Ludington & Manistee
Manistee
A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Historic site · Ludington & Manistee
S.S. City of Milwaukee
A 1931 Great Lakes rail car ferry and National Historic Landmark preserved in Manistee, with guided tours in summer and a haunted ship in October.
Photo: Iulus Ascanius (English Wikipedia), Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
The S.S. City of Milwaukee is a whole working ship you can walk through: a steam-powered Great Lakes rail car ferry, built in 1931 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, that carried loaded freight cars across Lake Michigan until 1982. It is a National Historic Landmark and is regarded as the last surviving classic Great Lakes car ferry of its era.
Come for the guided tour, listed at about 50 minutes, which takes you down onto the car deck, through the ship and into the museum boxcars. It is on foot with steep stairways, so wear sensible shoes, and if stairs are a problem, ask the society before you go. Tours are listed from May through late August; check the current schedule.
In October the ship turns into the Ghost Ship, a haunted house run on Friday and Saturday evenings. It is a local tradition and a good one for teenagers.
The ship is kept up by a volunteer nonprofit, which also runs the Boatel, a bed and breakfast aboard in summer.
Practical information
- Managed by
- Society for the Preservation of the S.S. City of Milwaukee (nonprofit)
- Season
- Tours are listed from May through late August, and the Ghost Ship haunted house runs on October weekends. Dates and hours can change, so check the society's site before you go.
- Staying aboard
- The society runs the Boatel, a bed and breakfast on the ship, listed from May through early September.
- Official website
- carferry.com
Location
Map of S.S. City of Milwaukee
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Nearby towns
Also nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Waterfront
Manistee Riverwalk
A boardwalk along the Manistee River behind downtown, with benches, history markers and boats going by, open year-round.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Museum
Manistee County Historical Museum
Manistee's history museum in a downtown drugstore building on River Street, with period rooms, a log cabin replica and maritime exhibits.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Historic site
Ramsdell Theatre
Manistee's 1903 opera house, on the National Register of Historic Places, restored and still staging plays, concerts and live broadcasts.
About 1 miles away (straight line)