Sheboygan County Museum

Spring Speaker Series
2025-04-01 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-04 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago)
Presenters explore the impact of Sheboygan County’s watershed and how it continues to form who we are. Join us the first Tuesdays of spring, March–June.
$5 public and free for members. Pre-registration is encouraged at link below.
Register for May
Tuesday March 4, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
History of Sheboygan Surf, Larry Williams
Giant waves on Sheboygan’s coast of Lake Michigan have given way to cultural and recreational moments including the identity of “Malibu of the Midwest.” Sheboygan’s unique surf has permeated blockbuster movies, progressed wetsuit technology, and required innovations for ice-encrusted forecasts as told by co-founder of the Dairyland Surf Classic, Larry Williams.
Tuesday April 1, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
Sheboygan County’s Ice Age Story, David Mickelson
The Laurentide Ice Sheet went wild in Sheboygan County 100,000 years ago and left us with a landscape that defines our work, our play, our wildlife, and our beloved Ice Age Trail. UW–Madison provides a Badger Talk with Senior Scientist David Mickelson to unpack the erratics.
Tuesday May 6, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
An Underwater Museum: The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast, Russ Green
The power of nature rules in the recent NOAA designation of coastline from Kewaunee County to Port Washington as a National Marine Sanctuary housing 36 known shipwrecks, ways to explore them, and coordination to protect their history. NOAA’s Director of the Great Lakes National Marine Sanctuary Russ Green lets us dive deeper than we ever could before.
Tuesday June 3, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm
The Business of Water Stewardship, Samantha McLelland
At the center of all business lies profound shared resources. Part of the mission of many companies includes intercultural and international efforts to keep resources like water healthy. Learn about how Kohler Co. stewards watersheds from Sheboygan County to locations worldwide with the company’s Enterprise Program Manager of Water Samantha McClelland.

Family Nights
2025-03-10 16:00 - 18:00
Did you know that your family makes Sheboygan County history every day? So get over to 3110 Erie Ave and get connected to that history at Sheboygan County Museum’s Family Nights featuring special hours and playful programs.
Drop-in 4:00pm–6:00pm
Regular admission/Free for members (unless specified)
Interested in sponsoring Family Nights to be free for all? Contact Executive Director Brett Lobello at brett.lobello@sheboygancounty.com.
March 10
Water Magic Tricks
Make a wand and try your hand at various water magic trick stations. Try our Agua Fresca recipe (drinks available for purchase) and get full access to the museum campus.
Sheboygan County Museum

May 5
Fish Badges
Get into the flow of Sheboygan County’s glorious fishing history just days after opening day. Make your own Gyotaku fish print patch with Elkhart Lake artist and business owner The Mad Patcher.
See the Girl Scouts’ fishing badge prototype, created and earned first right here in Sheboygan!
Sheboygan County Museum

August 11
Lantern Making
Vollrath Park, free for all

August 18
Lantern Making
Vollrath Bowl Lantern Parade at 8:00pm
Vollrath Park, free for all

October 13
Outdoor Guerilla Tree Art
Sheboygan County Museum

Water/ Ways - Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit
2025-03-01 - 2025-05-10
Our World IS Water

US Sailing Center Sheboygan & Sheboygan Lighthouse

On display at the Sheboygan County Museum from March 1 through May 10, 2025, Water/ Ways, a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit, reminds us that as a natural resource and a vital component of humanity, water is both practical and essential to the environmental, cultural, and historical experience of life on our planet.

Ice harvesting on Random Lake, WI

Representing over 71% of the Earth’s surface, water is an essential component of everyday life on our planet. This critical role is not just as a natural resource, but as a shared substance that shapes the artistic, economic, and cultural experience of community, people, and time. Water/ Ways, explores the relationship between people and water through this multi-faceted lens. Additional local content will further explore the impact of water for Sheboygan County residents past and present.

“Cooler by the Lake” Art Chair, Kristin Olson. 2023.

Water/ Ways is a Museum on Main Street exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and inspired by an exhibition developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org).
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Cover Image: Fishing on the Chattahoochee River, Ga. Photo by Steve Harwood
