46 Most Interesting Museums in Michigan (with Pictures)

Last Updated: Nov 06, 2022

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Map of Museums in Michigan

See the map of the top museums in Michigan below.

Each marker on the map shows the location of the museum in Michigan on the map. The number on the museum marker is the popularity rank of the musuem. You can click on a museum marker to see how you can get to that museum.

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Museum Popularity Rank
The Henry Ford 1
Detroit Institute of Arts 2
USS Silversides 3
Colonial Fort Michilimackinac 4
Air Zoo 5
Ford Piquette Avenue Plant 6
Holocaust Memorial Center 7
Argus Museum 8
Ransom Eli Olds Transportation Museum 9
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 10

How Many Museums are in Michigan?

There are at least 46 museums in Michigan.

Click here to jump to the list some of the best 46 museums in Michigan

Museums in Michigan

Now, let us take a dive into the museum scene in Michigan.

We will share with you information and pictures of museums in Michigan.

To give you a feel of what Michigan looks like, this article may also contain pictures of other places, people and things in Michigan, in addition to museum pictures.

  1. The Henry Ford

    The Henry Ford is the country`s largest indoor–outdoor museum complex. In 1969, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The museum`s collection includes John F. Kennedy`s presidential limousine, Abraham Lincoln`s Ford`s Theatre chair, and Thomas Edison`s laboratory.

    • β™ΏWheelchair Accessibility: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 10 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  2. Detroit Institute of Arts

    The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) houses one of the country`s most extensive art collections. The DIA is one of the world`s most popular art museums. The museum`s first painting was donated in 1883, and it now has approximately 65,000 pieces in its collection.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Th 09:00-16:00; Fr 09:00-22:00; Sa,Su 10:00-17:00

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 4 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  3. USS Silversides

    The Gato-class submarine USS Silversides (SS/AGSS-236) is a Gato-class submarine. She was one of the most successful submarines in World War II`s Pacific Theater. She was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and twelve combat stars for her actions throughout four patrols.

  4. Colonial Fort Michilimackinac

    At the Straits of Mackinac, Fort Michilimackinac was a fort and trade post built by the French in the 18th century, and afterwards by the British. It was built around 1715 and abandoned in 1783 near the northern tip of what is now the state of Michigan.

  5. Air Zoo

    The Air Zoo is a Michigan-based aircraft museum and indoor entertainment park. The SR-71B Blackbird is among the many antique and rare aircraft on display. A 2-D film recreation of a B-17 bombing mission during World War II is projected in a 180-degree theater.

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: Yes

    • β™ΏWheelchair Accessibility: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 2 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  6. Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

    by , licensed under Public domain

    The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan, is a defunct plant. It was built in 1904 and served as the Ford Motor Company`s second manufacturing facility. It created the Ford Model T, which is credited with bringing automobiles to the masses in the United States.

  7. Holocaust Memorial Center

    The Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is the United States` only museum dedicated to the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a Nazi death camp.

  8. Argus Museum

    The Argus Museum presents the company`s story, as well as the lives of the people who worked there and the goods they created. The museum is located in the Argus I Building, which was one of the manufacturing locations for Argus products. Its aim is to collect and preserve the goods and publications of Argus Camera Incorporated.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: No

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  9. Ransom Eli Olds Transportation Museum

    Oldsmobile and REO creator R.E. Olds is honored in the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum. It houses a varied collection of automobiles dating back nearly a century. A virtually complete collection of Michigan license plates, early traffic signs, and a working 1950s-era traffic light are also on display at the museum.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • πŸ“žMuseum Phone: +1-517-372-0529

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  10. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

    The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (KIA) is a non-profit art museum and school located in the heart of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

  11. Michigan Library and Historical Center

    The Michigan eLibrary is one of the Internet`s first online libraries. It contains full-text articles, books, Michigan history materials, and web sites that have been reviewed. Elaine Didier, dean of Oakland University`s Kresge Library, was elected chair of the Library of Michigan Board of Trustees in 2003.

