Reviews of Catalina Island Museum (Museum)

Brian Helm

Nice little museum with a lot of history about the island. It takes an hour or two to make it through the exhibits.

Paul Lanci

Well worth the visit. Learned so much about Avalon I didn't know

David Lieber

Very nice staff and modern facility, but a but pricey admission.

Barbara Van Elsen

Small but WONDERFUL! Very much enjoyed the Chihuly exhibit.

liana ho

This place was fun. The historic views we're interesting. We had a good time.

victor lopez

The view was amazing! It was very clean and great exhibits. Will come back for sure.

Chelsea Peterson

One would think by goin on one tour you would know every thing about this tiny island, but really its worth a trip to this museum. I learned some early history of Catalina which I didn't know, it was very educational. They also had alot of pictures of Marilyn Monroe from her time there.

Mar E

This is a beautifully appointed quaint, 2 story museum. Housing interesting island info and artifacts. It's diminutive size is easy to maneuver and get around. It's pristine, and the staff is friendly. The island video is in a newsflash format and highlights the islands' infamy. The beautiful 2nd story open air space is lovely. Great place for an event al fresco. Take your time, sit and enjoy the surroundings after a long tour or to get a break from the walking and sunshine. Until next time.

Claudia Saldana

Displays were nice but not cohesive with each other. Extremely expensive for the content.

Robert Yaruss

Nicely done. Very enjoyable.

Vone Buckels

The place is beautiful. Great job done by all those guys and gals working on the place. The tile on the gazebo deck looks wonderful. The art displays are amazing and such a cute store. The atrium is incredible and the tiled wall is outstanding. Great artist exhibits too. Love it. Great place Catalina.

Terri Glass

I love Catalina!

Amy Moore

Museum offered a complete history of the island. Liked it.

Henry Hackett

It was fun.

Carla England

Incredibly, interesting!

Brandon Venable

I love the artists this museum showcases throughout the year. My favorite so far has been the Posada exhibit, and I'm really looking forward to the jaws showcase coming soon. First Fridays here are tons of fun as well, and a great place for newcomers to mingle with Catalina Locals.

Shantanu Kulkarni

Museums are difficult to make interesting, yet this one captures your time and imagination well. You walk out of this place having learned a little something about the island. Gives you the warm cozy feeling.

Jeff LaBarre

Brand new museum featuring exhibits, artifacts, and displays related to Catalina Island history. There is a small theater with a film loop showing several segments of interest. When I visited there was both an indoor and outdoor exhibit of Dale Chihuly's objects of blown glass which was very well curated. The museum guide was extremely knowledgeable about both the exhibit and Catalina. I thought the entrance fee was a bit pricey for the size of the museum but overall worth it.

Elizabeth Brady

Beautiful museum, worth a visit! Full of fun island history in the current exhibit for Chihuly is truly incredible.

virgina oshel

Was sort of disappointing. Mostly just told about movies made on island. Video wasn't about history of island, which would have been very interesting. Rather it was a short not very appealing film about an artist displaying a few items upstairs. Good gift shop can be visited without paying admission to museum. Very clean bathrooms.Easy walking distance from main shopping, eating, beach area. Cars are very limited on island. You rent a golf cart to get around (advised to tour higher points of island - takes 1-2 hrs depending how often you stop for pictures) or you just walk around Avalon on foot.

Peter Vo

Awesome Chihuly exhibit!

Ali Azad

Great place, it’s one of most favorite places in beautiful Catalina Island

Shreyas p.b

Nothing much over here. Spend more time on beach..

Buck Lopez

One of the greatest places I've ever been!!

Donna Drennon

The Chihuly Expo was amazing!

Kristina Clark

Not a large museum for the money, but, it was well maintained.

Chemist at play

The glass exhibit was exquisite.

Timothy Pemberton

Well worth the price to see a little piece of history.

scott whalen

Good island history with interesting relics like a telegraph, native soapstone items and artifacts. The admission is a bit high at $17. The glass sculptures were neat.

