Whether you are inside at one of their exhibits or outside on Sturgeon Bay’s working waterfront, the Door County Maritime Museum will have a front-row seat to nautical history in 2025. The Winter Fleet is set to depart in the coming days after receiving important work from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding before heading back to the grind of the shipping season. That will open space for the SS Badger at the end of the month and the USS Cobia in mid-September to come in for some much-needed care. In between those visits, Door County Maritime Museum and Destination Sturgeon Bay announced earlier this month the return of the tall ships to the city, the first time they have been back since before the pandemic. Add in the Patriot Racing team docking at the museum all summer long in addition to its Classic and Wooden Boat Festival in August, Deputy Director Sam Perlman says maritime history will indeed sail through Sturgeon Bay this year.

In addition to what is happening outside its doors, Perlman says crews are working hard to complete work on new exhibits inside its Sturgeon Bay museum, including one examining the city’s relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Photo credit Door County Maritime Museum