Enjoyed our time here. 140,000 sq. ft spread out on 3 floors. So much to see in so little time…read more Blessed to witness the exhibition: Beats + Rhymes: A Collective Narrative of Hip Hop. Loved how MOPOP described the cultural movement built upon five foundational elements: MC'ing, DJ'ing, Breakdancing, Graffiti and Self: Identity, Community, Political Awareness and the use of Hip Hop to show one's expression. Viewing this took me back in time and brought back so many memories. Also liked the other parts of the museum: the two story guitar art piece, "If VI was IX", interactive Sound Labs for music as well as the indie video games. But what stood out was the Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction: Star Wars to Star Trek to Aliens and Back to the Future. Definitely a must see!

Museum of Pop Culture took me a decade to finally go. Waited too long…read more Back when Frank Gehry was still around, I lived next to Linda's Tavern, the last place Kurt Cobain was seen. Wild to be here now and the Cobain exhibit is gone after all these years, and so has Frank (RIP); architectural genius. The building still hits. The architecture alone is worth it. Sci-fi, horror, and fantasy exhibits carry the experience. At this point, I'd come back for the rotating shows, Rebels & Icons on the 15th, and the upstairs Lounge Bar. Low key hidden, solid pop art food/drinks, complimentary chips with their own seasoning, and great service. The museum should separate this bar on Yelp, I want to review this separately.(hint) That combo makes the membership make sense.

The architecture is beautiful. We went for the Southeast Asian voices exhibit, which was really…read morewell done. I love all the artifacts and the displays were varied and interesting. The model train set provided a unique view of Tacoma. This is a great place for kids too

What a wholesome experience for the entire family! 5 floors of different type of Model trains while…read moreyou go through the states history as well. If you are here for the train displays with your kids, you need to cover floor 1 as the last stop. Floor 1 has play area with Legos and Toy train tracks and the toddlers don't want to go anywhere else! Super friendly staff at each display who are eager to interact with the kids and the adults. I missed it last year, now, we might end up coming here every year!

Worth every single bucks spent for the ticket. I am neither even artistic, nor huge fan of art but…read moreevery single art piece there has gotten me in huge awe!! They're just so impressive, how complicated they were, and they just blew my mind on how BIG the efforts put making them into these final displays especially in those gigantic size. Couldn't even believe how someone could invent those solid ideas! The mix of indoor and outdoor sections came in such unexpected nice surprise, including the live demo coming throughout the day. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND TOTALLY WORTH EACH MINUTE SPENT THERE!

So glad to finally be able to come appreciate the exquisite glass art pieces here, after hearing…read moreabout them from several friends who either live in the area or have visited before. All I can say is that photos do not do them justice. They are by far grander, more intricate, and more impressive in person than any picture can portray. Every room in the gallery had a different theme, displaying the gorgeous pieces to full effect on shiny black platforms that reflected the light from the glass sculptures. Just so beautiful! I also really enjoyed watching the mini films about the making of the glass masterpieces in Chihuly's glass blowing workshop as well as the live demonstration just outside the museum!

This museum was well planned and the exhibits are detailed and engaging. It helps that the staff…read moreall have been part of this community for 50+ years and we were fortunate to have Lisa on location as she knows everything about every detail of this community. The history of this tribe is inspiring and the art is of best quality I've ever seen. Cheers!!

This was a nice find while visiting the area. The museum is very educational about this Native…read moreAmerican people, their history, and their culture. My children enjoyed seeing many of the different tools that were used for catching fish and holding ceremonies. The architecture is intriguing as it is based on the Thunderbird. The museum and grounds are peaceful, allowing one to reflect on the history and culture of this people. The staff were friendly and the admission was reasonable. Visiting the museum was a great experience.

We were at the Strawberry Festival and decided to stop in here to learn a little bit more about…read moreVashon Island. It has free admissions. It was quiet and we had the place pretty much to ourselves. We were there for about 15 minutes. We like the interactive map of Vashon through the years.

This place was really interesting and easy to walk through with ease…read more In addition to the history of Vashon, you will learn all you need to know about the Japanese internment camps and the horrible things that happened to these people clear back in WWII. The building does not have A/C and got a bit stuffy but even on a hot/sunny day it wasn't too bad. There is no fee so I donated as I always do to these type of locations.

This mansion museum was a great way to spend a slow afternoon in Puyallup…read more It is currently a $15 fee for adults to do a self tour of the home. You are welcome to take photos, and please, take your time! There is plenty to read either on the pamphlet given to you at the entrance, or on the walls beside all the beautiful furniture, paintings, and artifacts. It's hard not to imagine yourself at the turn of the century, living in wealth in this fancy home, like the Meekers did. Ezra and Eliza Meeker were a fascinating couple who did so much with their lives, even into their last years. Traveling the Oregon Trail, hitting success with a hop business, Ezra being the mayor twice, Eliza founding the town's public library and strongly supporting the suffrage movement. I also can't help but to respect Eliza even more for her strength in character even though she was of small stature (4'8")! Especially for those who live in the area, I highly recommend you learn about this historic Puyallup family with a visit to the Meeker Mansion Museum!

