United States
Wisconsin (WI)
Door County
Sturgeon Bay
Things to Do in Sturgeon Bay
Door County Historical Museum
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Door County Historical Museum

See all things to do
See all things to do
Door County Historical Museum
4.5
156
#4 of 28 things to do in Sturgeon Bay
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Restaurants
53 within 5 kms
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Attractions
23 within 10 kms
Popelka Trenchard Glass
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0.2 kmArt Galleries
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67
0.2 kmBreweries
Third Avenue PlayWorks (TAP)
76
0.3 kmTheaters
Sturgeon Bay Farmer's Market
40
0.3 kmFarmers Markets
Door County Maritime Museum
432
0.8 kmSpeciality Museums
Rogue Theater
1
0.5 kmTheaters
Bliss General Store
0.2 kmHistoric Sites
The Farm
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Farms
Destination Door County
45
2.6 kmVisitor Centers
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
156 reviews
Excellent
114
Very good
39
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Joe
Saint John, IN27 contributions
Can't miss museum
Sep 2022 • Couples
Outstanding museum for those who enjoy nature and historical artifacts. The diorama at the entrance was truly stunning! The display of the animals and birds was masterfully presented. The rest of the museum had old artifacts and were extremely well displayed. If you like museums then don't miss this one.
There is no charge but a five dollar donation is asked. Best five bucks I ever spent!!!!
Written 20 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
lifeisforlearning
Washington DC, DC257 contributions
Interesting and enjoyable
Aug 2022
Check out this crammed-chock-full museum if you really want to understand the history, culture and ecology of Door County, which turns out to be very interesting!
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Quilter20
Chicago, IL53 contributions
A whole lot in a small museum
Nov 2021
Take your time going through the museum as there is a lot to see and read. My favorite part was the wildlife diorama. The mounted birds in the trees with their names, birdwatching for us dummies! Admission is free but donations will keep this treasure open,
Written 6 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
snochasr
Minneapolis, MN938 contributions
Best little museum
Oct 2021
Okay, the Door County Maritime Museum gets all the publicity, but this little Historical Museum, right downtown, is really special. You walk in the door and the first room is dominated by a huge wildlife diorama. The docent will come out and tell you this was all done by a local, amateur taxidermist and artist, who comes by every year just to chat and add something new. There isn’t much here of the ancient history; most of it is from 1850 (Wisconsin territory) on. They have quite a collection of old firetrucks and gear, which appears to be every truck the town of Sturgeon Bay ever owned. Then there are two floors of well-labeled and categorized artifacts, again most from the late 19th up to the mid-20th century. If one read all the commentary, you would be there all day, but you can sort of skim through, spot the few unusual items (like the 400-pound crowbar) and appreciate the breadth of the collection. Downstairs they have arranged things into a set of “storefronts” that might have lined a street in, say 1910 or so. Fascinating. It is not very big, it’s free with a free will donation, and it is as some reviewers have said, one of the best museums in Wisconsin. We easily spent the full, originally scheduled two hours there. But away we go. It’s raining again.
Written 18 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jim G
Saint Louis, MO605 contributions
A Good Visit On A Rainy Day
Jun 2021
We visited the Door County Historical Museum on a rainy day. We were greeted by the employee who gave us a quick orientation of the museum. We took the whole self-guided tour. The exhibits provide a broad introduction to the history of Door County. They include retired fire trucks, one being the only Oldsmobile firetruck I have ever seen, newspaper clippings, sleighs, military memorabilia, pictures of businesses, commemorative plates, and many other mementoes of the Door County story. Although we have been coming to Door County for 37 years, we learned things we did not know and the past of buildings we had often seen. The Door County Historical Museum is worth a visit, particularly on a rainy day.
Written 29 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
NeenahTominator
Neenah, Wisconsin, United States98 contributions
Large Museum Interesting Artifacts
Feb 2020
Stopped in and spent several hours enjoying the exhibits. Loved the tribute to the Tug Captain that recently passed. What a great way to honor him. The location of the museum is ideal and really fits with the large local shipping industry!
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Judy S
16 contributions
Hidden gem
Oct 2019
Found this awesome place passing by. Super friendly staff that can teach you all about Door County and it's beginnings. Conveniently located in downtown near food and shopping.
Written 13 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AndrewFromMadison
Madison, WI3,149 contributions
Very rich museum + fire station
Aug 2019
The museum is full of exhibits, but not dissimilar from other historical museums in biggish cities. What makes it stand apart is a historical Fire Station - and it has real fire trucks inside too!
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kathy L
97 contributions
Highlight of this stay in Door County
Oct 2019
Wonderful local museum that preserves the history and character of Door county. Was a rainy day activity for us, but so glad we went. When entering museum, there is a diorama of the wildlife and scenery of door county created by taxidermist Mike Orthober (taxidermist hall of fame) which is incredible...must see. Also, most exhibits were donated by local residents which enhanced the charm and feeling of this collection. Fire fighting section was cool. Inside were ramps and accessible, just a few steps to get inside. Admission is free with suggested $5 donation per person, which we gladly donated! Wonderful!
Written 6 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
kesjost
Milwaukee, WI378 contributions
Glance at the past
Sep 2019 • Couples
Great displays, has some great history behind everything they have displayed as well! Definitely worth a stop as it won’t take long to walk through!
Written 22 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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DOOR COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM (Sturgeon Bay) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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