We were touring our local communities and this was on our 'Staycation' list of places to visit…read more The Siuslaw Pioneer Museum covers the Florence area from the original Native Americans and Pioneer Settlers. Many artifacts, letters and old photographs depict the lifestyle of the two peoples and the developments over time. This building is itself an historical building and has many rooms and two floors of displays covering early logging, agriculture, pharmaceuticals of the bygone era and a history of the crossings of the Siuslaw River and ultimate construction of the bridge. One of the staff working that day was Judy Fleagle who has written and published several books on Oregon and it's sights. We were lucky to have her there that day as she is extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area. She gave us a brief introduction into the museum and gave us the history of the building itself. We found her very entertaining and captivating as a speaker. A perfect candidate for a museum host!

A must stop while visiting Florence! This place is chalked full of antiques, memorabilia, and…read moreartifacts from when the first pioneers settled here and in surrounding areas. Admission is $5 per person and totally worth it. The two volunteers inside were super friendly and knowledgeable. They were willing to answer questions and seemed to fully enjoy interacting with people. It was so nice and refreshing to see in a museum environment. Be sure to watch the video on the news coverage of the exploding whale from 1970. It's an intersection story, to say the least. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. We spent a little over 2 hours taking everything in. Would highly recommend.

A nice museum showing the history of the Oregon coastline. Beautiful murals painted from floor to…read moreceiling show scenes from Native American to the early European explorers to steam boats along the rivers. Shouldn't take you long, it's mostly pictures & paintings.

Along the Oregon Coast, easy to get to, lots of parking. We went on a weekend and it was pretty…read morequiet. The place has a phenomenal amount of information and is primarily geared towards kids. You walk through "nature" along a path that winds back and forth. There are other exhibits as well; all are interactive with buttons for sound of creature, more info and little drawers and other things for curious little hands to touch/open/lift and learn. Outdoors there is also a 10 minute nature trail. This would be an outstanding place for an elementary school age field trip! That said, as adults we learned new things, had just as much fun and for those interested - very nice gift shop on the way out.

The life center was amazing. It was nice to be able to touch, feel and feed some of the animals…read morethere. I would absolutely recommend to everyone to take the time to check it out.

This is a great spot to visit, especially for kids. It's next to a working shrimp/fish processing…read morefacility. Volunteer staff are amazing, and let my son help feed some of the sea life in the touch tanks. I've never seen an abalone eat, let alone move around so close! They also had a octopus visiting that was donated from a local boat. Overall great learning and clean and organized. Not large so only takes 30-45 minutes and cost is $5 per adult, kids free and funds help with the research.

An interesting & fun place to visit. It's run by volunteers, so it's only open a couple days a…read moreweek. Check before you go. It is free (they do ask for donations) & may take you awhile to see everything. You're invited to climb aboard, ring the bells, pull levers & just generally act like a kid again. Nice gift shop & kid friendly, the Mrs & I enjoyed our visit.

This was a surprisingly fun to place to visit. Pups are welcome so feel free to take the entire fam…read morewhen you visit. I provided a lot of historical information as well as a hands-on experience since you're able to enter the train cars. We didn't think it would be as fun as it was and we didn't leave enough time fully explore everything because they closed 45 minutes after arrival. Make sure to check the times that they are open and plan your visit accordingly. The volunteers running it are very helpful and kind

My friend and I went here today wanting to see the lighthouse. We didn't know there was a museum…read moretoo and I'm glad we checked it out! You need to buy an $8 pass to get in but that gets you into the museum and up the lighthouse so it's definitely worth it. The museum is two stories and has a basement with an art gallery. The top floor and basement are only accessible via stairs, so not mobility aid-friendly. There is some great history there and the artifacts are fascinating to look at. Take your time walking through and enjoy the history, it really is interesting! They have a bathroom on the main floor, I believe it's the only one on the grounds that is open to the public. They have a good amount of parking spots and it's easy to find the grounds, but miss the turn off 101 and you'll have to either drive a while to turn around or pull over and hope you get an opening to turn around. Definitely stop in here and support them! The history is amazing to see.

