National Museum of the Great Lakes Announces Exclusive Curator Tours for Dark Waters: True Crime & Mystery on the Great Lakes

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September 11, 2025 (Toledo, Ohio) – The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) is offering visitors a rare opportunity to go beyond the exhibit walls with Dark Waters: Curator Tours, guided by the exhibit’s curator and the museum’s Director Emeritus, Chris Gillcrist.

Step into the shadows of Great Lakes history during these exclusive tours, where Gillcrist shares untold stories, chilling details, and insider insights into how Dark Waters: True Crime & Mystery on the Great Lakes came together.

Tour Dates & Times

  • Saturday, Sept. 20 – 10:15–11:15 a.m. | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 25 – 10:15–11:15 a.m. | 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 1 – 10:15–11:15 a.m. (Final opportunity to see the exhibit.)

Tickets:  $20 NMGL Members | $40 Non-Members
Museum admission included. Registration required. Find out more at nmgl.org/events.
All tours take place in the temporary exhibit gallery at the National Museum of the Great Lakes. Dark Waters is recommended for ages 13 and up.

“These tours let me share what didn’t fit on the labels—the research, the curatorial choices, and the questions that still keep me curious,” said Chris Gillcrist, Director Emeritus and curator of Dark Waters. “We’ll look closely at the artifacts, connect them to the people and decisions behind each case, and talk about where the mysteries remain.”

Participants will explore all seven stories featured in the gallery while discovering additional accounts, hidden details, and deeper context behind the artifacts on display. The exhibit is scheduled to close at the end of October 2025; the Nov. 1 tour offers a final, limited-access viewing before deinstallation.

Tickets are available now at nmgl.org/events. Space is limited.

About the National Museum of the Great Lakes: The National Museum of the Great Lakes preserves, shares, and celebrates the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story. As an interactive, experiential museum, we offer visitors the chance to explore thousands of years of history and stories through nine dynamic exhibit galleries—including a rotating temporary exhibition space—and two historic museum vessels, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and the Museum Tug Ohio, plus the pilothouse of the storied St. Marys Challenger.

Founded in 1944 as the Great Lakes Historical Society, we have a long-standing commitment to education, research, and storytelling. Our initiatives include the publication of Inland Seas®, a quarterly journal of Great Lakes history since 1945 and decades of maritime preservation and archaeological exploration. Today, we strive to be the gathering place for Great Lakes conversations—welcoming all to connect with the stories, people, and innovations that have shaped and continue to influence this vital region.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Streichert Lovejoy, 419-460-8181