Museums

Posted

Port Townsend

 

Jefferson County Historical Museum

540 Water Street

Port Townsend

360/385-1003

jchsmuseum.org

Displays exhibits and artwork reflecting the past and present of Port Townsend. Visit the Rothschild House and Commanding Officer’s Quarters.

 

Port Townsend Aero Museum

105 Airport Road

Port Townsend

360/379-5244

ptaeromuseum.com

A variety of antique and classic aircraft, artwork, books and various displays.

 

Port Townsend Marine Science Center

532 Battery Way

Port Townsend

360/385-5582

ptmsc.org

An interactive natural history museum with hands-on aquarium features, plants, touch tanks and more.

 

Poulsbo

 

Poulsbo Heritage Museum

19020 Front Street

360.516-3975

poulsbohistory.com

Cultural heritage and daily life of early Poulsbo residents. Ongoing and rotating exhibits.

 

Poulsbo Marine Museum

19010 Front Street

360/994-4943

poulsbohistory.com

Showcases the rich maritime history of Poulsbo with exhibits and interactive displays. Featuring exhibits on logging, salmon fishing, oyster farming and the mosquito fleet.

 

San Juan Islands

 

Lopez Island Historical Society and Museum

28 Washburn Place

Lopez Island

360/468-2049

lopezmuseum.org

Alongside permanent First Islanders and Natural History displays, there are rotating exhibits on farming, fishing, place name origins and island communities. Features more than 200 Native stone, bone and antler artifacts from First Islander life.

 

Orcas Island Historical Museum

181 N Beach Road

Eastsound Village

360/376-4849

orcasmuseums.org

Six original homestead cabins built during the 1870s and the 1890s were taken apart, moved, reconstructed and sited together to create the museum’s main facility. The museum contains Native American artifacts, photography, and skeletal remains from a family of 14,000-year-old Bison antiquus.

 

San Juan Islands

Museum of Art

540 Spring Street

Friday Harbor

360/370-5050

sjima.org

The SJIMA offers rotating exhibitions through three galleries, focusing on artists of northwestern states and southwestern Canada.

 

San Juan Historical Museum

323 & 405 Price Street

Friday Harbor

360/378-3949

sjmuseum.org

Honoring heritage and history, the museum gives visitors the opportunity to explore the grounds of the restored King farmhouse, original county jail and Scribner’s log cabin.

 

The Whale Museum

62 1st Street N

Friday Harbor

360/378-4710

whalemuseum.org

The Whale Museum, opened in 1979, was the first museum in the country devoted to whales living in the wild. Today, the museum continues to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research.

 

Whidbey/Camano

 

Island County Historical Society

908 NW Alexander Street

Coupeville

360/678-3310

islandhistory.org

A museum that features local and regional history including ice age relics, mammoth remains, a fine Native American collection (with cedar dugout canoes), maritime, early settlers, and the first automobile on Whidbey Island (1902 Holsman auto buggy).

 

Langley Whale Center

105 Anthes Avenue

Langley

360-221-7505

orcanetwork.org

Learn about the whales and marine mammals of the Salish Sea. Southern resident and transient orcas, and Gray whales. Unique gift shop.

 

South Whidbey Historical Society Museum

312 Second Street

Langley

360/221-2101

southwhidbeyhistory.org

Focusing on the history of the south end of Whidbey Island, the museum also maintains the McLeod Cabin, an original log building and the Brooks Hill House with its photographs of early log structures.

 

Anacortes

 

Anacortes Museum and Maritime Heritage Center

1305 8th Street

Anacortes

360/293-1915

anacorteswa.gov/333/Museum

The museum houses a collection of hundreds of charts and maps, including railroad maps, town plat maps, nautical charts as well as fish trap maps, exhibits on local fishing and shipbuilding industries.

 

La Conner

 

Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA)

121 S First Street

La Conner

360/466-4446

monamuseum.org

Located in the heart of La Conner this museum offers an exploration of art, diverse cultures and environment in the Northwest, with a series of rotating and permanent collections.

