Westport Maritime Museum

About this museum

Westport sits where the Chehalis River meets Grays Harbor on the coast of Washington, and its history is written in the language of the sea: commercial fishing fleets, Coast Guard stations, cranberry bogs, and the kind of weathered working waterfront that the Pacific Northwest coast does better than almost anywhere. The Westport Maritime Museum, housed at 2201 Westhaven Drive in a building that once served as the local Coast Guard station, interprets that maritime heritage with the depth it deserves. The collections draw on the full arc of coastal life in Grays Harbor: gear from the commercial fishing and crabbing fleets that defined the local economy, artifacts from the lighthouse service and Coast Guard era, and maritime instruments and equipment that convey the technical reality of navigating these fog - prone, surf - battered waters. The former station building adds authentic atmosphere that no purpose - built museum could replicate, its utilitarian architecture carrying its own historical argument about how the federal government organized its presence on the remote Pacific Coast. With a rating of 4.5 stars from more than 360 visitors, the Westport Maritime Museum has earned its place as one of the Washington coast's most rewarding cultural stops. The museum is open Thursday through Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM; Monday is closed. Check wsbhs.org for current schedules and seasonal variations. Admission is free. The museum is located at 2201 Westhaven Drive in Westport. Combine a visit with a walk on the Westport Dunes or a trip to the nearby Grays Harbor Lighthouse for a full day of coastal history and scenery.