The museum houses the anchor of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
The pilot house of the SS William Clay Ford was relocated to the museum in 1979.
The museum is built on the site of the former Belle Isle Aquarium and Conservatory vicinity.
The Miss Pepsi hydroplane was the first boat to exceed 100 miles per hour in competition.
The current structure replaced a previous exhibit space located at the foot of Strand Drive in 1960.
The museum collection includes over 6,000 artifacts related to maritime history.
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is located on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan, and focuses on the maritime history of the Great Lakes. The museum is operated by the Detroit Historical Society. It features an extensive collection of scale models of ships that have traversed the lakes over the past three centuries. The facility houses the original pilot house of the SS William Clay Ford, a Great Lakes freighter. Visitors can also view the Miss Pepsi, a championship hydroplane boat that set several speed records in the 1950s. The exhibits document the impact of the Detroit River on local commerce and industrial development. It stands as one of the few museums in the region dedicated exclusively to freshwater maritime heritage.
The outdoor observation deck, which provides a direct line of sight to passing freighters and the Detroit city skyline.
Check the Detroit Historical Society website before visiting, as Belle Isle park sometimes experiences high traffic volumes that limit accessibility.
Bring a pair of binoculars to use on the museum deck for spotting active freighter traffic on the Detroit River.
Combine your museum visit with a walk to the nearby James Scott Memorial Fountain.
Attempting to visit without considering park-wide closures or events that may restrict vehicle access to Belle Isle.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
