LAKE MICHIGAN EVENTS, MUSEUMS AND ATTRACTIONS BRING TO LIFE WISCONSIN’S MARITIME HISTORY

08-10-2010

 

LAKE MICHIGAN EVENTS, MUSEUMS AND ATTRACTIONS
BRING TO LIFE WISCONSIN’S MARITIME HISTORY 

MADISON, Wis. (August 10, 2010) — More than a dozen vintage tall ships will dock in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan harbors this month for the Tall Ship Festival in Green Bay (Aug. 13-15) and the Maritime Heritage Festival in Port Washington (Aug. 20-22). Along with these two major events, Wisconsin’s maritime heritage is alive today, told through a string of interactive attractions, lighthouses, quaint harbor towns, maritime trails and even some unexpected scuba diving - all thanks to the vision and passion of the state’s Great Lakes communities. Here is your primer that will give you a sense of Wisconsin’s place in maritime tradition and history. 


MARITIME HERITAGE EVENTS 

2010 Tall Ship Festival, Green Bay (Aug. 13-15)

	S/V Denis Sullivan Photo courtesy of Discovery World

Green Bay is one of only six ports in North America, and the only port in Wisconsin, to be honored as a host for the 2010 Tall Ship Festival. Twelve vintage rigged vessels will sail into the Port of Green Bay and dock on the shores of the Fox River. Visitors can experience the history and romance of maritime life during ship tours and sails on these sailing vessels, including Wisconsin’s own flagship schooner the S/V Denis Sullivan. Fans of the moviePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest might be interested to know that the ship featured in the movie - the famous H.M.S. Bounty - will be among the vessels. Kids under 4 years of age enter free, children ages 5 to 12 are $8, 13 and up are $10. 

Maritime Heritage Festival, Port Washington (Aug. 20-22)
The annual Port Washington Maritime Heritage Festivalcelebrates Port Washington’s rich maritime culture. This year’s event brings together five amazing tall ships ready to take visitors on daysails. Trips on The Lynx, Unicorn, Roseway and Pride of Baltimore II start at $24 while tours start at $8 for adults. Live music and entertainment, food, art fair, sailing lessons and other family activities round out the festival. Admission to the grounds is free. 


HARBOR TOWN MUSEUMS AND LIGHTHOUSES 

Manitowoc and Two Rivers
Dubbed Wisconsin’s “Maritime Capital,” Manitowoc celebrates its illustrious past and present as a shipbuilding hub, turning out heavy-haul schooners and fishing craft, wooden sailing ships and boats, and pleasure crafts. 

	Wisconsin Maritime Museum and the U.S.S. Cobia Photo courtesy of Tina Prigge

Rightly so, Manitowoc is also home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, which has grown into one of the largest maritime museums in the Midwest. In addition to commemorating the maritime heritage of the Manitowoc-Two Rivers area and the submarines built there during World War II, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is now a leader in preserving the maritime history of the Great Lakes region. 

The museum offers permanent exhibits including ship building, Wisconsin-built boats and the Little Lakefarer’s Room, which is a hands-on environment for young children and their parents to explore a “shipwreck,” look through a periscope, play maritime games, and learn about life on and near the water. 

A stop at the museum, however, is not complete without a step aboard the World War II submarine U.S.S. Cobia. The submarine is fully restored to its 1945 condition and can be toured both topside and below deck. Overnight sleep programs are available on the U.S.S. Cobia offering kids a unique opportunity to eat and sleep in the original cramped quarters that once housed 80 sailors for up to 60 days at a time. During the overnight stay, children and their adult companions can stuff a torpedo tube, listen to sonar and sound the alarm to send a veteran submarine into a deep-water dive. 

Manitowoc is also the hub for the S.S. Badger, the last coal-burning steamship in North America. The Badger was built in 1952 to carry railroad cars and now is a carferry transporting tourists and passenger vehicles between Manitowoc and Ludington, Mich. The Badger offers daily cruises now through October 3, 2010. 

From Manitowoc take the scenic seven-mile drive north along the Mariners Trail to Two Rivers. Renowned as a vibrant fishing and shipping hub, Two Rivers is home to an extensive commercial and charter fishing fleet and boasts seven-plus miles of sandy beaches, which serve as a gathering place for sunbathers, swimmers, wind surfers, kayakers and jet skiers. Beyond the surf, numerous ship wrecks entice scuba divers from around the world. While visiting, check out the Rogers Street Fishing Village and The Great Lakes Coast Guard Museum and the Historic Washington House, birthplace of the ice cream sundae. 

Door County and Sturgeon Bay
With five state parks and 10 lighthouses framed by 250 miles of rugged shoreline, the 75-mile long Door County peninsula combines pristine scenery and unsurpassed outdoor recreation with acclaimed performing arts, renowned galleries and shops and deluxe accommodations. 

Door County offers visitors a wide variety of fishing, boating, sailing and kayaking opportunities, with many of the rustic lakeside villages boasting beautiful new marina developments as their centerpieces. The area also features an extensive system of biking and hiking trails, as well as excellent golf courses and more than 80 galleries and museums. 

The gateway to Door County is Sturgeon Bay, once one of the major shipbuilding centers in North America. While visitors here can still see massive ore boats and yachts under construction, the town now also offers a newly expanded Door County Maritime Museum. The museum is a cultural and scenic haven in the heart of Sturgeon Bay - complete with world-class maritime displays, ship models and an unparalleled location on a working waterfront. The Museum also has a robust and ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and special events, including the Peterson Gallery highlighting the chronological history of shipbuilding from Indian dugouts and birch bark canoes to present day shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay. 

After five years of renovations encompassing over 27,000 hours of work, the Tug John Purves is now open to the public for tours. Docents lead guests in groups of 10 on a 30-minute tour of the vessel’s winch room, engine, galley and cabins. And, if you’re into the supernatural, check out the museum’s newest exhibit "Ghosts! Haunted Lighthouses of the Great Lakes.” Learn about nine of the most significant lighthouse hauntings on the Great Lakes - three of which are in Door County: Chambers Island, Sherwood Point and Pottawatomie on Rock Island. 


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