Nice historical "skyscraper" with great views of Seattle as well. They've preserved most of the…read morehistory and it still uses the original elevator (albeit with some modern improvements) so there's a few rooms of self-guided "museum" to visit as well on your way up to the observation deck. It is definitely not as tall as Sky View or the Space Needle, but is much less crowded and still offers amazing 360 views. It's also cool that there are people who still work in the historic building! They don't open before noon, so plan accordingly. Staff was super friendly and upbeat, and you do need an entry ticket to get to the observation deck bar/restaurant. If you go early on a weekday, you basically get the place to yourself for a little bit, which is super cool. Worth a visit if you're in the area!

This was actually my second time visiting the Smith Tower, but it was my boyfriend's first and…read moresince he's already been up the Space Needle, I wanted to show him that this historic spot also offers some seriously cool views of Seattle. What's even more impressive is that at one point, Smith Tower was actually the tallest skyscraper in the West! One thing I love about this place is how well they've preserved its old-school charm, especially the elevators. They still have an operator who manually controls the lift, and there's even a display of the original green Otis elevator motor in the lobby, the same kind that powered the elevators for over a century! The operator told us there's a tenant who lives above the observatory, which blew my mind. The rent was originally a whopping $17,000 a month, but the tenant apparently negotiated down to $14,000 since there's no A/C up there. Talk about living in style with a historic discount! Once you reach the top, there's a bar where you can grab a cocktail and enjoy the view. As you walk around the observatory deck, there are plaques pointing out different Seattle landmarks, so you can easily spot everything from Mt. Rainier to Lumen Field and Lake Washington. It makes the 360 deg view even more interactive and helps you appreciate just how much of the city you can see from up there. Pro tip: They don't open until noon, so if you're planning to go early, you'll end up waiting downstairs. Otherwise, grab a drink, take your time, and soak in one of the best vintage views Seattle has to offer.

We visited the National Nordic Museum for a candlelight violin performance featuring The Beatles,…read moreand it turned out to be a really special experience. The museum itself is very modern--clean lines, open spaces, and thoughtfully designed throughout. There's a good mix of Nordic artwork and exhibits, and even just walking around the space feels intentional and well curated. The highlight for us was the performance. The candlelight setup created a really warm, immersive atmosphere, and hearing familiar Beatles music in that setting gave it a completely different feel. It's one of those experiences that's hard to fully capture in photos, but definitely stands out in person. Between the architecture, the exhibits, and the events they host, it's more than just a typical museum visit. Would absolutely recommend checking it out, especially if you can catch a performance like this.

Nicely done museum! Very informative exhibits, and some interactive. Really did a great job…read moreexplaining immigration from the different Nordic countries, and what people ended up doing once they arrived in the US. My only comment was that entrance was fairly pricey. $24 a person. Although there were various discounts.

Visited the Seattle Asian Art Museum to check out the powerful exhibition featuring the Kondō…read moreceramic lineage! ​The mesmerizing pieces in these photos and videos are by Kondō Takahiro, a third-generation master artist from a prestigious Kyoto ceramic family (grandson of Living National Treasure Yūzō Kondō). ​His signature technique, "Gintekisai" (Silver Mist Glaze), combines glass, silver, and gold to create these incredible, glistening droplets that look like real water beads frozen on porcelain. ​Reflecting on themes of human existence, nature, and rebirth following the 3.11 earthquake, these meditative ceramic sculptures and video installations were truly powerful and breathtaking to experience in person.

Some amazing Asian Art works here. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you go on a first…read moreThursday free day. Take a walk around volunteer park while you're here also. It's very nice. The current Kondo family "Storytellers in Clay" exhibit is stunning. Be sure to catch this exhibit.

Went to see the Odesza Laser show! Its definitely a lot of…read morefun, a family friendly event, and in an area where you can explore much more as well. We walked right in, no line. The staff was very courteous and helpful. When you enter the dome is really cool, you can lay down or sit on chairs. We laid down but by the thirty minute mark your body starts to ache a little. Also the show was not directly overhead rather slightly forward facing (most of the time) so you should think about bringing a pillow! Right when the show started the lasers were pretty sub par, but by the middle they added more lasers from different directions and smoke which really elevated the visuals to the next step. The music started off wayyy too loud, my ears adjusted over time but afterwards it was hard to hear ppl next to me. There's really no need for it to be that loud when we're so close to the speakers and we're not competing with audience cheers. Was a fun hour spent! But I think there is much more room for improvement.

