The Whale Museum - Friday Harbor, Washington - The Premier Orca Museum on the West Coast

The Whale Museum, located in downtown Friday Harbor, Washington is dedicated to promoting whale and environmental stewardship through an entertaining and informative museum that will captivate people of all ages and backgrounds.

The museum is made up of several different displays, artifacts, and presentations. Upon entering visitors will be treated to the Gallery of Whales that discusses the natural history of marine mammals, with a special focus on the Orca whales that live in the waters of the San Juan Islands.

The history of the whale museum is as rich and colorful as the mammals that they study. In the late 1960's Ken Balcomb, Camille Goebel, and Rick Chandler formed the Moclips Cetalogical Society dedicated to the study of whales. In 1976 the society moved to the San Juan Islands and shortly after occupied the upstairs of the Odd Fellows home in Friday Harbor for $75 a month. Over the years the Whale Museum has been a part of several huge projects such as the Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse project, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, International Orca Symposium, and the Orca Adoption Program. In 1994 the Orca Adoption program got a huge boost after Warner Brothers Studio added a public service announcement about the program to their Free Willy movie. From its tiny beginnings of four people the museum now hosts more than 200,000 visitors a year.

Besides having a wide array of exhibits and displays the Whale Museum also is host to several whale and marine mammal education programs that include the Soundwatch Boater Education program, the Orca Adoption program, the Marine Naturalist Training program, the Whale Hotline, and the San Juan Islands Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

The Soundwatch Boat program updates boaters on advisory notices related to marine life, and also promotes good stewardship of the water and boating safety through trainings and educational materials. The Orca Adoption program serves as a great way for people to adopt one of the more than 80 available whales. The funds from the adoption program make it possible for further research to be done in this fascinating species. The Marine Naturalist Training program's goal is to educate the adult learner to be regionally qualified as a professional or volunteer naturalist. The training is done with a mixture of readings, field trips, and hands on learning experiences. Completion of the program qualifies graduates to become members of the Salish Sea Association of marine Naturalists. The tuition is $375 and includes the five lessons, field trip, one Orca adoption and all materials. Transportation is provided by the museum.

The museum is located at 62 First Street North, Friday Harbor, WA 98250-0945. The exhibit hall and gift shop are open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. General admission is $6, students pay $3 with a valid school ID card, seniors cost $5, and children under 5 are free. Special group rates are available for special populations and must be reserved ahead of time by calling the museum staff.