Visit the Point Vicente Interpretive Center

Now Open, Point Vicenter Interpretive Center The Point Vicente Interpretive Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with new exhibits exploring the human and natural history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Are you interested in booking a wedding or event at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center? Click the button below to book an appointment. Appointments are required to tour the banquet room and to reserve a date. Appointments should be made for venue walk-throughs pre-event. For more information, visit the Facility's main page.

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New Exhibits

In March 2023, the Point Vicente Interpretive Center debuted a new exhibit featuring a nearly 11-foot-tall sperm whale jaw and an interpretive panel with facts about sperm whales. Acquired from a Japanese whaling station in the early 1970s, the jaw was generously donated to the City by Richard and Yvetta Williams, a docent with Los Serenos de Point Vicente. 

In April 2021, the museum debuted interactive exhibits that take visitors alongside gray whales and birds as they journey along the coast of the Peninsula. The displays also explore the history of animal and human migration and navigation. These permanent exhibits were made possible with funding from the nonprofit Los Serenos de Point Vicente and complement the Point Vicente Lighthouse Fresnel lens and an exhibit on the history of the whaling industry, which were added to the museum in 2019.

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About the Point Vicente Interpretive Center

The Point Vicente Interpretive Center opened in 1984 with a mission to present and interpret the unique features and history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The almost 10,000-square-foot expanded museum, reopened in July 2006, features exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the Peninsula, with a special emphasis on the Pacific gray whale. Tours are led by members of the docent volunteer organization Los Serenos de Point Vicente, however, tours will be unavailable until museums can operate at increased capacity. This premier whale watch site provides spectacular opportunities to view the annual migration of the Pacific gray whale from December through mid-May. 

The Point Vicente Interpretive Center is located at 31501 Palos Verdes Drive West in Rancho Palos Verdes. The museum and gift shop are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in programs, services, activities and meetings, contact the City's ADA Coordinator/Risk Manager at 310-683-3157, adarequests@rpvca.gov, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, at least 48 hours in advance to request an auxiliary aid or accommodation.