Top 10 Favorite Attractions on Oahu – #9: North Shore Surf Museum

Photo by Webshots user kevin131532

Hidden in the North Shore Marketplace in Haleiwa is one of the funkiest places I’ve encountered on Oahu, the North Shore Surf and Cultural Museum. I don’t know much about surfing, but this museum has a very cool array of various surf artifacts and cultural oddities, including surfboards, photos, found jewelry, glass bottles, and a scale model of the North Shore.

The best part are the curators (Bob and Stephen, I believe!), who have fantastic stories about a variety of topics (ask them about the saga of Captain Haleiwa and prepare to be entertained!). You could probably get in and out of the museum in 15 minutes if you wanted, but I always end up talking with the curators for much longer.

Check out a bunch of photos of the surf museum on Flickr. North Shore Surf and Cultural Museum
North Shore Marketplace (behind Patagonia, look for the VW bus)
Haleiwa, HI
Admission is free, but once you see how cool this place is you’ll definitely want to donate

Tip: The North Shore Marketplace has a great assortment of boutiques and galleries, including:

• what I feel is the finest art gallery on the island (yes, even better than Chinatown), Haleiwa Art Gallery
• some of the best Mexican food on Oahu at Cholo’s Mexican Restaurant
• get great prices on designer dresses and accessories at Silver Moon Emporium (i.e. Sue Wong and Betsey Johnson dresses for $99)

Have you ever been to the North Shore Surf Museum? Do you know of any other great finds in Haleiwa?