Museums, Culture & Historic Sites

Immerse Yourself in Ever-Evolving Stories

Time doesn’t stop in the U.P. But you’ll easily see how our cultures, work and love of the Great Lakes and the wilderness have shaped (and continue to make us) who we are. More than a hundred museums, historic sites and homes throughout the U.P. tell our centuries of fascinating stories and give inspiration for the future.

In the U.P. you can take a ferry to Mackinac Island and step back to pre-Revolutionary War days. Explore from county to county the lives of the people who traded furs. Learn how our trees turned into Henry Ford’s “Woodies” or mountains of paper or lumber. See sunken ships. Rappel into the depths of copper mines. Hear the stories of America’s greatest skiers. Ramble through ghost towns. Play with toys from our past. Use all of your senses at our interactive children’s museum. These museums and historic sites will spark the imaginations and hearts of toddlers to teens to grandparents.

Come be part of our story

Be Inspired

Every inch of the U.P. is steeped in long-ago stories. Every turn is a vista waiting for a canvas and brush. It is a place teeming with diverse ancestries worth preserving and sharing. Which is why today the U.P. lures so many people who love history, the arts and exploring in-common and different cultures. Get away for a few days in the U.P. We will ignite your imagination. Captivate you with the unexpected. Inspire you for the future.

As you travel, explore the cultures that help make us who we are. Learn about the ancient copper miners and traders who lived thousands of years ago on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula. Meet the Ojibwe who cherish their language, art and stories and share them at pow wows with you. Try warm beef and rutabaga-stuffed pasties introduced to the region by Cornish immigrants. Celebrate Heikinpäivä mid-winter with our Finnish-American neighbors. Invite us into your conversations over a craft beer. We can explain why we wear Stormy Kromers and say sisu.

Art, Music & Theater

Be Enthralled

A few hours in the U.P. and you’ll see why so many artists and musicians, dancers and performers, poets and writers spend time here. Settle here. Hone their talents here. You can discover their diverse ideas and styles in hundreds of galleries, art centers and fairs from Drummond Island to Ironwood, Copper Harbor to Menominee. Then bring home the artwork that enthralls you.

While you are visiting, take in a live performance as well. We’ll astound you with our homegrown, national and international talent. Watch their concerts and shows on outdoor stages, in historic and contemporary theaters, in grandstands, on pub floors and around crackling bonfires. It will make your heart soar.