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Catalina Island Museum

#1 Casino Way, Casino Building, PO Box 366, Avalon, Catalina Island, CA 90704
310-510-2414
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Ranked #7 of 14 attractions in Avalon
Type: Museums
Owner description: Located in Avalon's historic Casino building, the museum has updated its entire facility to include an expanded museum store, a digital theater, a... more » Owner description: Located in Avalon's historic Casino building, the museum has updated its entire facility to include an expanded museum store, a digital theater, a number of galleries dedicated to the history of Catalina Island and a special exhibitions gallery which changes 3-4 times each year. « less
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73 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    37
    24
    7
    4
    1
Date Rating
SoCal
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2013 NEW

Unchanged for almost 50 years, this cute little museum has undergone a complete renovation and it's now a breath of fresh air. It's five bucks and a half-hour, both of which are very well spent. The museum gives you plenty of artifacts, enough narrative to be informative, a nice intro movie, and an interesting (if under-stocked) gift shop. The casino... More

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See 6 more reviews by Poochkin for Avalon
Berthoud, Colorado
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
14 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2013

If you are a pilot, like me...you will love the flight across the bay to the "Airport in the Sky"......A great little airport with a wonderful eatery on the airport grounds....don't miss the buffalo burger....yummm.....excellent facility...Check NOTAMS for airport info and watch the winds and downdrafts on each end of the runways...ENJOY !!

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Southern California
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

This is a small museum with plans for a larger place in 2014. A lot to see here. Nice gift shop. People who work here know all about, quick and informative answers to all my question. I shall return!

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See 9 more reviews by Daruth for Avalon
Norco, California, United States
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
6 attraction reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2013

Given the history of the island it is a lot smaller than I would have liked. I enjoyed it but was expecting much more.

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See 10 more reviews by Becki C for Avalon
Newport Beach
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

This is a nice little museum. It is small It gives you an informative history of the island and it's culture. I think the entry fee is priced much to high for the extent of this small museum.

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See 2 more reviews by Rome949 for Avalon
Monrovia, California, USA
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 April 2013

This museum has come a long way over the years. We visited after seeing a good marketing piece in town pertaining to their WWII exhibit. It had been years since I had visited and boy, have they improved! The exhibits were interesting and varied and the films really helped capture visitors' attention. Even my 7 year old was fully into... More

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See 4 more reviews by Veronica H for Avalon
Port Hueneme, California
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 April 2013

Very inexpensive and definitely worthwhile. They have a number of video presentations about the history of the island and the Hollywood connection. We loved it.

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See 7 more reviews by YAYASister70128 for Avalon
Cool
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
6 attraction reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 March 2013

While we were there, they had a presentation on WW II. Well done. For such a small museum it is quite professionally done. Being a historian myself, I was quite impressed with the presentation and content. The average tourist will definitely enjoy it. Free admission to it is included with your tour of Casino, so do both!

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See 10 more reviews by IrishTomKat for Avalon
Manhattan Beach, California
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 March 2013

This museum is curated by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. I think they all know the complete history of Catalina from the beginning of its time. The exhibits change on a regular basis. The one that was set up this month is regarding the place the island had as an outpost during WWII. Fascinating stuff.

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See 5 more reviews by fashionsuz for Avalon
Pasadena, California
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
11 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 February 2013

This little museum is small, but worth a stop. It is under the Avalon Ballroom. Take that tour and then stop downstairs for a quick perusal through the photographs. Talk to the people in the gift shop and they will give you suggestions about where to eat and what to see in Avalon.

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See 4 more reviews by Susan Z for Avalon

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