Used to have a trolley. Call and check if it's scheduled to run before you go. It is a 1925…read moretreasure!

Around ten yrs ago when I moved to Issaquah, the Issaquah Depot Museum was just an old train…read morestation with one main building and some train carts. Thanks for the effort from Issaquah historical society, over the years it got renewed, improved and offered more activities for local community. My kid loves this depot museum and all the train carts around it. Ever since he started watching Thomas, he got fascinated by the trains. With all the tracks and train carts, he could spend lots of time here admiring them. And there is hidden treasure among the carts. Inside one of the cart is the model for old Issaquah town and train station, with all the detailed models of buildings, tracks, vehicles, trains. Excellently made model and IMHO it should be placed in the main building to attract more visiters. The main building was OK, typical small museum. Santa Clause is there around the holidays to take pictures with kids. About two yrs ago, local volunteers fixed the trolley and now it's running at the depot every weekend. It attracted quite some visitors ever since. With the red, golden and white paint, the trolley is simply beautiful and smooth. It also became the object for many photographers. It's nice to have such a nice museum around the neighborhood.

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.

Easy five stars here because of the many flight exhibits (inside and outside) including a 1903…read moreWright Brothers reproduction, WWI planes, WWII planes, various Boeing aircraft, a supersonic Concorde, a Mercury capsule, Apollo command and lunar ascent modules and a space shuttle trainer. The Red Barn area features Boeing's original manufacturing facility, which dates back to 1909. I also enjoyed the reasonable ticket price, the great mass transit access, the nice Wings Café and the first-rate gift shop. Excellent!!!

The museum itself is gem and worth a visit. However we…read moreencountered an unpleasant and likely racist woman at the ticket counter on April 1st. There were only 2 people at the counter. She was on our right and refused to make eye contact and even turned her head away when I looked at her. Another white couple cut in front of us and was helped by the other woman After staring at the other woman on the right for a good 30 sec she turned here head. She reluctantly helped us. Later we discovered she didn't give us some handouts others were given for the Artemis 2 Launch party. This woman shouldn't be working there.

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.

This is a great place for pop culture enthusiasts, guitar lovers and people who love to play with…read moremusic instruments and song composing. Because this place has a wonderful collection of legendary guitars and guitarists. One the second floor there a huge sound lab with booths of different instruments and individual rooms to do sound engineering. The game room section had several stations to try out different home made games. Other than these major features, there are few more artifacts from music, sports and movie world are scattered around the place. In the lower floor, there's a nice cafe. There's also a makeshift gift shop with limited pop culture products. We came to the museum around noon. Our tickets were part of CityPass. We spend about half an hour here. Overall it was an underwhelming experience for me.

First time visit, and yes, the main aquarium center is closed for the winter, but, such a charming,…read moreeducational place. Small gift shop when coming in and then stunning whale bones and displays ushers you forward! At the end, there's a kids-focused, hands-on experience. Looking at everything from marine anatomy to actual bones, fur and specimens. Take your kids or kids at heart here. Now!

Small wonderful Marine Science Center. Kids will especially enjoy this experience…read more The calendar of events, especially educational based, are so helpful for appreciating the special marine environment around Port Townsend. There is a small collection of marine life, including a full killer whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. The staff here are wonderful. Come here to support marine science and the local community.

I arrived at Cascadia Art Museum at 5:06 PM, expecting to explore the exhibits during regular hours…read moresince Apple Maps had listed them as open until 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, the museum had already closed to the public. Luckily, Sydney kindly invited me to stay for a private evening event that was just about to begin. The $20 admission ended up being incredibly worthwhile. Before the event I was able to walk around and see the gallery entirely while the staff set -up. The event featured a guest lecture by Dr. Simon Lhopiteau, a Paris-based art historian who recently opened a studio in Seattle. His talk centered on Henry Saÿen, a chemist-turned-painter whose work is rarely acknowledged in mainstream art history. We discussed Saÿen's invention of the self-regulating X-ray tube, his move to Paris during the rise of the avant-garde, and the influence of Henri Matisse on his artistic development. Dr. Lhopiteau also spoke about how both Henry Saÿen and Henri Matisse were among the early artists to shape the foundation of modern self-portraiture. Their work explored internal perception just as much as external form, and this introspective approach helped redefine how artists captured the self. He also shared how abstract and impressionist art in the early 20th century was not just rejected by the public, but often met with deep hostility and even violence. One of the highlights of the evening was Saÿen's 1903 painting titled Primitive Agricultures. We also explored the legendary artist gatherings at Le Dôme café in Paris and discussed the deeper connection between light, geometry, and perception in modern painting. The entire conversation felt alive--intellectually rich, spontaneous, and deeply human. It was one of the most engaging experiences I've had in a long time. Before leaving, I visited the museum gift shop and picked out a beautiful orange floral scarf for my mom. The shop was just as thoughtfully curated as the rest of the space. I also had the pleasure of speaking with Nancy, one of the museum ambassadors, who was incredibly kind and insightful. She told me about her travels through the Balkan countries and the museums and art collections she visited abroad. I shared my love for Renaissance art and armor from the Middle Ages and she encouraged me to visit France to experience those collections firsthand. I mentioned that my niece is French and currently studying there, so now I have even more reason to go. Before I left, I met Julie, the museum's education director, and learned that her academic thesis focused on Renaissance art and the representation of women. It was such an energizing conversation. She even gave me a list of local spots to eat, which meant a lot since I needed to grab dinner for my family after the event. I have attached the photos part of the current exhibit to this review to encourage people to see art in person because it is of amazing quality and deserves recognition. Had I arrived during regular hours, I probably would have paid $12 or gotten in free with my student ID, but I'm honestly glad I came when I did. Cascadia is not just a museum. It's a place of conversation, discovery, and connection. Whether you're visiting for the art or open to the unexpected, it's absolutely worth the experience.

I had the pleasure of attending a curator talk at the Cascadia Art Museum, and it was phenomenon!!…read moreDavid Martin is a dynamic speaker and is a world recognized art historian of northwest style arts. He walked us through an exhibit called "Urban Scenes of Seattle: 1910-1960". Apparently in the "old days" and before the internet, Eastern U.S. arts are influenced primarily by European arts, while Western U.S. arts are influenced by both European arts and Asian arts. As a result, these mid-1900s regional arts has an intriguing amalgam of art styles from other parts of the world while serving as a historical data point of our area. I highly, highly recommend attending one of his "coffee with the curator" talks that give so much behind-the-scenes story of the artists, many of whom David personally knows. Other than the Urban Scenes exhibit, they are currently featuring a special exhibit of Christmas cards that are individually made by local artists that were sent to family and friends. No two are the same! The museum is modest size but packs a punch! It is definitely a local gem. Housed in an old Safeway building, it shares space with a bistro in the same building. Their museum store also has excellent pieces from artists and/or uniquely curated pieces. And they sell books written by David Martin. He'll autograph them if you want!

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!