WMSC Facilities

Comfort, Convenience, & Support

That’s what our facilities offer, whether you’re making a day trip, staying for a weekend, or spending an entire semester on the island. From fully equipped labs and classrooms to lodging, dining, and retreat spaces, we have what you need.

Note: All research visitors should review our Lab Supervision Policy and submit a Research Activities Plan along with their facility reservation. These forms are linked below and are also available on our booking page.

Types of Facilities

Student in a dark lab looking through a microscope

Research Facilities

Our most remarkable research facility is the living lab of the island itself, its surrounding marine reserves, and the San Pedro Channel. WMSC also offers wet and dry labs, sized for individual researchers or groups; a lecture hall and classrooms with A/V setup; a greenhouse and blue house; and dive facilities.

Housing & Dining

Our dining hall serves three meals each day. Housing options include dorm-style rooms with shared bathrooms; one-bedroom apartments with full kitchens and living/dining spaces; and 2- and 3-bedroom cottages with full kitchens, living rooms, and dining rooms.

Boone Center

Built in 2008, the George and MaryLou Boone Center for Science and Environmental Research is a retreat facility for public- and private-sector leaders looking to develop solutions to environmental and sustainability problems. It consists of six semi-detached homes situated around a central courtyard with a view of Big Fisherman’s Cove.

Reserve Housing or Lab Space

Facilities Photo Gallery

Please be aware that the Wrigley Marine Science Center is a working research field station in a remote area. If you have not stayed with us before, we strongly recommend that your group coordinator schedule a site visit before booking to get a sense of what we offer.

If you are a conference or retreat group, in particular, please note that we are not a full-service hotel. We do not provide housekeeping services during your stay, and our ability to accommodate special requests (including dietary requests) is limited. Our team is small and focused primarily on supporting research and educational activities. Please keep this in mind as you consider locations for your event.

Our lab building includes wet and dry labs, a large lecture hall, touch tank area, and inner courtyards for outdoor work.
Our amphitheater can accommodate 100+ people and provides a stunning view of the marine protected area in Big Fisherman Cove. The amphitheater stage can also be used for events or small breakout/discussion groups.
Most wet labs are equipped with sea tables, which are supplied with incoming seawater from a depth of 25 feet.
Some microscopes, such as the epifluorescence microscope in the photo, allow projection onto high-resolution video monitors or directly to your laptop for image capture via camera software.
Labs are spacious with workbenches and seating, and are customizable based on the needs of your group.
Available equipment includes most standard laboratory glassware, access to an onsite molecular laboratory, incubators, drying ovens, and much more. Requests for equipment can be made during the reservation process or by submitting a research activities plan.
The greenhouse and bluehouse behind the lab building have piped seawater and specimen tanks and can be set up for experiments that depend on natural lighting conditions.
MSC 209 has modern AV capabilities to allow for meetings and presentations to be broadcast from the room or from anywhere in the world.
MSC 209, configured as an executive boardroom, can seat up to 30 people. (Photo/Deep Thakur)
MSC 310 can be set up as a meeting space or classroom for up to 20 participants. Featuring wheeled furniture that allows for different configurations, the room is flexible to meet the needs of a wide variety of groups.
Several types of housing and an on-site dining hall allow for a comfortable and affordable stay. Visitors can choose from dorm-style rooms, small apartments, and family-size cottages.
Dorms include rooms with both private and shared bathrooms. Each dorm room is equipped with at least one bed/mattress, desk, lamp, dresser, and closet.
The Boone Center provides higher-end housing and meeting space for conferences and other gatherings.
In addition to our Boone Houses, our gold apartments and cottages provide elevated accommodations for faculty and staff members. They are also a great housing option for conference groups.
WMSC cottages have 2 and 3 bedrooms, full kitchens, and living spaces to accommodate families or small groups.
Our dining hall is 3-Star Green Restaurant Certified, recognizing our adoption of sustainability best practices such as offering vegan and vegetarian meals, composting all food waste, conserving water, and converting kitchen equipment to energy-efficient and low-emissions models.