Dossin Great Lakes Museum

The Dossin Great Lakes Museum sits on Belle Isle and displays an extensive collection of objects and vessels connected to Great Lakes shipping history. The exhibition features ship models, navigation instruments, seafarers' belongings, and original components from historic vessels.

The museum began in 1949 as a maritime exhibition aboard the schooner J.T. Wing and took its current form when the Dossin family relocated it to Belle Isle in 1960. This move allowed the collection to expand and made Great Lakes shipping history accessible to the public.

The Gothic Room from the S.S. City of Detroit III shows how ships were furnished and how central maritime trade was to the region's identity. Walking through these spaces helps visitors understand the daily life aboard vessels and the craftsmanship involved in shipbuilding.

The museum sits directly on Belle Isle's waterfront and is easy to reach by car or public transit. Wear comfortable shoes as the exhibition is spread out, and on nice days the grounds themselves are worth exploring.

The museum houses the championship hydroplane Miss Pepsi, which competed in water racing events, and the bow anchor from the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the most notorious Great Lakes vessels. These two objects represent different sides of regional maritime history: sport and tragedy.