Small but free museum that does a good job of acknowledging the diverse communities and history of Bainbridge. There are two public rooms: a larger room (about the size of a large living room) for the main exhibits and a smaller room with island history in photography. There was also a private research and reading room (perhaps for members, staffers, and researchers only). I like that this museum acknowledges various communities: LGBTQIA+, faith groups, and different cultures who lived on the island. Each got it's own spotlight. It also was fantastic about crediting locals who helped gather or supply information as well as trying to identify some of the people featured (e.g., in photos). There was a fun acrylic jigsaw puzzle of a map of Bainbridge in the main room that I put together. Overall, I think it's worth about 30-60 minutes of your time to swing by and learn about this island. read more

Small, but free admission to Bainbridge History Museum. You'll learn about the early settlers and the diverse communities. There's also a video playing about the hardships of the early settlers and racism. Bainbridge is also the birthplace of pickleball! Worth a stop by, you won't need more than 30 minutes unless you want to read every placard and watch the full video. read more

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Highly recommend visiting this spot if it's your first time in Bainbridge! I am so happy that my friend and I made this stop while exploring the area. There is so much cool history about the island and it made us appreciate it all the more! The staff is super friendly and it's such a wonderful and free museum that you can check out while on the island. I loved learning about their pickleball history and also about the other great community of people that make up island. They have puzzles and little activities as well as some tree photography that was showcased while we were there. read more

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Small museum, but contains plenty of history of the area. Great documentary films available to view. Easy to get to, free parking.

After eating lunch on Bainbridge Island I wanted to check out some of the museums in the area. I stopped by this historical museum which is a small museum but it's free and absolutely wonderful! What this museum lacks in size it makes up in amazing information about the history and even the future of residents on Bainbridge Island. The front exhibit told some stories of families and homes that go back generations and was about preserving history and keeping histories and stories alive. It included pictures of the homes and quotes from the families who live in them. Some even had their homes passed down from ancestors going back to the early 1900s. The exhibit in the back was about the history of Japanese American internment camps during World War II on Bainbridge Island. There were many stories of Japanese American residents on Bainbridge Island who were taken from their homes. If you want to see more history of Japanese American internment camps there is the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial on the southern part of the island. The memorial is on the strip of land where Japanese Americans walked as they were taken away. It was fascinating to read about the history and the impact that these events had for the people on Bainbridge Island. This is a fantastic museum to chekc out if you have time on the island! read more

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Friendly volunteers and two great exhibits to browse through in the reclaimed schoolhouse they use for the museum. Hours are Wednesday - Sunday 10-4; Research room available by appointment (on their website) Thursday and Saturdays. read more

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a pretty small, free historical museum in downtown around a 10 minute walk from getting off the ferry. the historical museum is comprised of a main building and the old school house. exhibits are primarily about the people of bainbridge island: demographics, culture, etc. there's some fun exhibits such as one about pickleball (my family loves pickleball and i didn't know it was invented on bainbridge island). there's also some more serious exhibits about racism, prejudice toward minorities, and protests/activism. staff at the desk was friendly too. there's not as much about the actual geography of the island itself, but it was still very interesting to learn about. read more

You HAVE to visit this museum to really understand the history of Bainbridge Island. This little museum is excellent. Every inch is full of history, and it's really interesting. Bainbridge Island has had a really sad and interesting history. The admission is really cheap, and the volunteers working here are really nice and have a passion for the island's history. You can easily walk here from the ferry. I could have spent an entire day here reading about the history of the island and looking at the fabulous exhibits. You can see my pictures for some highlights, but there is really so much to see here. They do have short hours, so plan your trip. read more

Small, quaint little museum with free access. Docents available to share the rich history of Bainbridge island. They have a scavenger hunt available for small kids while parents enjoy reading about the towns history through a historical tributes. read more

