Westport Maritime Museum


This former Coast Guard station was built in 1939 and boasts some great period photos and artifacts of seafaring days gone by. A separate building houses the 6-ton, 18ft-high Fresnel lens, manufactured in France in 1888, that beamed for over 70 years from the lighthouse of Destruction Island, 50 miles north of Westport. Equally impressive is the glassed-in hall of whale skeletons, each with its own gripping story.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Grays Harbor Lighthouse

1.4 MILES

At 107ft it's the tallest lighthouse in the state, although its setting in a clump of trees makes it less scenic than a classic promontory lighthouse. …

2. Coastal Interpretive Center

3.21 MILES

This small but thorough museum draws kids and adults alike into hands-on displays about local animals and ecosystems, industries, cultures and treasures…

3. Arnold Polson Museum

12.03 MILES

Built in 1924 by one of the timber barons of Hoquiam, this 26-room riverside mansion is filled with period furniture, clothing, regional artifacts, a doll…

4. Lady Washington

15.51 MILES

For some interesting local history, check out this full-scale replica of one of the ships piloted by Captain Robert Gray when he first sailed into Grays…

6. Willapa Seaport Museum

23.72 MILES

This humble little museum holds a surprisingly compelling, well-arranged collection of memorabilia from the area's maritime history. Small vignettes…

7. Big Red House

25.13 MILES

This beautiful red house (built 1871) was the original home of Oysterville cofounder RH Espy. It's now a private residence.

8. Oysterville Church

25.3 MILES

Picture-perfect old church dating from 1892. Pick up a walking-tour brochure here during the summer months.