Very cool if you like antiques. They have all sorts of collections - farm, American Indian,…read moremechanical, wedding dresses, country store, post office, cameras, nautical stuff, dishes, current local art, and on and on. Good for an hour or more of entertainment. And admission is free.

This is a wonderful little museum in Alpena with some unique exhibits. They have a Foucault…read morependulum (only one of 5 in Michigan), a fine collection of Great Lakes Native American Artifacts, the original Besser block Machine, and limestone fossils. At certain times of the year, you can visit separate older buildings such as a bank and school. Also inside is a "old tyme" downtown Alpena with storefronts. It is really well done and well kept. Warning: if you are an animal lover, the lower level has a large amount of animals from a taxidermist that you may wish to avoid.

For a small to medium size city this was a very nice museum. There is plenty of diversity in it's…read moreexibits. From paintings to Indian artifacts. Old Alpena exhibits to Geological samples. A rick garden to crazy automobile exhibit. Stuffed animals to plant life. Besser seems to have it all. The price is extremely fair. This is not Chicago or New York. There are no Rembrandt's or the like. For what it is and where it is I give it a very solid 4 stars. I truly recommend a visit. One last note, outside their are 2 Tom Moran Sculptures. All his stuff is amazing.

This place is free (unless you take the shipwreck tour which is $30) - with a ton of stuff for…read morepeople of all ages; lots of information on shipwrecks, reading material, stuff salvages from the wrecks, maps, exhibits. Stuff for kids - hands on game; area to climb through with tubes, slides, etc... a boat about to be shipwrecked complete with audio. Takes about an hour or a little more. We also did the shipwreck tour... 2 hours - well worth it - need to get lucky enough for a sunny day. Saw 4 wrecks via a glass-bottom boat; guides very knowledgeable and easy to approach. The Captain added some commentary; but we couldn't hear him through the audio. Tour is in Thunder Bay - just outside Alpena - you leave from the museum. Tours are at 10:00, 1:00 and, 4:00 My recommendation - get there 90 minutes before the shipwreck tour - tour the museum, take the tour - and stop in the gift shop on the way out. We got there at 11:30 and left at 3:15. ------------- p.s. - Yelp also has something for the Great Lakes Maritime Museum - it is the same place as this.

Wonderful National treasure. The movies were excellent and the boat ride great…read more Only recommendation I would have is that it would be great to have more exhibits in the museum. Maybe you could have a curator who would work with divers to find treasures hidden in private collections.

Loved this experience!! it was just a nice basic walk through that really taught you about the…read moreshipwrecks of the area! my 8m old loved the boat and i loved the stories! I will be back again, especially as my son gets older - such a cool free experience!

What a delightful, hands-on maritime museum. Free admission with very friendly, helpful guides…read more Lots of fun!

This museum runs on donations, which isn't normal for Mackinac Island. We walked in and the people…read moreleaving had to tell us how great it was. I was a little confused when we were greeted by the lady behind the desk. It's just that she wasn't up and in your face, which i later appreciated. Turns out she was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. She's a native of the island and more than willing to answer questions and impart her knowledge. She is truly a gem. I wished I could've just stayed and talked to her for hours. I'm pretty sure she would have let me, but the kids were ready for dinner. You absolutely have to go here if you visit the island, and engage the mysterious lady behind the desk.

The staff was very pleasant and helpful. They have free Coco and different flavors of coffee. Also…read morean array of different cookies for the shoppers. They are just beautiful items for sale in their store and the museum is always fun to walk through. A lot of families are in there during the holidays. There are a lot of interesting things for the kids to look at and interact with. Right now they were offering a free visit through the museum And with that a free coupon for your whole family to return from now until March March.

The place was absolutely hilarious!! We thoroughly enjoyed the museum, and, the the gift shop was…read moreincredible. We found lots of really cool souvenirs. We haven't tried the putt putt golf course, yet. However, it looks like it's a blast, as well.

Super cute maritime museum! Great volunteer showed us around. Loved the room upstairs with all the…read moreold boat motors!

This is a great little museum full of local artifacts, with a friendly staff…read more They're seasonally open, so be sure to stop in during the summer months.

I love just how much of an exploration and discovery aspect that is in this place. And with the dog…read morefind, interactive props, and text plaques, this is good for literally all ages. The only problem is that there are a lot of parts of the ship that are only accessible on the ladders, and sadly my MIL and aunt in law couldn't go in some areas because of it. But at least my hubby and I got plenty of pictures in those areas to show them.

If you were at all interested naval history are you just love seeing ships? This is a must see…read more Completely worth the money.