It's really interesting to see what kinds of tools and gadgets people used 100+ years ago. I was told to allow about 1.5 to 2 hours to visit, but I was done after about 30 to 45 minutes. I tend not to be a lingerer when I visit museums, though ... or anything, really. I absorb what I need to and I get out. If you like to read every single little thing, you might be here longer.