Check out this list of the 30 highest-rated specialty museums in Michigan

In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world’s first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal “very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof.”According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there’s sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There’s simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Michigan on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration’s efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who’s to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

No. 30. Flint Children’s Museum

– Rating: 4.5/5 (76 reviews)
– City: Flint
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 29. Stahls Experience

– Rating: 4.9/5 (74 reviews)
– City: Chesterfield
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 28. Fort de Baude Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (78 reviews)
– City: Saint Ignace Mackinac County Upper Peninsula
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 27. Arab American National Museum

– Rating: 4.4/5 (97 reviews)
– City: Dearborn
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 26. Michigan Science Center

– Rating: 3.8/5 (138 reviews)
– City: Detroit
– Read more on Tripadvisor

Photo credit: Sloan Museum

No. 25. Sloan Museum of Discovery

– Rating: 4.6/5 (126 reviews)
– City: Flint
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 24. Marquette Maritime Museum

– Rating: 4.3/5 (131 reviews)
– City: Marquette Upper Peninsula
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 23. Historic White Pine Village

– Rating: 4.4/5 (99 reviews)
– City: Ludington
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 22. Music House Museum

– Rating: 4.7/5 (157 reviews)
– City: Acme Grand Traverse County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 21. Dossin Great Lakes Museum

– Rating: 4.5/5 (139 reviews)
– City: Detroit
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 20. Ziibiwing Center

– Rating: 4.8/5 (78 reviews)
– City: Mount Pleasant Isabella County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 19. A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum of Michigan Tech

– Rating: 4.9/5 (195 reviews)
– City: Houghton Upper Peninsula
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 18. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum

– Rating: 4.3/5 (271 reviews)
– City: Farmington
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No. 17. Castle Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (101 reviews)
– City: Saginaw
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 16. Call of the Wild Museum

– Rating: 4.4/5 (153 reviews)
– City: Gaylord Otsego County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 15. R.E. Olds Transportation Museum

– Rating: 4.5/5 (177 reviews)
– City: Lansing Ingham County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 14. Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum Inc.

– Rating: 4.7/5 (365 reviews)
– City: Mackinaw City Cheboygan County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 13. Michigan Maritime Museum

– Rating: 4.3/5 (286 reviews)
– City: South Haven Van Buren County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 12. Kalamazoo Valley Museum

– Rating: 4.7/5 (318 reviews)
– City: Kalamazoo Kalamazoo County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

Learn more about Muskegon’s maritime history at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum.
Photo Credit: Visit Muskegon.

No. 11. USS Silversides Submarine Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (366 reviews)
– City: Muskegon Muskegon County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 10. Museum Ship Valley Camp

– Rating: 4.6/5 (437 reviews)
– City: Sault Ste Marie Upper Peninsula
– Read more on Tripadvisor

Photo credit: Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Kalamazoo / Discover Kalamazoo

No. 9. Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center

– Rating: 4.7/5 (626 reviews)
– City: Portage Kalamazoo County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 8. Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (1,009 reviews)
– City: Paradise Upper Peninsula
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 7. Gilmore Car Museum

– Rating: 4.9/5 (697 reviews)
– City: Hickory Corners Barry County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 6. Detroit Historical Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (468 reviews)
– City: Detroit
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 5. Gerald R. Ford Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (1,172 reviews)
– City: Grand Rapids Kent County
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 4. The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

– Rating: 4.8/5 (597 reviews)
– City: Detroit
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Photo credit: Motown Museum

No. 3. Motown Museum

– Rating: 4.6/5 (2,199 reviews)
– City: Detroit
– Read more on Tripadvisor

No. 2. Greenfield Village

– Rating: 4.7/5 (2,623 reviews)
– City: Dearborn
– Read more on Tripadvisor

Photo credit: KMS Photography

No. 1. Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation

– Rating: 4.8/5 (4,832 reviews)
– City: Dearborn
– Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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