  12. University of Michigan Museum of NaturalΒ History

    In 1956, the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History opened its doors. The museum is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It has a budget of more over $900,000 and employs 11 full-time professionals and 40-50 paid student docents.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Th-Su 10:00-16:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: No

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  13. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

    The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is an archaeological museum. It is situated on the core campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It has a collection of more than 100,000 ancient and medieval artifacts from the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Fr 09:00-16:00; Sa,Su 13:00-16:00; PH,Mo off

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: No

    • β™ΏWheelchair Accessibility: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  14. Honolulu House

    The Abner Pratt House, also known as the Honolulu House, is a historic residence located in Marshall, Michigan. It was designed as a Hawaiian-inspired mansion in the Italianate and Gothic Revival styles in 1860.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • ⏱Opening Hours: May-Oct: Mo-Su 11:00-16:30; Apr,Nov,Dec: Sa-Su 11:00-16:30; Jan-Apr closed β€œClosed for the Season”

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  15. Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum

    The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum focuses on interactive exhibits with the purpose of assisting both children and adults in discovering their inner scientist. For both adults and children, the museum encourages science literacy via experimentation, exploration, and instruction. It`s in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States.

  16. Dearborn Historical Museum

    The Dearborn Arsenal`s Commandant`s Quarters was built in 1834. It is regarded as one of Michigan`s seven most significant structures. In 1956, the structure was recognized as a Michigan State Historic Site, and in 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu,Th 10:00-15:00

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  17. Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

    The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, is a contemporary art museum. On November 10, 2012, it first opened its doors.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • πŸ“žMuseum Phone: +1 517-884-3900

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Th-Su 10:00-18:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: No

    • β™ΏWheelchair Accessibility: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  18. Gilmore Car Museum

    Donald Gilmore`s vehicle collection was on display at the museum when it first opened in 1966. It now has around 500 automobiles in its collection. An 1899 Locomobile Steam Car and a 1930 Rolls Royce prop car from the 1967 film The Gnome-mobile are among the highlights.

  19. Kalamazoo Valley Museum

    The collection of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum dates from 1881. It focuses on science, technology, and history and is mostly geared towards families. The Museum contains a state-of-the-art planetarium with 109 seats that shows a range of presentations and programs.

  20. Michigan Maritime Museum

    The Michigan Maritime Museum is located in South Haven, Michigan. The harborfront museum is right on the shores of Lake Michigan. It focuses on the state of Michigan`s maritime history, as well as the same-named lake. One of the five Great Lakes is Lake Michigan.

  21. Castle Museum of Saginaw County History

    The National Register of Historic Places lists the Castle Museum, which was once known as Castle Station or the Saginaw Post Office. The Historical Society of Saginawa County now calls it home, and it is officially recognized as the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History.

  22. Turner-Dodge House

    The Turner-Dodge House, often known as the Dodge Mansion, was completed in 1855. In 1972, it was included on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is now a museum dedicated to Lansing`s pioneers. The residence was built for James and Marion Turner in the Classical Revival style.

  23. Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw

    The Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw is a museum that does not acquire objects. It was constructed in 1909 with the help of a $15,000 gift from Andrew Carnegie. From 1910 until 2006, the facility functioned as the public library for Houghton, Michigan.

  24. SS Valley Camp

    SS Valley Camp is a lake freighter that served on the Great Lakes for almost 50 years and is now a museum ship in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

  25. Michigan Science Center

    The Michigan Scientific Center (MiSci) is a science museum affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. MiSci`s mission is to inspire curious minds of all ages to discover, explore and appreciate science, technology, engineering and math in a creative, dynamic learning environment.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • πŸ“žMuseum Phone: +1 313 577 8400

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Fr 10:00-15:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  26. Impression 5 Science Center

    In downtown Lansing, Michigan, the Impression 5 Scientific Center is a science museum. On the Grand River, the center is housed in a historic wagon manufacturing complex. The five senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste – are represented by the name Impression 5.

    • 🌐Museum Website: Website

    • πŸ“žMuseum Phone: +1-517-485-8116

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: Yes

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  27. Big Sable Point Lighthouse

    The Big Sable Point Light, located near Ludington in Mason County, Michigan, is a lighthouse on the eastern border of Lake Michigan. It is an active aid to navigation and provides an excellent lookout for ships heading towards or away from the Great Lakes region of the United States.

