The Haines Hammer Museum: One of the Most Unique Museums in Alaska

I love an obscure or really niche place to visit and the Hammer Museum in Haines is just that. It’s not named after somebody called “Hammer” but it’s a museum full of every type of hammer tool you could ever imagine. It’s both weird and fascinating, and it’s great to visit with kids. When you visit Haines, you have to be sure to set aside some time to visit the Hammer Museum.

I’ll bet you can’t guess what my favorite niche hammer collection is at the Hammer Museum. You’ll have to read on to find out! If you have any questions about planning your visit or need more recommendations for museums in Alaska or for things to do in Haines, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a fun Alaska trip!

Highlights of the Hammer Museum in Haines

While the Hammer Museum in Haines is cool and weird, I wouldn’t put it on my Alaska bucket list unless you really like to dig into a topic and learn everything you ever knew you didn’t know. While it looks small from the outside, the Hammer Museum is crazy full of so many types of hammers and there is so much history to cover that you actually might end up spending two hours here reading ever note card and examining every specimen. Specimen? Is that the right word for hammers? They are collected and displayed by use/era/lore, so it’s kind of like seeing a pinned butterfly collection in a science museum.

As you can tell, the Hammer Museum is really unique so it may just be right up your alley. As you move through rooms, the many many hammers are organized artfully with plenty of information to take in. My favorite hammer collection (you ready?) is actually the prohibition era decorative cocktail hammers. Weird, right? It’s things like historic decorative pieces that actually showed a whole other side of society and daily life that make the Hammer Museum so cool.

For the kids, they really liked the idea of treating the Hammer Museum like a scavenger hunt. We were going room to room looking for the hammers that we thought might be used for X or hammers typically used in country Y or hammers that specifically were only used for Z. It’s just such an odd and fun museum to visit that you’ll find what makes it interesting for your group.

Tips for a Fun Hammer Museum Visit

When you plan your visit to the Hammer Museum, allow yourself an hour. If this is your thing and you love to read and focus on the handywork of a bygone crafting skill, plan for a little more time. There are 5 or 6 different rooms to the museum so give yourself enough time to slowly browse.

Tip: if you’re strapped for time, I feel that the Haines Sheldon Museum across the street is a better use of your time due to the incredible curation of pieces relating to the Chilkat Tlingit culture and history.

If you’re visiting the Hammer Museum with kids, I would aim for a shorter time and figure out what they’re most drawn to. It’s a very niche interest, so if you just walk in with kids and don’t try to get them interested, you may not get the chance to enjoy it fully yourself. We took the approach of a scavenger hunt for different themes and uses throughout the rooms, and this gave plenty of time to actually get through each room of the museum. Also, keep in mind that the Hammer Museum is NOT an interactive museum for kids to play with heavy metal tools. I know, but it has to be said because I’m out in the world and I see how some parents aren’t fully tuned into what the kiddos are doing. This is a place to observe, read, ask questions and learn. And there are some head-scratcher moments.

Now, if you’re limited for time in Haines, should you visit? Well, we’re all different with different interests, but I think this is worth it if you’re here for two days or if you’re just here for the day and are only walking around town vs doing some of the different tours to Chilkoot Lake or going out on the Chilkat River to see the eagles. It’s a fun stop, for sure.

Planning your Haines Day w/ the Hammer Museum

If you are visiting Haines. Alaska for just the day and are planning to just explore downtown on foot, the Hammer Museum is a great addition to your visit. It’s walking distance from the marina or Port Chilkoot dock (where Alaska Fjordlines comes in), and it’s near both the restaurants of Haines and the Haines Sheldon Museum. Basically, you’ll be here anyways so it’s an easy and totally unique activity to enjoy. For daytrip visitors coming in from Skagway, you should be able to visit anytime during open hours due to the Alaska Fjordlines schedule back and forth between the two towns.

Admission to the Hammer Museum is $7 for adults and then kids 12 and under are free.

Parking for the Hammer Museum

The Hammer Museum is walking distance from everything downtown. Unless you’re staying up the Haines Road or on the way out to Lutak, you’ll likely be just a few minutes walk from here. And the Haines Sheldon Museum (really well put together exhibits) is across the street too so you can visit both in an afternoon. Around the corner and up a block is Fort William Henry Seward National Historic Landmark, which is also neat to visit, and then the Haines marina is down the hill about fifty yards away. If you’ve driven into town, be mindful of parking signs, but for the most part it’s not difficult to find a place to park.

More Things to do in Haines

I feel like Haines is kind of this sort of secret spot on the Inside Passage. Most of the cruise ships go to Skagway or Icy Strait Point and completely miss Haines, which makes it wonderful and quiet. I love this town because there is lots to do and it’s beautiful. There are a few museums, you’ve got two state parks, lots of options for fishing, boat charters, LOTS of Chilkat Tlingit totem poles, art and more. Haines is the version of Alaska that I wish still existed all through the Inside Passage and up into South Central AK.

When you’re planning your visit to Haines and your activities, I think spending 3-4 nights is perfect. This gives you plenty of time to hike and enjoy the wildlife and rivers, but then also you can have time in town and up along the Haines Highway. Everyone has a different style of travel and activities they look for, and I think that’s what makes Haines such a good destination to visit.

Here are some of our recommendations for things to do in Haines: