Harbor History Museum is located in Gig Harbor WA, where they are known as a regional maritime and history museum. It has several exhibits that can be visited that can give you a look into the culture and history of WA. The Harbor History Museum has won the Washington Museum Association Annual Award of Project Excellence. The museum has acquired a 14500 square foot and a $1.4 million gift and opened the museum in 2010 near Gig Harbor Orthodontics.
In the permanent exhibit, the unique, rich heritage of the Peninsula is available to be seen in 7000 square foot building. In this exhibit, there are artifacts, video, kiosks, hands-on exhibits, computer interactive, and a small theater. The lobby exhibit is available through September 5 to October 31. This is when the annual PAL open Juried art shoe is available to be seen. PAL has been going since 1979 to show the spirit of the artist of the greater Gig Harbor Peninsula. A midway schoolhouse that was built back in 1893 was moved to the museum’s ground in 2009.
The museum offers school programming. When classes visit the museum, with school or with family, they charge a fee if you are with a school. When you visit with your family, it is free. The full school programming charges a fee to help cover the cost of staffing, supplies and maintaining the grounds. The pioneer school experience costs $7 per student. When going on this experience, the group takes a step back in time and learn local history and they get to live in the schoolhouse life around the turn of the century. This is a four-hour long tour, where they visit everything including a lesson circa from 1901. The primary museum experience is for lower grades like k-2nd grades. This offers them a chance to learn museum etiquette, play I spy activities, hands-on tour and the visiting of the schoolhouse. This program costs $5 per student and is 1.5 hours long. In 2014, the museum decided to offer more cultural events which started with monthly music concerts. Along with the normal tours and events, the museum is working on a Shenandoah Restoration Project, which is where they are restoring a wooden fishing boat that worked on the San Juan Islands around 1925. After visiting the Museum, head down the road to the Cushman Trail for a beautiful hike.
When you visit a museum whether it is one that you can visit anytime or one while you on vacation, you should take the time and enjoy it. You never know what you will learn about the history and culture of the place you have lived all your life or that you are visiting. It is educational for everyone of all ages, and can always show you things that you might not have seen otherwise. There are museums everywhere and it takes a special one to teach people about the place where it is located. Harbor History Museum is finding ways to bring people in at least once a month to see the special things that they have to offer. School class trips should be taken for the day as long as your class is under 60 because of fire laws. It should be something that everyone experiences at least once. Harbor History Museum is a great place to learn about Gig Harbor and to see what the exhibits are like. So take a visit and show your family what history was like.
