This is a cute, smaller, inexpensive museum. Our kids are 7 and 3. They enjoyed it and so did we…read more We were staying in town for a few nights and needed something to keep kids busy. This was a fun morning trip. Spent almost 2 hours here. It was clean and organized. The basement had more than we thought. I think we spent the majority of our time there. Worth a trip if you are in town!

I'm a big museum buff and when I travel, I want to experience museums in the region…read more The plus: beautiful, historic building. Easy parking on the street two hours free parking on the street or unlimited in the museum nearby parking lot. Nice flow in the museum through the exhibits, including a few exhibits geared toward children. Nice diversity of exhibits. Good proximity to downtown, restaurants, parks, public art and cultural items. The minuses: I'm going to lay this directly on the young woman in the gift shop and the staff. She seemed to be put out by taking my entrance fee. Unhelpful when I was shopping in the gift shop. And when I asked if the historic Hackley/Hume homes were within walking distance, she said curtly: YES. Wow. How about, "it's one block to the left, then turn right and go down one block, it'll be on the right hand side but I'm sorry but those museums are closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays." Also, while walking through the museum there seemed to be a lot of staff milling about in the hallway, discussing a recent social event. They obstructed the traffic flow and I pinged about like pac-man on a race trying to navigate the museum. No one asked if I had any questions or offered to show me around so rather consider this a museum "visit", I'd call it a "half-visit" since I could have gotten so much more from my visit. I'm a professional tour guide, I've worked in museums in four major cities and I've never found this level of indifference anywhere. It's so sad, this museum has the potential to be so much more but without the assistance of the help, it will never be what it could be.

Must visit museum! Especially for WWII buffs…read more We visited on a Saturday. It was not crowded at all. We spent most of the time on the submarine alone, so we did not feel rushed or cramped. The submarine was very cool and looked fairly untouched! I would have liked to have seen the second deck where the periscope is. The museum balanced information on WW2 as well as the progression of submarine technology (all the way from da Vinci). As someone who is interested in WWII, I did notice that the timeline regarding Pearl Harbor did miss some vital information. You need 3-4 hours to thoroughly enjoy the museum.

The USS Silversides Submarine Museum offers a unique and rare opportunity to explore an actual…read moresubmarine from World War ll at your own pace. The submarine is docked along the channel between Lake Michigan and Lake Muskegon. The staff still runs the engine multiple times a year to keep it maintained. The staff does a great job keeping it in its original atmosphere. You can really get the sense of what it was like. The maritime museum next to the submarine was large with exhibits explaining the events of World War II, Lake Michigan shipbuilders role in that war, and many story boards accounts and memorabilia from local veterans. There is so much history, knowledge, and experience here. I highly recommend taking a self guided tour here.

MMOA is an overachieving art museum for a city of this size. It's a large and varied collection…read morespread over numerous galleries on three different floors - though the prints collection in the basement is nowhere near as extensive as what you'll find on the other floors. Whoever on here said this was better than the Grand Rapids Art Museum was absolutely correct. This collection absolutely slays the Grand Rapids Art Museum. (I might even be so petty as to go back and drop them down a star.) This museum isn't an all day affair but it was perfect to while away some time in the afternoon in between a wedding down the block and the reception about a mile away my dad and I went to in July. I probably would've spent about an hour more here if I didn't have my father in tow. He moves pretty slow and I forewent my usual practice of touring a museum twice. Ordinarily I go through once taking in as much as I can, reading as many descriptions on the walls as my attention span can bear and keep my cellphone in my pocket the whole time. Then I go back through every gallery refeasting my optical orbies on highlights, looking for stuff I might have missed and snapping a bunch of photos. (If someone sees me on only the second tour they might think I'm a technology addled douchebag without much attention span though!) Anyways I would have loved the second go through here! In summer 2025 they had a special exhibit dedicated to Julia Child. I struggle to think of cooking as art but it's definitely a valuable skill - who doesn't love to eat? - and it can involve a little or a lot of creativity for sure. At any rate the special exhibit was extensive, fun and very educational. I knew very little of Julia Child and I learned a lot more. They even had a picture and description of Dan Akroyd playing her in a particularly brutal SNL skit! I learned she loved the sketch and showed it to friends at parties which I think is pretty awesome.

I recently saw a post on Facebook from a local news outlet that the Muskegon Museum of Art had an…read moreexhibit of some of the costumes from the show Downton Abbey, so I made a plan to check it out with Nate while in the area camping. We arrived about 45 minutes before they closed and got in to the museum right away. I would say that this museum is small but mighty, with plenty to see packed into a tidy footprint. The Downton Abbey exhibit was cool to experience, although I wish it had some more interactive elements. The costumes are so detailed and ornate, and it was fun to see them up close. The rest of the gallery was interesting, with all kinds of art from traditional to more modern. I especially loved the Measure Twice: Sculptures of Ted Lott exhibit, with ornate building-like structures built into household items like side tables, chairs, and vintage suitcases. I don't think I'd come here every time I'm in Muskegon, but it was a fun stop while we were in town and I'm glad we went!

Two beautiful homes, one with amazing woodwork and impressive stained glass. Great history of two…read moreprominent Muskegon businesses men who started with lumber, then moved into other businesses when the trees disappeared. We had a very informative and knowledgeable tour guide who helped us understand Hackley and Humes contribution to the Muskegon economy.

What a fantastic historic site to visit. The two homes that are on the property also share the…read morebarn in the back. The amazing part of the barn is that each house decorated the building to match their house, one barn to houses. Of all the historic sites that I have been to, I can't remember a setup quite like that. They only do guided tours which is good because they have a ton of information to pass along. Plus any question that one might have the tour guides can answer. The wood carvings and stained glass inside the homes were absolutely incredible to see.

