Opened in 1959, The Akranes Folk Museum owes its existence to the drive and determination of one man, Rev. Jon M. Gudjonsson (1905-1994). This avid collector with respect for the traditions of his native land became pastor in Akranes in 1946. In his previous parish in south Iceland he had already laid the foundation for what is now the museum at Skogar, and three years after his arrival he proposed a similar scheme for Akranes. It took a long time to raise support and money for the opening of a museum in the glebe at Gardar, the house adjacent to what is now the main building.

The split level main building was opened in July 1974 as part of the celebrations marking the 1100th anniversary of the settlement of Iceland.  The Gardar House, the original museum, is still being used for exhibitions.

To the right of the main building stands the house at Gardar, which housed the museum until 1974. Built in the years 1876-82 for the pastor Jon Benediktsson, Gardar represents a landmark in the Icelandic, possibly the Nordic, architectural history due to the use of concrete in a primitive form. This was an ingenious solution forced on the mason by the shortage of local stone suitable for building. A highly expensive and time consuming business, it eventually bankrupted the unfortunate pastor, who was forced to leave the parish a few years later. Shortly afterwards, the church itself moved to its present home in Akranes. The ecclesiastical tradition of Gardar from the 10th century came to an end. The house fell into a state of disrepair and was restored in 1986-1990 and now housed a fascinating collection of objects and memorabilia relating both to its builder, and Icelandic daily domestic life.

Several small fishing vessels are displayed outdoors.  Among them is the cutter GK Sigurfari, built in England in 1885.  It served the fishermen of Hull until 1897, the Icelanders until 1920, and the Faroese until 1974, when it was brought back to Iceland to become a part of the country’s marine history.

North of Gardar stands a red house, Nedri-Syrupartur, which stood near the lighthouse before being moved to the museum in 1990. It is the oldest timber dwelling house of Akranes, built in 1875. At times it housed up to four families, over 20 persons in all, guests excluded.

The dwelling house, Geirsstadir, built in 1903 and only 25 m² in area, housed for a time a privately run infant school.

Two wooden sheds, the larger dating back to the late 19th century was used as a drying shed, while the smaller was built to house the rowing boat Saeunn, which can now be seen in the main building.

In front of the museum stands a granite monument inscribed in Gaelic and Icelandic, a gift from the Irish people to the town of Akranes in 1974 on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the settlement of the country. It is to mark the fact, that according to the medieval Landnamabok, Book of the Settlements, the area was first settled by two Irish brothers, Thormodur and Ketill Bresason, around the year 880.

In June 2001, a new building was opened.  It houses an interesting collection of semi-precious stones, an exhibition dedicated to the construction of The Whale Bay Tunnel, a collection of maps and areal pictures of The Icelandic Survey Department, and an exhibition dedicated to the history of sports activities.  A restaurant seating 60 people is also under the same roof.