Attractions - Lower Lake Michigan




Attraction Name Description
Appomattox Buoy Lying in about 15-20 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible, although the long flight of steps leading down to Atwater Beach makes this an easier boat dive than shore dive. A popular shipwreck for new divers, as well as snorkelers and kayakers, the Appomattox can often be seen fro...
Appomattox Maritime Trails Marker Just 150 yards from here, in 20 feet of water, lies the Appomattox, the largest wooden steamer ever to sail the Great Lakes, possibly the world. At nearly 320 feet long, she marks the limit reached by wooden shipbuilding techniques. Her builder, Captain James Davidson, pushed those limits well af...
Denis Sullivan The schooner Denis Sullivan is a re-creation of a nineteenth-century traditional Great Lakes schooner. The only Tall Ship to take shape in Wisconsin in over a hundred years, she sailed throughout the Great Lakes and beyond after her launch in the fall of 2000. She is a highly visible focal point ...
Dredge No. 6 Buoy Also known as Fitz Simons & Connell Dredge No. 6 (and by some wreck divers as Dredge 906). Lying in about 75 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat and remains one of Milwaukee's most popular dive sites for intermediate divers. With the considerable overhead environment on...
Kate Kelly Buoy Lying in about 55 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Kate Kelly is a popular shipwreck for beginner divers, and with the schooner's keelson assembly, windlass, starboard bow section, and portions of the centerboard easily discernable, it remains a great site to explor...
Kate Kelly Maritime Trails Marker About two miles offshore from here, the wooden schooner Kate Kelly lies broken and scattered in 55 feet of water. She had departed Alpena, Mich., in early May 1895, loaded with railroad ties and bound for her home port of Chicago. In command was Captain Hartley J. Hatch, one of the Great Lakes' m...
Kenosha (Southport) Lighthouse Built in 1866, this light is located on Simmons Island adjacent to Simmons Island Park. No longer an active aid to navigation, the 55 foot conical tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is undergoing restoration. The Kenosha Historical Society received a grant in 2003 to ...
Kenosha North Pierhead Light This pierhead light is typical of many red pierhead lights marking the entrance to Lake Michigan harbors. It was built in 1906 and is at the end of the 750-foot concrete north pier in Kenosha. The tower is fifty feet tall and made of riveted steel plates. It operates seasonally, and is not open t...
Kenosha Public Museum The Kenosha Public Museum has many exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the area. Archaeological and maritime highlights include replicas of mammoth remains found in the area and part of a 1,800 year old dugout canoe, the oldest watercraft found in the state.
Lake Mary Canoe Maritime Trails Marker This two thousand-year-old dugout canoe was discovered in Lake Mary in Kenosha County. The preserved canoe is now on display at the Kenosha Public Museum. Ancient dugout canoes are occasionally preserved when environmental conditions are just right. The canoe above was submerged and waterlogged w...
Lumberman Buoy Lying in about 60 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Lumberman is a popular shipwreck for beginner divers, and remains mostly intact. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing boats to tie up directly above the si...
Lumberman Maritime Trails Marker Four miles offshore from Bender Park, 60 feet beneath the surface of Lake Michigan, lies the well-preserved wreck the of Lumberman. For three decades, the three-masted wooden schooner hauled lumber, barrel staves, railroad ties, and other forest products from isolated towns on Lake Michigan to th...
Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse Built in 1926, the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse remains one of the last examples of a fully enclosed breakwater lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The lighthouse sits about in the middle of the four-mile stretch of breakwater barriers that protect the Milwaukee waterfront. The lighthouse is a whit...
Milwaukee Buoy Lying in about 130 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Milwaukee is one of the most popular shipwrecks near Milwaukee for advanced divers, and remains mostly intact with a cargo of rail cars still on board. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Societ...
