Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center
Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Museum dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and interpretation of the cultural and natural history of Skamania County and the Columbia River Gorge.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
210 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
62
Average
11
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Gabe H
Northern Virginia, VA171 contributions
Sept 2021
Good museum, with interesting artifacts from various collections. Not super well organized, as in not a major overall theme, more a separate set of collections. Should be interesting for children 6 or 7+. If coming from Portland, recommend driving on the Washington state (highway 14) side one way and the Oregon side (I-84) the other.
Written 9 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bev & Jerry
Bluffton, SC312 contributions
Jun 2022
Will preface this review by saying we aren’t “museum” people, but rather like the experience of the all outdoors. This museum has some nice informative historical exhibits, but we wouldn’t go out of our way (it's in Stevenson, WA) to visit it. Highlights for us were the short movie, the large collection of rosaries (including one owned by Jack Kennedy), the Eagle Creek Fire display, and an exhibit of antique hand-stitched quilts.
Written 12 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Traci S
Beaverton, OR349 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I was very disappointed given the reviews of this place. For one, one of the theaters were out of order. Two, the first exhibit we went to was so poorly lit it was very difficult to see into the displays to read about what we were looking at. Also many items were unmarked. There were some very old pianos displayed but without any kind of description as to what year there were from and their significance- I happen to have studied the history of piano's and was very curious. Also there was a strange religious section that had tons of rosaries behind locked glass but had price tags hanging from them. Not sure if they were there to buy or what that had to do with the columbia gorge. It was a strange hodge/podge of items that didn't make sense about the history of the area.
Written 7 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carl R
Portland, OR637 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
First class and we’ll worth the $10.00 admission fee. The gorge itself is the star of the show. From geology to Native Americans, pioneers, up to the present day. Artifacts, machines, 2 short movies, gift shop, and very friendly and helpful workers/ volunteers. If you are new to the gorge and find yourself on the relatively untraveled north side, this is a don’t-miss experience.
Written 11 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ReadRibbet
1,628 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
This stunning building in Stevenson, WA is home to the Roadside America Largest Rosary Collection in the World. It is housed on the second floor of the museum. It is quite an interesting display along with other historic religious artifacts. The museum also contains historic items from the Colombia River Gorge area including many large pieces and replicas from the logging industry. The outside grounds which provide excellent views of the river, also contain a variety of historic machines and vehicles. Outside the museum are beautiful tall tree sculptures. There is free parking and a $10 entrance fee.
Written 28 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
onlinemsu
Hillsboro, OR19 contributions
Mar 2021
Nice place to learn the history of Columbia Gorge. Lady at the front desk was courteous. Good option to consider especially if it is raining outside. Had the theater experience after 1 year during pandemic !!
Written 23 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
828TJA
Everett, WA482 contributions
Jun 2022
Friendly helpful staff. Interesting realia on local history and culture. Loved walking through the ancient machinery next to the main building.
Be aware that the center's entrance is far from the highway. Yes, there is a sign where the road turns off but it doesn't say the center isn't right there. They need a sign saying the entrance is way down the road. We had to consult our phone to see if we had driven by it.
The film needs captions for the hearing impaired.
Be aware that the center's entrance is far from the highway. Yes, there is a sign where the road turns off but it doesn't say the center isn't right there. They need a sign saying the entrance is way down the road. We had to consult our phone to see if we had driven by it.
The film needs captions for the hearing impaired.
Written 1 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hornbender
Georgia116 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
Perhaps because we were staying across the river in Oregon, but it took us three days to find out about this wonderful place. I think we were the only visitors when we went, and I just don't understand why. I learned more about the area here than anywhere else. The exhibits were well displayed, and there were so many of them! The large items, such as the huge steam engine, were impressive. I think this should be listed with attractions for the Cascade Locks area, but perhaps the fault was mine in using the AAA travelbook for Oregon, and it ignores things in Washington, even if less than two miles away. This is worth the admission, and we got both AAA and Senior discounts! I will honestly admit that I don't know if there are concession snacks as we were there no where near a meal time.
Written 17 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
phirl
Oregon8,775 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
We just spent two nights in Hood River. One thing we did was visit the Col Gorge Interp Center. We have spent time in Gorge, but first time to this place. We even stayed at Skamania Lodge a couple years ago and did not visit.
Entertainment Book has a coupon for on free entry after a paid entry. So we took that along. We left Hood River about 1:30 Thurs crossed to Wash side and ad we headed for Stevenson saw this terrible black cloud down the Gorge. Pretty soon we ran into it, so drove over half way in a driving rainstorm.
We pretty much has Center to ourselves. So wife could fiddle her way along through the many exhibits. It is very well done and wife really liked it. Some of the equipment was interesting to me like the huge pump, the 1915 or so Mack truck, and the fish wheels. They were full size, not to replicas.
During my work life with Forest Service spent many hours in the Gorge, mostly on roads and other facilities. Center was in final planning stages then but not built till after I retired. so was glad to finally see it. I think they did a very good job of telling story of the Gorge.
Entertainment Book has a coupon for on free entry after a paid entry. So we took that along. We left Hood River about 1:30 Thurs crossed to Wash side and ad we headed for Stevenson saw this terrible black cloud down the Gorge. Pretty soon we ran into it, so drove over half way in a driving rainstorm.
We pretty much has Center to ourselves. So wife could fiddle her way along through the many exhibits. It is very well done and wife really liked it. Some of the equipment was interesting to me like the huge pump, the 1915 or so Mack truck, and the fish wheels. They were full size, not to replicas.
During my work life with Forest Service spent many hours in the Gorge, mostly on roads and other facilities. Center was in final planning stages then but not built till after I retired. so was glad to finally see it. I think they did a very good job of telling story of the Gorge.
Written 24 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim P
Stevenson, WA2 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
This place is fantastic! Much more than just a museum, it has well-designed displays with careful attention to detail. It's not just a collection of artifacts, but rather a world-class way to tell the story of the Columbia River Gorge. The short movie on the geology of the gorge is fun and informative. Be sure to ask for a demonstration of the working, 3-story-tall replica fishwheel. Amazing! Friendly staff. Well worth the $10 entry fee ($8 for seniors).
Written 16 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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