If you've lived in the Pacific Northwest and ever wondered about the origin of those Jake the…read moreAlligator Man stickers, this is the review for you! Marsh's Free Museum is the legendary home of Jake himself (you can find him in the back). The shop is an absolute treasure trove of curiosities. It features a mix of your classic beach-town souvenirs alongside more "not-so-typical" fare, like unique books, sweatshirts, and even knives. If you have some spare quarters, the old-school mechanical games are a must-play! The service here has always been great, super attentive and friendly. As for value, some things are a little expensive, but they also have affordable stuff if you look hard enough. They are not any more expensive than any other shop in Long Beach. I always make it a point to stop here every single time I'm in Long Beach. Whether you're just starting your trek down the strip or looking for the perfect place to end your journey, this spot is a PNW essential.

What can I say other than this is a huge tourist trap, but in the best way possible? You know it's…read moregood when one of the exhibits has its own Wikipedia page (Jake the Alligator Man). There are lot of curios, from taxidermy animals to old orchestreons. A lot of the amusing displays are in the back and in corners. I would say if you have small kids to be careful bringing them in as it seems like there are a lot of delicate items, from the piles of beautiful seashells in the front, to the porcelain items in the back. It is such a fun and unique place to visit, and the best part is that it's free! Although you will definitely walk away having purchased something.

I expected this museum to be much larger with more things...yeah I want that impressed and I don't…read morethink it was worth it to go in with our 2 year old. Probably best for teens plus and adults who are really keen to check out some kites...also you get a discount if you're staying at one of the two hotels nearby

Very nice It's a place that you will never forget and make…read moresure and find the separate rooms with all the great displays. You will never forget.

This is a neat little pit stop from Long Beach, WA. There's a small museum that contains…read moreinformation about how harvesting cranberries was a difficult, inefficient process, until various machines and contraptions were made to make the process easier. The main method used today involves flooding the fields of the cranberry vines, so that the ripe cranberries float and can be collected for use in processing and making cranberry products. Each year at this museum they demonstrate this process during the festival. If the cranberries are destined to be sold fresh, then they have to be picked by hand as a "dry harvest". There is also a gift shop where various cranberry items are sold, including cranberry ice cream. The cranberry ice cream was more of a sherbet to me, although I'm used to the super premium ice creams so maybe I'm biased. It tasted exactly like cranberry with a hint of orange. It was good to try, but I'm probably not going to buy it again. Don't miss the self-guided tour of the fields in the back, where you can look at the cranberry vines.

What an interesting and fascinating find! Cranberries...and an entire museum dedicated to them?…read more Indeed, and the world's a better place for it. There are not a huge amount of things to do in Long Beach, and I came here as a backup thing to do since the kite museum was closed. I spent a LOT longer here than I would have expected to, as there is just so much to see and learn about. There are several cranberry bogs, replete with educational signage fully detailing what each is, what's being researched there, how the bogs are flooded for "wet harvesting", and that wet-harvested berries can only be used for juices, jellies, and sauces. I didn't know that all whole cranberries sold to consumers or for use in baked goods are hand-harvested. I also had no idea that such a huge variety of harvesting equipment existed, and that so many had come and gone after being proven to not be as good as other methods. Be sure to get a cup of the cranberry ice cream! It's delicious, and I really wish it was available closer to Vancouver. I highly recommend a visit to the cranberry museum if you're ever in Long Beach. It is educational, and fun!

Patricia helped me discover the artist of a portrait my family acquired some time ago. I had very…read morelittle information to offer but she is clearly very knowledgeable and experienced in her field and was able to give me high probability of the artist based on the photographs I emailed her. Patricia was extremely responsive and easy to work with. I would highly recommend her and would most definitely work with her again in the future. I have a new appreciation of my portrait and will cherish it even more! Thanks Patricia!

Several years ago we purchased a 19th century oil portrait of an attractive young woman. The dealer…read moreknew only that it came from a family in mid-Missouri who thought it MIGHT be a work by George Caleb Bingham. We have tried on our own to prove or disprove that attribution, but it was Patricia Moss of Fine Art Investigations who answered the question, and she did it within a few days. Using her knowledge of Bingham and his known portraits, she compared and contrasted our portrait to those by him. Very kindly and in helpful detail, she said we do not have a previously unknown Bingham portrait. A number of itinerant artists traveled through the Midwest in the mid 1800s, and she will continue to look for a connection between our portrait and a specific artist. I have been very impressed with Patricia's knowledge and care and am so glad we found her! We still love our painting and are delighted to have an answer to our question.

If you're in the Port of Ilwaca, PLEASE stop by Don's shop! Don is friendly, accommodating, and you…read morewon't regret stopping in, there seems to be some artwork in his shop for EVERYONE! I purchased some souvenirs and next thing I knew Don was throwing in an added bonus, no charge to me, and such talent in reviewing his artwork. My friend from Seattle in healthcare received a special thank you from Don with a custom made shirt recognizing her front-line work. The port area also has several other accompanying joys in shopping, ocean sailing, restaurants, coffee, and more! Don just adds to the atmosphere. Thank you!

My favorite shop on the Peninsula! Conveniently located in the Port of Ilwaco with other shops and…read morerestaurants and plenty of parking, this is a wonderful place for a unique gift or (non tacky) souvenir. Lots of variety in merchandise, mostly nautical/local themed, and I especially love the tiles and Coast Guard stuff. Reasonably priced. I talked to Don and he was super nice with interesting stories to tell!

What a l great little town. We didn't expect Long Beach, WA. to be so cool. We really had no idea…read morebut it was a pleasant surprise for sure. Downtown was jumping. Still lot's of businesses closed on a sunny spring break weekday. Very strange to us but, not our place. Ton's of people walking around buying and looking at stuff. We found Captain Bob's Chowder and had fish and chips. It was filling and awesome. Right across from Bob's is the world's largest clam and world's largest pan... well, replica's of the same. Not sure about the clam. I think it represents the world's largest clam fritter fried in the world's largest pan. OR you can check out the Free Museum of Curiosities. Let's not forget The World's Longest Beach. Hence the town name. You can drive on the beach during certain times of the year. There's even an Elks Lodge here. We had so much fun and didn't even see half the town, so we'll be back for sure.