The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum (a 501 (c)(3) educational non-profit) collects, preserves, and interprets the unique maritime history, culture, and environment of Lake Pontchartrain, the lower Mississippi River, and the Louisiana Gulf Coast with a modern museum, wooden boat building facility, educational programs, and the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse, currently under restoration. Each October, the annual Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival brings over 30,000 people to the community.