Always Wanted to Build Your Own Boat?

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville helps students of all ages make their nautical dreams come true.

Lens Onthejob

Best known as the organizer of the annual Wooden Boat Festival — planned for Sept. 25 and 26 this year — the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum doesn’t just educate about all things maritime, it holds boatbuilding classes to encourage more people to enjoy our waterways in their own style. Three times a year (March, June and Sept.) professional instructor Ron Blue (in green) guides youth and adults in building skiffs, pirogues, bateaus, or any kind of boat they’ve dreamed about. Boat restoration classes are also available. Year-round the museum is a popular spot for student field trips and guided tours and offers youth STEM camps in the summer. For more information, including on a new Smithsonian traveling exhibit coming in the fall, visit LPBMM.org.

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