Whether a first-time visitor or a frequent visitor, this free museum offers a reliable and always educational stop. While adults can soak in exhibits on Lake Superior’s shipping history-including the famed sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald-kids can listen to narrations from last-century travelers in recreated ship cabins and pretend to steer a ship in a pilothouse. Kids and adults may also appreciate meticulous model ships on display.

The museum offers the handiest public restaurants for families on the pier and posts updates on the front doors for when ships are arriving and departing the harbor through the short canal. Be sure to grab a good spot along the pier right outside the museum doors for watching these giants glide in and out of the Great Lakes.

Admission is free.