USS Silversides Submarine Museum

We visited the Submarine Museum and ship in October 2025 for a Scouting America campout—and YES, we actually spent the night on the sub! Total bucket list experience. The Museum The museum is really well done and gives a great history of submarine warfare and this specific boat. There’s a short film in a small theater, several walk-through exhibits with artifacts, and a nice gift shop. It’s the perfect warm-up before going on the ship. The Submarine Most of the sub is still intact and you can explore the main areas. Just remember—it’s a real submarine, so the spaces are TIGHT. Very cool to picture 72 sailors living and working in those close quarters. Overnight Experience This was the highlight! We had pizza on the 2nd floor of the museum, then got a few hours to explore before loading onto the sub for the night. Scouts slept in the torpedo room and leaders stayed in the crew quarters. It felt surreal to sleep where the actual sailors once did. If you’re anywhere nearby, take the time to visit—and if you ever get the chance to do the overnight program, DO IT. It was an amazing experience and I’d go back in a heartbeat!

We went here with our Scout group for an overnight adventure and it did not disappoint. We got a private tour of the Sub, a demonstration on how a submarine works, and a rare opportunity to sleep on an actual submarine overnight. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we will always remember. The facilities were very clean, the staff was helpful and knowledgeable with any questions we had. We would definitely come again.

The museum has both indoor and outdoor sections. The outdoor part features a submarine that you can board and tour. The indoor museum displays exhibits on World War II history and the USS Silversides submarine. It has two floors, with most of the exhibits located on the first floor. There is also a theater. While the video may not be professionally made, it is helpful to see a recording of a typical tour guide inside the submarine. Both sections require paid admission. Overall, it is an informative museum and worth a visit.

An impressive museum! It’s self guided and fairly priced. There are a lot of things to read, some interactive exhibits including a periscope to look through and the submarine to tour, a well-stocked gift shop, and theater to watch a short film. They include world history spanning hundreds of years and Michigan and the Great Lakes ship building during wars. I would visit again.

For those into history, this is a must see. I toured the submarine , and it was amazing that we had that kind of technology back then in those tight cramped spaces. It's nothing like what you see in the movies. Nothing. If I lived in the area I would go back a few more times by myself.So I could read every little detail and tour the sub again.

We loved it! Museum is full of WWII info and related stuff from the Silverside. The sub is still amazing after all these years. Everyone was friendly. Attractions inside are interesting with lots of real objects to see and explore.

Who can be the first to get this right: how many gauges are on the USS Silversides? Clocks count (a gauge of time); indicator lights do not. Just ballparking, maybe 300? Subs are highly complex - no wonder they required a large crew. I've toured many historic warships; I don't recall seeing one in better condition inside. Kudos to the preservers of this historic sub! There are a lot of interesting things to notice, like diesel engines that compress the fuel & air mixture from both sides! We enjoyed the museum too; it was like a WWII refresher course.

It’s been many years since I’ve been here! This museum has changed in a major way. They have an indoor up & down stairs area. The indoor explains submarine function & history also including other service branches & units. The upstairs mentions the US Merchant Marine, a Marine aviator, USGI field equipment, war posters and various ship models. The Silversides could be a better museum. It would be nice to see an indoor exhibit of submarine escape w/ lockout chamber explaining, how SEALs enter & exit a sub. It was also awsome to meet the curator! I do recommend checking this place out. 👍👍🇺🇸😁

Who can be the first to get this right: how many gauges are on the USS Silversides? Clocks count (a gauge of time); indicator lights do not. Just ballparking, maybe 300? Subs are highly complex - no wonder they required a large crew. I've toured many historic warships; I don't recall seeing one in better condition inside. Kudos to the preservers of this historic sub! There are a lot of interesting things to notice, like diesel engines that compress the fuel & air mixture from both sides! We enjoyed the museum too; it was like a WWII refresher course.

