Attractions - Mid Lake Michigan




Attraction Name Description
Alaska Pier Alaska Pier is located south of Algoma, Wisconsin, where a small stream empties into Lake Michigan. Alaska Pier was one of several 19th century commercial bridge piers along Kewaunee County’s shores, used to transport goods across the coastal shallows to and from deeper waters. Alaska was one of ...
Algoma North Pierhead Light The first Algoma lighthouse was built at the harbor entrance in 1893. The red-painted steel tower that now marks the harbor entrance was built in 1932 during a federal harbor improvement project that included the 1,100 concrete North Pier. The light is located at the end of the North Pier at the ...
Carferry Badger During the summer season the last coal-fired railroad carferry on the Great Lakes shuttles passengers and automobiles across Lake Michigan between Manitowoc and Ludington, Michigan. The Badger offers a rare opportunity for non-mariners to experience a slice of life on a Great Lakes steamboat. The...
Challenge Keel Located at Kohler-Andrae State Park are the keel remains of the schooner Challenge. Built in 1852 by William Wallace Bates of Manitowoc, WI, the 90 foot long Challenge was the first clipper-type schooner built on the Great Lakes, and was dubbed the 'Belle of Lake Michigan.' Mainly hauling freight...
Continental Maritime Trails Marker The wreck of the steam-powered bulk freighter Continental lies about a mile north of the Rawley Point Lighthouse. After 22 years on the Great Lakes, the Continental met her fate in a blinding snowstorm. Early on a December morning in 1904, the Continental was steaming south past Twin Rivers Point...
Daniel Lyons Buoy Lying in about 100 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Daniel Lyons is a popular shipwreck for advanced divers, and despite its broken hull, large sections of the hull, machinery, and elements of the ship's rigging make this an incredibly interesting dive site. The sit...
Daniel Lyons Maritime Trails Marker About 8 miles northeast of here, the old wooden schooner Daniel Lyons rests 110 feet beneath Lake Michigan's waves. The three-masted Daniel Lyons delivered grain to ports around the Great Lakes in the 1870s, until a collision sent her to the bottom the night of Oct. 17, 1878. That night, the Dani...
Dean's Pier / Carlton Deans Pier is located offshore from the intersection of Lakeshore and Lake Roads, where a small stream enters Lake Michigan. It is the best preserved of the Kewaunee County 19th century commercial bridge piers, used to transport goods across the coastal shallows to deeper waters. The pier support...
Francis Hinton Buoy Lying in about 15 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Francis Hinton is a popular shipwreck for beginner divers, and remains partially intact with the compound engine resting off her starboard side, and her boiler rising to within 5 feet of the surface. The site is mar...
Francis Hinton Maritime Trails Marker Offshore from this point lies the wreck of the steam barge Frances Hinton. The Francis Hinton was built in Manitowoc in 1889 for the Lake Michigan lumber trade. She was the last ship built by the Danish immigrants Jasper Hansen & Hans Scove. On the morning of Nov. 16, 1909, the Frances Hinton was...
Gallinipper Maritime Trails Marker About 17 miles northeast of here lies the Gallinipper, the oldest commercial vessel found in Wisconsin waters. Built in 1833, the wooden schooner began her days in the Great Lakes fur trade and finished her career bringing waves of immigrants to the new state of Wisconsin. Despite her age, the hi...
Grimm's Pier Grimm’s Pier is located north of Kewaunee, where a small stream enters Lake Michigan. The pier was one of the lesser ‘ghost ports’ of the coast, and never supported more than the usual general store and support buildings. Its poor location, in the midst of rocky shoals, made it a relatively hazar...
Harrington Beach State Park Peacefulness and serenity draw people. The 636 acres with a mile-long Lake Michigan beach leave room to be alone with nature. Hiking, fishing, picnic areas, nature and cross-country ski trails are available.
Hetty Taylor Buoy Lying in about 100 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Hetty Taylor is a popular shipwreck for intermediate divers, and remains intact. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up directly above the s...
