The Whale Museum is located at 62 1st Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. Keep in mind, you will need to get to Friday Harbor by ferry or sea plane.
Once on San Juan Island, the museum is walking distance from the ferry terminal:
Go one block SW (uphill) on Spring Street.
Turn right onto 1st Street, heading NW (more uphill).
Continue one and a half blocks on 1st Street.
We are located on the right at 62 1st Street.
As advised on their website, “Washington State Ferries recommends reservations for vehicles traveling to and from the islands. Alternatively, parking is available at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal for a fee. See Washington State Ferries for more information.”
The museum is open 10am-4pm daily with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day with early closure at 2pm the night before those holidays. Additionally, be aware that the museum closes to the public for annual inventory from January 1st through the Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The prices for admission are as follows:
Since The Whale Museum seeks to educate others on whales and current research surrounding these majestic mammals, they hold a free summer lecture series as well as occasionally hold an open house that highlights new and upcoming projects.
Another noteworthy feature of this museum is that on the last Monday of every month, they hold a museum quiet hour from 5pm-6pm which is a sensory friendly program for those who may need a quieter space to enjoy the museum.
I love it when my trip to a museum ends up being so much more than just “a trip to a museum.” When walking from the ferry terminal to The Whale Museum, there is much atmosphere and information to take in.
Along the walking paths, there are signs with information about the history and sustainability of the surrounding areas which provide a greater context for how we coexist with whales in this community.
Once inside, you’ll see that the museum spans two floors and offers an abundance of information about whales that is conveyed through maps, artwork, and a variety of artifacts. The day of my visit, there was a group of children from a school fieldtrip so I was not able to take many pictures of the interior of the museum. However, the interior was well laid out with many exhibits and activities within view for smaller kids. Something I strongly appreciated about the museum is that some exhibits explain the environmental impact of humans on whales and their migration and communication. One exhibit that was particularly eye-opening was a documentary that walks viewers through whale research and how delicate our ecosystems can be. Even though I live in an extremely land-locked state, I was able to walk away from this museum with a stronger understanding of how my simple actions can impact our oceans, for better or worse. I think it speaks volumes to this museum and the people that work there that they instill a strong call to action for our environment.
Thank you for reading this far! Here is an added bonus.
Upon researching more information for this article, I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Whale Museum is involved in several projects such as The Whale Hotline and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
One project that visitors can see in action is the Lime Kiln Lighthouse: SeaSound Remote Sensing Network and Webcam.
https://whalemuseum.org/pages/seasound-remote-sensing-network
If you are craving more adventure after your museum visit, you can visit the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. The Lime Kiln Lighthouse is on the East side of San Juan Island, about a twenty-minute drive from The Whale Museum.
The Lime Kiln Lighthouse has further information that is free to access as well as hiking trails and a whale watching site. See picture 14
Inside the lighthouse, you’ll find The Whale Museum’s official whale listening station. The listening station includes information on what you might hear and gives an overview of how sound travels under water.
Outside the light house, there is lots to see and do. Something I enjoyed seeing is the signs of information explaining the land formations and how they impact the wildlife because of water levels, quality of the water, and how ships navigate through the water.
Last but not least, if you are up to the challenge, there are walking trails around the lighthouse which give you plenty more to explore. Personally, I found the walking trails to be one of the highlights of the trip because there are trails that take you through the different biomes of the island, from forest to seaside.
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Norahlyza has been writing since 2015 and has self-published nine books. She has a bachelor's degree in History and Psychology from CU Boulder and a master’s in ICT Project Management from the University of Denver.