 

Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum

703 S Second Street

La Conner

360/466-4288

qfamuseum.org

Located in the historic Gaches mansion, this museum is a space dedicated to the display of textile work from local, national, and international quilters.

 

Skagit County Historical Museum

501 S 4th Street

La Conner

360/466-3365

skagitcounty.net/museum

From parlors to plows, Native American baskets to Shirley Temple dolls, the museum galleries are overflowing with interesting and often unusual treasures of Skagit County’s vibrant past.

 

Burlington

 

Children’s Museum of Skagit County

432 Fashion Way

Burlington

360/757-8888

skagitchildrensmuseum.net

Educational exhibits and events provide kids of all ages with hands-on learning experiences, geared toward promoting an understanding of the arts, science and culture.

 

Heritage Flight Museum

15053 Crosswind Drive

Burlington

360/424-5151

heritageflight.org

The Heritage Flight Museum displays military aircraft, models and memorabilia.

 

Bellingham

 

Mindport Exhibits

210 W Holly Street

Bellingham

360/647-5614

mindport.org

A fixture in downtown Bellingham since 1995, Mindport is an interactive space where the intersections of art and science can be explored by all ages and abilities. Our unique environment fosters observation, delight, learning and play.

 

SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention

1312 Bay Street

Bellingham

360/738-3886

sparkmuseum.org

Spark features interactive exhibits displaying the inventions and innovations that changed the course of human history. Come to the Megazapper Show to see 4.5 million volts of electricity light up the room.

 

Whatcom Museum

121 Prospect Street

Lightcatcher Space at 250 Flora Street

Bellingham

360/778-8930

whatcommuseum.org

Located in downtown Bellingham, this museum displays more than 200,000 artifacts and artworks of regional importance.

 

The Marine Life Center

1801 Roeder Avenue

Bellingham

360/671-2431

bit.ly/3rW2Z0n

Part of the Northwest Discovery Project, the Marine Life Center introduces visitors to the marine flora and fauna of the Salish Sea

 

Ferndale

 

Historic Pioneer Villiage

2000 Cherry Street

Ferndale

360/384-6461

whatcomoldsettlers.com

Large collection of cedar slab cabins, guided tours and annual events.

 

Blaine

 

Alaska Packers Association Cannery and Fishing Museum

9261 Semiahmoo Parkway

Blaine

360/371-3558

bit.ly/3vlTE3S

Housed in an old cannery building, the museum focuses on the history of fishing and canning in Blaine.

 

Point Roberts

 

Point Roberts Historical Society’s History Center

1437 Gulf Road

Point Roberts

360/945-7747

Facebook @pointrobertshistoricalsociety

Located in a WPA-built community center, the History Center highlights the rich and diverse history of this unique American exclave through videos and photographs, thoughtful displays and a wall-to-wall timeline.

 

B.C.

 

White Rock Museum and Archives

14970 Marine Drive

White Rock

604/541-2221

whiterockmuseum.ca

Located in the historic White Rock Train Station building on the beach, this museum offers rotating exhibitions and events for all ages to showcase local history.

 

Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society

12138 Fourth Avenue

Richmond

604/664-9009

gulfofgeorgiacannery.org

Located in the fishing village of Steveston, the largest commercial fishing port in Canada, this museum preserves, presents and promotes the history of Canada’s west coast fishing industry.

 

Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site

5180 Westwater Drive

Steveston

604/238-8050

britanniashipyard.ca

A rare example of the type of village which once served the thriving fishing industry with its canneries, boatyards, stores, homes and its mix of cultures. A national historic site.

 

UBC Museum of Anthropology

6393 NW Marine Drive

Vancouver

604/827-5932

moa.ubc.ca

The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia is world-renowned for its totem pole collection, research and teaching.

 

Vancouver Maritime Museum

1905 Ogden Avenue

Vancouver

604/257-8300

vanmaritime.com

Since 1959, the Vancouver Maritime Museum Society has worked to preserve and tell the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest and Arctic.