Museum Ship Valley Camp

Museum Ship Valley Camp

Museum Ship Valley Camp
4.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
We are open Mid-May to Mid October! For more information click on the website link on Tripadvisor. Retired Great Lakes Freighter with over 100 exhibits on Shipping and Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. Access into the Engine Room, walk the Upper Deck to see crew quarters and pilot house. 3 levels to tour with ramp system for easy access. Last tickets and entry an hour before closing.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • MItoGAandBack
    Troy, Michigan12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit!
    My husband, children and I loved exploring the ship. Tons to see- history of the ship itself, Sault Ste Marie and tasteful memorials to those crews from the past who were not so lucky. It does get muggy inside, so dress accordingly. It was 65 degrees outside, and I wish I had wore shorts and a t-shirt and brought water.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 7 July 2024
  • Escape67345546510
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great visit to the museum ship Valley Camp
    This was a surprisingly great museum. The ship alone is worth the visit. You can explore almost every nook and cranny, and it is pretty accessible for us older folks, with ramps and lots of places to sit. Plus they have taken this great old ship and filled it with tons of fascinating exhibits on Great Lakes maritime history. It was well worth my time and money and I plan to go back again next time I'm in the Soo.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 10 July 2024
  • K C
    11 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A good view of life on a Great Lakes freighter
    The Valley Camp is a retired freighter that has been converted into a maritime museum. I was impressed with the amount of exhibits, displaying not on the Great Lakes shipping history, but other maritime facts as well. There are two movie theaters to watch testimonial movies of two Great Lakes shipwrecks. The boat was fairly accessible throughout, except going topside to the deck required some stairs. Crew quarters were displayed with the actual ships furnishings to give you a good idea of what life must've been like for the sailors. The only downside is that it was a rather warm day, and the ship was not air-conditioned except for one glorious room! I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Maritime history or to experience what is like on a Great Lakes freighter.
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 28 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles432 reviews
Excellent
283
Very good
124
Average
23
Poor
1
Terrible
1

Jerome
Royal Oak, MI15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Solo
Museum ship valley camp.

This was a wonderful museum! I was thoroughly impressed for several reasons:
1. it is in - and part of - an historic Great Lakes freighter.
2. It is located very near such a busy, historic and important waterway and impressive lock system.
3. The artifacts are displayed in (two of three) massive cargo holds. The third hold being virtually empty, so you can fully comprehend the scale of the ship.
4. The Crown Jewels (in my opinion) of the collection, are two life boats from the ill-fated SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Next to the ship itself, and the bell, these two cherished artifacts represent part of the soul of the ship.
If you are into maritime history, Great Lakes history, or just a hardcore Boat Nerd (I’m all the above) I highly recommend a visit.
Written 4 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

D H
Jackson, MI428 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
We have visited the Museum a couple of times before, but this was a special trip.
A co-worker of mine, who is also an artist, was asked to paint some lighthouses of Lake Superior to have displayed in the Museum. He also recently had an Edmund Fitzgerald painting displayed as well. We love visited the ship. Each time we go, we see things we didn’t see before. The staff at the ship is all friendly and helpful. On this visit, the Curator Paul Sabourin escorted us through and gave us a grand tour. Young or Old, visiting the Ship is fun and there are many exhibits to see and do. The cost is reasonable and it’s perfect for a family to spend a couple of hours in the afternoon. Make sure you do the scavenger hunt too. Definitely a must see and do when in the Soo!
Written 6 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen K
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
By far one of the best museums I have visited. We took an extended weekend trip to Michigan and visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum first. We happened to see a brochure for this musuem in our travels and stopped to check it out. We really enjoyed the scavenger hunt, which I felt made us more aware of stopping at each exhibit to find the answers. Definitely rate this a 10 out of 10.
Written 23 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

eur0star
pacific northwest611 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
We happened on this museum by luck. It was one of the best things we did on our visit to this community. It is inside a small older freighter which itself was worth the visit. You can access the engine room and see guidance systems used an dhow personnel lived on board in those days. There are loads of displays covering the history of maritime shipping on the great lakes. Who knew the George Steinbrenner, built by the family;s business shipwrecked? There is so much information you can spend one hour or many hours. Good for children though there are some stairs and ramps. Two thumbs up.
Written 1 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kate Illinois1
Illinois5 030 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023
Impressive museum and preservation of this 1917 vessel. This is a must see for a comprehensive history of the Great Lakes. Admission is $16.00 for over 100 exhibits and see the entire vessel. Much better than the Great Lakes Shipwreck museum. The grand kids loved it!
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gr84Fam
Michigan55 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
A must see when in the area. Allow a few hours since there is so much to see and know that it is not air conditioned ( except for a small enclosed section on one of the levels). We came on a very hot day and still was so impressed at how well the history was displayed and all the areas we could explore. I wish they had a few more fans out given the heat and humidity, but still enjoyed this visit. It’s one I would come back and do again!
Written 12 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting!
Written 19 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

BL727
Kansas City, MO35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
This stop wasn't high on my list, but it turned out to surprisingly interesting. The freighter, which is 1/4 the size of modern freighters, is huge. The museum is well curated and covers the ship, shipping on the great lakes, the ecosystems, etc. It also has a really interesting exhibit with artifacts for the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tedwards
USA255 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
I was very pleasantly surprised at how well done the exhibits are on the ship. My primary purpose for visiting was to see the lifeboats from the Edmund Fitzgerald, which really were fascinating. But it took me a long time to get there, because so many exhibits and other areas were also worth a stop!

The hold of the ship is particularly fascinating. It's enormous, and the floor is so pockmarked from all the taconite pellets it's hauled, that you have to be a little careful not to trip. And as massive as that space is, it's very small compared to the holds of the freighters sailing today. It gives you an appreciation like nothing else can of how much those big ships can carry, and the artwork in this area is a nice use of the space.

Highly recommend making this a "must-see" stop during your visit to Sault Ste. Marie!
Written 27 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting, we are glad you enjoyed your tour.
Written 18 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Roy F
Mason, MI10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
Always wanted to tour a Great Lakes freighter and this museum really fit the bill, even my wife loved it! Although the Valley Camp is only about 1/2 the size of the new Great Lakes freighters, it is still massive. Really enjoyed seeing nearly every area of the freighter, from one end to the other, top to bottom. There’s also a fair amount of artifacts, pictures, models, etc. from many other ships, including the Edmond Fitzgerald. If you love big ships this is a must see.
Written 21 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pete6179
Menomonee Falls, WI80 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Couples
An unplanned stop on our trip to the area. Our days plan was the Locks boat tour, lunch and mini golf. While driving through town we saw two choices for museum visits. The idea of touring a museum in an actual retired ship was too much to resist.
If you are even remotely interested in nautical history or even great lakes history this will not disappoint. If you read informational boards be prepared for a longer visit.ots of artifacts including a lifeboat from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Touring the inner belly of this carrier and then on the top deck gives you a grasp of the massive size to these ocean freighters. The newer ones are much bigger! But this is impressive to see. Very warm inside and not totally handicapped accessible.
Written 7 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
That you for visiting! Yes it can get very warm inside during the summer for which we can’t do much other than run large fans inside.
Written 19 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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MUSEUM SHIP VALLEY CAMP (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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