  28. Arab National Museum

    The Arab American National Museum (AANM, Arabic: Ψ§Ω„Ω…Ψͺحف Ψ§Ω„ΩˆΨ·Ω†ΩŠ Ψ§Ω„ΨΉΨ±Ψ¨ΩŠ Ψ§Ω„Ψ£Ω…Ψ±ΩŠΩƒΩŠ) opened in 2005 and is the first museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, the Museum seeks to show visitors the Arab American story through a timeline of exhibits while dispelling misconceptions about Arab Americans.The museum features three permanent exhibits. The first floor features the contributions of the Arab civilization such as science, medicine, mathematics, architecture, and the decorative arts. The second floor focuses on the Arab experience in America, including a gallery about prominent Arab-Americans such as Ralph Nader and Helen Thomas. Documents and artifacts from Arab Americans related to immigration and the immigration process are displayed, and stories of Arab Americans are portrayed in video or audio recordings. The AANM also includes two large gallery spaces for the exhibiting of art. The Museum`s inaugural exhibition In/Visible featured a number of Arab American and Arab artists (including Emily Jacir, John Halaka, Athir Shayota, Helen Zughaib, Rheim Alkadhi, Abdelali Dahrouch, Sumayyah Samaha, Mariam Ghani, and Doris Bittar)and was curated by Salwa Mikdadi.Construction of the museum cost $15 million. Donors included Chrysler, General Motors, the Rockefeller Foundation, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The museum is also a part of the Smithsonian Affiliations.In February 2019, the leader of ACCESS announced Diana Abouali as the new director to the Arab American National Museum.

  29. Seaman Mineral Museum

    The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum is the state of Michigan`s official mineral museum. It`s on the Michigan Technological University campus in Houghton, Michigan. The mineral collection began in the nineteenth century and grew to 27,000 specimens by 1890.

  30. Alden B. Dow Home and Studio

    by , licensed under Public domain

    Alden B. Dow`s home and workshop was a 20th century architect`s mansion and renowned masterpiece. The first studio was completed in 1934, and the second studio was finished in 1937. There was also a woodshop, an office, and Alden`s office in the studio. Between 1937 and 1940, Alden B. Dow constructed his home and studio. There are visible construction materials throughout the house, including the `Unit Blocks` building blocks, which were patented in 1935. The house is open to the public for visits and is adjacent to the Dow Gardens.

  31. Grand Rapids Art Museum

    by , licensed under Public domain

    Grand Rapids, Michigan is home to the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Over 3,500 prints, drawings, and photographs are among the 5,000 works of art in the museum`s collection. Its collection includes paintings by Richard Diebenkorn, such as Ingleside from 1963.

  32. Wing House Museum

    Coldwater, Michigan is home to the Wing House. In 1975, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Wing House Museum is currently administered by the Branch County Historical Society.

  33. USCGC Mackinaw

    The USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) is a 290-foot (88-meter) icebreaker built specifically for the Great Lakes. She was decommissioned and replaced with a smaller multifunctional cutter after World War II.

  34. Kingman Museum

    Kingman Museum is a natural history museum and planetarium located at 175 Limit Street, on the grounds of Leila Arboretum, in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Its mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation of the natural world, the universe, and human cultures.The museum`s collections include several thousand artifacts, many of which are displayed in permanent and temporary exhibitions. The vast majority of the collection, however, is in storage. In 2007 the museum received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to physically inventory and catalog every item in its collection, scheduled for completion in August 2009. Some of the museum`s highlights include its paleontology and geology specimens, animal taxidermy mounts, a preserved human embryo and fetus exhibit, and Native American artifacts. The museum also has numerous rare items in its collection, including two specimens of the critically-endangered imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis). Only 120 museum specimens of the bird are known to exist in the world. Since there are no known photographs or recordings of a living imperial woodpecker, these specimens are the only records ornithologists have to study and understand the species. In 2008 Kingman Museum added a Digistar 3 fulldome projector system to its planetarium. It is one of only 61 installations worldwide and the only one in southwest Michigan. Kingman is a member museum of the Association of Science-Technology Centers and participates in the membership passport program.

