Muskegon Travel Guide

Muskegon is a wonderful waterfront town on the western shore of Michigan.  The Muskegon River travels from far north toward the middle of the lower peninsula of Michigan and delivers its rush into Muskegon Lake.  Muskegon Lake then offers is lush clear waters to feed Lake Michigan through a large modern Channel.  The Muskegon River is listed as one of the best fishing rivers in the nation.

Muskegon City has much history, as a major port for commerce in the 19th and 20th centuries, and as a major supplier for lumber for the midwest from the 1800s to the mid1900s.

Muskegon was a major source of WWI airplane engines from continental motors.  Muskegon Township was organized in 1837 and coincided with Muskegon's boom in lumber.

By the time the local lumber industry had reached its peak in the mid 1880s, forty-seven sawmills surrounded Muskegon Lake, while another sixteen dotted the shores of White Lake to the north. Muskegon was known as the "Lumber Queen of the World" when 665,000,000 board feet were cut in 1887 alone!

Currently Muskegon is enjoying newfound tourism as the Lake Express Ferry celebrates its 2nd full year of operation and growth servicing Muskegon to Milwaukee througout the travel season.  The 10 day long summer celebration of outdoor concerts at Muskegon lake, festivals, art fair, children's activities and midway is considered one of the most fun festivals on the great lakes.  The Additional Heritage landing music festivals enjoy huge success each year.  The new Bike Week for 2007 was a resounding success!  Michigan's Adventure continues to be a Whole Midwest draw for an amusement park.  The Port City Princess Cruise line offers beautiful tours of Lake Michigan around the Muskegon lake area including evening dinner and music, group tours, etc.

Muskegon has an Art Museum, a county life sciences museum, the Hackley & Hume Historic homes site dedicated to the contributions of the great philanthropists of the Lumber area.  Muskegon Boasts the Maritime Museum with the USS Silversides WWII submarine which saw important combat during the Pacific theater of WWII.  The LST393 Military Landing ship has recently had great restoration and is open for tours.

Muskegon has a winter sports complex at the Muskegon State park.   There are too many camping and hiking and biking trails to list in the area.  There are many many golf courses available as well.

Additionally Muskegon now boasts the Muskegon Thunder Football team (CIFL), and enjoys the immensely successful Muskegon Fury Hockey team - 4 time UHL champs 99, 02, 04, 05.  

Muskegon is also lucky to have the beautifully restored, historic Frauenthal theater.  Built in 1929, it is a fully restored historic motion picture palace.  The architectural styling of the theater is Moorish/Spanish renaissance.  Gleams with extraordinary gold accents, cherubs and griffins. The ceiling and walls adorned with beautiful ornamental light fixtures, the carpet and opera chairs covered with rich velour, and the stage enclosed with red draperies.  Ornate carvings, arches and intricate plasterwork abound. The ceiling is surrounded by plaster shells and comes to a large acoustic dome, or oculus, in the center. Suspended from the roof hanging by steel wires, the ceiling is not unlike the suspended acoustical ceilings with which we are all familiar.  Aside from a multitude of special concerts and ballet from out of town, it is  also the home of the Miss Michigan pageant each year, and the Westshore symphony orchestra.

muskegon-mi.gov