Hammer Museum
Hammer Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
Closed
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
About
What is a hammer? Can a fist be a hammer? Does it have to hit a nail? Stop in and explore our collection of 2,500 hammers and see the many uses of this diverse and long-lived tool. Although we see a lot of visitors from the trades, you don't have to be a hammer enthusiast to enjoy this unique museum. Hammers do more than hit things, they also tell stories about the people who use them. You may enter bewildered but you'll leave with a newfound appreciation for the hammer!
Duration: < 1 hour
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See what travelers are saying
- Karen123WVElkins, West Virginia324 contributionsWhat a quirky place!I never knew there were so many types of hammers! The museum is in a small house and there were hammers for every conceivable nature. The man who owns the museum was there and telling about the various hammers. There's a hammer from Tim "The Toolman" Taylor. Worth the 20-30 minute visit.Visited June 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten June 8, 2024
- Cheryl E33 contributionsUnusual Hammer Museum in HainesWe had the best time at the Hammer Museum. We walked past the museum and then walked back as we became curious as to what could be in a hammer museum. Not knowing what to expect, I had no idea there were so many different kinds of hammers! It was refreshing to find someone so enthusiastic about hammers and his job! His enthusiasm was contagious as we have seen hammers since our visit to the Haines Hammer Museum. A few days after our visit, we went on a crab boat and noticed, they had a bunch of different types of hammers that they use. The Museum even stayed open late as our cruise ship did not dock in Haines until after 6pm. Very unusual and interesting museum in Haines. It is a one of a kind museums and would recommend it being checked out.Visited September 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 21, 2024
- ITRT46,379 contributionsIf I Were a Hammer, I’d Go to Haines, AlaskaWhat do you do if your wife says enough is enough? Well, you open a museum to display about 2,000 different types of hammers.! But first the museum as a privately owned one in 2002 but became a non-profit organization in 2004. Even hammers may not be your favorite thing to see, the Hammer Museum must be at the top of must see when in Haines, Alaska. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for military, and children under 12 are free. It’s not difficult to find. Just look for the cottage with a 19-foot hammer in front of it on Main Street.Visited September 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten November 12, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
196 reviews
Excellent
111
Very good
65
Average
17
Poor
2
Terrible
1
VillagerRick
The Villages, FL1,016 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
This is a small museum on the edge of town - what was once a dilapidated house has been nicely repurposed. Kind of a goofy entrance (also the exit) it can get jammed up with folks coming and going. We were fortunate to have a narrated tour of some of the highlights, and were left on our own to explore. While not a huge facility, it is jammed packed with well labeled displays. They also have a small gift shop.
Written August 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Usia2014
Calgary, Canada1,955 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Well with the huge honkin’ hammer on this lawn, you can certainly hammer out anything and everything! Find it when walking around Haines. There is a hammer for all hand types and needs. Excellent collection and display. I especially enjoyed the works of art made out of hammers.
Written May 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Frank Sories
San Francisco, CA224 contributions
May 2022
Let's face it. Haines isn't exactly the Big Apple, and there aren't scads of things to do here. Therefore the Hammer Museum is one of the most interesting and amusing things to do in town. There are many, many types of hammers, and perusing this collection is actually an educational experience. I recommend it highly.
Written June 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate your kind review & so glad you had a rewarding experience!
Written July 20, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ed D
3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I had an interest in visiting since my dad worked at Stanley Tools for decades making hammers. I had an open hour on our cruise ship stop and was glad I went. Interesting tool displays and a very engaging hammer SME who knows the collection inside and out. It was a good use of an hour.
Written September 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maxene923
New York City, NY106 contributions
Aug 2017 • Solo
I prefer quirky museums, and this was among the quirkiest! The young woman who worked there explained the origins, by a man whose wife made him clear out his tool collection! I like the life-size models of people working with the tools, and the explanations of some of the hammers (particularly the pig hammer!). There is also a display of nails!
Written November 15, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelNReviewer
San Diego152 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
Sorry about that title, as I'm sure the jokes have all been told before, and I can't read all the reviews to see if I have stolen someone else's lines. Others that came to mind (independently I assure you) are "I got hammered at the Hammer Museum", "Head for the Hammer Museum", "At only $5, you won't get hit too hard for admission", and so on. Anyway, to the review. We heard about this on our cruise ship, and decided to see what over 2,000 hammers look like. The big hammer outside is one of those "have to take a picture" spots and the staff were so friendly and knowledgeable, you just can't fail to have a good time.
As expected, the museum is a converted house, with walls and walls of every type of hammer you could possibly imagine and many you could not have imagined. I think this type of museum falls under the same category as the Museum of Toilets, or the Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri, or the parasite museum in Tokyo, or the giant ball of string somewhere in the American southwest.... The owners, who started collecting a few hammers on a lark, eventually got a bit carried away. Once others began donating to the cause...well you can guess the rest.
It sounds ridiculous, but I think you won't be sorry you saw it. It's only about 3 rooms, but as I said, the staff make the experience, and when was the last time you could pose in front of a wall of hundreds of odd looking hammers? Don't miss the hidden hammers in the stone wall along the sidewalk.
As expected, the museum is a converted house, with walls and walls of every type of hammer you could possibly imagine and many you could not have imagined. I think this type of museum falls under the same category as the Museum of Toilets, or the Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri, or the parasite museum in Tokyo, or the giant ball of string somewhere in the American southwest.... The owners, who started collecting a few hammers on a lark, eventually got a bit carried away. Once others began donating to the cause...well you can guess the rest.
It sounds ridiculous, but I think you won't be sorry you saw it. It's only about 3 rooms, but as I said, the staff make the experience, and when was the last time you could pose in front of a wall of hundreds of odd looking hammers? Don't miss the hidden hammers in the stone wall along the sidewalk.
Written June 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Love the Puns!!! We will have to start using 'Head for The Hammer Museum' That one is great!Thank you for your visit.
Written August 10, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dan Fendel
4 contributions
Aug 2019
This is apparently the largest collection of hammers in the world. As I wandered in the collection, I came across an item by a relative of my late wife. He had invented an improved version of the reflex hammer - the thing that doctors use to hit your knee and test your reflexes. I contacted his daughter, and she hadn't known of this invention of his.
Written November 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LouAnn R
Wauwatosa, WI237 contributions
Sep 2019
While on our Cruise, Haines was a stop. While the girls in our group wandered a few of the shops, the guys went to the Hammer Museum. Honestly, they could not stop talking about it. There are hammers of every size and shape. You can spend as much or as little time as you want to look at hammers. The guys loved it!
Written October 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff H
Kennewick, WA53 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
When you hear of the hammer museum, you think so what? But it is well worth the $5 admission fee. We were lucky since a tour came through while we were there and the guide explained some of the hammers. His favorite was one that was used to light the oil lanterns on old cars that also had an attachment for smoking and another one for drinking. So it was a driving& smoking and drinking tool! Lots of hammers from the Egyptians to the modern era.
Written April 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Family N
14 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
It sounds like a joke when people say “Go to the hammer museum.” This is a quirky place by so interesting. Hammers of all shapes, sizes and so many different and such different functions. Take time to visit. Who knows you might be able to identify the hammers they do not know what they were used for in the past.
Written January 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I spent 45 minutes to an hour there. It was very interesting. If you're in to hammers you could spend a lot longer there.
Written June 28, 2017
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