Milwaukee Maritime Trails Marker The 338-foot railroad carferry SS Milwaukee was launched as the Manistique, Marquette and Northern #1 in 1903. She was designed by the famed marine architect Robert Logan and built in Cleveland by the American Shipbuilding Company. Acquired by the Grand Trunk Railroad in 1908, the Milwaukee shutt...
Milwaukee Pierhead Light The Milwaukee Pierhead light sits just east of the confluence of Milwaukee's three rivers, the Milwaukee, the Menomonee, and the Kinnickinnic. This area is actually an artificial channel dredged in 1857 replacing the natural flow of the rivers to Lake Michigan a half mile south of the present loc...
Milwaukee Public Library Marine Collection Housed at the Milwaukee Public Library's Central Branch on Wisconsin Avenue, the Marine Collection is one of the largest archival collections in the Great Lakes region. Maintained by the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, the collection is used frequently by people conducting research on topics...
Milwaukee Public Museum The Milwaukee Public Museum houses a multitude of exhibits, activities, and even an IMAX theater. Of particular historic interest is the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit, which recreates this waterfront city's past. The eclectic exhibits touch on many different subjects from history to geology, a...
Navy Memorial Park Dedicated in memory of U.S. Marines and Coast Guard from Kenosha, Navy Memorial Park sits in a fitting location, overlooking Kenosha Marina, Kenosha North Pierhead Light, Kenosha Lighthouse, and a short distance from the Kenosha Public Museum. Several maritime artifacts reside in the park, includ...
North Point (Milwaukee) Lighthouse This light is located at North Point, which is north of the entrance into the Milwaukee River from Lake Michigan. It sits on a high bluff, in beautiful Lake Park. This one site has seen many lighthouse structures through the years. The original lighthouse was built in 1855. The structure standing...
Pier Wisconsin Pier Wisconsin is the home base of the The S/V Denis Sullivan, Wisconsin's Floating Classroom and Ambassador Flagship. A history lesson in itself, the S/V Denis Sullivan is a re-creation of a traditional Great Lakes schooner. The only Tall Ship to take shape in Wisconsin in over a hundred years, ...
Prins Willem V Buoy Lying in about 85 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Prins Willem V is a popular shipwreck for intermediate divers, and remains entirely intact, with opportunities for some hull penetration. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck moo...
Racine Heritage Museum The Racine Heritage Museum offers three floors of entertaining and interesting exhibits celebrating the rich heritage of this unique community. Here the stories are told of Racine's people and their products including Hamilton-Beach, SC Johnson, Modine, Twin Disc, Case, Horlick's Malted Milk, Rac...
Racine North Breakwater Light One of the few remaining lights of its kind on the Great Lakes, the Racine North Breakwater Light is perched atop the Racine concrete and boulder breakwater. Built in 1910, the old red lighthouse is no longer an active aid to navigation but is illuminated at night. Although this light is not open...
Racine Reef Light The current modern light stands atop the concrete base that supported the Victorian-style lighthouse that stood here from 1905 until 1961 when it was dismantled. The current light is an active aid to navigation and is not open to the public. It can, however, be viewed from the north parking lot a...
Tug Islay The tug Islay was built by Alexander McDougall and named for his daughter, who was named for McDougall's birthplace in Scotland. Islay was part of the first triple launching on the Great Lakes, including the Whalebacks Pillsbury and Washburn. Powered by a 1-cylinder, 125 HP steam engine and owned...
Wind Point Lighthouse The 112 foot tower of the Wind Point Lighthouse was erected in 1880 five miles north of Racine. The light remains an active aid to navigation and is reputed to be the tallest operating light on the Great Lakes. Today, the lighthouse buildings serve as municipal offices for the village of Wind Poi...
Wisconsin Buoy Lying in about 130 feet of water, the shipwreck site is easily accessible by boat. Wisconsin is a popular shipwreck for advanced divers, and remains mostly intact with a cargo of cars still on board. The site is marked with a seasonal Wisconsin Historical Society shipwreck mooring buoy, allowing ...
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