Great Lakes Steward Ship Initiative Northeast Michigan

Our mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit authentic articles and artifacts of art, history, and science to inspire curiosity, foster community pride, and cultivate personal legacy.  The Besser Museum is dedicated to serving the public of all ages and abilities.

 Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan is an educational institution dedicated to providing the public with enriching cultural experiences in art, history and science. The Museum’s eight-acre campus offers a modern 42,000 square foot facility containing a collection of over 47,000 artifacts. The Museum houses a full dome planetarium and a two-story Foucault pendulum. Besser Museum also offers the unique opportunity to dig and keep all the Devonian period fossils you find in our outdoor Lafarge Fossil Park exhibit.

     Besser Museum art exhibits rotate through an extensive collection of fine art with works from local, regional, national, and world renowned artists such as Dali, Cezanne, Renoir, Picasso, Warhol, Rivera, Chihuly, Clewell and more!

If history is more your liking, the following exhibits may be of interest:

• The Museum’s 1890’s Avenue of Shops

• The Historic Village with five original structures, each over 100 years old

• Jesse Besser and the Besser Company exhibit

• The 1911 Alpena Flyer vehicle and the Alpena Motor Car Company exhibit

• Peoples of Lakes and Forests exhibit with prehistoric and Native American artifacts

• Exhibits in the Natural Wildlife Gallery, located in the museum’s lower level, features native and non-native Michigan Great Lakes fish, a variety of flora and fauna of Northeast Michigan, and mounted species from around the world.