Seattle Area Museums - Visit Seattle

John Grade’s Middle Fork

Seattle’s museums are eager to welcome you.

Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region are home to an outstanding collection of unique museums, which welcome visitors to enjoy a full range of experiences.

Please visit the websites of each museum ahead of time to learn more and purchase advance tickets. No matter what your interest: pop culture, sea life, glass, aviation history, natural history, culture, art, and more, there’s something for you!

SEATTLE MUSEUMS

Click the images for links to each museum website

Burke Museum

Burke Museum

A scenic view of a marina with wooden boats and buildings reflecting on the calm water. The overcast sky adds a misty ambiance to the scene, while the harbor includes a variety of vessels docked alongside rustic structures.

Center for Wooden Boats

A modern glass building with an arched roof houses colorful glass sculptures in the heart of the Queen Anne neighborhood. A striking orange and yellow sculpture resembling flames stands outside, surrounded by lush green trees and shrubs.

Chihuly Garden and Glass Courtesy Chihuly Garden and Glass, © Chihuly Studio

Chihuly Garden and Glass

A display of vintage wooden wall-mounted telephones against a backdrop featuring a black and white historical photograph of a man writing at a desk.

Connections Museum

Spacious wooden room with a detailed patterned wooden floor, high ceiling, and unique round chandeliers. Wooden benches line the walls, and there are decorative items, including a canoe, on the left side. Natural light filters through windows.

Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center

Frye Museum Entry

Pete Eckert

Frye Art Museum

Two women interact with educational displays in a museum exhibit titled

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center Courtesy of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation Discovery Center

Exterior view of the Henry Art Gallery, featuring the sign with

Henry Art Gallery

Black and white photos of children are displayed on large window panels inside a building. Through the windows, an urban city scene with pedestrians and tall buildings is visible. The interior has a curved bench beneath the windows.

Holocaust Center for Humanity

A well-lit museum exhibit featuring informational panels and displays on extreme conditions in nature. The room has wooden floors and white-paneled walls, with various objects and images related to the theme arranged neatly for visitors.

Klondike Gold Rush Museum --Seattle NPS

A historical black-and-white photo of a large log house surrounded by tall trees and snow on the ground. The house has a covered front porch and multiple windows. It is part of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

Log House Museum

Aviation museum with various vintage aircraft displayed in a spacious, glass-ceilinged hall. The exhibit includes a bright orange plane and a wooden propeller in the foreground, with more airplanes and a visitor in the background.

The Museum of Flight

The Museum of Flight

Against a backdrop of city lights at dusk, a waterfront building with bright white lights offers a captivating view—a must-see among things to do in Seattle. A boat is moored nearby, while the deep blue sky and water reflect the luminous scene perfectly.

Ed LaCasse

Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)

A modern exhibit featuring a ceiling of illuminated 3D cubes in blue hues. Visitors interact with digital screens and displays underneath the installation. The atmosphere is futuristic and engaging.

Museum of Pop Culture

A wooden boat with green accents is displayed indoors in a bright gallery space, reminiscent of the modern, minimalistic vibe you’d find in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. In the distance, a group of people walks by, slightly out of focus.

The National Nordic Museum

People walk and observe artwork in a spacious gallery. Black and white portraits line the walls, and a large photo is displayed on a central black panel. A wooden bench is in the foreground. The atmosphere is relaxed and engaged.

courtesy Northwest African American Museum

Northwest African American Museum

A park scene with a grassy hill and a pathway on each side. A sculpture of red roses stands near a blossoming tree under a blue sky with scattered clouds. People are walking and sitting, enjoying the sunny day.

Terumi Pong, @helloterumi

Olympic Sculpture Park

Aerial view of a cityscape at sunset, featuring modern architecture with tall, arching structures. In the background, a body of water and more urban buildings are visible under a colorful sky.

Andrew Jacob Media

Pacific Science Center

Illustration of a modern school building with large windows and a red-brick facade. A few small trees stand around the entrance, and people are walking and biking nearby under a partly cloudy sky.

Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture

An intricate tree branch sculpture hangs from a high ceiling in a modern, spacious lobby. Five people walk beneath it on the polished floor. The sculpture is detailed, with numerous smaller branches extending outward, capturing attention.