Stargazer B.D.

Nice place very educational

anna aguirre

It was awesome, and so informative. Really clean establishment

MrOgdomer

A lot of great info regarding Catalina Island. Highly recommend for anyone looking to learn about the island.

Nancy Gates

Loved Catalina Museum!

Hans van Rietschote

Really cool with the Chihuli exhibit. Without probably not so much. Thursday night it is open from 6-9 with the glass pieces illuminated.

Jennifer Nikbakht

Fun museum. A little pricey on the entrance. Kids were free, though.

Phillip Randazzo

A great place to learn about the history of Catalina Island.

Morgan Lamb

Great museum with a really unique gift shop! Definitely go!

Paul Ware

Small museum. But show local art and history, and very special traveling shows.

STEPH JO

The hand blown glass exhibit was beautiful.

Jerry Mullins

The history an old photos really very interesting and it's well worth seeing

Cahyana Wiyana

1989 ... MS Southward ..... nice place

Aaron Troy

Worked as a docent at the old location and now I love the changes they have made.

tony gault

Great small museum worth the trip.

Ed Eddison

The museum was small and had some neat info about the island's past. However I have to bring it down 2 stars because of a racist confederate-army-hat-wearing employee that was on the grounds fixing a bench. We tried to interact with him but he seemed to be irritated by our questions about the museum. I suppose I don't care so much about his beliefs, but I do think if he represents the business, he should lose the bad attitude.

Annette Vanila

I came to see the Chilhuly exhibit it was fantastic, especially at night!

Bret Baker

A nice tourist local.

Chris Paxton

Not very friendly people. Walking in to see the gift shop and the building instantly had an uncomfortable feel. Perhaps it was just an off day or the guy working that day.

Lisa Jones

Local history and a few outer exhibits

Jeff Hall

Great place to learn the history and background of the Island. Art on display adds a nice touch.

Linda Christopher

Amazing new museum!

Scott Daw

Extremely overpriced and very limited hours. We got there at 4:25 and they sold us tickets but then told us we would have to leave at 5. Typical tourist trap

Alan Luse

Beautiful new building. First major exhibit features Chihuly glass works exhibit. Major garden and chandelier pieces throughout museum plus two gallery exhibits of smaller pieces.

Anacron Allen

Small, but interesting new museum with an interesting focus on the history of Catalina Island. Very nice new facility with curious exhibits an a recurring First Fridays evening event.

Ramon Tapanes

Fun to visit.

corina tarcau

What a beautiful building and nice museum for our little island! It's got a great flow with a nice amphitheatre and cool exhibits. Don't miss it! The Chihuly exhibit was quite spectacular. Oh, the 1st Fridays at the museum are usually a blast! Must-do on in Avalon!

Margaret Machado

Love it, you should totally go!!

Guy Bower

Beautiful facility...the story of the place, the people and history!

rich dalessio

A great addition to Avalon! Interesting exhibits and a beautiful structure with an outdoor amphitheater.

Juan Luna

Yes exelent place to see the history of Catalina

Perkins Brothers

Has a sound proof dance floor ball room as well as a sound proof movie theater inside. Both built in 14 months in 1929 ingenious !

Judith Neff

The Catalina Museum was a pleasure To visit. The museum was full of Island history and the many celebrities who help make Catalina so colorful. On display was Chikuly's blown glass (awesome) Here are just a few pictures of his work.

Michael Riffee

Great chihuly glass display.

Andrea Rodriguez

Beautiful museum! Had a killer sale on bettie page items. They have an awesome gift shop.

Andrew De Haan

My wife and I wandered around this museum in about 2 hours. Although interesting and well put together, it's a bit expensive to visit for the size.

Bob Kip

Must see when visiting the island. Interesting permanent and traveling exhibits.

