| Reviews and photos of Marquette attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Marquette sightseeing. Marquette Map |
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The Marquette Maritime Museum has an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to offer tours of the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. As part of the tour agreement, the museum will help to preserve and protect this historical building, which is the oldest important building in the city, as well as being one of the most historic navigation aids on Lake Superior. It was especially important to the development of the Great Lakes iron ore trade. The lighthouse, built in 1866, added a second story in 1909. Until 1998 Coast Guard personnel and their families lived in the lighthouse. You will not be able to climb to the top to view the beacon, as the Coast Guard still continues to operate the light in the tower. You will, however, have a guided tour of the inside of the lighthouse, and a view from the grounds behind the building. Purchase your tickets for this tour at the Marquette Maritime Museum. There is a discount rate if you purchase tickets for both the museum and the lighthouse. Leave a Comment Address: 300 Lakeshore BoulevardDirections: Follow Lakeshore Boulevard around the harbor to the point, where the Coast Guard station and the Marquette Maritime Museum are located.Website: http://mqtmaritimemuseum.com/future.htm
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 whitewater by yooperprofLeave a Comment Directions: Take the Forestville Road off Wright Street all the way to the end, and park at the generating substation.
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Mattson Lower Harbor Park covers 22 acres, and has a large grassy open space area, park benches, picnic tables, a children’s playground filled with wooden structures to play on, a concession and restroom facility, boat ramp, and a large nearby breakwater. Lower Mattson Harbor Park is the site for many festivals, such as the Seafood Festival (see photo 3), the International Food Festival, Winterfest, concerts, fireworks, as well as group projects, often centering around art. A lighted outdoor ice rink is located in the park during the winter months. Walk around, and enjoy the many boats from the nearby marinas, let your children play in the playground area, have an ice cream cone at the concession located near the children’s playground, or on many summer nights just sit and listen to the various bands that perform in the park. If you enjoy riding your bike, the shoreline bike path also runs through the park. The first photo is from 1999 when people were invited to decorate poles to be displayed in the park. In 2007 people had painted doors to honor women. See photos 4 and 5 for examples of these doors. The Second photo is of the lighted historic fire bell that forms an entranceway to the city dock in the park.
For photos of some of my favorite poles and doors, see my travelogue, “Summer Art In Mattson Lower Harbor Park.” Leave a Comment
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There are a number of beautiful beaches in Marquette, and although Lake Superior water is cold, you will still find many people swimming in the cool water on warm summer days. If the water is too cold, it is still a great place to relax. Bring a book, or just sit and look across Lake Superior to the horizon. If you have small children, they will enjoy playing in the sand. On a warm, summer day in Marquette, the beach is a great place to spend time.
South Beach is a swimming beach located just south of the Municipal Power Plant off of Lake Street. Although the beach is quite popular, and has a set of stairs, a handicapped ramp to take you to the beach and the restrooms, playground equipment for children, and usually a volleyball net set up in the summer, what I don’t like is the Power Plant. Look in one direction and you have a nice Lake Superior Bay view (see photo 4), but if you look in the other direction you have a view of the power plant.
My favorite are the McCarty Cove beaches (see photos 1 – 3). The first area in McCarty cove is located next to the US Coast Guard Station near the intersection of Lakeshore Boulevard and East Michigan Street. This area near the lighthouse is at the south end of Shiras Park. This park has a variety of beach areas as you drive or ride your bike along McCarty Cove. As you check out the beach accesses along the cove you will find areas with volleyball nets, lifeguard watch stations, picnic tables, park benches, restroom facilities, cooking grills in three of the parking areas, and a playground with wooden play equipment for children at one beach access point. Leave a Comment Directions: Whether by car or bicycle, follow the lakeshore toward Presque Isle.
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 38 sitting on 2,000,000,000 by yooperprofLeave a Comment
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Marquette Maritime Museum is in an 1890s water works building. This museum is open 7 days a week May through October and chronicles the maritime heritage of Marquette and Lake Superior. Here you will view boats and models, three lighthouse lenses, antique engines, charts, and photographs, as well as a hands-on section for children. There is also a replica of a fishing shanty which contains items related to sport fishing, and a recreation of the dockside offices of Marquette’s first commercial fishing passenger freight companies. Be sure to view the film that is shown continuously. For an additional fee, you may also tour the grounds of the adjacent Coast Guard lighthouse. My favorite parts of the museum are looking through the periscope, and the marvelous Fresnel lenses. My second photo shows a white light, which was the Big Bay Light, and is a third order Fresnel Lens. The third photo, is red, and at one time was the Marquette breakwater light. This smaller light is a fourth order Fresnel lens. Leave a Comment
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If you enjoy hiking or biking, the Marquette Region has 25 miles of various loop trails. These range from easy to very difficult, with level to steep and hilly terrain. You will find mostly forested trails, with several lakes and overlooks, as well as a lakeshore route. You may pick up a trail guide at the Chamber of Commerce as well as some businesses in the area. On one of our bike rides, as we followed the path along the lakeshore leading to Presque Isle Park, we saw the Lee A. Tregurtha, a ship at the newer working Ore Dock. It was being loaded with tacomite. (See photo 2) We sat and watched the process for some time. It was quite fascinating to see the shoots lower and the tacomite slide down the shoots into the holds.
The Main photo for this tip shows an area along the bike trail where you will see the Old Lower Harbor Ore Dock, which is no longer in use, and the beach nearby. For more information on the Holly S. Greer Shoreline Bike Path, visit the web page listed on this tip, scrolling to the trail entry at the bottom of the web page. Leave a Comment
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 Gazebo in Presque Isle Park by KimberlyAnnLeave a Comment Directions: From Marquette, drive north on Fourth Street (this street changes into Presque Isle Ave.) to Hawley Street. Turn right (going east), and continue to Lakeshore Boulevard. Turn left (north), and follow Lakeshore, which ends at the park.Website: http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/wildlife/viewingguide/up/19Presque/index.htm
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 Blue skies by yooperprofLeave a Comment Directions: County Road 550, about 5 miles north of Tourist Park
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 life's a beach by yooperprofLeave a Comment
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230 North Front Street, Marquette, MI
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