Seattle Art Museum (SAM)
Right down the street. Free all day, 10 AM to 8 PM; special evening programming and extended hours usually run 5 to 8 PM.
A local list for curious days
Welcome to Seattle
Museums, gardens, markets, and a few giant trolls. An unfussy guide to places worth wandering.
Monthly ritual
Free First Thursday
On the first Thursday of every month, many Seattle museums open their doors for free.
See the current free museum day guide ↗
Seattle Asian Art Museum
Free all day, 10 AM to 5 PM, in Volunteer Park.
Museum of Flight
Free from 5 to 9 PM.
Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
Free from 5 to 8 PM.
Burke Museum
Free from 10 AM to 8 PM.
National Nordic Museum
Free all day; online reservation recommended. There is a troll in front of the museum. See the troll section below.
Volunteer Park Conservatory
Free all day, 10 AM to 4 PM.
No ticket needed
Always free
Bellevue Botanical Garden
Map ↗Washington Park Arboretum
Map ↗Volunteer Park Botanical Garden
Map ↗Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee Grave Sites
Inside Lake View Cemetery. We sometimes take a walk there :)
Art by the water
Olympic Sculpture Park
Lots of cool work, including Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads.
Eat what’s in season
Farm markets
Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets ↗
South Lake Union Market
June 6 to November 2
10 AM to 3 PM
6th Ave between Lenora St. and Bell St.
Fremont Market
Make a day of it and explore Fremont while you’re there.
Fremont walking tour ↗Way of the Bird King
Find the trolls
Six giants hide around the Pacific Northwest. Five live close to Seattle.
Artist Thomas Dambo built the whimsical, colossal sculptures from recycled wood for the public art project Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King. Every one is free to visit.