I read The Gales of November by John U. Bacon earlier this year and I haven't really stopped…read morethinking about it since then. I never knew much about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but this book opened my eyes to the tragedy and I wanted to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum while in the UP recently. The museum is actually made up of several buildings, some of which are free to enter without an admission ticket. If you buy a ticket, you get a wristband that gets you into the shipwreck museum gallery, US Navy radio building, lighthouse keeper's quarters, surfboat house, and the motor life-boat house. We started by watching the short film about the raising of the bell from the wreck of the Fitz, which was restored and now resides in the museum. It was replaced with a new bell that has the names of those who perished inscribed on it. The film is a bit dated but was very emotional and moving. Learning about some of the other many shipwrecks that have occurred on the Great Lakes is sobering and fascinating. I never knew that so many happened simply due to ships running into each other. I loved learning about the lighthouse keepers' lives. After we finished exploring, we headed to the beach and dipped our toes into Lake Superior. We spent over an hour here but could have stayed much longer. There is a lot of information and plenty of friendly docents around to answer questions. I loved this experience and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Great Lakes!

I read "The Gales of November" this summer and was inspired to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck…read moreMuseum. I'm glad I did! It's at Whitefish Point, which has seen more than its fair share of shipwrecks. Of course, the top of my list was to see the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. I also found it interesting to learn about lesser-known wrecks--I had no idea that so many were the result of foggy collisions. Be sure to visit the light keeper's quarters, surf rescue boats, and the beach, of course. Thank you to the knowledgeable docents who were so friendly and informed. A great value for the $15 ticket!