Organized, clean and nice looking museum with one big problem: small. I was surprised on how small it was. Only two floors with things to see. We did the whole thing in 20 minutes. I guess it is a nice place to take the kids or relatives from out of town. It helped that I went on the free Thursday day but knowing the museum like I do now, I wouldn't pay full price for it. read more

The new Burke is awesome. I took two kids (5 and 8) and they were engaged the whole time. The museum has a novel way of turning its curation outward so you feel like you are walking through labs and you learn quite a lot about the process in so doing. And they have a lot of nice touches for little ones, such as stuffed animals the kids can find and other exhibits kids can engage with. It's smaller than a Smithsonian museum of course but it's got enough for a couple of hours. Lastly, the new museum is nothing like the old museum so I think the old reviews shouldn't be commingled here. The new museum is very modern, does a lot to teach you about the process, and the people are great too. Highly recommend. Finally a world class museum at UW. read more

Newly re-opened Burke has a wide variety of museum experiences for all ages. Each floor is devoted to a topic. The dinosaur and bones are great. Kids will find this wonderful. read more

My nine year old nephew loves dinosaurs. Once when he was about five be brought a rock into the house, convinced he'd found a velociraptor nest and terrified that he'd now disturbed the nest and that the momma raptor was now going to come and eat our whole family. My nephew would love the Burke Museum because it's got all sorts of fun prehistoric stuff! Neslted cozily just inside the UW grounds it features the perfect amount of Washington state history to entertain a kid and an adult just long enough before the child starts to get restless and whiny. I would know, I was the whiny kid on my trip there with my parents this past weekend. It has some great activity areas for the kids to play and learn in, and downstairs in a hoard of information and stuff from all sorts of native American and pacific islander tribes. $8 admission is a little steep considering the whole deal takes you about an hour, but you'll probably learn something you didn't know before about our great state and it's great people, so that might be worth it to you. Downstairs hosts a small cafe with beverages and baked treats, nothing too serious but enough to hold you over until you can get somewhere with real food. I likely won't be back until I have kids in the 6-10 range, any older or younger than that and they're apt to get restless, I sure did ;) read more

I'm glad I went on a free day. I don't think I'd want to spend money here. This small museum is two floors, with about ¼ of each floor that is not museum space. A big display in the lobby starts with masks of indigenous peoples (from various places), then has gems, then bird feathers and one other thing. Is there a theme here? There is no coherency. The first (below ground) floor is labeled Pacific Peoples. Well, you have to ignore all of South America, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and all South America except Mexico. It focuses on the early cultures. Yet there was nothing on early South/Central American people--just Day of the Dead. The Filipino culture was about their Catholic focus. Hmmm, both countries used their colonial cultures rather than early ones. There was no flow. A display case might be on a country, or on masks, or on anything. The second floor had several classrooms or lecture halls and about of what was left had walls asking the visitor their opinion on something. Take away the store and front desk and less than half of that floor had exhibits. If you saw a dinosaur, you couldn't tell how much was original and how much was created or rebuilt. In the middle of a case with local items, you'd find one from Russia. If you saw two versions of something (original fossil/imagined) there was no reference so one could look at one part and figure out where it was on the other. Is this a fossil or a replica or a cast or a reproduction or what we imagine? One display case would just show Ammonites (squid and nautalus), with no order whether by age, location, etc. The next exhibit would discuss the evolution of a certain type of tooth. It felt as if each display case was designed by a different person who didn't communicate with others. Others, felt as if they had to fill up a display with something and just tossed in random items. Content was missing. No size information on animals. If a tribe was mentioned next to a mask, there was no reference to where the tribe existed. The museum is merely random items, in a disorganized fashion with labels that are only partial. Oh, having red light bulbs in a dinosaur's eye sockets? Tacky. The Burke will close down in order to expand. I hope there's some coherency, content and sense of flow when it opens. Give yourself an hour to hour and a half to see the entire museum. I gave it two stars because I know organizations like this struggle. I was very generous. read more

The new building is amazing. Lots of cool exhibits, interactive spots for kids, windows into the work rooms where exhibits are prepped and the collection maintained, a relaxation / quiet area on the second floor. I upgrading to a membership based on today's visit. read more

This is such a cute museum located on the UW campus. I'm a little biased because I used to work there, back when the admission was donational. That's ok though, it's worth it since they need funds for the upkeep. A great little museum for kids, they have a nice dinasuar exhibit, geology and also downstairs there's cultural exhibit. It's a great place to spend a couple hours. read more

I'm agreeing with Miranda on this one. I just moved here and am totally blown away at the Natural History in Seattle. Some of the exhibits are well-done, but there are VERY few paleontological exhibits (bones!) and these are all plastic-y, really fake looking. You don't look at them and get a sense of awe like you would staring up at a huge TRex in Chicago or NYC. The bottom floor is a great review of Pacific Rim and local Native American cultures, but each seem separate; they all lack a uniting theme. Although not marketed as such, you'll see better at the WA State History Museum in Tacoma (minus the bones). read more