Kewaunee County Historical Museum Built in 1876 as the local sheriff's office, residence, and county jail, today the Kewaunee County Historical Museum houses a wealth of historical photographs and artifacts from Kewaunee County. Displays range from a recreation of a pioneer family's late 19th-century living room to wood carvings ...
Kewaunee Pierhead Light The present pierhead light marking the south pier in Kewaunee was built in 1931. The small four-sided tower is topped with a octagonal lantern room, which houses the fifth-order Fresnel lens that still operates year round as an active aid to navigation. Although you cannot enter the lighthouse, y...
Kohler-Andrae State Park Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is the home of majestic sand dunes, miles of golden beach, shimmering blue Lake Michigan water, whispering pines, an abundance of wildlife, and recreational activities for everyone. Kohler-Andrae State Park is one of the last natural preserves alo...
Lottie Cooper The remains of the Lottie Cooper are accessible to the public year round at the Sheboygan waterfront in DeLand Park. In April of 1896 the three-masted schooner Lottie Cooper was wrecked just off Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in a roaring gale. The wreckage was found buried in Sheboygan Harbor during the ...
Mahoning Buoy Lying in about 40 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Mahoning is a popular shipwreck for beginning divers. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up directly above the site while protecting the shi...
Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse Built in 1918 and standing fifty feet tall, the lighthouse that marks the end of the north breakwater in the port of Manitowoc has retained its fifth-order Fresnel lens, which continues to guide mariners into this historically important port. An active aid to navigation, the interior of the light...
Manitowoc-Two Rivers Mariners Trail The Manitowoc-Two Rivers Mariners' Trail is the finest shore-hugging, surf-sounding paved six miles of trail anywhere on Lake Michigan's shore. Hike, bike, or roller blade and enjoy the longest, continuous, most scenic view of Lake Michigan in the state of Wisconsin! The popular Mariners' Trail b...
McMullen and Pitz Dredge Buoy Lying in about 85 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. McMullen and Pitz Dredge is a popular shipwreck for intermediate divers, and remains mostly intact. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up di...
Niagara Buoy Lying in about 55 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Niagara is a popular shipwreck for beginner divers, and features the remains of one of the early palace paddle wheel steamers in Lake Michigan. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwre...
Niagara Maritime Trails Marker The Niagara Maritime Trails historic marker is located on the Port Washington waterfront as an outdoor exhibit for the Port Washington Heritage Center. The wreckage of the sidewheel passenger steamer Niagara lies in 55 feet of water one mile off Belgium, Wisconsin. The site is marked with a Wisco...
Northerner Buoy Lying in about 135 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Northerner is a popular shipwreck for advanced divers, and remains mostly intact. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up directly above the ...
Phoenix Maritime Trails Marker The Phoenix began its fateful journey from Buffalo on November 11, 1847. She carried a crew of 23 and approximately 190 passengers. Most of the passengers were immigrants from Holland intending to settle near Sheboygan and in Dutch settlements of Michigan and Iowa. On the afternoon of Saturda...
Point Beach State Forest The Point Beach State Forest includes 2,900 acres of forest land, bordered on the east by some six miles of sand-ridged beach on Lake Michigan. Lying just north of the City of Two Rivers, the forest offers all of the natural beauty and assets of the wilderness with the convenience of urban facili...
Port Washington Fishing Families Memorial Located in Rotary Park next to Port Washington's marina and with a stunning view of the harbor and Port Washington Pierhead Light, the Port Washington Fishing Families Memorial honors those who have lost their lives in the local commercial fishing industry, as well as providing local maritime his...
Port Washington Light Station This beautiful old light station has been restored by the Port Washington Historical Society. Although not an active aid to navigation, a wonderfully reconstructed lantern room was placed on the structure in 2002. The light station is also a museum and houses many marine artifacts as well as peri...
