 The Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center, located on the grounds of the Oden State Fish Hatchery, is the site of the original fish hatchery building which began operations in 1921. In 2002, a new hatchery was built one quarter-mile northeast of the current visitor center. The grounds of the new visitor center have been restored to serve as a scale model of a Great Lakes watershed, and the center is dedicated to encouraging greater awareness and appreciation of our Michigan and Great Lakes fisheries.
Tell us about your visit
In the center's main exhibit room there are revolving interpretive displays and interactive exhibits, including a multi-media plasma screen illustrating fisheries management in Michigan, and visitors also can enjoy state record fish mounts of the various species raised at Michigan's six state fish hatcheries.
The visitor center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fall hours (Labor Day to Nov. 1) are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday (closed Monday). Interpretive staff is on-site to conduct hatchery tours, answer questions and provide quality visitor services.
Need a fishing or hunting license? Stop by the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center, 3377 US-31 in Oden (six miles east of Petoskey). Our friendly staff can answer your Michigan fishing or hunting questions.
Exhibits
Adjacent to the visitor center sits the re-created 1914-1935 Wolverine train car. This historic exhibit depicts how employees of the old Michigan Department of Conservation lived on the train while transporting and stocking fish across the state. Displays include the sleeping berths, a kitchen and several uniquely designed stewardship messages. Two computer touch-screen kiosks quiz visitors on the proper rearing methods for a variety of fish and on the history of fisheries management.
The one-mile-loop nature trail begins just beyond the train car alongside the renovated trout stream and winds through lowland conifers and upland hardwoods. Several exhibits adorn the trail.
 The Stream Viewing Chamber enables visitors to glimpse aquatic life up close.
On any given day, brook, brown and rainbow trout may be seen swimming by along with numerous aquatic macro-invertebrates, making the chamber the perfect spot for an afternoon of nature study.
Upstream, visitors can feed enormous trout in the big fish pond.
The nature trail also leads to the Oden State Fish Hatchery where visitors may take a guided hatchery tour. Tours are scheduled daily during the summer months.
Summer Hatchery Tours
 In order to maintain optimal fish health and quality, the Oden State Fish Hatchery is accessible to the public only through a scheduled guided tour. Four tours are conducted each day, seven days a week, from Memorial Day to the end of August. Self-guided visits of the hatchery are prohibited. We encourage visitors to call ahead for current tour information. Tours begin at the new hatchery on South Ayr Road. Visitors can drive the county roads back to the hatchery entrance or walk the nature trail from the visitor center one quarter-mile northeast to the hatchery. Tours take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours depending on visitor attendance.
Fall-Winter Programs
 The visitor center offers a variety of programs during the fall and winter. All programs are held on Saturdays.
Fall-Winter-Spring Hatchery Tours
The interpretive staff offers tours by reservation only from September through May. To effectively plan our daily and weekly schedule during the off-season, we ask all visitors to make a reservation for their hatchery tour, whether they are bringing a small or large group. For reservations, please call (231) 348-0998.
Student Field Trips
 Interpretive programs for school groups are held during the fall and spring. Click here for program information.
These programs include outdoor activities, so students are asked to dress appropriately for the weather. Educators and group leaders interested in arranging a visit to the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center should click here to begin planning their visit.
Teachers may find it helpful to review this vocabulary list with their students (4th-8th grades) before their visit. Classes signed up for Wild About Watersheds, Cool Fish School or Stream Study should review this information on aquatic insects.
For more information, contact the hatchery interpreter at (231) 348-0998, or by e-mail at: jacobsme@michigan.gov.
Pre-school, Kindergarten and Home School Groups
Pre-school, Kindergarten, and Home School groups are encouraged to use the visitor center and nature trail on a self-guided basis. Upon arrival, interpreters may greet and welcome these types of visitor groups and may loan certain materials and/or equipment for a self-guided nature study. Structured guided hatchery tours or programs for very early ages or diverse age groups are not available at this time. Our specialized guided programs and tours currently are designed for a fourth-grade audience; therefore language, teaching methods and cognitive learning are compromised with a very young or diverse age group.
Scheduling Information
Reservation windows for all available guided programs and tours:
FALL 2008.........Aug. 28 to Sept. 1
SPRING 2009....Jan. 1-30
Reservations may be made by calling (231) 348-0998. We begin taking reservations on the first day of the sign-up window starting at 10 a.m. If you call and get a busy signal, keep trying. We cannot guarantee that your phone call will result in a reservation. Availability is dependant on such factors as seasonal staff size.
Gift Shop
We offer all kinds of fishing-related books for children and adults, as well as T-shirts, sweatshirts, children's fishing rods, bird calls, coffee mugs, magnets, nature wind chimes and more. All profits remain at the center and enable us to purchase interpretive programming materials and host public events.
Directions and Parking
The Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center is located on US-31 (north side of road) about one-half mile west of Oden and approximately six miles east of Petoskey. A large parking lot is located in front of the visitor center. The train car and visitor center are visible from US-31.
Visitor parking also is available at the Oden Fish Hatchery on South Ayr Road in Alanson. When arriving to attend a tour, please park in front of the main hatchery building. Visitor parking spaces are clearly marked. Driving around the back of the hatchery complex or on the nature trail is strictly prohibited.
Friends of the Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center
In 2007, we began organizing a Friends Group to establish greater community support and awareness of the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center. The group maintains the center's gift shop and will sponsor various interpretive and volunteer activities at the visitor center and fish hatchery. They also will play a key role in developing new ideas for future interpretive programming and ways to improve the visitor center. For more information, write to: Friends of Oden Fish Hatchery Visitor Center, P.O. Box 133, Conway, MI 49722.
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