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Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum, Samoa, CA

Photo: Ellin Beltz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Museums

Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum

A Samoa, California museum preserving the maritime history of the Humboldt Bay region and California's North Coast.

P.O. Box 282, Samoa, California 95564 · Samoa, CA

About Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum

The museum sits across Humboldt Bay from Eureka, in a former head cook's house beside the Samoa Cookhouse. It was started in 1977 by a longtime marine artifact collector and colleagues who wanted a local place to keep the bay region's seafaring past. Its holdings include tens of thousands of digitized photographs, paper art, shipwreck relics, a large fourth-order Fresnel lens, and small skiffs. The museum also operates the restored 1910 motor vessel Madaket, which is certified to carry passengers, and is restoring the 1917 fishing vessel Stephanie. Visitors can learn about shipwrecks, shipbuilding, lighthouses, ferry launches, early explorers, and ship models.

  • #maritime history
  • #museum
  • #Humboldt Bay
  • #North Coast California
  • #shipwrecks

What's around here?

The closest stops to Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Blue Ox Millworks & Historic Park

    Under $25

    A working Victorian-era mill and blacksmith shop where craftspeople still run antique, belt-driven machinery.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Foodie Favorite

    Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate

    Under $25

    Bean-to-bar factory tour and tasting at a craft chocolate maker on Humboldt Bay in Eureka.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    California Welcome Center Eureka

    No admission fee

    Official California Welcome Center for Humboldt County, staffed to help visitors plan trips along the Redwood Coast.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums

    Clarke Historical Museum

    Check prices

    Northwest California history museum in Old Town Eureka, housed in a former bank building.

    1.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Samoa Cookhouse

    Under $25

    A former lumber-camp mess hall serving family-style, all-you-can-eat meals at long communal tables.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Museums

    Humboldt State University Natural History Museum

    Under $25

    A university natural history museum in Arcata, California, with fossils, rocks, minerals, and animal specimens.

    6.2 mi awayMore like this