  35. Shrine of the Pines

    Shrine of the Pines is a property south of Baldwin, Michigan on highway M-37. It is significant for its collection of early 20th-century American craft furniture. Created by Raymond W. Overholzer over the course of nearly 30 years from the early 1920s until his death in 1952, the collection was intended as a memorial to the eastern white pine which had been logged to near extinction in northern Michigan. The property, which includes the original log cabin built as a gallery space to house the furniture collection, along with the furniture was designated a Michigan State Historic Site on July 20, 1982. Overholzer, a native of Ohio, moved to the community of Marlborough, Michigan with his wife in 1920 during the era of extensive logging. An avid hunter and taxidermist, Overholzer regularly wandered what is now Manistee National Forest hunting game that he would later mount. Deeply concerned that the white pine had been ravaged throughout the area, he began collecting stumps and roots that remained from the logging activity, initially crafting them into mirror frames and bases for his taxidermy. By 1939 Overholzer`s collection of handcrafted items, made mostly of found white pine pieces, had grown so large that he and three lumberman constructed a cabin as a gallery space. The cabin was given the name `Shrine of the Pines,` memorializing what had been Michigan`s greatest natural resource. The cabin was opened to the public, and Overholzer continued to work tirelessly, adding to the collection which numbered 201 pieces at the time of his death. The collection includes a dining table and seating for ten, a buffet and a side tables, beds for guests, a game table with five club chairs, rocking chair with an accompanying ottoman, a pair of fireplace chairs, a revolving gun rack, etc. The dining table was made of one 700-pound root, with over 60 inlays in its surface. Each piece was constructed using only hand tools, with wooden dowel joinery, and glue made of Overholzer`s own formula rumored to have included pine pitch, fish innards, deer hair, different parts of deer, and sawdust. Overholzer sanded the surfaces with homemade sandpaper made from the used sanding belts from the local lumber companies as well as of crushed glass and local sands, and finished the pieces with animal grease. Overholzer was survived by his wife, Hortense Overholtzer, who outlived him by 7 years. After she died, she willed the collection of furniture along with the property to the Boysville of Clinton, Michigan. Now known as Holycross of Clinton, Mi; Formally Boysville of Baldwin. Later acquired by a group of local patrons, the shrine remains open, with tours available May 1 through November 1.

  36. Canton Historical Museum

    Canton Township is the second most populous municipality in Michigan (after Clinton Township). The township has the 96th greatest per capita income in the United States. Canton has routinely rated as one of the safest cities in the state and the United States.

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu,Th 13:00-16:00; Sa 11:00-15:00

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  37. University of Michigan Museum of Art

    In 1909, the University of Michigan Museum of Art was established as a war monument. In 2009, the museum underwent a $41.9 million expansion and renovation. Christina Olsen, the museum`s current director, was appointed in 2017. Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested.

    • ⏱Opening Hours: Tu-Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 12:00-17:00

    • πŸ’²Admission Fee: No

    • πŸ“ˆPopularity Score: 1 /10

    • πŸ“Location: Map Directions

  38. Cobblestone Farm

    Ann Arbor, Michigan is home to the Cobblestone Farm and Museum. The name of the museum comes from the cobblestone that was used to construct the farmhouse. In 1972, it was included on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1973, it was named a Michigan State Historic Site.

  39. Detroit Historical Museum

    The Detroit Historical Museum is located in the city`s Cultural Center Historic District. It covers everything from cobblestone streets to 19th-century storefronts, the car assembly line, toy trains, and 18th-century fur commerce, among other topics.

  40. Troy Historic Village

    Troy Historic Village is a historic site in Troy, Michigan. The main structure (City Hall), the log cabin, the Greek Revival Home, the brick one-room school, the church, and the parsonage have all been meticulously restored. Visitors may experience what it was like to live in Troy Township in the 1800s.

  41. The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum

    On Mackinac Island, Michigan, the Mackinac Art Museum is housed in the historic Indian Dormitory structure. Historic paintings and maps, photographs from the 19th through the mid-20th centuries, Native American art, and beaded outfits are among the exhibits.

  42. Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History

    The Wright, or the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, was founded in 1965. It is one of the oldest African American museums in the world. The Wright opened as the world`s biggest museum dedicated to African American history, with over 35,000 objects.

  43. Holland Museum

    The Holland Museum is a small historical museum in Holland, Michigan. Two historic house museums are also run by the museum. The Cappon House and the Settlers House depict the early settlers of Holland. 600 years of Dutch art and culture are on display at the New Dutch Galleries.

  44. Old Mill Museum

    The Alfred Wilkerson Grist Mill, commonly known as the Old Mill Museum, is located in Dundee, Michigan. The mill was built to serve the burgeoning milling industry as a gristmill. Around 1910, it was adapted to produce hydroelectricity, which became the village`s sole source of power. As part of his village industries initiative, Henry Ford renovated the structure. Ghost tours and paranormal investigations are available at the museum. It is not on the National Register of Historic Places, although it is a popular tourist destination in the area.

  45. Grosvenor House Museum

    The National Register of Historic Places added the E. O. Grosvenor House to its list in 1977. It is regarded as one of Michigan`s most spectacular homes. It was originally built as a private residence for Ebenezer O. Grosvener and is now a museum.

  46. Besser Museum

    Alpena County, Michigan`s Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan is a community museum. Its goal is to conserve, maintain, and exhibit history and culture associated with Northern Michigan`s and the Great Lakes` heritage. A modest public planetarium is part of the museum.

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