A Guide to Seattle Museums – From Art and Heritage to Pinball, 12 Cool Places You Should Check Out
Find Out More About the Best Museums in Seattle
No matter if you’re already living in downtown Seattle or relocating to some of the best neighborhoods in Seattle for families, life here is never boring – especially if you know where to look. After a challenging relocation, visiting some of these charming and inspiring places will definitely help you forget about moving stress. Seeing some of the best Seattle art museums can also be a great relaxation after a fun moving away party. Starting with some of the well-known ones and leading to some unexplored gems, here’s a list of museums in Seattle you shouldn’t miss.
Seattle Art Museum (SAM)
Wonder what should you not miss in Seattle? Starting with the main location for art lovers and enthusiasts, SAM operates three major facilities, including Asian Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park, which opened in 2007. The collection of this place includes about 25,000 unique pieces and continues to grow since 1933. How much does it cost to go to the Seattle Art Museum? Is the Seattle Art Museum free? On the first Tuesday of every month, this community offers free admission for visitors from all over the world – you can enjoy all the exhibitions without spending a penny. Are museums open in Seattle? Although most of these places are open, due to the fact that COVID-19 is still taking place, the visiting hours’ policy is strict, and things can change overnight. Depending on the location you are visiting – make sure to check the newest information online before rushing to Seattle public transportation. Check out this video showing some things you can see at SAM.
Asian Art Museum With Breathtaking History and Unique Entertainment Is One of the Most Popular Museums
Located in Capitol Hill, one of the cool neighborhoods in Seattle, inside the Volunteer Park, this award-winning place offers breathtaking gallery exhibitions and many exciting facilities. Recently renovated, this historic art deco creates a harmony of architecture and artifacts. One of the biggest and most significant changes includes excellent lighting and highlighting composition that exaggerates the beauty of displayed collections and designs. After enjoying this experience, you can relax at some of the best rooftop bars and discuss your impressions with friends for hours.
Olympic Sculpture Park in Town Center Is Admission Free
This gorgeous park and pavilion, created and operated by SAM, includes exhibitions of modern and contemporary sculptures and designs. Located at the Centar Waterfront, the park is an admission-free spot, where you can enjoy installations by Victoria Haven, Spencer Finch, and Regina Silveira. Relax at the nine-acre, multi-level maze of green surfaces, paths, and a beach of one of the most beautiful parks in Seattle. If you’re moving with pets, keep in mind that this is a place where animals are forbidden even on a leash. Luckily, there are many other amazing dog parks and dog-friendly restaurants without this strict policy nearby.
Museum of Pop Culture
MoPOP, with more than 100,000 items on display, is a place with one of the biggest contemporary pop culture collections in the world. This unique and extravagant collection is made of live video recordings, original musical instruments and equipment, photographs, artist-related clothing, things and costumes, manuscript, and more – including artifacts from local favorites such as Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana. Here, you can also find a rich archive with some comic book exhibits, video games, and movies. The community’s primary mission is to make a creative expression of a life-changing force and gather passionate fans to connect and relive some of the greatest moments of pop culture’s history. This place’s architecture is focused on a mixture of myriad colors and bright textures, while the exterior conveys fluidity of musical power and passion.
National Nordic Museum
Located in Ballard, one of the safest neighborhoods in SEA, this place, previously known as the Nordic Heritage Museum, is dedicated to Nordic immigrants’ history. It was founded in 1980, and it serves as a community gathering spot, with exciting arts and objects exhibitions and collections. It provides educational opportunities and interesting experiences from Finnish, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish Americans. This place is home to some unique annual events, including:
- Concerts,
- Films,
- Lectures,
- Exhibition openings and artist tours,
- Nordic Sol,
- Julefest.
Nordic Sol and Julefest in Seattle
Nordic Sol was first organized in 1984 as Tivoli Days in July. This two-day event was later changed into Viking Days and later in 2011 was moved to mid-August. Later in 2018, it was back in July with an idea to connect with the annual Ballard SeafoodFest. Apart from traditional Scandinavian music, food, and craft vendors, visitors can enjoy Viking Encampment. As its name changed and its purpose extended later in 2019, Nordic Sol became dedicated to Nordic history and culture.
