Muskegon is a waterfront city on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where the Muskegon River flows through Muskegon Lake before emptying into Lake Michigan through a wide channel. It was once called the "Lumber Queen of the World" — in 1887 alone, 47 sawmills surrounding Muskegon Lake cut 665 million board feet of timber — and the grand Victorian homes built during that era are still visible throughout the city.
The waterfront is the city's main attraction. The USS Silversides submarine — one of the most decorated American subs of the Pacific War — is permanently moored and open for tours, and you can even spend the night in the torpedo bunks. The adjacent LST 393, a WWII landing ship that hit the beaches at Normandy, is one of only two surviving examples of its class. Inland, the Hackley and Hume Historic Site preserves two of Michigan's most ornate Victorian mansions, and the Muskegon Museum of Art has a solid collection of American and European painting.
Muskegon State Park offers Lake Michigan beaches in summer and a luge track in winter. Michigan's Adventure, one of the largest amusement parks in the state, is just north of the city. The Lake Express ferry connects Muskegon to Milwaukee across the lake in 2.5 hours.