NMGL COVID-19 Re-Opening FAQs

GENERAL OPERATIONS:

Can I make reservations / pre-purchase tickets to visit the museum?
In order to maintain social distancing for our members and visitors, we are offering hourly reservations / tickets and limiting the number sold each hour. If you order your ticket online, we ask you have your order number or ticket ready to present to our museum staff when you arrive. Click here to buy/reserve your tickets.

Are reservations / pre-purchased tickets required?
No. Reservations or pre-purchased tickets are not required, however admission to the museum is limited and subject to availability based on first come, first served. Reservations and pre-purchased tickets ensure you will be able to tour the museum and our museum boats when you plan to arrive.  

I am a museum member, do I need to make a reservation?
We encourage members to make reservations ahead of time to ensure you will be able to tour the museum and museum boats when you plan to arrive, however reservations are not required. Admission to members who walk in without reservations are subject availability. If the current admission time is full, members will receive priority admission for the next available entrance time. Membership is a great way to support the museum, and especially for families can be a great way to save money on admission. If you are interested in a museum membership, click here.

How do I purchase a ticket to visit the museum?
Pre-purchased tickets are available online in 1-hour increments here. The hour on your ticket is your check-in time. You can arrive at any time during that hour, but we do ask that you arrive during your allotted time. Admission to the museum is limited and subject to availability and we are not able to guarantee admission to those not arriving at their reserved time. If you do not buy your ticket online, you can purchase a ticket inside the museum. Walk-in tickets are subject to availability and not guaranteed.

What happens if I miss my reserved time?
If you miss your pre-purchased ticket / reservation time, we cannot guarantee your admission.  IF there is space in the time you do arrive, we will do our best to honor your purchased ticket, however, those arriving at their scheduled time will receive first priority.

Are my children welcome? Are there additional concerns when visiting with children?
Children are always welcome, and encouraged, to visit. Some of our direct hands-on exhibits have been closed for the foreseeable future due to new cleaning and health guidelines, however, there are still plenty of exhibits to entertain family members of all ages.

How much does it cost to visit the museum?
For ease of ordering and as a way to speed up the check-in process at the museum, we are extending our senior/discount admission. For museum only admission, Adults 18+ are $10 and Youth (ages 6-17) are $8. For museum and ship combination admission, Adults 18+ are $16 and Youth (ages 6-17) are $14. Children 5 and under are free.

CLEANING & HEALTH INITIATIVES:

Do I need to wear a mask?
Yes, all visitors to wear a mask for their safety, and for our staff’s safety. If you forget your mask, we will have masks available or, you can purchase one of our National Museum of the Great Lakes masks (coming soon!) with proceeds supporting the museum. 

What is the museum doing to make my visit safe?
When you visit us, you’ll notice all our staff will be wearing masks. In addition, we require daily health screening assessments for all museum staff. We are also cleaning frequently touched surfaces like exhibit buttons, railings and door handles multiple times a day and offering hand sanitizing stations in the museum and on the boats. You will see we’ve simplified our checkout procedure to reduce personal interaction and expanded our signage to encourage social distancing among guests.

What can I do to help keep the museum safe for all visitors?
You can wear a mask to protect our staff and other visitors. We ask that you keep 6-feet between yourself and anyone outside your group. Additionally, please do not enter if you are sick or have had contact with someone who is sick.

You have a lot of hands-on activities and touch screens—will these all be closed?
A few of our hands-on exhibits will be closed temporarily while we determine how best to make them safe and clean for all visitors. However, the majority of our exhibits will remain open. We will be loaning out a stylus for each group to use with the touch screen exhibits to allow for a no-contact, interactive experience.

How will the museum account for social distancing?
Social distancing will be enforced throughout the museum as well as museum ships. Signage is placed throughout to encourage social distancing. Please be aware that many of the spaces on the ships are small and will be limited to 2 people or 1 group in certain cabins.

GROUP VISITS AND TOURS:

My group would like to visit, how do I make those reservations?
Currently, we are selling 36 tickets per hour, group visits can be arranged based on ticket availability. Please call 419-214-5000 x 206 or education@nmgl.org to reserve more than 10 tickets at a time. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer guided tours, and we reserve the right to split groups up to maintain appropriate social distancing.

I would like a guided tour of the Schoonmaker/Tug Ohio, how do I arrange that?
Unfortunately, all guided tours have been canceled until further notice. We encourage you to use our free Google app or Apple app that offers guided tours of both vessels. You can also visit our virtual tours and activities online.

PROGRAMS & EVENTS: 

When will the National Museum of the Great Lakes resume events and programming?
Currently, all in-person programming has been suspended. When we resume, we will announce upcoming events and programs on our web page (nmgl.org) and all our social media platforms. If you’d like to get updates from us regarding events and programs, please subscribe to our email list here.