A museum of the manufacturing and other prominent industries of Muskegon from the beginning of the…read moreindustrial age to the present day. I was surprised how much there was to see in this three story museum. Working steam engine, bowling pin setting machine, pianos, bicycles, pickles and more. All of the displays were informative, interesting, and professionally done. Well worth the $5 admission. I was so impressed, that I donated some additional money on the way out.

I love Muskegon History!! We are the Lumber Queen, Brunswick, Paper Mill, Foundries, Morton…read moreManufacturing, etc etc etc.

I visited the Milwaukee Clipper with my mom in August of 2024, and it was an interesting experience…read more(in a good way). We always come over on the Lake Express, and we wanted to finally tour the ship, so we gave it a try. The service was great onboard, the actual tour was informative, and the price was not bad either. First, the service. All of the volunteers working at the Milwaukee Clipper were kind, passionate, and informative. You could tell they were interested about the vessel, and it made for an enjoyable experience. The only gripe I have with the Clipper is the spotty availability. For a Friday, the hours are 1-5pm and the gate is supposed to be open, so we get to the attraction and it was closed with a posted phone number to call. We called the phone number and it wasn't even the Milwaukee Clipper that answered. So, that was an interesting miscommunication. My Rating for this Category: 4/5 Second, the tour itself. The tour was amazing, and the tour guide takes you all around the vessel, explaining everything in detail in the process. Their enthusiasm was appreciated, and she always made you want to know more. The tour took about 40 minutes which was plenty of time. My Rating for this Category: 5/5 Finally, the price. My mom and I paid about $12/piece, and for a forty minute tour of an extremely historical boat, we found the price to be reasonable. There are other pricing rates available depending on various circumstances. Also, with the great customer service, we had no complaints here. My Rating for this Category: 5/5 The next time that I am in the Muskegon area with friends or family between Wednesday and Sunday, I would have no reservation taking them on the Milwaukee Clipper. The great tour with great service and a nice price makes this a no-brainer when in the Muskegon area. So, I have no reservation recommending the Milwaukee Clipper tour to anyone.

I sailed past this old grand dame of a ship while on the Lake Express boat coming into Muskegon…read moreharbor. She is quite the beauty, although long-in-the-tooth and rusty around the edges. But the S.S. Milwaukee proudly welcomes you for a tour where you can see and experience how our forebears once made the trek across Lake Michigan. I came by while visiting in late April but the ship does not open for tours until May 27 through Sept. 3 and from 1 - 5 p.m. on Saturdays & Sundays only. Admission is $7 for adults; students are $5 and kids 5 and under are free. This National Historic Landmark, also known as "The Queen of the Great Lakes, would be a great adventure to experience. There is a lot of history to discover as the former S.S. Juanita, is a "retired passenger ship and automobile ferry that sailed under two configurations and traveled on all of the Great Lakes except Lake Ontario. Along with the SS Keewatin, the Milwaukee Clipper is one of only two US passenger steamships left on the Great Lakes," according to Wikipedia. She really got around! 4 YELP STARS for that.

One of the best things you could do in the White Lake area... climb the White River Lighthouse! The…read morelighthouse is so historic and is truly a one of a kind. It is tucked away in Whitehall but worth the drive. There is free parking on site. You can only climb the lighthouse May-October as it is a seasonal operation. It is $8 for adults to climb and $5 for children 17 and under. It is worth every dollar to climb the lighthouse. The view of Lake MI and the White Lake Channel in unreal. The blue tones of the water really show. A beautiful sight to see! There is a small gift shop where you can purchase nautical, Great Lakes themed items such as keychains, wall art, t-shirts, etc. The lighthouse keeper is always very kind when we take our family from out of town there.

Interesting lighthouse with a surprisingly deep history. Home of Michigan's first female lighthouse…read morekeeper. Interesting history of light keepers and the changes throughout. You can even climb up the spiral staircase to the top (about 50 steps) and look out over Lake Michigan like the light keepers did in the past. A great little museum is in the building with great old photos, nautical artifacts, a life ring from The Edmund Fitzgerald, and even the original 4th order Fresnel Lens. There's an intro movie in the building next to the lighthouse with more artifacts. Easy walk to the beach. Took just under an hour.

Could have been a 5* experience except for a young man wearing a blue t-shirt who stood outside the…read moremuseum exuding resentment and hostility. I was almost afraid to go inside but once I did, I was greeted by a smiling, enthusiastic and welcoming man "Bruce". He was informative in talking a bit about the museum, nice clean museum, amusing exhibits, a great historian in re-telling the story of firefighting in the area and I learned a lot. I would have given this a 5* review but I'm still chilled by the hostile glare of the young man outside. For goodness sake, if your life is THAT terrible, please get Help.

This is the jewel of the museum as far as I'm concerned. Admission is free. This is a very good…read morerecreation of the way life was for firemen in a firehouse during the period. There is a working firetruck from the early 1900's as well as many pieces of apparatus that were used during the period this station was working. There is also a recreation of how they used horses to pull the fire wagons and how they were hitched up. There is also the hitching equipment that was used. If you have any interest in fire history you will really enjoy everything here.

MRHS is definitely NOT closed. We are in the building every Tuesday night from 7pm to 9pm. And…read moreSaturdays from 11pm to 2pm. We are in the process of designing layouts for HO, O and N scale.

I'd have to say I'm biased as part of my family dedicates some of his time there. I think this…read moreplace is worth checking into if you have any interest in the railroads around michigan, or even railroading in the first place. There are some very cool items for browsing and they also just refurbished an old steam engine used in the early industrial age used to run cotten gins. Very cool piece of machinery. If you have kids and want some place fresh and fun to go, take them here it's worth the trip!!