John Grade’s Middle Fork

Seattle Art Museum

Art deco-style indoor entrance with ornate glass doors and intricate metalwork design. The walls and columns are green with gold accents, and a glimpse of sunny outdoors is visible through the glass, framed by geometric patterns.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Children leaning over rocks to touch starfish in a tide pool exhibit.

Courtesy Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium

A vibrant indoor play area with colorful, castle-themed structures. The floor is red with scattered game markers, and the walls are decorated with artistic designs. Bright ceiling lights illuminate the playful environment.

Seattle Children's Museum

Vintage pinball machine backglass featuring a colorful sci-fi theme. A person operates a control panel with a cosmic portal in the background and the text

J. Nathan Matias

Seattle Pinball Museum

A large, colorful textile wall hanging features numerous vintage Japanese signs and advertisements, displayed in a grid pattern. The signs have diverse designs and kanji characters, set against a gray and blue backdrop.

Lindsay Kennedy Photography

The Wing Luke Museum

Close-up of a giraffe licking a leafy twig with its long tongue. The giraffe's spotted face and large eyes are in focus, with trees and sky blurred in the background.

Photo: Ryan Hawk for Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo

REGIONAL MUSEUMS

The modern art museum, nestled between Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, features large glass windows and a striking concrete and wood facade. It is beautifully surrounded by landscaped greenery and a charming stone pathway.

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art

Street view of the Bellevue Arts Museum, showcasing a modern red brick facade and large windows. Tall buildings surround the museum, and a few people walk along the sidewalk. Trees and banners can be seen in the foreground.

Bellevue Arts Museum

A person in historical clothing waters plants in a garden using a watering can. The garden is lush, with various plants and a wooden structure around it. People and an old-style building are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

A long, narrow wooden canoe is displayed in a hallway with tiled floors. The wall is adorned with large photographic panels depicting ocean scenes. Exposed wooden beams and brick accent the modern interior.

Hibulb Cultural Center

A man and a child, both wearing masks, closely observe a museum exhibit featuring retro diner decor and vinyl records. The child, with curly hair, seems particularly curious.

Highline Heritage Museum

KiDiMu - Kids Discovery Museum

A vibrant children's play area with colorful wall art, a toy cityscape, and a variety of seating. A large blue wall displays colorful, directional signs. A plane model with

KidsQuest Children's Museum

A spacious car museum features a variety of vintage and classic cars on display. The arched wooden ceiling adds warmth, while large windows at the end provide natural light. The cars are arranged neatly in rows on a polished floor.

Cameron Wears

LeMay - America's Car Museum

Tacoma's Museum of Glass

Photo: Pietro Sierra

Museum of Glass

A vintage steam locomotive displayed in front of a historic red train station with a conical roof. The setting includes brick pathways, railroad tracks, and surrounding greenery under an overcast sky.

Northwest Railway Museum

A large bonsai tree with a twisted trunk is displayed in a rectangular pot. It is set against a light-colored panel, with a dense green forest in the background. The scene is well-lit by natural sunlight.

Pacific Bonsai Museum

A modern museum exhibit with wooden accents displays artifacts, informational panels, and circular installations. The room features high ceilings and various indigenous art pieces, highlighted by soft lighting.

Suquamish Museum

The image shows the exterior of the Tacoma Art Museum with large, metallic letters on a sleek facade. Leafless trees stand against a backdrop of blue sky with clouds, creating a stark contrast with the museum's modern design.

Tacoma Art Museum

A large naval ship is docked at a harbor under clear blue skies. Its deck is adorned with colorful flags. In the background, there's a bridge and a landscape of trees and buildings. Nearby, a smaller boat is seen on the water.

Cameron Wears

USS Turner Joy Museum Ship

A row of large, historic brick arches with framed glass windows against a blue sky. Trees and vintage-style street lamps line the sidewalk in front of the building.

Washington State History Museum

A museum exhibit features a long wooden canoe surrounded by various artifacts. Black-and-white photographs on the wall depict people in historical settings related to the canoe. The display is set against a dimly lit background.

White River Valley Museum & Mary Olson Farm

Want more art? See this list of open art galleries

Top image: John Grade’s Middle Fork at Seattle Art Museum, Courtesy Seattle Art Museum

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