I happened to be in the area and saw a sign for the Meeker Mansion, so I decided to check it out…read more Diane was very sweet and gracious and gave me a brief history of Ezra & Eliza Meeker. "Ezra was an American pioneer who traveled the Oregon Trail migrated from Iowa to the Pacific Coast. Once known as the Hop King of the World." A lot of good history of Puyallup. I didn't have time for the tour, but I appreciated seeing the mansion and getting a glimpse of this city's history. Next time, I'll have to do the tour. Thank you again, Diane, for being so nice and friendly!

I love art and I love the Seattle Art Museum! I love most of its permanent exhibits---especially…read moreits African arts collection, PNW tribal art and the Porcelain Room. But I enjoy the temporary exhibitions they install. I've been going to the SAM for more than 20 years. I can't afford to be a member or pay the regular admission, so I'm excited to go on Free First Thursdays. It's such a wonderful opportunity and program to those who can't afford to view art, but appreciate it.

First Thursday means free entrance to this lovely Seattle Art Museum…read more Amazing display of art, Pacific Northwest art and culture. Lots to see. Love seeing this place. Today we witnessed a traveling art by Calder and Tara Donovan.

This free discovery center across from the Children's Museum was a lot of fun, and educational…read more They have a scavenger hunt for the kids to do to help them learn more about water, and they get a prize once they finish it. They have a small free lot for parking which is nice. Staff was very friendly and helpful when the kids needed a hint about one of the questions on the scavenger hunt.

This place makes a great stop off if you happen to be next door at the Children's Museum or at some…read moreother location nearby. It might be better for older, science oriented kids, but adults will likely find it interesting as well. It's free and all they ask you do is provide some info about how many people are in your party and the zip code you are visiting from. It's a good rainy day activity and can provide some educational moments. There is an interactive scavenger hunt which involves doing 8 tasks and ends with the ability to choose a prize. The maze pen we won is pretty cool. My 10 year old nephew was easily able to complete all the tasks and seemed to enjoy doing it. Some things were like video games, which he seemed to like and maybe it will give him some ideas about career possibilities for the future. It was a good learning opportunity about the importance of saving water and learning about what happens to all the water we waste, etc. I wish I lived in Olympia and was able to trace where the water goes when I flush the toilet. It was nice that they ask you to share what you learn when you go to redeem your prize. I'm not sure if my 8 year old niece would have found it as interesting, but there are places to sit and some kitchen toys to play with if not. It looks like they also have some crafts available. Check it out if you are in the area.

We love museums, and the Gig Harbor Museum satisfied us 100%. It is well curated, and the section…read moreabout the Narrows bridge is particularly interesting. I also loved to see how is was like to get around in the 1930s etc. Well worth a visit to pick up tidbits on local Gig history.

If you're in Gig Harbor, you should take some time out of your day to check this museum out.  It…read morewas very impressive to me.  I loved the artifacts, the stories, the videos, the interactive exhibits, and the volunteers who gave me some interesting facts while I was exploring.  I had a deeper appreciation for how this town came to be after I left.  It left me in wonder.  There was also an outstanding local artist exhibit set up and some of the pieces blew my mind!!  And it's FREE!  So no reason not to stop in!  I planned on doing a quick walk through ... maybe spend an hour ... but stayed for several taking it all in - so well done!

My husband loves bonsai trees and while I think they look nice, I don't really know much about…read morethem. When I saw that we would be in the area of the Pacific Bonsai Museum on our most recent travels, I was super excited to put it on our itinerary. Unfortunately, while I was researching, I noticed that although this is an outdoor museum, they have a " service dogs welcome but no pets" policy. It was disappointed because we travel with our small dog so I decided to take it off our list of stops. When my husband noticed he was visibly saddened and I knew I had to do my best to see if we could make it work. I messaged the museum here on Yelp and explained my situation to them. They responded immediately, and said that although that is their policy, because my dog is small, well behaved, always on a leash and has no behavioral issues, staff would likely not approach me to ask me to leave or show my credentials. I truly appreciate their fast response and understanding. They have amazing customer service here. Our visit to the museum was lovely. Our dog enjoyed the shady walk along the path to get there and sat patiently while we looked around. The museum is not only gorgeous, but laid out by region, so it's almost like walking through the world showcase at EPCOT but better because there were no crowds and the environment was incredibly peaceful. It was so interesting to see all the bonsais displayed and to learn about them. Masterfully designed and curated and incredibly tranquil, it was definitely one of the highlights of our stops in the area. I encourage you to stop by and to donate to this amazing museum if you have the opportunity.

The Bonsai Museum is a hidden gem. We had a few hours to kill before picking up dinner and heading…read moreover to my cousins house. Since she and her family live in Fife, I ordered and scheduled pickup for 2:30 pm in Federal Way. We weren't what to do in the meantime and so I looked up botanical parks. The bonsai Museum and the Rododendron botanical Park came up. We noticed they were across from each other and so we headed over to the parks. It's a nice drive over there as everything is so green and lush. Once we parked, we noticed that we needed to walk a bit to get to the exhibits. Once we got to the exhibits, the Rododendron botanical park was on the left side with $12 entrance fee and on the right side was the bonsai Museum with free entry. On the outside, they do have restrooms available before heading into the bonsai museum We didn't know what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised with all the bonsai displays they had by the different artists from different countries, and there were a lot. It took us about 30 minutes to get through the entire exhibit. We would've stayed longer to read all the information, but we were running short on time and we still wanted to visit the botanical park across the way. I highly recommend the Pacific Bonsai Museum if you're in the Federal Way area especially because it's free.