Road trip with the family and heard about this place. We had an amazing time here. First of all the town of Winthrop is a super quaint town preserving the history of the first settlers in the area. Everything-the store fronts, stores is western themed. Anyway the Shafer Museum is a historically preserved town established by one of the area's pioneer families. There were buildings which showcased the lives of the families back then. Our grandsons enjoyed the scavenger hunt a lot- the prize was a gum-ball from an old fashioned gum ball machine which was pretty cool in itself. Take your time explore the different buildings-we took about little over a hour and a half. This is a must stop place when visiting Winthrop. No admission fee but please donate generously because the maintenance and administration is done by volunteers read more

Shafer Museum - Museums Near Me - Winthrop, Washington

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This is a fascinating collection. It covers more than just mining and exhibits stage coaches, farm equipment, home furnishings, and more, each in a unique small building. It's definitely a must-see if in town. Admission is by donation. read more

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We were a little disappointed in this "museum." The woman at the desk was very friendly but the collection really feels like someone's great grandpa collected a bunch of stuff and put it together. The collection was not particularly well marked about its place in the history of the area. If you're in Winthrop there isn't much else to do so you can easily walk through in about 15 minutes (be sure to make a donation- there is no fee but donations are appreciated). read more

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This is a cute museum that explains the history of Winthrop. Due to Covid, you can't go inside the buildings but you can peak inside the windows. There's a general store, schoolhouse and more. There are write ups and pictures on each of the buildings that are very informative. They talk about the founders of the town and the lives of the people who settled in the area. You also get a great view of the river from the back of the museum where the machinery is. My only gripe was that the port a potty was locked. read more

If you like old mining equipment, 19th century structures and artifacts, you would be hard pressed to come upon a more thorough display. Just incredible. I could spend a full day there...easily. read more

While much of the old machinery on display is not in running order, or even in good repair, it is still one of the best collections of items from a 19th-century small town in the West. Excellent collection of gold-mining machinery. Excellent! They have some oddball stuff that you would rarely, if ever, see in a standard gold-mining museu. They have a large collection of old farm equipment, tack, a print shop, a school room, and many other exhibits that we didn't have time to see. You can get right up and touch a lot of things and get a sense of just how tough life was and the people were when Winthrop was young. And the docent was so pleasant and helpful! She explained things to us, and if she didn't know the answer, took pains to make sure she looked the answer up before we left. If tourist shopping is not your bag, then most of Winthrop is going to be disappointing. The Shafer Museum is the obvious reason to stop and take an hour or three on your way down the valley to Twisp. read more

Worth a visit! Lots of rusty specimens from the old mining days and reconstructed log cabins stuffed with artifacts. What's cool is it's open air so it's dog friendly and it's all self-guided. Don't forget to leave a donation and walk back down to the main street via the boardwalk hillclimb. read more

Just awesome. My favorite thing in Winthrop. Interesting and extensive collection of historical artifacts thoughtfully displayed.

Great open air museum. Tons of interesting pieces of history with great explanations. Ideal to go on a nice, sunny day.