Presented in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office, Michigan Archaeology Day returns to the Michigan History Museum in Lansing Saturday, Oct. 29, with free admission for all thanks to the generous support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

This annual event is so big, the museum can’t hold it all! Activities are spread throughout the museum and grounds outdoors. Join a scavenger hunt, watch a flintknapper shape stone tools, try hitting a target using a spear-thrower called an atlatl and much more.

Plus, archaeologists will be on hand to answer your questions about their work and show you artifacts they found that help tell the story of 14,000 years of Michigan history. Don't miss it!

Learn more about Michigan Archaeology Day.

Here at the Michigan History Center, we value our opportunity and responsibility to preserve and share history – we and our partner the Michigan Historical Commission know we are not alone in this endeavor.

To elevate the importance of individual efforts to share and preserve Michigan history, we have resumed a history awards program with two distinct awards.

An award named for Gov. John B. Swainson (pictured) recognizes public employees who don't have jobs in history but whose passion for the story of our state drives them to make an impact on the field and their communities.

The Milliken, Adams, Austin, Kelley – shortened to MAAK – Award recognizes an individual of exceptional leadership and vision who supports Michigan’s historic resources, programs and institutions; it is not limited to the public sector.

Nominations for both awards must be received by Dec. 31.

See awards FAQs and the nomination form.

If you've been meaning to stop by the Michigan History Museum to see the current special exhibit "Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century," time is running out – the exhibit closes Sunday, Nov. 6!

You'll be treated to a glimpse into Alten's experience as an immigrant in the late 1800s and an up-close look at his Impressionist-style interpretation of landscapes in his adopted home. The exhibit is included in regular museum admission.

Plan your visit to the Michigan History Museum.

As the Upper Peninsula's summer tourist season closes, our Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee is now on its winter schedule.

Through April 30, the museum is open Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum also has a full slate of enrichment opportunities for students in its Future Historians program.

Plan your visit to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum.

A visiting archivist is now assisting local history organizations in Michigan, thanks to a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and a partnership between the Archives of Michigan and the Michigan State Historic Records Advisory Board.

More than 40 local history organizations from across the state applied to take part in the Save Michigan History program, which provides personalized consultations from a visiting archivist to assist in implementing overall best practices, identifying practical solutions to challenges like storage and disaster preparedness, and identifying potential future grant projects to improve preservation and access to collections. 

The Archives is excited to welcome Jessica Bigelow as the Save Michigan History program’s visiting archivist. Jessica is a recent graduate of the University of Indiana’s Department of Information and Library Science and has already begun hitting the road after starting at the Archives this past July.  

Organizations from 26 counties across the state submitted applications and the 12 organizations selected for archivist visits represent all five regions of the state. For all applicants, the Archives will offer free webinars and one-on-one phone or video conferences to assist in emergency preparedness, collection development and digitization.

Some say fall is the best Michigan season of all. If you have an itch to get out on the road, add a stop at our seasonal museums below before they close for the year.

Make some memories and learn some history! Keep closing dates in mind before you go and find visitor information for each site below:

• Through Oct. 30
  • Hartwick Pines Logging Museum, Grayling.
• Through Oct. 30
  • Higgins Lake Nursery and CCC Museum, Roscommon.