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The Whale Museum

702 Reviews

#6 of 28 things to do in Friday Harbor

Features Animals

Museums, Specialty Museums

Closed Now: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

62 1st St N, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA 98250-8337

Open today: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Review Highlights

“For Whale Lovers”

This was my second visit to the Museum. The staff do an amazing job with education and data on the... read more

Reviewed 1 week ago

TERESAR2260

“Great movies if you want to learn about whales and their disappearance”

Very interesting, very informative. Underwater explosions to find oil/gas, military blasting sonar... read more

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

1cannotstandstill

Seattle, Washington

Read all 702 reviews

All photos (69)

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Certificate of Excellence

Traveler Overview

4.5 702 reviews

Excellent54%
Very good33%
Average11%
Poor1%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“interactive exhibits”(12 reviews)

“gift shop”(41 reviews)

“great displays”(7 reviews)

About

The Whale Museum, located in beautiful Friday Harbor, Washington, opened to the public in 1979 as the first museum in the country devoted to a species living in the wild. Today, our museum continues to promote stewardship of whales and the Salish...more

Closed Now

Hours Today: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

See all hours

Suggested duration: 2-3 hours

Contact

62 1st St N, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA 98250-8337

Website

+1 360-378-4710

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1 - 10 of 689 reviews

TERESAR2260

103

Reviewed 1 week ago

For Whale Lovers

This was my second visit to the Museum. The staff do an amazing job with education and data on the Southern Resident Orcas. My daughter-in-law grew up visiting the museum regularly, and introduced it to us two years ago. Great fun!

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank TERESAR2260

1cannotstandstill

Seattle, Washington

273

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Great movies if you want to learn about whales and their disappearance

Very interesting, very informative. Underwater explosions to find oil/gas, military blasting sonar waves, PCB's, loss of salmon - we have a lot to do to save our whales!

Date of experience: January 2019

Thank 1cannotstandstill

Dawgmatt

North Bend, Washington

6320

Reviewed 3 weeks ago via mobile

Nice history and whale artifacts

We never had been here before so we decided to stop in. The have a nice exhibit with interesting facts. There are numerous anatomical artifacts with full explanations to go with them. Of course they are all about whale conservation programs, so they have a...More

Date of experience: January 2019

Thank Dawgmatt

bethanyanziano

SeaTac, Washington

Reviewed January 3, 2019

Very Informational

It's a small museum, but is packed with things for all to explore. Good for kids and adults of all ages.

Date of experience: December 2018

Thank bethanyanziano

ScubaEagle

Seattle, Washington

10228

Reviewed November 27, 2018

Excellent Museum with Interesting and Informative Displays

The museum has many excellent exhibits for adults and children. Be sure to watch the movie about noise in the ocean and how it harms whales and other marine life. The museum has interesting information about local whales as well as whales in other areas.This...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank ScubaEagle

Ruleena

Falls Church, Virginia

3914

Reviewed November 24, 2018

Very moving and informative

A moving experience; the Whale Museum does a great job of presenting the cold hard facts of human influence and impact on whale populations. There is also a ton of information to learn; I did not know that Orcas can live to be 100, for...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank Ruleena

kevbutnobacon

Hoek van Holland, The Netherlands

188162

Reviewed November 4, 2018

Whaling is in my blood baby !

We Dutch guys were the best whaling folk in the world ! My grandpappy was a harpooner on a whaling ship and remarkably survived after being swallowed by a blue whale. Grandpappy incurred no lasting psychological or physical problems but for the rest of his...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank kevbutnobacon

pinkarcher

Tri-Cities, Washington

6914

Reviewed October 29, 2018

very nice little museum!

Well put together displays, lots of information is shared. a school group was there during our visit- hardly noticed them. It was fun and informative. a great way to spend the afternoon. The staff is amazing and happy to answer any questions you have.Great job!

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank pinkarcher

heatherlouise2018

Chicago, Illinois

Reviewed October 26, 2018

Such a unique museum!

I'm so happy we chose to visit this museum on our trip to SJI. There are so many interesting artifacts and interactive exhibits. We had a lot of fun exploring this little gem in the islands!

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank heatherlouise2018

tyndalljm

Everett, Washington

266

Reviewed October 13, 2018 via mobile

Educational and Interesting

If you are interested in whales this is a worthwhile stop. You can learn about the history of orcas in the Salish Sea. There are skeletons of whales, dolphins, and seals. There is also some information about native history and native artifacts.