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Bainbridge Island History Museum is located in a renovated 1908 Bainbridge Island schoolhouse. There is parking onsite for the museum. The museum is conveniently located near downtown Winslow. This quaint, small museum, is busting full at the seams with award wining exhibits. I was surprised by the quality of the exhibits, and the amount of information contained within such a small space. It was better than some larger museums I have been too. You will find inside exhibits about the Japanese American residents that were interned. The video is worth taking time to watch. They also have a moving display of Ansel Adams photos of the Manzanar interment in California that the majority of Japanese American's from Bainbridge were taken too. I also learned about the Port Blakely lumber mill, which at the time was the largest mill in the world. They also have information about the Filipino island community, and the Native Americans that used the island seasonally. The museum also has an amazing research library that is open to the public. I was visiting the island with my friend whose family grew up on the island. The staff were incredibly friendly, and helped her find historical photographs and records in their collection regarding her family. For only an adult admission of $4, this place is definitely worth a stop. This is not your typical small town history museum. They also have great information on places to visit on the island. The local volunteers in the museum gave us some excellent recommendations. read more

Bainbridge History Museum - Museums Near Me - Bainbridge Island, Washington

Great little community museum does a very nice job with the local history, but really needs to get its act together on a couple of points. THE ROSES: For a small local museum, it really punches above its weight in terms of the variety of exhibits and aspects of local history covered. Particularly good is the display concerning a the forced relocation of Japanese-American residents during WW2. THE THORNS: To be brutally honest, they pull a nasty little 'bait-and-switch' regarding admission fees. The sandwich board on the corner said "free admission", but once we arrived, the docent at the desk shoved a placard with admission fees at us. While he may have said at some point that it was a 'suggested donation' his manner and the fact he had the credit card reader out faster than an old west gunslinger made it clear that there would be no graceful way to opt out. Now don't get me wrong; I'm all for supporting a nice museum like this, but I'm also all for truth in advertising. 'Free admission' means just that, OK? You can put out a donation box, put please don't shake me down at the door. Another gripe is that the same docent wanted to give us a quick overview of the museum, but it ended up being The Grand Tour. No offense, but while the fellow was quite pleasant, we really wanted to explore the museum on our own; we neither wanted or needed his company. THE VERDICT: Really nicely set up museum experience is marred by a deceptive admission policy and over eager docents. All the same, I recommend it. read more

For the most part, this museum is essentially a "Japanese Internment Camp Museum" as opposed to talking about the broader history of Bainbridge. Most of the exhibits focused on Manzanar, California where the Japanese residents of Bainbridge were relocated to. None of this is bad, but I was expecting to see more about the history of Bainbridge, such as logging, the first settlements and the ship history of the island as opposed to strictly WW2 Injustices. On top of that, it's very hard to focus on things at the museum. It's a small space, and they have crammed signs and descriptive placards in literally every corner. Makes it feel very disorganized. For some reason there is a sign for "Bainbridge Bowl" and "Bainbridge Gardens" above the exhibit interviewing Japanese residents about their experience in Manzanar, CA. Right next to it is native american sculptures and then more Internment Camp info. You get the point. We did not see anything about Ansel Adams, but then again there are disorganized pictures everywhere so maybe one of those was it? Also, it costs 4 dollars to enter and there's no signs saying this. All in all, next time I bring family around Bainbridge we are going to skip it. Enjoyed the art museum and other attractions though. read more

Just go. Wonderful little museum. Staff was friendly and gave great local recommendations. The exhibits were well done and interesting. Recommend highly! read more

The museum went to free admission in 2019 and only suggest a donation if you feel the experience was worth it. It was determined that an admission fee discouraged some from viewing the exhibits. read more

Take the time to stop. Adrian Rowe was working the desk and wow what a docent. I will be back and will bring the kids.

