5 Seattle Museums Everyone Should Visit


Who doesn’t love spending an afternoon or half a day walking through museum exhibits and visually feasting on unvaluable pieces of art?

Washington DC, NYC, and Chicago are all world-famous for their museum scenes. But when I want to visit museums, I go to Seattle. Why? Simply because the Emerald City has the best interactive museum experiences in the country.

From open-air art galleries to sunken marvels, from artsy exhibitions to hands-on simulations, here are 5 of best interactive exhibits in Seattle museums.

1. Hot Displays  – Museum of Glass

1801 Dock Street, Tacoma

In case, you didn’t already know this, Seattle is the epicenter of glass art in America. The Chihuly Garden and Glass and the local art galleries display glass artworks in all sizes and colors but true art lovers should still visit the Museum of Glass.

The Museum of Glass is housed in an architectural beauty  made even more appealing by the a rich collection of glass sculptures on display in and around the museum.

Best part of the visit is the Hot Shop where visitors can witness glassblowing in action while artists create new works out of molten glass before their amazed eyes.

2. Art Meets Nature – Olympic Sculpture Park

2901 Western Ave

The Olympic Sculpture Park is a public park in Seattle that is part of the Seattle Art Museum’s attempt to bring art to all.

Visitors can enjoy the SAM’s most dramatic sculptures for free. And these open-sky exhibitions are set in a most picturesque waterfront decor. Great place for a date or an afternoon of visual relaxation.

3. The Hendrix Experience – Experience Music Project

325 Fifth Ave. N

The EMP Museum experience is a top-notch light and sound show that one would expect from a place dedicated to music and sci-fi. You could tour its incredible exhibits of Jimmy Hendrix collectibles, the impressive Guitar Gallery, and the collections of instruments from around the world and the year. But frankly you would rather want to touch instruments and make music yourself.

Learn to play iconic tunes on your favorite instruments in the Sound Lab. Go On Stage with your friends and recreate your teenager dream of being a rock star. I loved my visit to the EMP museum a couple of years ago and can’t wait to return there this summer.

4. Touch and Feel – Seattle Aquarium

Pier 59, 1483 Alaskan Way

Surround yourself with Puget Sound’s sea life and immerse yourself into its beautiful underwater kingdom. Unlike most aquarium around the world, the Seattle Aquarium wants you to get involved, feeding the octopus, touching the animals in the tide pools, or getting involved on the long term with the preservation of sea life, including the struggling population of orcas. You could even find out why NASA scientists are studying the oceans… from space.

5. Space Travel – Museum of Flight

9404 E. Marginal Way S.

The Seattle Museum of Flight cleverly has “interactive” built into its fabrics so it is not a surprise that it is one of the most visited museums in Seattle. The MoF has an impressive collection of aircrafts including replicas of the Concorde and Air Force One.

Visitors can get up close to these metal beasts and sometimes even enter their cockpits. Among the most popular interactive exhibitions are the model rocketry exhibits and the light simulator which showcases the physical and analytical demands of space travel.

What do you think of this list of great Seattle museum with top-notch interactive exhibits. Don’t see your favorite? Tell us about it in the comments.