Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Shown above, the center is located in Cape Disappointment State Park, on top of two silent gun emplacements, which guarded the river's mouth from 1905 through World War II. Here you can re-live the Journey of Lewis and Clark and The Corps of Discovery taken between 1804 and 1806. Walk up and down easy ramps and amidst huge murals, paintings, photographs and entries from the original journals. At the end of the indoor interpretive walk is an enclosed viewing room, high atop the bluffs with a spectacular panoramic view. In this room you will discover why this stretch of coast is known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific" while enjoying the massive Fresnel lighthouse lens that once protected ships at sea. The Interpretive Center and grounds is also an excellent whale watching location. Handicap parking is available.
Hours: Open daily, 10am to 5pm, year-round. (360) 642-3029
Directions: From the light in Ilwaco, go west on North Head Road for approximately 5 miles into Cape Disappointment State Park and follow the signs to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
More Information: www.lewis-clark-expedition.com

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum (aka Ilwaco Heritage Museum)
When gazing at the outside of this beautiful building, one finds it hard to believe it can hold all the wonders within. Visitors begin with an exhibit on the history of Native Americans before the arrival of European settlers. Continue through a pioneer village and then learn of early transportation and local industries such as fishing, logging and cranberry farming. Enjoy a working scale model water table of the Columbia estuary and learn about the interactions of ocean, river and bay. An exhibit detailing the adventures of Gerald D'Aboville, who spent 134 days on a solo kayak voyage across the Pacific, ending in Ilwaco in November of 1991 is sure to captivate. The restored baggage depot of the Ilwaco Railroad and Navigation Company, which had its tracks running down Main Street in Ilwaco, includes a scale model of the Peninsula as it was in the 1920's. The model is 50-feet long with all the buildings hand-built from period photos. Before you're through you'll want to visit the gift shop and look into any seasonal displays such as quilt and art showings and a variety of traveling exhibits.
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm Closed Sundays
Directions: 115 SE Lake Street, Ilwaco. From the light in Ilwaco, go south on First Street for one block. Turn left onto Lake Street and look for the museum on your right.
More Information: www.columbiapacificheritagemuseum.com

World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame
Presenting the 2500-year-old history of the kite, this unique American museum exists to preserve the kite's past, to record its present developments and to honor the people dedicated to kites. Here, you will see fantastic kites from around the world and throughout history in an ever-changing array of exhibits.  From the tiniest to a 200-foot long dragon kite with a head the size of a chair, the Museum's collection of more than 1,500 kites is sure to intrigue children of all ages. (360) 642-4020
Hours: June through September Open 7 days a week, 11am to 5pm, October through May: Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday:  11am to 5pm. Or By appointment
Directions: 303 Sid Snyder Dr., Long Beach. From the traffic light at Sid Snyder & Pacific, turn west and look for the museum on your left.
More Information: www.worldkitemuseum.com

Cranberry Museum & Self-Guided Farm Tour
Along with housing a fine gift shop, this 1200 sq. ft. facility next to a 10-acre demonstration cranberry farm displays both the history and contemporary methods of cranberry farming. Exhibits include photography and artifacts. Self-guided walking tours of the bogs are interesting and beautiful year-round, but particularly during the peak growing season mid-September through harvest in early to mid October.  The walking tour around the demonstration farm is open each day until dusk. In November and December, visitors are able to see various farming operations needed to prepare the ground for planting, which is planned in April or May. Harvest takes place each October; typically the first or second weekend, depending on weather.
Hours:  April 1st through January 1st 10am to 5pm daily.  Closed: January-April.  Group tours may be arranged by leaving a message at 360.642.5553 or by emailing cranberries@willapabay.org
Directions: 2907 Pioneer Road, Long Beach. From the traffic light at Pacific & Bolstad go north on Pacific approximately 1 mile to Pioneer Road. Turn right onto Pioneer and watch for the museum on your left.
More Information: www.cranberrymuseum.com

Willapa Bay Interpretive Center
The center, a replica of an oyster station house, exhibits the 150-year history of oyster growing on Willapa Bay. The interior walls of the building are covered with quotes, old photographs, and a chronology of the oyster industry and a 20-foot mural of the bay. Artifacts including a dinghy built in the late 1920's and other tools of the trade are yours to discover. Watch a short video of the oyster Industry and Willapa Bay ecology and learn all about oystering on the bay. Once outside, enjoy the stairway, which is one of the few spots on the Willapa coastline where visitors have access to the bay without trespassing on private property. Read a Seattle Times article on Oystering and Willapa Bay [pdf]
Hours: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays, 10am to 3pm. (360) 665-4547
Directons:273rd Place, on the breakwater at Nahcotta. From the traffic light in Ocean Park, go east on Bay Avenue to the stop sign. Turn left onto Sandridge Road for approximately 1/2 mile to 273rd Place. Turn right onto the breakwater and look for the natural wood building just past the Ark Restaurant.

Marsh’s Free Museum
Home of Jake the Alligator Man and a variety of other oddities, Marsh's Free Museum is a Long Beach landmark. A collection of music machines and Victorian era games and flip movies are sandwiched in amongst photos, antiques, and kitschy souvenirs. A visit to Long Beach is incomplete without a visit to Marsh's.
Hours: Open daily, 9am to at least 6pm, year-round. (360) 642-2188
Directions: 400 S. Pacific, Long Beach. From the traffic light at Pacific & Sid Snyder Drive go north on Pacific for 6 blocks and look for the museum on your left.
More Information: www.marshsfreemuseum.com
Watch for: Jake the Alligator Man's Birthday Party, 2nd Saturday of August.