Seattle is a major hub for technology, trade, music, and style, and it’s home to an exceptionally diverse collection of museums. The Seattle Art Museum contains a broad collection across 3locations, including a massive outdoor sculpture garden, while other impressive institutions cover African American, Asian American, and Nordic American art and history.

The Burke Museum houses dinosaurs and archaeology, while the Museum of History and Industry takes on innovation and technology. You can get your music, film, and sci-fi fixes at the Museum of Pop Culture, then play Space Invaders at the Seattle Pinball Museum. To contemplate a breathtaking crossroads of art, nature, and light, head to Chihuly Garden and Glass. Learn more about the best museums in Seattle.

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    Seattle Art Museum

    An impressive art collection presented in three locations

    Seattle Art Museum
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    The Seattle Art Museum includes 3locales: the main museum city centre, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the central waterfront. The main museum encompasses some 25,000 works from the United States, Africa, Europe, and Australia, among other places. It has a remarkable Native American gallery that features art from the Pacific Northwest coast.

    The Seattle Asian Art Museum inhabits a 1933 Art Deco structure that was the original home of the Seattle Art Museum. It exhibits historic as well as contemporary art from Asian countries. The Olympic Sculpture Park is a 9-acre site that includes permanent sculptures as well as temporary works and installations.

    Location: 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, USA

    Open: Wednesday–Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed Monday–Tuesday)

    Phone: +1 206-654-3100

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    Northwest African American Museum

    In a historic school, explore the Black experience in the Pacific Northwest

    Northwest African American Museum
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    The Northwest African American Museum tells the storey of Black people in the Pacific Northwest through exhibitions featuring visual art, music, literature, crafts, and historical elements. It has educational events and programmes as well. The museum “aims to use heritage to heal,” its website states. It’s located in the landmark Colman School, the first school in the city attended by Black students.

    The museum, closed during the pandemic, reopened in January 2023 with an exhibition featuring a broad range of works from regional African American artists as well as a photography show depicting the history of Seattle’s annual Martin Luther King Day march. Reviewers observe that its space is relatively small, but its content makes it an exceptional experience, nonetheless.

    Location: 2300 S Massachusetts St, Seattle, WA 98144, USA

    Open: Wednesday–Saturday 10 am to 5 pm; first Thursday of the month open until 7 pm (closed Sunday–Tuesday)

    Phone: +1 206-518-6000

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    Wing Luke Museum

    Gain the perspective of Seattle’s pan-Asian Pacific American populations

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    The Wing Luke Museum conveys the history, culture, and art of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities via multiple means. First, this Smithsonian affiliate hosts permanent and rotating community-developed exhibitions of artwork, artefacts, and other historical materials. These cover subjects including the Japanese American incarceration during World War II and the displacement of people in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District in the 1960s by a massive motorway project.

    Next, parts of the Wing Luke Museum hold preserved historic living spaces that offer views of what life was like for the Asian people who helped shape Seattle. Finally, the museum offers community tours and events (including theatre performances) aimed at educating participants about local pan-Asian Pacific American cultures.

    Location: 719 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

    Open: Wednesday–Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed Monday–Tuesday)

    Phone: +1 206-623-5124

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    Museum of Pop Culture

    Hendrix, Nirvana, science fiction and more converge near the Space Needle

    Museum of Pop Culture
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    The Museum of Pop Culture is housed near the Space Needle in an audacious, 140,000-square-foot building covered with shiny silver and violet sheet metal. (Locals call it “the Blob.”) Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen began it with a musical theme, emphasising local guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, but it has since grown. Now it includes artefacts, costumes, photos, and other memorabilia covering film, television, literature, and video games.

    Visit the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame to see the hand Luke Skywalker lost in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Make music in the Sound Lab. See instruments played by Howlin’ Wolf and Nancy Wilson in the Guitar Gallery. Learn about grunge pioneers Nirvana in Taking Punk to the Masses.

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    Location: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA

    Open: Thursday–Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed Friday–Monday)

    Phone: +1 206-770-2700

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    Burke Museum

    Look inside working labs, study cultural artefacts, and stare down a T.rex

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    The Burke Museum combines aspects of natural history with art and culture to provide a place for people to gain knowledge and find inspiration. It has 12 working labs that visitors can observe in addition to galleries and educational events. The focus of this Smithsonian affiliate includes dinosaurs, fossils, plant and animal collections, and the art of native populations from the Pacific Northwest.

