Port Huron Museum, Port Huron

The building that houses the Port Huron Museum is a piece of history in its own right. Originally constructed by Andrew Carnegie in 1902, it served as the public library, and was slated for demolition just a few decades ago before being saved and lovingly restored by volunteers. Today it's home, not to books, but to more than 45,000 objects relating to the history of the Blue Water area, including Native American artifacts and one of Michigan's largest model ship collections.

But beyond the walls of the main building, the Port Huron Museum also includes several historic locations where visitors can step back into the region's past. These include the Huron Lightship, a floating lighthouse that was stationed at the Great Lakes in the 1900s, as well as the Thomas Edison depot, where the young inventor once published his own newspaper for the train riders.