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.

This was the most immersive pioneer experience we have ever found. Kids can churn their own butter,…read moremilk a cow, there is black smithing, you get to use farm tools and washboards to wash clothes. The Native American tour was also so detailed. And the kids got to play Native American games and shoot arrows and spears! The kids also loved dressing up in pioneer clothes and native dresses! All of the tour guides were very knowledgeable and welcoming! Would definitely recommend!

Took all 4 kids here for a school outing. First time here, very professional staff, clean,…read moreinformative environment. Lots of hands on activities and lessons that adults and kids can all benefit from. Interaction with live animals, horse drawn wagon rides, candle making, blacksmith activities and more. Highly recommend!

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!

This is a gorgeous and intriguing museum that I highly recommend - although be advised that right…read morenow they are renovating. They will re-open their main galleries in the fall of 2026. To help soften the blow, they have lowered admission price in the interim. The hot shop is also still open and you can watch live glass making there. There are a few exhibit cases on view. There are lots of fun works that kids' designed that are also on view on the main lobby and down the hall. We went for a glass making class, which was tons of fun. I'm sure attendance varies widely - ours was not crowded. The person monitoring the class, Audrey, was friendly; she explains everything and then you have at it. She is there to help, which includes cutting glass pieces to suit whatever design you are making (this probably depends on the style of glass you are making). FYI the gift shop is really nice and is available even if you don't go into the museum. You can purchase works by glass artists who have been at the museum - so it's more than your average gift shop.

This is a cool museum. Unfortunately most of it as closed but gave us a discount. We came an hour…read morebefore closure and saw everything. The glass making studio was cool to watch. The bridge in the back was quite a walk over so had to be picked up baby history museum.

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.

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.

While I didn't make it into the museum. I wondered these outdoor artifacts for some time reading…read morethe history on each item. This is a very nice display, rich was interesting information. It's also located right alongside a trail in town. Lots to see and not enough time if you're quickly passing through. I will be back to spend a bit more time exploring the museum and the town.

Right next door to the "famous" Roslyn Cafe…read more This small, well kept museum houses a collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the height of the town's Coal Mining boom. It is interesting to read and see how much history a tiny little town like Roslyn actually has. The museum runs on donations so remember to put a little something in the donation box if you stop through. They also have restrooms. There is so much more historical and natural attractions that Roslyn has to offer besides the typical "Northern Exposure" experience. The museum is focused on the town's actual history. I didn't have time on my trip, but if you do, I suggest taking a visit to the amazing looking historical Roslyn Cemeteries. There are 24 small cemeteries tucked into the woods on the hill not far from town. Brochures are available at the museum.

I stopped by around 1:30 PM on a Saturday thinking I would do a quick walkthrough and be out and…read morethat plan lasted maybe six minutes. This is not a huge museum which helped. It never got tiring or repetitive and the layout made it easy to take in without the feeling you get when every display starts blending into the next one. I kept finding little things that made me slow down and actually read instead of doing the polite museum skim where you nod at a plaque and keep walking. What stood out most was how connected it felt to Auburn. It did not come across like random displays filling space just because a building needed exhibits. It felt rooted here. That matters more than people think. By the time I left, I felt like I understood the area better than I did when I walked in, and that is really the whole job. my daughter would have absolutely been the kid reading one fact out loud and then asking eleven follow-up questions on the way to the car, so maybe I should have brought her and committed to the full experience. For a smaller local museum, this surprised me in the best way. Go when you have an hour and want something interesting without turning it into an all day thing

This is a small, well-run historical museum with a growing, well-deserved reputation that has led…read moreto it's increased prominence on both a regional and national level.

As you enter the Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts your eyes will immediately be drawn…read moredown the hallway to a very large wooden welcoming figure. These figures are seen along the Pacific Northwest coastal region welcoming people to villages or homes. The figure is supposed to represent a shaman or some say even Dr. Karshner and it has it's arms stretched out welcoming you. The best thing about this exhibit is you get to put your hands in the hands of the welcoming figure and if you are sad, it will help make you happy. This is a great way to start your visit to the museum. The Karshner Museum is almost ninety years old and was founded in 1930 by Dr. Warner Karshner and his wife as a memorial to their son who died at an early age from Polio. Today, the Karshner is a teaching museum which is actually owned and operated by the Puyallup School District. It contains over ten thousand artifacts which include many from Native American/First Nation People as well as from Dr. Karshner's travels around the world. On the day I went, the Museum was closed and they were setting up exhibits. I explained that I had a friend visiting from Korea and she wanted to see this museum and the staff were kind enough to allow us to explore everything. I really appreciated that the staff were so cooperative and friendly and were also excited to explain some of the exhibits to us. You can see that they truly do love their work and appreciate being able to share stories about some of the pieces. If you have kids, the Pioneer Room is an entire room set up like a classroom with lots of hands on activity for little hands. They even have a stagecoach that the kids can climb on and explore. The room has so many things to see that it will definitely entertain kids for a long time. There are even some work sheets available on the door of this room so kids can also get involved in showing what they have learned. Some of the worksheets which will aid your kids in exploring this room. They can find the basket full of games that pioneer children played, try on clothing, explore goods from the trading post, discover what it was like to go to school in 1855 and lots of other activities. Currently, there is an exhibit entitled Who Are We? - Washington's Kaleidoscope which will be on display until January 2018. This exhibit is great because it tells the story of Washingtonians who have been faced with and have overcome obstacles or hardships and have left a positive impact on our great state. This exhibit is also contains people from different ethnicities which is always a good thing to see. The most beautiful objects in this museum are not the Chihuly glass on display, but the beautiful carved and painted Shamish Nation Panels which were gifted to the museum. There are four panels in total including one of a killer whale and calf, eagle with salmon, native run salmon and raven, wolf & moon (which is my favorite). If you are in the area please stop by the museum and check out all of the displays. It is a very eclectic collection and there is something here for everyone. Make sure to ask questions if you have any because the staff have so much knowledge. Thank you for a great visit and an awesome learning experience.

From the owner: Karshner Center is a sophisticated, hands-on learning museum owned and operated by the Puyallup…read moreSchool District. We host field trips and culture and arts festivals. We are open to the public free of charge 2 pm to 4 pm when the Puyallup School District is in session.