Julefest is an annual event that takes place on the weekend before Thanksgiving. It is a Nordic Christmas celebration with traditional specialties, food, and drinks, as well as craft vendors and Christmas traditions on display. If you’re a fan of craft beer, you can also enjoy some of the well-known Seattle breweries throughout the year – there is no need to wait for the festival.
Museum of History and Industry
As a nationally respected and treasured historical resource MOHAI is an inspirational place, which promotes tradition as well as innovation and imagination. Some of the various facilities MOHAI offers include compelling exhibits, scholarship foundations, educational programs, rich community engagement, and much more. Its primary mission is to collect artifacts, stories, and traditional treasures of the Puget Sound region’s history. The unique composition of diverse traditions and original ideas had united thousands of visitors through many years. While the whole city is being inspired by the breathtaking environment and surroundings, including beautiful lakes, snowy mountains, and forests, humans living here were inspired to create something extraordinary. Exhibitions in this place are showing that outstanding development and its undoubtedly enormous impact on humanity.
Wing Luke Museum
Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience offers eye-opening setups with one main goal – to connect dynamic and fascinating history through vivid and inspiring storytelling with racial and social equity. With authentic stories involving the experiences of Asian pioneers, this 60,000 square foot building is breathing the air of their struggles and gives us an idea of what it truly means to be uniquely American. Located in Chinatown District, it also offers its visitors an inspiring end to educational neighborhood tours that encourage everyone to continue discovering incredible tastes and stories this place genuinely provides.
Seattle Pinball Museum
Another one of many reasons to move and possibly one of the most interesting places you will ever visit is Pinball Museum. It is obviously dedicated to the famed arcade game, its development, and original collections. It was founded by a local couple who owned an admirable personal collection, and it’s home to vintage games and the latest machines. Some of the most interesting pieces include the newest Houdini and Buckaroo from 1965.
Frye Art Museum
Founded by the Frye family, it was initially a place where they displayed their private collection of fascinating 18th and 19th-century art pieces – mostly paintings. It has been located on Washington Seattle’s First Hill since 1952 when prominent business leaders and art collectors Charles and Emma Frye opened it for visitors for the first time. This living legacy is a center committed to artistic inquiry, and it’s dedicated to visionaries and global artists.
Cascadia Art Museum
This community is an educational, nonprofitable organization providing rich experiences to visitors and art lovers throughout the years. It celebrates the rich traditions of the Northwest in the period from 1860 to 1970. Visitors can enjoy some original exhibitions, public programs, and educational facilities, including the work of women and minority artists whose pieces had a significant impact on the region’s cultural identity. The community’s primary goal is to express rejection of racism, discrimination, and violence, joining the neighbors across the Pacific Northwest
Living Computer Museum – Virtual Tours and More
Are you interested in the world’s most extensive collection of historic operating computers? This might be a real paradise for you! It started with a single computer, back in 1997 when Paul Allen’s company purchased TOAD-1 System from XKL Systems Corporation from Redmond, Washington. Originally Allen’s idea was to preserve historically significant software and make it available to the public. LCM+L, after that, continued to collect and bring back to life many other significant software and computers. They can now be used on-site whenever is possible, and most of them can be operated remotely as well. Their ideology is mainly focused on the point that in order to understand machines and computers, you have to use them. Vintage technology exhibits provide the most extensive collection of restored and usable supercomputers, minicomputers, mainframes, and microcomputers.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Well-known for unique and colorful sculptures, this is a place where Dale Chihuly put up his fantastic exhibit. It includes vibrant and eye-catching works, and it is, according to many astound visitors, an absolutely fantastic place that can’t be described in words. It is far from a typical but indeed genius exhibition that you’ll want to admire for a few hours at least – photos won’t do justice. There is also an outdoor garden area where some of the pieces are displayed. It also has an amazing gift store, where you can buy some exciting pieces as a souvenir.
If You’re Amazed by Seattle Museums and Want to Relocate Closer to Some of Your Favourites, Hire Seattle Professional Movers for Help
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