The Yeysk Historical and Local Lore Museum, one of the oldest in the Krasnodar Krai, was founded on May 5, 1910, based on a visual aids museum created by local educators. In February 2000, the museum was named after the outstanding local historian Vladimir Vasilyevich Samsonov, who directed it from 1929 to 1962.

During the occupation of the city by German fascist troops (from August 1942 to February 1943), all museum collections were completely lost.

Currently, the museum's collections include materials from archaeological and ethnographic expeditions, documents, photographs, awards of Yeysk residents, as well as unique materials on the history of the city and the Northwest region of Kuban. The museum has gathered interesting information about famous Yeysk residents: the "Champion of Champions" I.M. Poddubny, the renowned graphic artist D.I. Mitrokhin, actor and director S.F. Bondarchuk, actress N.V. Mordyukova, and many others.

Based on the museum's collections, a memorial museum dedicated to the outstanding wrestler, six-time world champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, and Honored Artist of the RSFSR Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny was opened in 1971. In the 1980s, a collection from I.A. Arzamastsev, who dedicated his life to collecting works of painting and graphics and bequeathed it to his hometown, was received from Czechoslovakia.

On January 1, 2008, an art museum was opened, which is a branch of the historical and local lore museum. In 1995, a memorial complex "To the Defenders of Yeysk" was opened on Yeysk Spit, the exhibition of which tells about the defense and liberation of the city during the Great Patriotic War.

The main museum exhibition, created in 1986-1988 by the team of the Rostov Art and Production Combine in postmodern style, is dedicated to the nature and history of the Northeast Azov region and the city of Yeysk.

The main hall of the Vladimir Vasilyevich Samsonov Historical and Local Lore Museum is located on the third floor of a building constructed in 1913, which forms a single complex with the building of the Yeysk district administration. This complex is typical for the architectural environment of the historical part of Yeysk and is made in the "modern" style. The art hall is located in the building of the former church at 149 Tamanskaya Street. The exhibition dedicated to the life of Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny is located in a building constructed in 1971 in Poddubny Park near the grave of the renowned wrestler, whose name has become a symbol of heroic strength and athletic longevity.