Step into the past at the Michigan History Museum, an extensive and immersive museum dedicated to the people and history of the Great Lakes State. Civil War soldiers, indigenous communities and 1950s car manufacturers are just a few of the themes represented across five levels of engrossing galleries. Bring your family to enjoy its interactive exhibits, scene recreations and fascinating local stories.
The elegantly designed displays begin in a courtyard centered on a large tree. The surrounding rooms contain a gift store, café and a temporary exhibition room. Ask at the entrance what’s on during your visit. One first-floor room is also dedicated to flags from the Civil War.
Head to the second floor to see a vast relief map of the state, before following the path through exhibits dedicated to the earliest peoples of Michigan and a diorama of the state’s forests. This floor also has exhibits on settling the land, the Civil War and industries such as mining and lumber.
Feel as if you have traveled back to the 1890s in the immersive rooms on the second-floor mezzanine. Here you can find a recreated schoolhouse and scenes from a 19th-century home.
Continue your journey through the state’s history on the third floor and its mezzanine. Enjoy displays on prohibition, the Great Depression and the birth of the automobile industry. A recreated street scene from the 1920s and a Detroit auto show from 1957 are among the highlights on this floor. Imagine life underground in a copper mine, which you can walk through in a gallery dedicated to the upper peninsula.
The Michigan History Museum is open every day except public holidays. Admission is free on Sundays. Find the museum just a few blocks west of the State Capitol, next to the Library of Michigan. Walk here in under 10 minutes or take a bus to one of the nearby stops. Metered museum parking can be found to the south of the building and public parking lots are available across the road.