Carmen

It was a lovely museum it's worthwhile to go spend the time looking around

Kelsey Cohen

Great exhibits, loved learning the history of Catalina. They have a wonderful kids treasure map for kids to fill in answers they find throughout museum and turn it in for a prize (a surprisingly generous coloring book!) Kept our 7 year old engaged for over an hour.

Joey Katigbak

Very interesting and informative. A must see when visiting the island.

Jacqueline Lehr

A beautiful place to visit. Take your time to absorb the Island history and enjoy the interesting exhibits. Nice gift shop. If they're showing a movie in the evening, don't miss it.

Allen Kristy Ford

Learn all you need to know about Catalina in about an hour.

Karla Fuentes

Jaws exhibit was my favorite! Loved learning about the history of the island

Kristine Arzate

About $35 per person entry, and very small we saw it all in about 45 min. Its okay but the price is why i gave it 2 stars. It was informational about the city of avalon itself and how it came to be what it is today but I dont think id be exactly running to come back here anytime soon especially not for that price. It is clean and staff was informative but as enthusiastic as i felt about comming back. Souvenirs from there were also extremely over priced and not worth it. I enjoy museums but i was slightly disappointed here. Picture was from the art sculpture on top which was about the most fun i could possibly have had there.

Maria Malgapo-Alway

Informative. Mix of History and modernization. Tasteful Artistry.

Lowell A

Truly a great museum

Edith Hugo

Wonderful displays

Howard Blank

We saw the Chihuly exhibition as was amazing

Kimberly Tyler

Beautiful

Vic DeMattia

Great new museum. More like an art display then a museum but enjoyed it a lot. Great movie on the history of the island.

Carol Hutchison

A small but very well curated museum. We caught the Chihuly exhibit and it was fantastic. It was my first time admiring his work!

Kiby McDaniel

You really should take the time to visit Catalina Island Museum. It helped us understand more thoroughly about Mr.Wrigley Catalina ,Cubs baseball , Marilyn Monroe,etc. Definitely worth the knowledge to spend time.

Suzy S

The display walking you through the history of the island was wonderful, very well laid out for the space. I'm sure there is a lot more to Catalina but they carefully curated it to make it more easy to take in. I left there with a sense of nostalgia for the past and a new respect for the Wrigley family. Note: I'm very glad that the admissions attendant encouraged us to interact with the interactive sculpture on the 2nd floor, it is a must do.

Jim Brown

While in Avalon this museum is a great place to visit and spend a couple of hours

Jherlan Stroud

We enjoyed it very much

Yvette Machado

Great place to visit to learn about Catalina's history. Interesting and educational.

John Anguiano

A must see!

regina fernandez

A lovely addition to the island ... and I saw the Chihuly exhibit there last fall.

Deborah Allen

We thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the Catalina Island Museum tonight! The Dale Chihuly exhibition is awe-inspiring! Seeing the show at night was a treat! And there was a movie playing outside! Perfect!

Donara Gasanova

It's just magnificent!

Mark Woodward

Lots of info. Very informative.

Judyth Gillies

Enjoyed my visit and the tour

Leigh Elliott

Very interesting museum. Much there to learn about Catalina

Christopher Connolly

Beautiful museum. Bring $$ for souvenirs.

Darcy Baker

This museum is filled with Catalina relics and interesting history that makes the island feel unique and intriguing. Famous Blown Glass Artist, Chihuly had his work on exhibit while we visited. It was displayed beautifully. The purchase of tickets and receiving literature from front desk took way too long, like 25 minutes... hopefully they can get a better system for welcoming guests.

Benjamin Dion

Awesome chihuly glass exhibit! The museum is very nice and new. The regular museum exhibit about Catalina island's history was great, too, although I wish they had more about the island's natural history and early settlers, and less about all the Hollywood folks and the city of Avalon; however, a lot of the natural history can be found at the Catalina Conservancy's Nature Center. We spent about two hours here. It's worth the visit!

Tim Shuter

Very nice museum describing notable characters from Catalina Island's past.

