fort walla walla museum

E5801GVdavidj

This is not like most small town museums that is something to see for an hour.. It is quite large with so much to see you could spend the whole day there. The exhibits are so well done and complete it is a joy to visit. James Payne, the director, does not cut corners anywhere and it shows. I had no idea a town of this size could support such a fine facility of this caliber. Well done indeed!

lafff

As an adult, it was okay - but as a family activity it would be awesome! Many buildings to explore, cute gift shop & playground for children.

Thales29

This local museum has multiple buildings, great displays, beautiful grounds, and original buildings transported to this site. Walla Walla has a long history in Washington State and this museum is terrific. We were amazed by how good it was and it occupied us for multiple hours.

911Visitor

We were part of a tour group that included this museum as part of our tour. We visited for about two hours and found it to be an excellent museum. The people working there were very helpful and worth speaking to for information. The Civil War exhibit was a surprise to me as I wouldn't have expected that in the Northwest. The farming exhibits really brought to life what it must have been like so many years ago.

OregonJV

This place is awesome. Life-sized replicas of mule-teams and horses (I would think this would be pretty cool for kids), an historic village to walk through - truly a wonderful museum experience.

sjsl8

This is one of the best museum I've visited I understand that it has expanded quite a bit. Historical pictures to match the displays brought them to life. 5 buildings with period yard/farm/transportation equipment and a pioneer village to walk through kept everyone interested. They also do reenactments but we weren't there during that time

Dtlusty

This is a very modest museum with some Indian and U.S. Cavalry artifacts. Fort Walla Walla was established in the 1850s in what was then Indian territory being settled by white pioneers. The conflicts that ensued took many lives and the graveyard near the museum documents the U.S. Cavalry men who fell in battles with the Indians in the 1870s. The museum itself contains artifacts, several log cabins a teepee, etc., as well as two more modern French 155mm artillery pieces from World War I. The $7.00 entry fee is a bit too much for such a small offering. However, the graveyard tells a memorable tale.

bomberbowl

A nice afternoon learning experience about the area. The is very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of Walla Walla. The restored buildings in lower park gave you an idea of life was like in pioneer days. A good inexpensive way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

supersnookers

We went here because of the great reviews on tripadvisor. It was only $7, $6 for students, and well worth the money. We were there for about and hour and a half and learned quite a bit. They have put together quite an extensive collection of Walla Walla and Civil War history. There is the main building plus 5 other smaller buildings and great little village of real homes from around the area in the late 1800's and early 1900's. If you are going to be in Walla Walla, I think it is definately worth the visit. There are also trails and a nice picnic area on the grounds.

vatonorteno

I learned a lot of the history of WW in browsing through this museum. Very good displays and dioramas give insight to the exploration, settling and development of WW and the surrounding area. I especially enjoyed seeing all the antique farming equipment and learning how each piece was used. There's even a display about the Walla Walla Penitentiary which describes its historical use, but it is still active today. The Pen now houses Washington's worst of the worst including those on death row, e.g., Gary Leon Ridgeway aka the Green River Killer).

lorib391

The display of the wheat combine with life size 33 mule team pulling it was just incredible. Very impressive. The diorama of Lewis & Clark was so realistic, not one of those hard to imagine scenes. Lots for kids to do and see and climb on. Very interesting for adults also. Great museum store with homespun projects for kids. Staff very helpful and courteous.

DavidW232

Just enough history of the fort to give you a clear view of life there and an incredible selection of horse drawn farm machinery. A large group of historic homes and businesses are also on site. Worth your trip.

babsrdh

Nice museum with interesting displays. We spent about two hours here. The best display was the farming equipment and they showed some wheat contraption that needed 33 horses hitched to it to work the fields at harvest....amazing....The wheat farmers worked so hard back in the day. Very humbling to see.

specialedwanderer

The Fort Walla Walla Museum has a number of items, well displayed that explains life over the past two centuries in the Walla Walla area. They had a temporary exhibit on the Civil War which seemed strange as Washington was not involved in the War. Many people left to fight in the Civil War or came out and settled the area afterwards so this exhibit showed the influence of the military on the development of the Walla Walla area. There are exhibits on the agricultural and economic development of the area also. These were very well exhibited. Structures and business buildings over the years were brought here and restored to see what life was like. All of the exhibits were well displayed and made to look like the real pieces of work and labor they are and not just some old dusty piece of junk someone found in their attic. Pictures of the residents and area also added to the historical retelling of the history of the area. This Museum gave us a good idea of what is and was important in the development and life in the Walla Walla area. We learned a lot.

Joanie2030

I took my young teenage nieces here. We all enjoyed wandering through the museum and grounds. The buildings depict life in the early days of Walla Walla.