# List of museums in Seattle

Seattle, Washington is home to four major art museums and galleries: the Frye Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

## Museums

| Name | Neighborhood | Type | Summary |
| Ballard Locks Museum/Visitor Center | Ballard | History | Artifacts and exhibits of Hiram M. Chittenden Locks dedicated in 1917 website http://ballardlocks.org/visitor-center-museum.html |
| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center | Lower Queen Anne | History | website, innovations and inventions around the world to make life better |
| Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture | University District | Natural history | Part of the University of Washington, includes fossils, natural history dioramas, Native American artifacts, Pacific Rim cultures exhibit, gems and minerals |
| Center for Wooden Boats | South Lake Union | Maritime | Historic wooden sailboats, rowboats and other boats, locations in Lake Union Park and Cama Beach State Park |
| Center on Contemporary Art | Seattle | Art | website, contemporary exhibitions at various locations |
| Chihuly Garden and Glass | Lower Queen Anne | Art | Studio glass of Dale Chihuly, located in the Seattle Center |
| Coast Guard Museum Northwest | SoDo | Military | Includes U.S. Coast Guard ship models, uniforms, photos and artifacts |
| Connections Museum | Georgetown | Technology | website Working telephone switching systems, old telephones and payphones, teletypes |
| Daybreak Star Cultural Center | Magnolia | Art | Native American art gallery and cultural center operated by United Indians of All Tribes |
| Museum of Pop Culture | Lower Queen Anne | Media | Popular culture, includes rock & roll and popular music memorabilia, interactive exhibits, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame |
| Frye Art Museum | First Hill | Art | website, Painting and sculpture from the nineteenth century to the present |
| Georgetown Steam Plant | Georgetown | Technology | Steam engines in the former power plant |
| Giant Shoe Museum | Downtown | Commodity | Located in Pike Place Market, collection of giant shoes |
| Henry Art Gallery | University District | Art | The art museum of the University of Washington, includes rotating exhibitions of contemporary art |
| History House of Greater Seattle | Fremont | History - Local | History and heritage of Seattle and its neighborhoods |
| Jack Straw New Media Gallery | University District | Art | website, non-profit multidisciplinary audio arts center |
| Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park | Pioneer Square | History | Seattle's role in the Klondike Gold Rush |
| Last Resort Fire Department Museum | Downtown | Firefighting | website, vintage fire trucks, equipment, uniforms, located at the HQ for the Seattle Fire Department |
| Log House Museum | West Seattle | Local history | website, operated by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society |
| Museum of Flight | South | Aerospace | Incorporates Boeing's original manufacturing plant, the largest private air and space museum in the world includes private and military aircraft |
| Museum of History and Industry | South Lake Union | History | Washington's history and culture. Largest heritage organization in the State of Washington, with a collection of over 4 million artifacts, photographs, and archival materials, primarily related to the history of Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region. |
| National Nordic Museum; formerly known as Nordic Heritage Museum | Ballard | Ethnic - Nordic | Heritage of Seattle's Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish immigrants; expanded in 2018 with a new building and permanent exhibition focused on a broader understanding of Nordic life and culture as it has evolved over the last twelve thousand years. |
| Northwest African American Museum | Central District | Ethnic - African American | African American heritage in the Northwest |
| Northwest Nikkei Museum | Central District | Ethnic | Operated by the Japanese Cultural Community Center, heritage and history of the Pacific Northwest’s Nikkei community |
| Northwest Seaport | South Lake Union | Maritime | Includes the Arthur Foss tugboat, Lightship 83 |
| Olympic Sculpture Park | Downtown | Art | 9-acre sculpture park |
| Pacific Science Center | Lower Queen Anne | Science | Exhibits include health, dinosaurs, space, human body, Puget Sound, technology |
| Photographic Center Northwest | Capitol Hill | Art | website, includes a contemporary photography gallery |
| Pioneer Association of the State of Washington | Madison Park | History, Genealogy, Library | https://wapioneers.com/, Oldest history organization in the State of Washington, meeting since 1871, incorporated 1895; headquarters at historic 1910 Washington Pioneer Hall on the shores of Lake Washington; Pioneer Hall is on the United States National Park Service register of Historic Places. |
| Seattle Art Museum | Downtown | Art | 3 facilities: main museum with diverse collections, Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Olympic Sculpture Park |
| Seattle Asian Art Museum | Capitol Hill | Art | Asian art, facility of the Seattle Art Museum |
| Seattle Central College M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery | Capitol Hill | Art | website |
| Seattle Children's Museum | Lower Queen Anne | Children's | Located in the Seattle Center |
| Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame | SoDo | Sports | Located at T-Mobile Park |
| Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum | Downtown | Law enforcement | History of policing in the Pacific Northwest |
| Seattle Pinball Museum | Chinatown-International District | Amusement | website, vintage pinball machines |
| Seattle University Galleries | First Hill | Art | Hedreen Gallery at the Lee Center for the Arts, Kinsey Gallery, Vachon Gallery |
| Steamship Virginia V | South Lake Union | Maritime | 1922 steamship |
| The Unity Museum | University District | Envisioning One Humanity | website |
| Wing Luke Museum | Chinatown-International District | Ethnic - Pan Asian Pacific American | Culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans |

## Defunct museums

* Consolidated Works, closed in 2006
* Milepost 31, closed 2017, website, history of Pioneer Square and the construction of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel, featured model of Bertha (tunnel boring machine)
* Museum of Mysteries, closed in 2014, collections now online as the Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore
* Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, closed in 2008
* Western Bridge, closed in 2012
* Wright Exhibition Space, closed in 2014, collections now at Seattle Art Museum
* Museum of Museums, closed in 2023
* Living Computer Museum closed in 2020 due to Covid-19 and final announcement of permanent closure occurred in 2024