Harbors, Marinas & Waterfronts

Take in the sights and sounds of each community’s harbor. Enjoy the comings-and-goings of sleek pleasure boats and hear the stories of those returning from sport fishing charters.

Manitowoc Harbor

Maritime Dr., Manitowoc

Keep an eye out for the S.S. Badger Carferry as it steams into port. Or, walk out to the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse. The city is also home to Burger Boat, a premiere yacht builder.

Two Rivers Harbor

Two Rivers is home to three commercial fishing fleets and is one of only six Wisconsin ports with a Coast Guard station. The Ninth District Great Lakes Coast Guard was created in 1915 when the Life-Saving Service merged with the Revenue-Cutter Service.

Harbor Park

Harrison St., Kewaunee

Watch as fishermen and sailboats head out onto Lake Michigan. Or, toss in your own line from the shore. On summer Sundays, listen to local live music.

Heritage Park

Steele & Lake St., Algoma

This great little waterfront park provides spectacular water views, a small playground and an excellent spot to watch the local fishermen come and go from the Algoma Marina. It is also the northern end of the Crescent Beach Boardwalk and the home of Algoma’s Wednesday evening concert series in July.

Working Waterfront

Sturgeon Bay

This port city boasts two active shipyards – Bay Shipbuilding, which builds and repairs shipping vessels, and Palmer Johnson, which makes luxury yachts.

Questions visitors ask

Where is the best place to watch freighters in Sturgeon Bay?

From the Michigan Street Bridge or the downtown waterfront near the Door County Maritime Museum, which looks across the bay at the Bay Shipbuilding docks. In winter, when much of the lake fleet lays up, freighters often wait out the season at the yard.

Is the Two Rivers Coast Guard station still active?

The old site called Two Rivers one of six Wisconsin ports with a Coast Guard station. The old station building was moved off the waterfront long ago. Rogers Street Fishing Village has the 1886 pierhead light and an exhibit on the Life-Saving Service; ask locally about the active station.

Original text restored from the Wayback Machine capture of June 26, 2015. Typos and dead links were tidied; nothing else in the original section was rewritten. How this archive works.