Kites, Cranberries & Coast Explorers
By Stella Bennett
Published: 06/25/2010  Updated: 06/20/2019
Exhibit at World Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington.
Exhibit at World Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington.  Photo by Gary Hayes

Three Long Beach Peninsula museums offer a variety of coastal experiences.

Three Long Beach Peninsula museums share the colorful worlds of kites, cranberries and the coast's most famous explorers. The World Kite Museum in Long Beach houses more than 1500 kites from around the world. Displays examine the 2500-year-old history of kites. Learn many fascinating facts about kites and their unusual uses at this unique museum. At the Cranberry Museum and farm in Long Beach, operated by the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation, visitors can tour the bogs and learn about the industry and its products. Watch the harvest in October and participate in the Cranberrian Fair. The gift shop offers many cranberry products and recipes. At the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park at Ilwaco, you can relive the journey of the explorers' Corps of Discovery between 1804 and 1806. See the film "Of Dreams and Discovery" in the theater, participate in tours, interpretive programs and guided hikes. From the enclosed viewing room high atop the bluff, enjoy the panoramic ocean view, watch for whales and learn why this stretch of the coast is known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." Also in Ilwaco, visit the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum where exhibits include a history of Native Americans, early transportation and local industries of fishing, logging and cranberry farming. See the pioneer village and an exhibit detailing the 1991 adventures of one man's solo voyage across the Pacific in a kayak. The museum also features seasonal displays and traveling exhibits.
Kites, Cranberries & Coast Explorers