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.

Super cute aquarium in the Des Moines/Federal Way area that is only open on Saturdays from 10 am -…read more2 pm. They have a small collection of displays showing PNW local creatures. The tanks are much smaller than what you'd see at a bigger aquarium like the Seattle Aquarium, but they had some interesting creatures on display (like sculpins and crabs). The volunteers were also very interactive with kids and they had a pretty big tide pool tank where you can touch some creatures. When we visited they even had a tank of live squid, something I never really get see at the bigger aquariums. A few things to note: - Admission is free but they do ask for donations... they can accept cash but they also have a card machine for donations as well. - They keep track of capacity, so there may be a line to get in. Since it only takes 20-30 minutes to explore people shuffle in and out quickly. - Most of the aquarium displays are in the building out on the pier; this area is primarily outdoors so prepare for the cold weather! The indoor building is very small and mainly has displays of jarred sea creatures and scuba info. - There are restrooms onsite near the entrance. - No dedicated parking on-site, so you will have to look for parking in the area. There is a lot across the street but it tends to be busy with people fishing/boating, otherwise there is some street parking next to the playground area. If you happen to be in the Federal Way area for food reasons, I recommend stopping by this little aquarium to get more out of a visit! They're also located on the waterfront, so it makes for a nice walk around the area.

Free! We were…read morestaying about 20 minutes away and decided it would be fun to see the waterfront. We found out about this nature center being open and decided to stop. It was awesome! They have a few exhibits in a hall that explain animals that live in the area. There is microscopes to view small living creatures, skeletons of marine life, information on scuba diving, among other informational ideas. Then you walk out on a pier and into another building that has aquariums full of amine life like starfish, crabs, fish, etc. The best part is the two touch tanks that allow you to feel what some of the marine life feels like. Plus the view off the pier is beautiful to watch people scuba diving or look for starfish.

This is a famous Tacoma landmark - a glass bridge that performs its job well as a pedestrian bridge…read morewith a touch of beauty from the glass artwork instillation that lines the sides of the bridge. It's a great alternative to visiting the Museum of Glass for people who are short on time or arriving during closed hours (this bridge is open 27/7), yet still want to experience some beauty in their lives. This bridge connects the Thea Foss Waterway and the Museum of Glass. When I visited, it was quite hot and the sun was beating down. This illuminated the three amazing Chihuly glass installations, but I wished that there was more than a little covered area on the bridge to protect me. Oh well, they do say that beauty is pain, don't they? I saw that there were multiple photographers on the bridge to take in the peaceful surroundings. Definitely don't miss this in your visit to Tacoma.

On our drive north, we made a quick stop at the Bridge of Glass, and it was worth the 15-minute…read moredetour. Parking was easy, and it was the perfect place to stretch our legs while enjoying some beautiful public art. We didn't have time to visit the Museum of Glass, so I was glad we could still experience some of Chihuly's work with this free outdoor exhibit. From the bridge, it also looked like the nearby courthouse features Chihuly glass, but unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore further. If you're passing through Tacoma, this is an easy, free stop that's well worth it. It's a great way to experience a bit of Pacific Northwest art and it's perfect for a few memorable photos before getting back on the road.

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.

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!!!

Neat little spot! First Thursday of the month is free admission from 5pm-9pm. You can easily spend…read morehours here! I only got through a portion with it the time I had but super cool & will be back.

Me and my husband did this for Valentine's Day and I thought it was a really sweet fun way to spend…read moretime together. Be prepared to take lots of photos. Have fun with it to selfies be silly. Be serious be sexy be whatever you want. Lucky for us it wasn't too busy. There's a few couples here and there there's a first floor and a second floor so you don't feel like you're encroaching on each other. One complaint is some of the camera holders were broken or loose, but because it wasn't too busy you were able to pull from other stations. Props were lots of fun. Some backgrounds made more sense than others but either way it's a great idea. Have fun with it!

This place is a joke! It Is just waste of time and money!…read moreThe only thing It has is settings to take your own picture and to pretend you are a playing dress up... like preschoolers and kindergartens... nothing more nothing less. Seattle has better places to visit.

Children's Museum for free! Yep! They ask for donation and I was happy to donate! The staff are…read morecourteous and helpful and even caution the unruly kids running around! Water play area is definitely the most high activity zone. My kid almost spent an hour playing in that area. The air flow duct with scarves is another fun area for the kid. Among all the other museums I have visited, the painting, arts & crafts area is quite unique to this museum. The wooden boards and the net at the end of the museum is another adventure for all kids and not available in other museums. This was the first time I saw my kid feeling the courage to climb over the ropes and explore. The paid parking area near the museum has good number of spots but the signs can be confusing as it says "only reserved" and you tend to wonder if you will get ticketed. Park Mobile app location 50271 is good and confirmed by museum folks! Or there is street parking too!

This isn't a very large children's museum, but my 5 and 8 year old had a ton of fun playing. It's…read moreso nice that it is pay what you can so that anyone can come. We were impressed by the cleanliness. Though, I didn't look closely, nothing jumped out as being gross. If you're in the area, it's worth a stop, but I wouldn't go too far out of the way for it.

Fascinating history of railroading in the Northwest. We stopped in during a trip on the Snoqualmie…read moreRailroad. They gave us 25 minutes to look around, and there's a lot to see, need to come back someday and spend more time here.

This is a charming stop between North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls, in the town of Snoqualmie. You can…read morereach the museum by train, on the 5-mile train ride that goes back and forth between North Bend and the Falls, or you can reach it by car - there is a parking lot and road access. It's a large facility with multiple train engines and cabooses and the like inside, from different time frames, and with explanation. There is also a gift shop and restrooms. The staff, a lot of which are volunteers, are all friendly and knowledgeable - and very passionate about trains. One of the big focuses of the museum is to show how trains changed the way we do things - not just how we travel but how we eat, everything. This was very interesting and eye-opening. They are currently working on a new exhibit of a miniature train traversing areas of the state, such as the Gorge. It's looking great! Big P.S. Part of what they do is the train ride, I believe. They run most of the year. It's great fun. We did the Twin Peaks fundraiser ride. Staff was great - many clothed in traditional uniforms - and everyone went out of their way to make the experience fun and fulfilling.

9/2/26 This is one of the most beautiful displays of glass…read moreblown art that I have ever seen. I was only in town for a little over 2 days and this was a bucket list tourist destination. I bought a combined ticket with the space needle included and it was a great deal. It was a little crowded on my visit but it was remarkably quiet inside as everyone including myself seemed in awe of how intricate and colorful all of the glass sculptures were. It was a special visit that I will never forget.

Beautiful Glass Art and Conveniently Located Next to the Space Needle…read more This is a beautiful museum with a prime location directly adjacent to the Space Needle, making it a very convenient and fast stop to add to your Seattle itinerary. While the glass art is stunning, it is a relatively quick walk through, and I find that I do not spend a lot of time here during my visits (which can be good or bad). Tickets are not cheap, and it is not the most engaging option for younger children. That said, our kids did thoroughly enjoy watching the live glass-blowing demonstration, which was a fantastic highlight -- we ordered a pizza (took about 10 min, which was perfect timing for us to wait for the next demo and grab front row seats) and were able to feed them during the show. Overall, it is a worthwhile, beautiful stop if you are already in the area and looking for a quick dose of local culture, though families with very young children may want to weigh the ticket price against the short visit time or alternative options.