The USS Silversides Submarine Museum offers a unique and rare opportunity to explore an actual submarine from World War ll at your own pace. The submarine is docked along the channel between Lake Michigan and Lake Muskegon. The staff still runs the engine multiple times a year to keep it maintained. The staff does a great job keeping it in its original atmosphere. You can really get the sense of what it was like. The maritime museum next to the submarine was large with exhibits explaining the events of World War II, Lake Michigan shipbuilders role in that war, and many story boards accounts and memorabilia from local veterans. There is so much history, knowledge, and experience here. I highly recommend taking a self guided tour here.

This is a fantastic place and the price is completely worth the tour and seeing a real submarine live. Yes it's an antique now, but this is what got to modern submarines. This is definitely something that makes the Mil-Musk Ferry more worth it. Pretty quiet in October, almost seemed if I was at the wrong location. This is a great chance to get a lot of quality photos. Such a great place I had to leave a review. They have done a great job with this museum.

Wonderful, informative museum. The experience on the sub is eye opening. Friendly staff, nice gift shop, plenty of parking, at least in March. Glad we decided to visit.

USS Silversides Submarine Museum Interesting museum. We were in the area in 2016 and decided to see this place. Not advertised too well. Nevertheless, a monument to the men who sacrificed their lives. Highly Recommended

Oh my goodness. There's so much to see inside . And then to go into a real WWII Submarine. This place is amazing. Take your children or your parents. Take a veteran I was in awe. The place is so clean. There's hand's on things to do.

This place was so cool! The submarine was astonishing and it was so cool that we got to go in it. The staff was all very nice and an amazing pastime if you're in Muskegon

We went out of our way to see this museum because of the reviews and I'm so glad we did! If you like history you will enjoy this tour and be sure you watch all of the videos! Very informative and I was happy to hear of the personal stories... Some tragic and some happy endings.... Good reminder to thank all of our veterans!

Free admission on Memorial Day....u cant beat that! if you want the real submarine experience its a must, musky smell and the real deal. Please be warned its not for the faint hearted or folks that get claustrophobic.

Really unexpected and fantastic find in Muskegon, Mi. Great to tour such a decorated WW2 submarine. The museum isn't huge, but the sub tour is worth it.

A two story museum with a lot of pictures and words telling a story. It is well laid out for what they have. They don't have a lot of artifacts, but what they do have is very nice. Next to the building is the Uss Silverside Submarine. It is amazing the complexity of the old hardware to run a boat underwater in WWII. It is not made for someone over 6'. The regular spaces are fine. The hatches between sections are murder. Still in the end it was worth it. The submarine is a must see. They also have an old Coast Guard Cutter you can explore. Service was excellent and the museum is worth the $15 entrance fee. Overall a 4 star experience. Would I return? Yes.

says open till 5:30.... be carefu, won't sell tickets at 4:45. brought a couple Navy veterans and got turned away. Lady selling tickets also was very rude.

Highly recommend. Very informative and worth the time to learn about ww2 silversides submarine journey.

This museum is small, but very nicely thought out and put together. My family, including two teenagers, and I enjoyed touring the submarine and the cutter. The volunteers on both ships were courteous, told us stories and answered questions. The museum exhibits were balanced - enough information to give you a good picture of the era and events, but not so much that you overload. I would recommend a visit if you are in Muskegon and looking for an afternoon activity. Minus one star for the two ladies working the ticket counter/gift shop. They were short and snippy, bordering on rude, to my family.

Been a long time since I've been here, remember being here but thought it was somewhere else. It was as good as I remember was very cool to see it again. The museum was awesome and was cool to see the history of everything. My son had a blast I can't wait to come back.

