Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

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Paradise, MI
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

The museum is open every day May 1 to October 31, from 10 am to 6 pm.
(1859)

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society was founded in 1978 by a group of divers, teachers, and educators to commence exploration of historic shipwrecks in eastern Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point in Michigan’s scenic Upper Peninsula. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum has become one of Michigan’s most popular destinations in the cultural tourism industry, attracting over 75,000 visitors eac

h season. Museum patrons learn about the perils of maritime transport on the Great Lakes at the Whitefish Point Light Station, an Historic Site on the National Register of Historic Places. See the Whitefish Point Light Tower, in continuous operation for 155 years, the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior.

06/04/2026

If you ever come to Whitefish Point over the winter and spring a lot of sand accumulates on our deck. Some people ask…”how do you get rid of that”? A little heavy equipment never hurts.

Video by Wilde

06/01/2026

Last week we were visited, and 3-D filmed, by Evan and Meegan Winters with Able Eyes Accessible Tours. They shot a “Explore Before You Go” segment as part of the UP Travel and Pure Michigan Accessible Program. We’re honored to be a part of it and thanks to all who made it happen.

In the meantime you can visit ableeyes.org to see what they do!

We won’t see the final edit for a few months, but we’ll share it when they send it to us.

05/27/2026

Beautiful day at Whitefish Point today!

05/25/2026

Remember & Honor today...and every day.

We will never forget.

05/21/2026

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON THE U.P. ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE BOARD MEETING

Paradise Connection Reception

Tuesday, June 9
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Reception: 6:00-7:30pm · Open to the public
18335 N. Whitefish Point Rd., Paradise, MI 49768

If you’re an artist, arts organization, museum, library, historical society, creative business, community leader, or simply someone who cares about arts and culture in the Upper Peninsula, this is a great chance to connect. Our Connection Receptions are casual gatherings with complimentary refreshments designed to bring people together, spark new ideas, share resources, and strengthen relationships across the region’s creative and cultural community.

We’ll have information about the Alliance’s programs, research, and upcoming opportunities, including brand-new grant guidelines hot off the press. Come learn what’s ahead, ask questions, share what you’re working on, and meet others doing inspiring work in the eastern U.P.

Our Board of Directors will also hold a public meeting earlier that day at 2:00 PM in the museum board room. All are welcome to attend in person, or join virtually via Zoom using the meeting link below:

Topic: U.P. Arts & Culture Alliance Board Meeting Time: Jun 9, 2026 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada). Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97817768653?pwd=zvmoI4ybxbQObqZ2G6RQaAQ

05/08/2026

Poster contest update...free downloadable link below.

05/07/2026

Today, 05/07/26, marks the inaugural day of our 2026 shipwreck searching season. Our 47-foot research vessel, R/V David Boyd, left the Yacht Haven on Drummond Island this morning and will make its way up the St. Mary's river, through the Soo Locks, then into Whitefish Bay, destination...Whitefish Point Harbor. Onboard is Captain Darryl Ertel, and his brother, First Mate Dan Ertel.

You can follow the whole trip on the Marine Traffic app https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-84.221/centery:46.452/zoom:12

Or check back here for video and pictures of the trip!

05/02/2026

***UPDATE ON POSTER CONTEST***

Well, we tried but we placed 2nd in the poster contest behind Wyoming. Many of you are asking how to get this poster? Here's how. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum DOES NOT carry these in our stores. This is SHPO property (we were just helping them out) and they are all out of prints. However, SHPO has provided a high quality downloadable link for everyone...and it's free.

https://www.miplace.org/4a82a5/globalassets/documents/shpo/programs-and-services/archaeology/explore-archaeology/awareness-posters/2025-shpo-archaeology-poster-web-final.pdf

Thanks to all who voted!

*Original post below*

Thanks to all who made yesterday a great open to our 2026 season. We also got some good news from SHPO (State Historical Preservation Office) that a poster they created last year to honor the 29 men of the Edmund Fitzgerald has been placed in a national contest, and they could use your help. If you'd like to vote, follow the instructions below. Last day to vote is May 5th.

From SHPO:

VOTE FOR MICHIGAN! If you love Michigan, our maritime history, and the intrigue of the Edmund Fitzgerald, we need your help.

Michigan's official state archaeology poster "Twenty-Nine Bells: Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald" has been entered into the Society for American Archaeology's State Archaeology Poster Contest against posters from more than a dozen other states. Michigan's poster honors the loss of the Fitzgerald through historical photos, information, and original artwork of the ship fighting the waves of Lake Superior.

You can vote today with one click and your email address in less than a minute: https://www.saa.org/postercontest

https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/archaeology/2025-michigan-archaeology-poster/

We'll let you know how the contest goes...and thank you to SHPO for making the poster.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is open from May1st to October 31st 9am-5pm.

05/01/2026

And the first visitors to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum of 2026 are...Nick Baecker and Brenda Schmidtknecht of Independence, WI! Thanks for making the drive to Whitefish Point on this brisk spring day (but at least you beat the crowds)! We appreciate you kicking off our 2026 year and being our first friends through the door.

We are now open May 1st-October 31st 9am-5pm 7 days a week.

And you can always log onto our WX camera 24/7 to see the beautiful views of Whitefish Point and Lake Superior.

https://shipwreckmuseum.com/about/live-weather-cam/

04/30/2026

Tomorrow is Opening Day 2026! Who will be our first visitors?

We look forward to sharing the haunting stories, and breathtaking beauty, of Whitefish Point...we hope you can make it up!

Open May 1st-October 31st from 9am-5pm.

See you soon.

Address

18335 N Whitefish Point Road
Paradise, MI
49768

Telephone

+18884923747

Website

https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/

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