The Abbie Garner-Sharp Cabin and the Spirit Lake Massacre Monument are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This 19th-century cabin can be found one block west of Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Visitors can learn more about the tragic circumstances surrounding the 1857 massacre on the very site at which many early Iowa Great Lakes settlers lost their lives, and young Abbie Gardner-Sharp was taken prisoner. For information call curator Mike Koppert at 332-7248.

The Dickinson County Museum is open 1–5 pm daily, June through mid-September. The building is one of the original depots found along the Chicago- Milwaukee-St. Paul Railroad, and it now houses an extensive collection that depicts the area’s historic railroad, agricultural, resort and industrial eras. The museum is just west of downtown Spirit Lake, along US Hwys. 71 and 9.

Relive the days of steamboats, motor launches and wooden cruisers with a visit to the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum. The museum has amassed a vast collection of local photographs, articles and artifacts from the Iowa Great Lakes early ‘golden days’ of boating. Visitors can also view two 11-minute multi-image presentations featuring the images of local photographer David Thoreson, experiencing and preserving the national legend. Special features of the museum include a fully restored boathouse, 25 classic wooden runabouts, an exhibit of period swimsuits and recreational fishing and hunting articles. You’ll recognize several familiar hallmarks from the old amusement park. Come visit the Maritime Museum at its new location in the Okoboji Spirit Center. Open year around with extended hours Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is well known to scientists and researchers throughout the United States. Lakeside Lab is situated northwest of Milford on US Hwy. 86 on 140 acres of land in Little Miller’s Bay. It is a research and learning facility where professors, researchers and students study native ecosystems, in particular, the water quality of the Iowa Great Lakes and how surrounding land use affects it. Educational programs and lectures are open to the public, and tours can be arranged by calling ahead. Program dates and times are published in the Calendar of Events on pages 4–5 or call the Lakeside Lab office at (712) 337-3669 for further information.

Visitors to the Lakes Art Center can enjoy viewing works in the gallery’s permanent and traveling collections and exhibits by guest artists. The Lakes Art Center also contains a gift store, library, multi-purpose room and offers art classes for all ages and skill levels. They also host a summer film series and Art in the Park, a summer celebration featuring the work of several regional artists. A new auditorium with seating for 300 and a children and adult interactive gallery is scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2001. Lakes Arts Center is open throughout the year. For gallery hours and specific event times, call (712) 332-7013.

Visitors now can tour the new Okoboji Spirit Center located on the shores of West Okoboji Lake. A multi-functional center housing the Iowa State Welcome Center, the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum and gift shop, the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, the Okoboji Tourism Committee, the Queen II office, the University of Okoboji Foundation and the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor of Opportunity. This large facility is located adjacent to the Arnolds Park Amusement Park, a brand new public swimming beach with a park and great shopping at the Queen’s Court complex. 

No visit to Okoboji is complete without a ride on the Queen II, a replica of the original ‘Queen’—the last member of the original Okoboji fleet to survive the end of the steamboat era. Visitors of all ages will enjoy her narrated cruise around West Lake Okoboji. The Queen II takes passengers out several times a day and can be chartered for private parties. Ride tickets can be purchased at the Maritime Museum.

To relive days of the past in a one-room school, visit the Westport Sesquicentennial School. This unique museum is in Kenue Park, one mile west of US Hwy. 71 on County Farm Road (170th Street). The school is open 10 am to 2 pm, Monday through Friday, July through August. For other times, call for an appointment at 332-2969.