Museums
and Learning
in Port Huron

Port Huron’s outdoor offerings are hard to resist in the summer, but don’t overlook some of the unique experiences that are indoors. The Port Huron Museum network of sites is FREE for all visitors.

Learn, play, enjoy and immerse yourself in the history of the region, along with special children’s exhibits like Discovery City, as you get acquainted with the boyhood home of Thomas Edison.

Our Museums and Centers

  • Port Huron Museum Carnegie Center Constructed in 1902 as part of Andrew Carnegie’s international network of libraries, this newly restored space offers temporary exhibits and a permanent showcase. Throughout 2022, “Discovery City,” a Port Huron-focused play site for children, is housed in the museum. Hands-on re-creations of local landmarks such as Pine Grove Park, Lakeside Beach and Thomas Edison’s laboratory inspire imaginations and fun. 

  • Experience Center at SC4 Home of Michigan’s only “Challenger Learning Center.” This site focuses on fostering a passion for learning for “kids” of all ages. It hosts a fully immersive space-themed experience.

  • Fort Gratiot Lighthouse History, heights, beaches and recreation converge at this site in the Port Huron Museum network.

  • Knowlton Ice Museum This hands-on museum showcases 19th and 20th century tools, artifacts and history behind local ice harvesting. Videos, vehicles and memorabilia tell the stories of this unique job from the past in the nation’s largest museum dedicated to this subject. 

  • Maritime Center Port Huron is proud home of the Great Lakes Maritime Center, located along the banks of the St. Clair River, just south of the mouth of the Black River, in downtown Port Huron. The Maritime Center is open to the public seasonally – check their website for hours – and amenities include a small museum of Great Lakes artifacts and other maritime lore. Food trucks are often available on site during the summer months.

    Tourism Tip: Staff at the Great Lakes Maritime Center regularly announce, over a loud speaker, the names of large commercial shipping vessels that pass by on the St. Clair River. They often provide information regarding the size of the ship, the cargo the ship is carrying, where the ship originated and where it is headed.

  • Thomas Edison Depot Center As the boyhood home of Thomas Edison, this museum offers a unique and interactive experience back in time to explore the childhood of America’s most famous inventor of the 19th century.

 Tourism Tip: For more history, the Port Huron Museum offers themed trolley tours.