While staying and week in St. Ignace (in late June/early July 2026) in MICHIGAN’S “UP” (Upper Peninsula) we camped at the Straits State Park Campground. The Museum of Ojibwa Culture is only 5 minutes down the main drag along the shores of beautiful Lake Huron.
To it’s credit the museum hosts weekly presentations and story telling in its recreated long house on property grounds.
These are free and all are welcomed, especially tourists to the area who are unfamiliar with the rich history of the native peoples who had been on this land for generations upon generations.
There are several gardens, a medicine wheel garden, and artistic metal sculptures as well.
Each has meaning and weave into their indigenous, rich culture.
Onsite is also the grave marker for Father Marquette a Jesuit priest sent by the French to bring Christianity to the people in the 1500s. The story of his life mission is quite extraordinary as well as how his bones came to be repatriated back to where in the modern era the original chapel foundation was found.
I found the garden next to the museum building the most intriguing and delightful with its carved “Doodems” (like totems) and descriptions of their role in Ojibwa cultural beliefs and folklore. A young, teenage tribal member was there tending the garden while we visited. His pride clearly was evident in his labors.
Nearer the long house were the modernistic metal sculptures depicting normal day activities and important facets of the people. These were quite fascinating to look at and almost felt like a cross between Mad Max and Egyptian mummies to me.
The museum has very liberal open hours during the in season from May to September. There is no admission to enter, however a donation is asked for and several donation boxes are located around the inside exhibit areas. They also have a nice gift shop in the front that features some of the expected tribal art, jewelry, and proverbial wind catchers that we tend to see everywhere. But they also have a nice selection of local tribal authored books and art. I found an agate, edged in a free form silver casement and hung on a necklace that clearly was artisan made and that was my one purchase to commemorate our trip north to the UP for the first time. Agates are found in goodly amounts especially along the Lake Superior coast, so it seemed fitting. BTW rock hunting is a huge deal up here in the UP! We saw people scouring the beaches for “rock hound treasures” everywhere we went. While here we have been along 3 of the Great Lakes, even in one day! Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.
I always try to find something made locally to commemorate the major theme of our travels in any given year. Jewelry is lightweight, easy to store, and every time I wear a piece I have bought on our travels in our vintage Avion, “The Pewter Palace” it brings back fond memories of our trip and experiences.
In truth, I will admit I was less impressed with the inside exhibits at the museum. There just seemed to be a lot of signs to read, wordy plaques and not a lot of artifacts. There were some very nice baskets, but they were not labeled as to their vintage, design purposes/functionality, makers or if they were in fact designs indicative of the Ojibwa tribe and method of basket making-so I assumed they were.
There is a small long house with a short movie inside as well however it’s focus is not on the history of the people as much as it is depicting fictious members of a family and how the extended family of a village functioned and it’s importance as one big family.
While this is very important, for those of us who are outsiders, more about the history of the tribe would have been welcomed. (For that, actually the interpretive areas across the river at Fort Michillimacinac were more educational.
TIPS FOR VISITING:
As for parking, the museum does have dedicated paved and signed spaces on the road that runs parallel behind their property as well as some on that same side street abutting their back lawn. The latter could handle an RV if needed.
We visited on a Thursday early afternoon on July 2nd and it was not busy at all, perhaps 8 people total. During town special events it could be hard to find parking.
Lacking cash on hand, they were able to take my credit card through their cash register for me to make our donation besides my necklace purchase. Our total visit time this trip was about an hour max. Coming when there is a program going on in the Long House may make the visit more engaging. Please check their website for hours of operation and for program times.
Hope you enjoyed this little day adventure and that you come to visit St. Ignace and the UP yourselves. There is a lot to see and do and we have published much more of our day trips to lighthouses, beaches and more on our Pewter Palace Facebook page!
Happy Independence Day to all! Here’s to another 250 years!
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