Father Marquette National Memorial
Explore Fayette Historic Townsite, a former iron-making town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Explore Fort Wilkins and the Copper Harbor Lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to learn about people and events that shaped this region.
Explore the state’s 19th-century logging era at Hartwick Pines Logging Museum.
The museum has exhibits on everything from the CCC's role in planting trees and building roads to its impact on the environment.
The Mann House and its contents illustrate typical family life in the 1880s.
The house is under extensive renovation and is closed to the public. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant, lived in this Detroit house from 1849 to 1850.
The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is a great place to learn about the history of Michigan's iron industry.
Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park protects and interprets Michigan’s largest known collection of early Native American teachings carved in stone.
The Tawas Point Lighthouse is a fascinating attraction for maritime buffs and an exciting destination for birdwatchers.
This secret network aided thousands of people on their journey to freedom.
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At the corner of the Old Chicago Road (U.S. 12) and the La Plaisance Pike (M-50) in Michigan’s Irish Hills, a modest, one-and-a-half story farmhouse has sat for nearly two centuries. Built about 1832, the white clapboard Walker Tavern is perched atop of a small bluff overlooking U.S. 12. It originally was only a few footsteps off the "Old Sauk" Native American trail, which became U.S. 12 and was the main route for connecting Detroit and Chicago. The tavern quickly became a gathering place where travelers making the grueling five-day trip could rest, enjoy a meal or stay the night.
The Michigan History Center has operated the tavern as a historic site since 1965. Along with two additional historic structures, the tavern is part of an 80-acre state park. Walker Tavern and a reconstructed barn focus on the 1840s and 50s with artifacts and exhibits about people, travel and work. The 1929 colonial revival Hewitt House Visitors Center tells stories of early auto tourism, including the Irish Hills’ famous 20th century roadside tourist attractions like the Prehistoric Forest, Frontier City and Mystery Hill.
Walker Tavern's exhibits focus on life in Michigan in the first half of the 19th century, the frontier and stagecoach era. The tavern includes an 1840s parlor, bar room, dining room and kitchen.
Walker Tavern is the home field for the Walker Wheels, a vintage "base ball" team that plays by 1860s rules – no gloves and gentlemanly conduct on the field.
Updated 05/03/2019