Flight, Music and the Seattle Story
Museum of Flight
Plan plenty of time for one of the largest air and space museums in the world. Head for the Great Gallery, the Personal Courage Wing and the original Boeing headquarters building, then look for exhibits in the T.A. Wilson Great Gallery, which has hosted Vietnam Divided: War Above Southeast Asia, an installation about the air war over that region.
The museum suits a city with a long flying history. Seattle saw its first airplane flight in 1910, and Boeing is one of several major companies that got their start here.
MOPOP
At the Museum of Pop Culture, you can try your hand at playing an instrument, walk through an exhibit on Jimi Hendrix and explore the history of popular culture. Music fans and anyone who enjoys interactive galleries will feel right at home.
MOHAI and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum
History fans get two strong options. The Museum of History and Industry holds major regional artifacts and hosts traveling shows, while its permanent exhibit, True Northwest: The Seattle Journey, carries you from the 1790s to the present. Round out the story at the Klondike Gold Rush Museum, run by the National Park Service, which tells another chapter of the city's past.
Art and Glass
Seattle Asian Art Museum
Make your way to Capitol Hill, where this museum fills a 1933 Art Deco building. A recent renovation added a tall central garden courtyard and refreshed galleries, and the rooms are now grouped by themes such as spirituality, literature and nature rather than by era or country.
Wander from ancient scrolls and screens to jade carvings, jewelry, pottery, statues and contemporary installations.
Seattle Art Museum and Chihuly Garden and Glass
The Seattle Art Museum has featured Calder at SAM, an exploration of the life and work of American artist Alexander Calder. If glass is your passion, add Chihuly Garden and Glass to your list as well.
Museums Rooted in Seattle's Communities
Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center
Large carved cedar logs welcome you to this gathering place for the Duwamish, one of Seattle's original tribes, and the longhouse itself follows Coast Salish design. Step inside for the Spirit Returns 2.0 exhibit, which uses 19th century letters, photos and objects to show early settlement from a Native point of view.
Northwest African American Museum
Set in a historic red-brick schoolhouse, NAAM focuses on the Black experience in the Pacific Northwest. Look for historic photographs, abstract modern art and interactive story times, along with programs that have included African yoga and a book vending machine called Sistah Sci-Fi.
Settle into the community living room with a book. Curated reading lists cover figures such as Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Fannie Lou Hamer.
National Nordic Museum
Close to Ballard's working waterfront and the locks, this museum spreads across nearly 58,000 square feet. Clothing, Viking-era boats and more trace 2,000 years of migration by people from Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Norway, and the Nordic Journeys exhibit widens the view to Nordic life and culture more broadly.
Come on the third Friday of any month for a guided program that goes deeper into Nordic art, culture and history. When you need a break, stop at Freya, the on-site cafe, for an afternoon fika.
Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture
Since opening in 2019, this museum has documented how migrant farmworkers in the region fought for their rights from the 1950s to the 1970s. Exhibits, artifacts and photographs bring the broader Chicano/a and Latino/a story in the Northwest to life.
Asian Pacific American and Jewish History
A Smithsonian-affiliated museum in the city covers the early history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Seattle. Exhibits have explored Bruce Lee, new year celebrations, and Desi and Filipino heritage, shown alongside contemporary art.
For something to explore from home, try an online museum devoted to Jewish communities across Washington, where the Seattle Historic Sephardic Jewish Tour pairs with a podcast, videos and an interactive map. The Holocaust Center for Humanity offers another place to learn.
Natural History at the Burke Museum
Spend an afternoon among more than 18 million objects at the Burke, from totem poles to dinosaur fossils. Learn how first peoples lived here before statehood, travel back to the Ice Age and admire Coast Salish work in the Northwest Native Art Gallery.
Don't miss the Baird's beaked whale, one of only about 10 in museum collections across the country. Afterward, grab frybread tacos at the Off the Rez Cafe.
Day Trips and Kid-Friendly Picks
Beyond the city center, LeMay America's Car Museum celebrates the country's love of the automobile and draws families and car fans alike. For more regional history, head to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum or the White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm. Other names worth knowing include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and the Cannonball Arts Center.
Every museum here welcomes children, and some go further with hands-on exhibits and events made just for kids. Check each website for current family programs.
Seattle has a soft spot for trolls. For Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King, Danish artist Thomas Dambo worked with the Scan Design Foundation to build five large sculptures from recycled materials around Puget Sound, highlighting links between Coast Salish and Scandinavian traditions.
Seek out Bruun Idun in Lincoln Park in West Seattle. Made with Coyote, an artist of the Muckleshoot Tribe, this troll pairs nicely with a visit to the Nordic Museum.
