Museum Day

The Michigan Maritime Museum will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticketholders on Saturday September 22, 2018 as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 14^th annual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based museums.
 
Museum Day represents a nationwide commitment to access, equity and inclusion. Over 250,000 people downloaded tickets for last year’s event, and Museum Day 2018 is expected to attract more museumgoers than ever before.
 
“It is important for the Michigan Maritime Museum to participate in this national event because Museum Day is about more than getting visitors through the doors…it is about encouraging life-long learning. We want to inspire others to dig deeper into our shared maritime heritage and the fascinating history of the Great Lakes region,” said Museum spokesperson Emily Stap.
 
The Michigan Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Michigan Great Lakes and waterways maritime history and culture. The Museum conserves objects related to the maritime history of the Great Lakes with an emphasis on items pertaining to the state of Michigan. Five separate buildings offer a variety of engaging opportunities for the Museum visitor, including permanent and changing exhibits on Michigan maritime history, a center for the teaching of boatbuilding and related maritime skills, and a regionally renowned research library.  After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States found itself suddenly plunged into what would become a second world war. In response, the nation undertook the greatest industrial, social, and military mobilization the world has ever witnessed, and Lake Michigan played a critical role in its call to duty. The Museum’s main exhibit Lake Michigan’s Call to Duty highlights this vast mobilization for war embraced by the Lake Michigan region. The Michigan Maritime Museum invites visitors to step aboard and relive history with a variety of on-water experiences from the replica 1810 tall ship Friends Good Will to the 1929 Christ Craft Cadet Merry Time. These boat rides provide great adventures for the whole family!
 
Museum Day tickets will be available for download at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay beginning August 15. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 22, 2018. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated as more museums continue to register, can be found at Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay/Search.
 
For more information, please visit Smithsonian.com/MuseumDay.