Ulrike Gretzel

Super interesting museum. Learned a lot about the island and history in general. Definitely recommend a visit.

Erika Valarezo

Not cheap, but had some nice info on the history of the island

Leonardo Rodriguez

Incredible

Jonathan Parada

Great small museum with eclectic multi-media exhibits. Fee goes toward conservancy. Lovely, authentic items for sale in gift ship

Alysha Arseneau

Came here specifically for the Chihuly exhibit. Beautiful. Nice to be able to see the pieces up close without any barriers. Staff were very nice and informative. The rest of the museum covers the island's history. From the natives through various celebrity residents. Not sure the admission price would be worth it without the Chihuly exhibit though. The permanent exhibits, while kind of interesting, only kill about 30 minutes and are of little interest for kids. I'd recommend checking if there's a visiting exhibit that particularly interests you before spending the money.

kevin maunu

Great place to learn about the history of the island and those who helped form it. Several beautiful exhibits. We were drawn to the JAWS exhibit which was incredible. Included some history of the film, props and some amazing sculptures. Nice way to unwind.

Hugh O'Donnell

Fascinating exhibit. Much history.

Eleanor Gerald's

Great little place and the staff was wonderful

Zeke Barragan

Quaint but fun. The museum is not huge but the history it encompasses and relates is amazing. Once you are done here, make sure you take a tour of the actual Casino.

Anthon Gillespie

Very interesting information. The entrance fee is pretty steep considering the size of the museum but probably still worth checking out once. Overall there are some pretty fun facts about the island and people who have lived here. Who knew that Ronald Reagan worked here and Marilyn Monroe lived here?

Anna Wong

About $35 per person entry, and very small we saw it all in about 45 min. Its okay but the price is why i gave it 2 stars. It was informational about the city of avalon itself and how it came to be what it is today but I dont think id be exactly running to come back here anytime soon especially not for that price. It is clean and staff was informative but as enthusiastic as i felt about comming back. Souvenirs from there were also extremely over priced and not worth it. I enjoy museums but i was slightly disappointed here. Picture was from the art sculpture on top which was about the most fun i could possibly have had there.

Mandy Millee

Chihuly exhibit is awesome

Jo Carr

Great place to visit

Diane Miller

Beautiful museum. Saw the Chihuly exhibit which was phenomenal.

Page Flournoy

We enjoyed learning about Catalina Island. They had nice exhibits and I really liked the gift shop.

Julie Mills

Lovely new Museum

Elizabeth Bergman

This is a great place to learn more about the island!

William ELLIS

Very kind staff the truly love this island

Jason Clay

My favorite place on the island!

Melinda Muyargas

I'm a big history person, but I didn't really care for this museum. It was very small - just 5 or 6 small rooms - and was 95% reading the walls, rather than actual artifacts to look at. Most of the information I had already learned by picking up the free magazine on the Catalina Express and reading about the island's history on my way there. The magazine even told me about how the bison came to be on the island, whereas the museum didn't even mention it. The $5 entrance price is cheap, but honestly, I don't think it was worth that. Maybe $2 or $3 would be a more acceptable price, considering the size of the museum. All the writing on the walls of the magazine would be better suited to a magazine or book, instead of a walk-around museum. The highlight for me was the woman working in the gift shop. I don't remember her name, but she had a very deep voice. She was very friendly, and was able to answer our questions about how many people live on the island, why she lived there, etc.

Isaac Salazar

There's not a lot of things inside.

Jason Woodmansee

A little bare for what you pay, but a nice overview of the history of the island.

Tevyr May

Beautiful island! Great people.

Lissa Ireland

Loved learning the history of the Island! The museum was beautiful.

Chris Ramirez

Catalina has a very intriguing past and has gone through many stages of build-up to become what it is today. The museum showcases their affiliation with movie stars from Marilyn Monroe, Clark gable, Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, and so on. It even goes back 8,000 years to the Native Americans that once inhabited the island. Equipped with artifacts, pictures, and home videos!