I am surprised that they let visitors climb into the actual submarine to explore by themselves without a guide! I was expecting a lot of "keep out" or "do not touch" signs but there was only 1 sign warning visitors not to turn any valves BECAUSE THE SUBMARINE STILL WORKS. How cool is that. I heard that they turn on the engine once in awhile to keep the engine in good shape so if you plan on visiting, you may want to check out their schedule to see when they do that. Basically, it's a self guided tour. You first enter the museum where you'll be bombarded with a lot of WWII information. Be prepared to read a lot, like A LOT. Halfway through the museum, I just gave up reading and sat in a corner to look at pictures. Then, when you're done reading, you head out and walk across a platform to the submarine, all by yourself. They opened the submarine so you're allowed to climb into it and explore. They did not fence off any area so you basically could sit on the bunk beds or chill in the dining room. I don't think you can use the washroom though, not sure if it's working. But yes, it's the actual WWII submarine and the engines are still working.

This museum is amazing and I had a great experience. We got a tour of the USS Silversides and it's history. Afterwards we spent the night on the Silversides: there was a playground made of a piece of a decommissioned ship. It also has an artillery cannon right outside of the building. When we spent the night the bedding was extremely uncomfortable giving it the feeling of really being in the 40's. The museum itself was large and full of WWII relics and history. Nearby there is also a national park so once our time at the museum we spent a while there.

What a wonderful little museum. My significant other and I did the tour of the sub and coast guard boat and the museum. We were the only 2 on our tour. I couldn't go in the submarine because the ladder was too steep and my balance is horrible. I did look around on the deck of the sub and boat. I wouldn't recommend going on both the sub and boat if you have mobility issues. The tour guide was so nice and very informative. The museum had all sorts of information about WWII subs and their purpose. The grounds were so clean. Staff was friendly.

Absolutely the biggest waste of an afternoon. Self guided tour, so no info on the history or life of the sub. I can't believe I actually paid for that. DON'T waste your money and definitely don't drive an hour and twenty minutes to get there!!!!

I went as part of a scout group for the 2nd time in 4 years. Spent the night on the actual sub both times. This time our tour guide was more entertaining and I definitely had a better experience. The museum is cool you're info WWII history, especially our battles in the pacific. But the main attraction is the fully intact (and supposedly working) Gato Class submarine. We were given a 30 minute tour and then basically left on our own to come and go as we please completely unsupervised by staff. The bunks are not exactly comfortable but for one night it's not too bad. It's a great experience for young and old and recommend highly. Even if it's just for the quick tour.

When I was a kid my scout troop went every year to spend the night on the Silversides. It was the thing I looked forward to every single year. Until you've slept beside a torpedo you haven't truly lived. You can even sleep in the captain's bunk! Yes it is a self guided tour. In fact when we went there each year I don't recall ever once even seeing any kind of staff! But I do remember my scout leader warning us not to touch the controls since most of them were still active . I never got the courage to test this. I can't say enough great things about this ship and the folks that allowed a bunch of children to do something most kids never will. If you have kids I am begging you to take them to this at least once and spend the night on board. You won't be disappointed.

I couldn't have had a better experience with my kids (8-11 yo). We stayed overnight and it was unforgettable. The staff was great too. Do it, you won't regret it!

Awesome! How you can't gather any info on the boat like the one reviewer said, I don't know. The boat is in incredible shape and most of the systems still work. You are given a booklet to explains areas of the ship. There are signs that tell about certain things. It's nice to be self guided because there is no rush in and out. You can stand and look for as long as you want. It's 15 dollars to go for an adult. I don't have a problem with that at all. This thing dosen't maintain itself. The museum is very nice. They hold movie nights, sleep overs, and regularly have speakers. There is a lot of articles to read but definitely not too much. This machine is a very important part of our country's history, we are lucky to have it so close. The museum is definitely nicer than the old trailer they used to have. Sometimes there are volunteers who served on subs there. They can answer any questions you may have and are very friendly. I have been onboard 3 times and will go again,

You can view a large WWII submarine inside and out USS Silverstone. There is also a museum building next to the boat. Not a bad entertainment for a couple of hours.

Youth groups should not book overnight trips to this venue. There is to much risk. Financial and other. Beware