Pacifica Coastside Museum

6 stars! 10 stars! Ah, I couldnt love this place more--If you know Pacifica, you know the vibe is wholesome, quaint, warm-hearted, and offline. If that sounds like your cup of tea, look no further. There's a sign out front with the hours of operation, and so me and friend decided to check it out on the weekend. Don't expect a QR code or a LCD of any kind.The staff is *passionate* about the amazing history of this town, from surfer culture, to the failed railway, to Ohlone heritage, to colonialism, to mega condo towers that couldn't edge in past the locals- there's a lot more to Pacifica than I ever imagined!They have a history of developing a famous cheese, a wooly mammoth book, a railway train set, and more. But ultimtely, it's the staff that make this place what it is. Super friendly, helpful, and accommodating, they helped me up to all the different floors in their retro-fitted elevator, and made my stay as helpful as possible. I learned a ton and just soaked up everything I could.If you like big, swanky, heartless, colonial museums - go to DeYoung. If you like local flavor mom n' pop super heartwarming adobe cottage museum vibes with passion and intricate detailed stories - come here! You wont regret it :)P.S. the nicest, fanciest bathroom I've seen in a museum... ever?

This place has extremely limited days/hours of operation, I had to stop by and take advantage while I was in the area. One of the docents, Susan, was lovely, eager to share amusing stories about and the history of different pieces in the museum. Otherwise, it's a self-paced and self-guided tour. Some of the more interesting parts were the model railroad exhibit made up of the beaches, mountains, and buildings along the Pacific Coast Highway, articles about the "surfing Santa" who skydived into a shopping center to put on a show for the kids in 1963 but ended up in the ocean and was saved by surfers, and historical photos of Devil's Slide. There's even a sports room which includes a display of the memories of Sea Bowl. It was nice to see and learn a little bit about the history of this town. Parking was free and easy right next to the little brown church. There's a gift shop too, but I skipped it during my recent visit. With free admission, this museum is definitely woth checking out and won't take long to get through (maybe 30 minutes).

To show you how Pacifican I am, I couldn't initially find the review page for this museum because I kept keying in 'little brown church'. For decades that's what it was--an attractive yet tired-looking structure just visible from Highway 1. I had heard from someone in town that the church had been converted into a museum some years ago, but only recently got myself in to check out the scene. The efforts of those involved in LBC's restoration should be applauded. The exterior of the building looks outstanding these days. The inside of the church is tidy with historical displays that have a slight look of impermanence. Read Shayla B's review if you need a clearer picture. Train buffs would do well to visit. There's a nice little bit of information on the Ocean Shore Railroad that used to run along the coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. I especially liked looking at the old train station maps. Growing up, I knew of only two stations in town. There was the one in Vallemar converted into a restaurant called--wait for it--Vallemar Station and the one on the Point that, I think, had become a surf house in the intervening years. What I dig most about the museum is the wee gift shop just to the left of the entryway as you walk in. It's super cosy--three is legit a crowd--and filled with interesting items for sale. There are some fun, Pacifica-specific postcards on display, a few old-timey coastal photographs, a bit of ceramic art not having much to do with Pacifica & fun vintage button-earrings made by (I think) the daughter of a volunteer. The best thing about the shop is that in it one can buy Pacifica 'Jack' cheese! It's a mild cheese, much like its Monterey counterpart, but with a slightly tangy aftertaste. The cheese is made, I would imagine, by someone fairly local and certainly on a non-commercial scale. It's eight bucks for, maybe, a half pound. I can't quite remember the weight, but it's a decent-sized block. I've purchased the cheese for friends and family who no longer live in town and it's made them happy.

Great little local history museum! I've lived in the area all my life but I learned new things here. I definitely recommend you pick up a block of Pacifica Jack cheese in the little gift shop! Only $9 for a full pound. Cash only. The museum itself is free. Check the hours, though. They're only open a couple of afternoons a week.

The restoration of the Little Brown Church and turning it into a coastside museum has added another jewel to the city of Pacifica. There is plenty of history within the walls of this building including the most recent work on the Tom Lantos tunnels. If you're interested in the castle of Pacifica, the old railroad that went through town along the coast or anything else Pacifica, this is a must see. Right now it is open Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturday from 1-4PM.To Yelp: This is NOT the Sam Mazza Castle. This is the Pacifica Coastside Museum in the recently renovated Little Brown Church.

Pass on it... this is not really a museum. It's more of just a restoration of the old church that used to occupy this space. I went in and was literally done in about 10 minutes. I will say that the people who work here are super friendly and are very knowledgeable about the city of Pacifica and the history of the church. Being an out of towner, I was really expecting to see more from this museum. They hold classes here at the church and display their works at many local fairs and festivals in and around the area. This would be a great place to explore for a local, but not really much here for an out of towner like myself. I feel bad for having to rate this museum so low because I do feel that they do have some useful information available. However, there just really isn't much to it. With more renovations, I think that this museum would definitely be more attractive to its' outside residents.

The Pacifica Coastside Museum is a small but fascinating museum in the beautiful town of Pacifica, California. Not to be missed. A vision of the Pacifica Historical Society, the Little Brown Church, is now the permanent home to a Museum dedicated to the history of surfing, the Ocean Shore Railroad and American Indian artifacts. The current display of early mammoth bones found on the on the beaches here is incredible. Changing displays always make it very interesting, visit each time I come to Pacifica, to learn the history of the tunnel on Highway 1, Devils Slide, etc. Home to where you can buy some of the most famous Native Californiaa cheese Pacifica Jack!

Mastadon bones and tusks... 10,000 years old and found on the beach nearby by Ian Butler are on exhibit at this museum. Also Shirley Drye's collection of Ohlone artifacts...Come by and see what is there.