Jessica Grannis

Nice little museum for learning all about the island. Nice little special exhibit on Posado too. Good gift store.

Cortney Koch

Lots of information tucked in a small corner of Catalina. A maze type museum, with a few floors to explore. More information then exhibition, but very interesting history. Go Cubs!

Carl Stearns

This brand new museum is very interesting on the history of the island. It goes from the first native people and their life on the island through all the people involved in developing the island to what it is today. It also explains all the animal and plant life. Must go if your interested about the island

Mark

Extensive exhibits on the development of Catalina and Wrigley's contribution. Unique artwork.

Gregg Kennedy

Everything you ever wanted to know about Catalina

Dar Har

Classy museum. A must see!

Rajesh Bonangi

Very good glass museum with unique items, very small museum

Brian Kreitzer

Nice highlights of the islands history. Great to be there to see the Chiluly glass exibit.

Charley Carlin

The Catalina Island Museum was kind of fun. I learn more things about Avalon, Catalina, and all the people who have been here over the years, who have tried and failed and tried and failed and tried again until finally the Avalon of today remains. Some might think it's all to local the information, but for me it was a great story about a lot of people with a lot of money trying to figure out how to make this island just a short ways away from Los Angeles, actually it is in Los Angeles County, become a profitable Enterprise. From the looks of Avalon I think they've done it

John Hash

Don't waste your time upstairs

David Espenlaub

Not much history on origins. Too much Hollywood.

Raymond Ramirez

The wife n i love the experience,great value good way to spend some time in getting to know the history of the island.a must see

Mike Lenzen

Small museum, but, I learned a lot about the history of the island.

Christopher Langille

A wonderful place to learn about the history of the island and the Jaws exhibition was a pleasant surprise.

Miguel Llige

Very nice to relax your mind and learn about Wrigley life.

Martin Vereda

Honestly, it was nice to see the history of Catalina before we went out exploring, but at $17, it was a bit of a rip off.

Rick Eakin

Great Chihily exhibit, have done a great job with the local lore. Movie night look fun too.

Ron Martin

Didn't realize it was private tours only. I must have missed that on the brochure. There was very little signage and information listed at the entrance, which made it difficult to understand what was going on there.

Mike Trachsel

Great Island History information

Deukkwon Yoon

Cool mueeum. A bit over priced like pretty much everything on the island.

Ed Matyk

Must see Awesome Staff cool but super islanders

Greg Richmond

Historic information

David Sturdevant

Good

Liz Staff

The Catalina Island Museum is absolutely wonderful! The building and outdoor areas are beautiful. There is a lot of fun historical information about Catalina island and the city of Avalon. The Chihuly exhibit is amazing.

patrick healy

Cool museum kinda pricey but cool

Chris Solomon

Great place cold ac and great history

Grandin Hammell

This is a great spot to see some of the history of the island and I've been impressed with the other touring exhibits coming through the museum as well.

John Dorwin

Nice museum.

Sara Schultz

Small but wonderful friendly staff and volunteers. Very clean.

Mark Bitton

Okay, so if the museum was free, then I'd have given it 3 stars. For $17/ticket, this museum was stupid, boring and a complete waste of money. Unless you're a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and I mean "HUGE" because there's not much there, you'll likely be disappointed.

Frankie G

Great exhibits and friendly staff

Linda Smith

A great overview of Catalina Island history & how it became the destination it is today.

Valeria Macias

Its nice, but verey small. Very expensive for the size.

Bob Bretall

Nice, but small, local museum focusing on the history of the island. Lots of Hollywood history here.

Paul Stanton

Very good history of Catalina here bit expensive to get in though.

Sreekanth Miryala

Great museum, you will learn about last 200 years of Catalinas history, very intresting and intriguing.

Bruce Hudson

Fascinating local history. New, friendly staff.

Adam Spivack

Interesting place. Teaches about some of Catalina history. The history was more focused on famous people visiting the island then about the islands past.