The Whale Museum

Though there were many whale tooths on display, I would say that the museum overall is very long in the tooth.

Everything is in desperate need of an update. The displays are looking old and shabby but worst of all the information needs updating. There was lots of sad news here but nothing about the biggest success story of all...the humpbacks have returned to the Salish Sea in ever growing numbers! I think I heard that there are now over 800 of them in the summer months. Up from zero!!! Yes, they had totally decimated a vibrant humpback population down to zero but through conservation efforts that started back in the '60s, the humpbacks have returned!

I would also like to see more innovative and interactive displays especially for the kiddos!

Admission was $9, & we spent an hour here. We could adopt an orca as well, they have been on the endangered list since 2005. A lot of whale information pics, videos, totems, hands-on interactive exhibits & even calls & sounds of orcas. Discovered that orcas are baleen whales have baleen instead of teeth which they use to collect shrimp-like krill, plankton & small fish from the sea. These bristly baleen plates filter, sift, sieve or trap the whales' prey from seawater inside their mouths. Baleen is made out of keratin, the same protein that makes up our fingernails and hair. Yes, it was here to see and touch.

We exited through a colorful gift shop. Lots of tee shirts, books, photographs, trinkets ....

My friends and I were visiting Friday Harbor, and on the top of our list was The Whale Museum. We are very interested in marine mammal conservation and heard about the mission of the Museum: not only to curate and display artifacts related to whales in the Salish Sea area, but also education and research to promote the growth and sustainability of the ecosystem.

The Museum itself is in a lovely historic building in downtown Friday Harbor; it covers two floors and can easily be toured within 90 minutes to 2 hours. There's a swell little gift shop on the ground floor, and you'll have the opportunity to Adopt an Orca-how cool!

Special thanks to Casey in the gift shop/admission area; we spoke with her when we arrived about our love of whales and desire to do some whale-watching while we were on San Juan Island. As we finished our tour of the museum, she found us and let us know that there was a group of orcas sighted off Lime Kiln Point, and we were able to dash across the island and catch several sightings of the last three members of the group! It was a great start to our whale-watching adventures! We really appreciate Casey taking the time and effort to find us and let us know the whales were there. It made our day!

We're so grateful for the work of the Whale Museum and will spread the word: The Museum is the best first stop for any visit to the islands!

This small museum is full of plaques, signs, pictures and skeletons. We learned quite a bit, even though it's on the small side. The big skeletons are the best part, putting them into scale. They have a room dedicated to learning the different calls of the different resedent orca pods. (They have different patterns and pitches!)

This place in rare because I never been to a Whale museum. Everyone is super nice in this place. It's cheap $12 for entry. However if you have a student id it's 50% off, and if you attend any of the "sing sings" at the Lime Kiln Park then it's free. If you sign up for an annual membership for $30 some then you receive unlimited entries for FREE for 12 months.

The museum offers a lot of history on the whales. It has very interesting videos on the whales. This is a place that I was very interested in and I'm not a big whale person but it changed my ways.

Check it out worth it. I promise. We go here every time we are on the island. Love this place. :)

My girlfriend and I went whale watching at Port Townsend which made a small stop at the San Juan Islands - which is the Friday Harbor. For a small town at Friday Harbor, this whale museum is good way to wind down and learn a bit more of different kinds of whales. Pricing is below $10 and you do feel like your are helping the local museum run. Some of their equipment is out dated, especially their TV.

The highlight of the museum is definitely how they keep track all the orcas in the area with specific names. They identify orcas by their fins which is quite amazing.

Its a one stop visit for me. Come by if you are in the area. You will spend a good 45 minutes here atleast.

Just OK as far as museums go. I'd have watched some of the videos but one was a bit long for the grandkids. Interesting facts and such. One time will be enough. We won't visit again.

Small and dated museum located off Spring Street dedicated to different species of whales that abound the waters of the San Juans. The exhibit is housed on two floors with most displays on the second floor. The stairscase is steep, but they have a stairlift available. We were most entertained by the video showing the orcas at play at Lime Kiln State Park. We visited the park the day before, but did not see any whales so it was nice to see what it was like when the orcas are so close to shore.

The gift shop offers many unique souvenirs like postcards, magnets, keychains, jewelry and clothing. We purchased a few items to bring back as gifts for friends. Aside from a little updating and housekeeping issues, the lady at the gift shop could be a bit more friendly. We asked a few questions about the island, asked to see some merchandise in the glass case and the entire time she gave a curt response.

Come here to "geek out" on all things to do with whales. For $6 admission to this small, island community, research/hobby museum you can find a little bit of something for everyone. Although it is presented in a somewhat outdated and disjointed way, you will walk away more educated about these amazing cetacea.

Those who just want to scrape the surface and pickup a little bit of education might enjoy sitting through a documentary in the mini theater and asking the docent questions about the actual whale bones and teeth on display. You can even touch and hold these items to get a feel for their size, weight and purpose. There is also a children's area and a gift shop.

For those of you who want to delve deeper into the science, you can see a geneology chart, read in-depth about the pods' family history, learn to recognize markings on each orca's saddle and fin, and familiarize yourself with the personal story of each whale in the different pods. There is even a sound studio where you can listen to whale vocalizations.

For me, the major thing I took away from my experience here is that we need to help protect the whales. We are losing them to these three factors:

1) Lack of food source - The southern residents rely on Chinook salmon which have become increasingly scarce. This is partly due to climate change and the warming waters and destruction or damming of salmon habitat.

2) Pollution - Toxins in the water and food source that build up in an orcas body fat make it increasingly difficult for them to fight off disease such as the common cold.

3) Disturbance of natural habitat from sea vessels (military, commercial and recreational). Sadly, even the whale watching excursions are making a negative impact.

The little museum is in walking distance of the ferry terminal. You can also find free street parking out front, but make sure you read the parking signs, because some limit the parking time to 15 minutes whereas others allow as much as 2 hours.

I highly recommend visiting the museum before booking a whale excursion or going to the lighthouse to see if you can see the orcas from land. You will learn some valuable information about recognizing the different mammals which will make your sight-seeing excursion so much more enjoyable.

Very educational and totally worth the stop! They have a few movies that play as well as a kids coloring area with sheets and an area to hang their artwork out of all the gift shops in the area they have the more unique items!