Great experience! 10 floors full of exhibits. Safe for toddlers & kids. Lots of interactive games and play. Both us & our 1,5 and 6 year old really liked this museum. We were there just under 2 hours, and enjoyed ourselves on each floor. The view from the lighthouse tower is fantastic! Highly recommend visiting. It is worth the money although you might want to check with the local libraries that offer free library cards & museum passes for visitors which is what we used! read more

Door County Maritime Museum - Play area for kids - Museums Near Me - Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

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We went to see the museum. The tug tour was cool. Our guide was very knowledgeable. They were also building a boat in the museum for auction. It was so cool. They had lots of hands on for those who are interested. Very interesting to see the history read more

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This museum is a must see. If you're at all interested in the shipping history of Door County, you won't be disappointed. Do spend the extra few dollars to get a 40 minute tour of an old ship. There are a lot of stairs involved, however, an elevator is available. read more

Some of the best views of Door County and Sturgeon Bay can be seen from the 10th floor of the Door County Maritime Museum. If the weather is nice, you might even be able to go onto the rooftop outdoor observation deck and take in the views from there. Either way, the views from this tall museum are worth the visit. Yes, it's a tall museum: It's 10 stories! Of course, there's an elevator if you need one, but if you're able, I suggest using the stairs and making your way up or down the flights one by one. I started from the top and made my way down, floor by floor. Each floor has a different exhibit. For instance, one floor is all about lighthouses. Another floor is about shipwrecks (with an interactive shipwreck game). There's something new and interesting to learn about the maritime history of Door County and Wisconsin on each level. At the bottom, you exit through the gift shop. The gift shop has lots of neat Door County gifts. (I was this close to buying a relief map of Wisconsin.) The first floor also has another exhibit with indigenous Wisconsin boats, models of Sturgeon Bay ships that were used during World War II, and other interesting artifacts. This is a neat museum, and even if you have zero interest in boats and maritime things (hello, that's me), it's worth a visit for the views of Door County. read more

It was very nice, the tug boat was informative and interesting, there was some games that was free and fun

What a great experience visiting this museum. It's not only just about maritime but also a lot of history about Wisconsin in general. Few cool interactive displays and the very popular touring of the tug John Purves. We actually had to comeback next day to see the tug but it was worth it. Definitely a must visit if you are spending time in Door county. read more

Door County Maritime Museum - Tug John Purves - Museums Near Me - Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

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This is a great place to go!! Stroller accessible!!Do be advised that the tower portion of the museum is on a schedule, so I would call ahead if you need to work it into your plans. Takes about 1.5-2 hours to get through the tower and 4 galleries! They have interactive sims, which as neat!! read more

Really nice place. Lots of information and exhibits. The staff was very friendly and informative.

Small but interesting museum . Like Suez and Panama canals, at the end of this survey got connected to the main Lake via man made canal. You will learn a lesson the of history of this peninsula and it's time in the USA history and maritime warfare. read more

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Came here today, we take a tour on tug John purves boat, it was interesting. I still recommend this place. I do miss the fire Chicago boat ride but I understand. read more

This is a wonderful museum on the Sturgeon Bay waterfront that educates the visitors about boats, ships, and lighthouses, and the people who've built and operated them through the years. We toured the new tower first (with great views from the top), and then the older section with the wonderful boat exhibits, beautiful mural, videos, and interactive displays about the many shipwrecks and how to operate a boat safely and competently. Right before they closed we bought a T-shirt in the nice gift shop, where the friendly employee told us we could come back the next morning for the tugboat tour. We did, and the competent tour guide (who had been a boat operator himself) showed us the 149-foot John Purves Tugboat that had been restored after being built in 1919 and traveling long distances in dangerous waters. Usually seeing only small tugboats in the Savannah River, we were amazed that this very large one was designed for a 13-man crew for long trips and had private bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a large engine room. (We read recently on the website that this tugboat is being repaired and will be open for guests again May 1.) This is a high quality museum, and we enjoyed our time there! read more

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Super small but cheap. Being a museum lover, I was disappointed. The lighthouse exhibit was my favorite. I wish there was more on ship wrecks. We got through the whole place within 30 minutes. I can see the attraction for boat lovers but I would skip if there were other activities on the itinerary. read more

Excellent museum with a lot of interactive stuff for both kids and definitely adults! Nice staff! Al did the tug tour, very knowledgeable and fun! Definately worth an hours drive on a Sunday afternoon! read more

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loaded with information and hugely enjoyable. We stopped in and were surprised at the quality of the exhibits, especially in the new lighthouse. we two adults found it exceptional. don't miss playing with the periscope. one of the top maritime museums I've visited read more

We came here mainly for the pirate exhibit. When we bought our tickets, we were told that it would take us 45 minutes to go through so that we could do the tug boat tour. Well, we should have planned for more than 45 minutes because we didn't see everything. Lot of really neat things to see...boat building, lighthouse stuff, pirates, etc. The tug boat was interesting, but we felt that is was too long of a tour. It took an hour, but could have easily been done in half that time. It was interesting that our tour guide had previously worked not he tug boat and that he was one of the restorers of the boat, but that was also the downfall of the tour...he talked too much about the restoration making the tour longer. I know he's proud of the job...as he should be...but it was too much. I would visit again if I'm in the area, but I will not do the tug boat again. read more

Sturgeon Bay is a maritime city, and this is a very nice museum if you are in any way interested in boats. Sturgeon Bay is a nice small town, and this seems to me to be a feature attraction. You can also drive out to the US Coast Guard station at the end of Canal Rd, and walk the pier to the red lighthouse while you are at it. read more

I really liked the museum, even though it was not all open. The history of the bay was very interesting and I could see in the summer it would be even better ( I was there in April) read more

Only went on the fire boat cruise and skipped the museum. Looked like a good rainy day activity. The cruise was nice and decently priced ($65 for 3 adults and 2 children) for a 1.5 hour Door County water excursion. It was worth our time and money but I wouldn't do it again (or at least not for 5-6 years). read more

Nice museum...but please note: The hours posted on door and here on Yelp are not what the actual hours are. We paid at 3 pm on a Saturday and thought we had 2 full hours. We were alarmed when upstairs watching a video when the lights went out and we heard a "click" of the door closing. This was at 4:20. The curator (probably a volunteer) was upstairs thank goodness and we were able to get out. She informed us the museum had been closed for 1/2 hour (? it was 4:20) and they close at 4 pm. The sign on the door says 5 pm. We would have never paid $20 for 1 hour in any museum, not nearly enough time to enjoy everything. Our car was clearly in sight in the parking lot, so it was obvious someone was still in building. Also, we heard no announcement telling us they were closing. Very odd and disappointing experience. read more

We visited Door County and are not into shopping. The museum was wonderful, there is so much history and the exhibits are great. They even have interactive features which were nice. They also have a smaller museum at Gills Rock well worth the wonderful drive up to see it. You can also tour the tugboat and Cana Island Lighthouse. A great way to spend time on your visit. read more

Nice boats and history here. A must see if you you're into boats and history. Tours should be smaller (10 or less) since space is small for all to see at once. read more

A cool place to visit with the kids. We learned a lot about the local ship building industry as well as local maritime achievements. The haunted lighthouse exhibit is interesting as well. read more

Always a good stop when you're in town. I love that they change the theme every year for one area, this year's "sea dogs" theme was very interesting, and adorable. We really like this museum. Also a good FYI to active duty military personnel, with ID, your admission to the museum is free. read more

Excellent activity for all ages!! Their exhibits are fantastic and interesting. There are plenty of interactive exhibits and interesting facts. I would highly recommend! read more