    See how human life is shaped by the “stuff” all around us in the archaeology-themed exhibition Our Material World. Look at fossilised dinosaur bones (including one of the best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skulls on record) in Fossils Uncovered. See contemporary art as well as cultural artefacts in Northwest Native Art.

    Location: 4303 Memorial Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

    Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed on Mondays)

    Phone: +1 206-543-7907

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    Museum of History and Industry

    Trace Seattle’s growth into a centre for technology and trade

    Museum of History and Industry
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    The Museum of History and Industry tells the storey of Seattle’s transition from a wilderness outpost to a world technology and trade centre. It’s located on the waterfront in the South Lake Union district, which has an industrial history. One permanent exhibit is called True Northwest, which traces this history via artefacts, images, and interactive elements.

    Another permanent exhibit, The Bezos Centre for Innovation, demonstrates how ideas evolve. Find a challenge to conquer in its Idea Lab, explore Seattle-made inventions in the Patent Tree, or attend a lecture by an innovator on a developing project. Look through a working periscope with a 360-degree view of the city in the Maritime Seattle exhibit.

    Location: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA

    Open: Friday–Wednesday from 10 am to 5 pm, Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm

    Phone: +1 206-324-1126

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    Museum of Flight

    Witness flight from a Wright Brothers glider to NASA spacecraft

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    The Museum of Flight displays the history of aviation and space flight in a 15-acre setting via 160 aeroplanes and spacecraft as well as interactive exhibits. It’s located at the south end of King County International Airport.

    Walk down the aisles of JFK’s Air Force One (a Boeing 707-120) or the supersonic Concorde jetliner. Take a ride in a flight simulator or view the only NASA Space Shuttle trainer. View military fighter planes and bombers old and new, and see numerous commercial aircraft including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Have a snack in the café, located in an open-air gallery. It has a great view of Mount Rainier and a nearby playground for youngsters.

    Location: 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108, USA

    Open: Daily from 10 am to 5 pm

    Phone: +1 206-764-5700

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    National Nordic Museum

    Explore the culture and contributions of Northern European populations

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    The National Nordic Museum reveals an immigrant storey you might not know much about: the history, art, and culture of nations including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and how their immigrant populations helped shape the Pacific Northwest and the US in general.

    Exhibitions explore the fundamentals of Nordic culture and values, and how these can help create a more open and sustainable world. The display of art, artefacts, and clothing in addition to offerings such as film, lectures, and concerts cover some 12,000 years of history from the Vikings to modern-day design and innovation. The museum’s café, Freya, has been described as “destination dining,” offering memorable Nordic cuisine.

    Location: 2655 NW Market St, Seattle, WA 98107, USA

    Open: Tuesday–Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (closed on Mondays)

    Phone: +1 206-789-5707

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    Seattle Pinball Museum

    Be a pinball wizard while sipping on a craft beer or cider

    Seattle Pinball Museum
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    At the Seattle Pinball Museum, you can play classic games on machines dating back to the early 1960s while enjoying a craft beer, cider, or soft drink – the machines all have cup holders. The museum, located in Chinatown, has 50 games, which are rotated periodically. All the games are free with admission. Pinball machines include King Tut (1969), Twilight Zone (1993), Space Invaders (1979), and Star Wars Episode 1 (1999).

    Some of the machines have small placards that explain their history and manufacturer. Snacks are also available. Children need to be at least 7 years old to enter and play.

    Location: 508 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

    Open: Friday–Monday from 12 pm to 6 pm (closed Tuesday–Thursday)

    Phone: +1 206-623-0759

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    Chihuly Garden and Glass

    Impressive glass sculptures mix with nature, glasshouses, and light

    Chihuly Garden and Glass
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    Chihuly Garden and Glass features the breathtaking glass sculpture of Washington state native Dale Chihuly, who has been working in the medium since the 1960s. In 8 galleries, sculptures intertwine with garden elements, glasshouse structures, and light to form a surreal experience that encourages contemplation and admiration. The centrepiece is a 100-foot sculpture suspended inside a conservatory. The museum is located at the base of the Space Needle.

    The Bar at Chihuly Garden and Glass, which displays another group of sculptures, offers cocktails, beer, and wine with small plates sourced with ingredients from around the Pacific Northwest.

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    Location: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109, USA

    Open: Sunday–Thursday from 9 am to 6 pm, Friday from 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm

    Phone: +1 206-753-4940

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