Port Washington Pierhead Light This unique pierhead light was built in 1935 to light one of the most notoriously dangerous harbors on the Great Lakes. The concrete arches that make up the base of the lighthouse allow high seas to pass through the bottom without damaging the art deco steel plated lighthouse above. The light is ...
Rawley Point Lighthouse About five miles north of the city of Two Rivers, Rawley Point has seen its share of shipwrecks, even though it boasts the second tallest lighthouse in Wisconsin. The treacherous shoals around the point have long been a danger to Great Lakes vessels. Although a lighthouse has stood at this locati...
Rogers Street Fishing Village Rogers Street Fishing Village is a museum village and heritage park located on the banks of the East Twin River, the traditional headquarters of the Two Rivers' commercial fishing fleet. They have four historic buildings that contain exciting exhibits on America's most dangerous profession--comme...
Rouse Simmons Maritime Trails Marker About 12 miles northeast of Two Rivers, 165 feet below the waves, lies one of the most celebrated shipwrecks in Lake Michigan. The three-masted Rouse Simmons spent her career like many lumber schooners of her day, hauling forest products from isolated towns along Lake Michigan to the hungry marke...
S.C. Baldwin Buoy Lying in about 60 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. S.C. Baldwin is a popular shipwreck for intermediate divers, and is largely broken, though many artifacts and implements make this an interesting dive. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society...
Sandy Bay Pier The Sandy Bay pier is located offshore from the grounds of the Kewaunee Power Station. It is one of several mid-19th century private commercial bridge piers along the Kewaunee County coast, each marking the location of a lost coastal community. Bridge piers were used to move goods to schooners an...
Selah Chamberlain Buoy Lying in about 85 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Selah Chamberlain is a popular shipwreck for intermediate divers. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up directly above the site while protec...
Sheboygan Breakwater Lighthouse This present pierhead light was built in 1915, although Sheboygan has been served by a lighthouse since 1839. The skeletal steel pierhead tower was topped with a circular parapet and lantern room; however, the lantern room has been removed and only the tower remains. The tower still is an active ...
Smith Bros. Fish Net House The Smith Brothers Fish Net House, built between 1922 and 1938, was used as a net storage and workshop facility for their commercial fishing operations. The house is the last remaining intact historic building associated with the commercial fishing heritage of Port Washington, after the demolitio...
Sprague's Pier Sprague's Pier, otherwise known as the Sprague & Owen Pier or Robert's Pier, was located withing the exclusion zone of the Kewaunee Power Station. The pier was one of the earliest, and the smallest, of the private commercial piers established in Kewaunee County in the mid- to late-19th century. ...
Toledo Anchor Memorial On October 22, 1856, the Toledo, a steam screw carrying freight, merchandise and passengers, foundered and sank near Port Washington. Over 40 lives were lost. In 1900, her anchor was recovered from the waters of Lake Michigan, and a memorial was created in Port Washington's Union Cemetery to the ...
Tug Ludington The tug is open seasonally for tours. Please call the above number for more information. The former US Corps of Engineers tug Ludington was built by Jacobson Shipyard at Oyster Bay, New York, in 1943. Originally named Major Wilbur R. Browder (LT-4), the 114-foot tug towed ammunition barges across...
Two Rivers North Pierhead Light The Two Rivers North Pierhead Light has been moved from its original location to the Rogers Street Fishing Village Museum where it can be toured as part of regular museum admission. First used in 1886, the red wooden structure was retired in 1969 and donated to the city's historical society. Roge...
Vernon Maritime Trails Marker From the moment she was launched, onlookers predicted bad luck for the elegant packet steamer Vernon. She was fast and beautifully adorned, but a math error by her designer left her top-heavy and unstable. Built for the Booth Fish Company of Chicago, the vessel regularly carried passengers and ca...
Wisconsin Maritime Museum The Wisconsin Maritime Museum is a 60,000-square-foot facility whose collection includes the U.S.S. Cobia, a World War II submarine of the same type as the 28 submarines built in Manitowoc during World War II. In addition to an extensive collection of exhibits and displays on Wisconsin's maritime...
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