The staff was very friendly and nice. I enjoyed the video of Japanese internment during WWII. The museum is tiny. Probably due to the size limitation, the collection is so jammed and it was a bit hard to read everything,,,But it's a nice spot to know the history of Bainbridge island. read more

Bainbridge History Museum - Museums Near Me - Bainbridge Island, Washington

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Not knowing that we had to pay for admission, the kind employee gave us a quick history recap and tour of the museum at no cost. He was very knowledgable about the history of Bainbridge. I highly recommend this museum, as admission was only $2-$3. read more

I enjoyeded this little museum very much. The staff members are friendly and helpful. I visited the museum on a Friday morning. The front desk I gentleman gave me a brief overciew while walking with me and pointing at artifacts. At the end of my visit, I learned much more about the island. Pleasant, read more

All you need to know about Bainbridge Island in ten minutes or more. Key Takeaways: Collection: Comprehensive. Covers Bainbridge's journey from logging island and mill towns through the Japanese internment, to today. Very well put together with many unique and relevant artifacts. Staff: Excellent. We walked in on our way back from the Grand Forest to the ferry and let them know we had time for a ten minute tour. The staff member walked us through the exhibits quickly and eloquently capturing all of the highlights. Be sure to make this a stop on your trip to Bainbridge Island. read more

Warning: despite what the signs say, this is not a gallery of Ansel Adams' work. However it is worth a visit if you enjoy history. The museum was small and a little cramped but the exhibits were well organized and designed. The history of Japanese Americans on the island was comprehensive and interesting. We enjoyed the video on Japanese internment camps during WWII; it was personal and engaging. We were led in by advertisements on the street. These had Ansel Adams images on them, leading us to believe we would be seeing his photography of these historical events on display and were disappointed (after paying the $4 entrance fee) to find only books of his work, not an actual exhibition. It looked like they were just using his name to promote their museum, which worked on is but we felt mislead. read more

Although small in space, this gem is packed with a lot of information and is organized quite nicely. It was a treat to visit today and really provided an excellent overview of the history of the inhabitants of the island. I appreciate the care that went into including the stories of all the different people that made Bainbridge Island what it is today. I went with a group of 40 and they were able to accommodate us in three separate groups (per-planned arrangement). Docents are volunteers so if you have a large group it is best to make arrangements ahead of time. read more

My girlfriends and I had a lovely time at the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum in September! We were there for my bachelorette trip because I am a history nerd and my best friend/maid of honor thought this would be a fun activity for all the girls to do together. She called beforehand to ask if they could do a quiz for me because, again, I am a nerd and they happily accommodated. Honestly, this museum tour was nothing like I've ever experienced, we laughed, we cried, we reflected on struggles of Asian Americans in America, and ultimately walked away with a better sense of self and history. We had the honor of meeting Lily, one of the survivors of the internment camp and all around amazing human being. We also met another docent there ( and I feel so bad because I completely forgot his name) but his story was also inspiring and impactful. We loved every moment of our tour and highly recommend this to anyone who is visiting Bainbridge Island! read more

This is a small museum that is extremely well laid-out, well thought out, and utterly fascinating. As others have said, the quality of the exhibits is amazing. The history of Japanese Americans on BI is well documented here, and presented in a way that is easy to understand, and well-illustrated, in text, video and incredible photographs. The museum building itself is historical and the docents are very knowledgeable. Although it is stuffed to the gills, it never feels stifling or crowded. Very well worth a lingering visit. read more

Great way to learn about the island in a short time. Very friendly and informative staff.

Very interesting exhibitions. Wonderful small museum. The Manzanar exhibition on the WWII interment of Japanese Americans features wonderful portraits by Ansel Adams. Also enjoyed the Orca exhibit. read more

Really fun, informative, imaginative. Any visit should begin with the museum, tucked half block north of Winslow Wy at SR 305

During WWII, Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island had to go to relocation camps. There is a exhibit the WWII internment camp of Manzanar. Ansel Adams took photos there. The stories of the local residents is pictured through his work. Great exhibit and it should run at least through the end of 2011. read more