A rare opportunity to be able to go up inside the lighthouse. The tour guide was incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and the museum was a great way to learn about the area.

Let me start with...I appreciate all museums! I was excited to visit a local museum here in Coos…read moreBay. Parking is free and easy. We surprisingly came on a free day. Normally admission is $7 for adults. The lady at the front counter was so friendly. I started by going upstairs where they were having a small craft show. Meet some lovely people with amazing skills. Spoke with each vendor about their art pieces and even bought a few items for Christmas gifts. We then walked around the couple spaces upstairs with exhibits. The upstairs building itself is beautiful. Arched ceiling and old doors. The art on display was a variety of local artists and different styles. We then went downstairs to see a rescheduling art display. I appreciated the beadwork and PNW themed creations. In total, we were there for less than an hour. There's not a lot to see but what was there was nice. They have a good size gift shop but minimal things to purchase. Seems like a missed opportunity. I feel there should be some local artist items as well as Coos Bay trinkets that support local artists talents. I'm sure there are locals who would give a portion of their sales to the museum. Maybe rotate vendors quarterly? I don't know. I just know there wasn't much to purchase or show interest in supporting the museum. All in all it was a nice visit. T thought I took more photos but I guess I was just living in the moment :}

Have an hour and like art? Worth stopping in! Very polite and informative staff as well. The…read moregallery on the first floor by far my favorite. Local art from schools also on display adds a nice community touch to the experience. Overall, a great spot to explore if you're in the area!

Nice museum showing local history & events. Mostly pictures…read morewith a paragraph or so explaining what your looking at. But, they did have a couple of nice displays set up & a huge replica of a jellyfish made up of items & trash that has washed up on shore.

My teenage daughter absolutely loves museums & has a special place in her heart for history…read moremuseums. She loves to learn about the past & how people, places & things evolve. I took my kiddos to my hometown to see where I grew up & we struck gold here because it doesn't get much cooler than this place. From the second you walk in the door you're just fascinated by what you see. From a giant jellyfish sculpture made out of melted beach plastic to interactive displays this place is pretty sweet. Upstairs they have an entire A-Z exhibit that you can tell was very well thought out & took a lot of effort & organization. Even the outside was beautiful. We will definitely be returning.

They have wonderful trips. Very interactive. Very informative. If you're looking for a sea life…read moretour, this is the one to take.

Proper description. On the label, it says whale and shark museum but when you click on the icon on…read morethe map, it pops up as a whale watching tour, which is not a museum.

I am in awe. Just pure awe. You can tell Carrie truly loves what she does and wants to educate…read moreothers. As a teacher myself, to watch the passion and excitement just come through when Carrie gave us our tour was enough to revive my own passion and excitement in learning. I cannot recommend this company enough. Truly. She made me want to go back to school and study marine biology myself.

Carrie and the entire team at Whale Research Eco Excursions are amazing! I was pleased to see how…read moremuch effort is placed on education, with an informative video presentation prior to the tour. Don't skip the video or the opportunity to view the exhibits in the museum, there is much to learn about these amazing creatures. Depoe Bay is blessed with a plentiful food source, and a protective environment for grey whales. I've lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life and have taken for granted just how accessible whales really are in this region. During peak migration months it's possible to view the whales right from your car as you're driving down Highway 101! From the moment we booked our $55 tickets for a six-person, 90-minute whale watching tour along the coast, everyone at Eco Excursions made us feel welcome. It's evident these folks really love what they do, because everything just fell into place. Booking tickets was easy, checking in was a breeze, any concerns about locating and boarding the boat were taken care of. Our guide was friendly and informative, and really went out of his way to make sure we had a pleasant experience. There's something so magical about viewing these gentle giants in their natural habitat. Experiencing whale breath, viewing them so closely you can count the barnacles attached to them, and repeatedly seeing them surface and fluke... nothing compares! It's difficult to explain the pure joy I felt out on the water with a team who clearly bring their A-game to work every day! Thank you so much, Whale Research Eco Excursions - your tour ranks very highly in the list of my most treasured life experiences.