The museum holds a wide variety of period furniture, glassware, Oriental rugs and a rare collection of automated musical instruments. Tours are conducted between 1 and 4 PM Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Manistee County Historical Museum features one of the largest collections of Victorian artifacts in Michigan. Unlike in most museums, the antiques are displayed openly, giving visitors a more realistic historical experience. The 1883 downtown Manistee building houses a general store, log cabin and eight period rooms including offices, a parlor, dining room, bedroom and kitchen.
Research facilities are available.
The museum is open 10 AM and 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and also on Monday throughout the summer. The tour features about 25 spectacular Victorian homes with designs ranging from Colonial Revival to Italianate to Queen Anne and Victorian Gothic. A 15-stop commercial walking tour includes the Ramsdell Building, Manistee County Historical Museum and Ramsdell Theater, the only theater in Michigan using its original painted backdrops. You'll see some of Manistee's great historic and natural sites including Victorian architecture, wetlands and the port city's lighthouse. Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial to Labor Day.