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If you’ve ever driven through Manistee, you’ve likely seen the huge black freighter docked by the side of the road.
What: Manistee's Ghost Ship
When: Friday and Saturday 7:30-10:30 p.m., Sunday 7:30-10:00 p.m.
Where: 99 Arthur St, Manistee, MI, United States, 49660
That’s the S.S. City of Milwaukee, which for 50 years ferried people, cars and cargo across Lake Michigan.
During the summer, the ship is a museum and bed and breakfast, but for five weekends every fall it becomes something wildly and weirdly different – Manistee’s Ghost Ship – to raise money to keep the museum going.
"Last year we almost hit 100 grand. This year I'm thinking we're going to be able to surpass that," said S.S. City of Milwaukee executive director Robby Laurain.
Laurain said he has been scaring Halloween goers at the ship since he was in high school and that the uniqueness of space has made haunted house successful.
"It's not a barn. It's not a big abandoned building," said Laurain. "It's a national historic landmark — and one that's on water and is 100 years old."
One of the biggest challenges, Laurain said, is putting the haunted house in a functional museum ship.
"All of this that you can see around us has to get torn down and cleaned up between November and April, essentially, and then we have one month to set it all up," he said.
Manistee's Ghost ship is open for the next two weekends through October 31 with general admission tickets starting at $15.