Went to the Ariana Grande show a few weeks ago! There's a live DJ, and she encouraged us to sing,…read morecheer, do whatever and have fun. There's were not a ton of people at my show, most of us were leaned back and relaxed on seats though halfway through the show a few people went to lie on the ground under the dome. Loved the song choices of the DJ, and the accompanying lasers were really fun! And for the price, it's overall a great way to spend an evening!

BIOPHILIA...Sponsored by PRIME.... never heard of it till…read morestumbling across this place. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, an Amazon Company satellite office (i guess where Amazon Corporate employees can go when the need to connect with nature arises during work day)...cool concept, wish my job offer a green house. -lower level open to the public. Cool display of frogs and crystal shrimp. -Staff was knowledgeable and seem like they like their job and sphere concept. -Verdict: worth checking out when in the area....BIOPHILIA for LIFE......

Worth popping in for a few minutes. Saw some rare frogs and interesting architecture. Nearby a free…read morebanana stand. Hostess was friendly.

Great tour in an under the radar Seattle museum. It's housed mainly on the 3rd floor of a working…read moreAT&T communications building and is open SUNDAYS only from 10-3. Be amazed by a century's worth of telephone equipment from the very first sending device to video phones from the 1964 World's Fair. Your tour guides are equal parts excited and surprised that you are there and able to explain how your call actually gets routed to Beechwood 45789. This is good for all ages, especially 15 and up. Work this into your weekend.

If you're a fan of old tech, phones, computers, data transmission, this is a very worthwhile visit…read more Knowledgeable guides tour small groups around working telephone switches, inside a decomissioned telephone switch building. Definitely a museum aimed at a particular audience, the more technical you are, the more interesting it will be. Youngsters will probably be bored unless they are slightly older and have some experience with electronics. No question or technology is too obscure for the very capable guides.

The Highline Museum is a small museum with displays on Native Americans and DB Cooper Highjacker…read morethat disappeared. There is an exhibit on SeaTac Airport too. When I first went there during the UFO Fest. Last year, they had a lecture on a local UFO incident.

i visited soil yesterday following the opening of a three…read moreperson show that intrigued me. despite it being mother's day and a sunday, i was happy to see the soil was open and adhering to their posted hours. unlike other more pretentious galleries in the sodo/pioneer square area, this is a small space that may not be able to exhibit a huge quantity of large pieces but what they managed to hang was plenty to get a sense of the artists highlighted in this more recent exhibition. each artist had an "area" with a posted artist bio and multiple pieces. because each of the artists in this specific exhibition define themselves as latinx or chicano, i was particularly interested in how their stated ethnicities would provide perspective with which they would portray their chosen subject matter and for two of them three of them, i was far from disappointed! their works were incredibly interesting in terms of style, color, perspective and media they chose to work in. because soil small, whatever you're going to see is t going to require a long visit. i could see making soil a stop on a first thursday gallery walk. there were two people there when we arrived and they were great about greeting us but letting us look at the art without feeling monitored or pressured. depending on how you decide to get to soil, parking could be an issue. light rail would certainly bring you walking distance close, as would the metro bus. we took the water taxi from west seattle and then walked up from coleman dock which was super easy. there is on street parking in the vicinity but you may be hard pressed to find it on certain days or during certain hours. all in all a good experience and nice to know soil is artist-run. i will track other exhibits they have in the future and hope they manage to stick around for those of us who enjoy seeing art in non-aggressive gallery settings.

Came here for an event listed on their website, the stranger, Facebook, etc.. Not only was the…read moreevent not happening, doors were shut and locked during posted business hours. There were a few people inside who just stared at me as I tried the door and did nothing as I stood outside the door calling the phone number, which is just a recording telling you to email them. I finally had to repeatedly knock on the glass door to get even one of them to pantomime they were closed. Next time I see something at Soil, just going to assume it's not actually happening, skip getting harassed by the homeless folk outside the gallery, skip being treated like garbage by the folk inside the gallery, and find a friendlier more reliable gallery. I suggest you do the same.