The Burke Museum is an A-mazing little gem here in Seattle. I am a sucker for a good museum and this one has so many bright spots. From really significant Pacific Northwest artifacts, to fossils of all kinds, and believe it or not a mummy, this place is cool. I recently had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Burke to see some of the really fantastic research and preservation work they do. I really appreciate the part they are playing in the education and preservation of our region. Definitely stop in when you've got some time. Other perk: UW students, faculty, and staff get in free with an I.D. read more

I have enjoyed my trips to The Burke Museum. This is a small museum that houses natural history exhibits, Pacific Northwest/the People of the Pacific exhibits, and a cafe. One section of the museum is devoted to changing exhibits. It is currently 'Empowering Women-Artisan Cooperatives That Transform Communities'. It was enjoyable. The Burke is a great place for kids. Its small enough to keep a kid's attention span while being interesting enough for them to look at everything. The family events are great/ The Dinosaur Day a while back was a big hit. I don't have a chance to go very often, but I do enjoy the Free Thursdays and the family friendly events. read more

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Good people of Seattle this is an out rage. How can we cling to any sense of cityhood when this is the only natural history museum we have? Now I love natural history, as much if not more than, any red-blooded American girl and this place is a sham. It's not that big, it only has around five animal skeletons (and let's be honest when you go to a natural history museum isn't all about the bones?), and the lower level is about dedicated to indigenous peoples and it feels totally thrown together. I went there to see an "exhibit" on giant squid and this "exhibit" was one video playing on a loop and a bunch of cardboard cuts outs. But for goodness sake, go there and give them your money! Then maybe with enough funding we'll get ourselves a proper dinosaur or two! read more

The design is cool, but it feels almost empty. I feel like the former Burke was much more interesting and informative. Finally, it was full of school kids with inattentive or absent chaperones. The museum was literally full of kids running and screaming or sitting on benches with their cell phones. Not a pleasant experience. But, I had one hell of a yummy Indian Taco at Off the Rez. read more

Located at the University of Washington, parking is $3.00 an hour. There is a parking lot in front of the museum. We went on a weekday, 1st Thursday of the month is free admittance . Main floor has a large dinosaur exhibit. The lower level, houses artifacts from Natives, Polynesian and Asian heritage. There is a small section of the museum on the main floor that you can walk in, which is a model of the new museum which is being built nearby. read more

This place was amazing. My boys and I had a blast learning and even with COVID protocols they made sure it was as interactive as possible

Sadly the new Burke Museum is nowhere near as interesting as the old one. There is lots of empty space, empty cases, etc. Bigger space does not equal more stuff. They should not be charging full price for a museum that clearly has a long way to go. We saw the entire thing in an hour. When we were done, my son asked "Where is the rest of it?" I didn't have a good answer. We used to love this place but we won't go back again. read more

I am a museum head! I love visiting museums and exploring the worlds within each exhibit! This one is especially cool since it's main focus is the PNW! Being a newbie to the area I appreciate any knowledge that can be bestowed upon me about my new home. They also have discount prices for students from different schools (woo hoo!). They have a decent cafe too which is cool! The rotating exhibits are also very nice to see... although I just recently saw the birds exhibit and saw a stuffed emperor penguin... I can't watch Happy Feet anymore... PS- don't forget to lock your front door since you'll want to go right away once you finish reading this BUT they have a MASTODON SKELETON on display! That's right Cake fans... you can take a photo in front of it and caption it with Mr. Mastodon Farm.... ALso, Avengers fans, if you turn your head just right and stand approximately 10 feet in front of the mastodon you can make it look slike you have LOKI horns!!! YES! My friend and I did it and we are cool so... yeah... read more

A great option when you want an indoor activity. Plan for an hour, tops. I was lucky enough to go on "Fossil Friday" and got to see behind the scenes of the paleontology lab to get up close and personal with some of the fossils. The staff is excellent and the exhibits are well cared for. It's $10 for adults, so I don't know if the entertainment/education value is really worth it at this location. At the time I'm writing this, they seemed to be moving some of the exhibit pieces to the new bigger location, which will open in Fall of 2019. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they come up with. It seemed as though part of the new focus is on career development for young (and older) people, which I applaud. read more

I went on the first Thursday of the month to enjoy the free admission to the Burke Museum. It is educational and well time spent. Today, it is not as hot (70F) but inside the museum is hot and muggy. It is quite unpleasant and I don't feel much air circulation. I don't understand why. Parking: Expensive even it is prorated $15. If you go on a weekend day, you should be able to find a parking spot within a timely manner. Achievement: I've learn something new today about Seattle. Observation: On the Memorial street to the museum, I walked by a lot of Sorority housing. The exterior of the houses are trashy. So much about college life in these historical buildings. What a waste! Sigh! read more

No A/C. That place is hot as hell in summer. Also small and expensive considering the contents and expositions. It's a no - go for us. read more

I'm honestly a bit disappointed. The price went way up, and while it is a lot nicer and the aesthetics are quite nice, it's not any more interactive or engaging than the old space. It feels stale already, with not much to do for kids particularly. It was never a great kid spot before but it was inexpensive enough that I would go anyway, now it's really not worth it. I don't hate it, it's got some improvements, but for the time and money I wish it were more. read more

Seriously the most fascinating museum with the full height glass partitions make you desire to know and see more. Seeing into the workspaces of the behind the exhibits makes museums a new experience that will make other museums pale in comparison. The dinosaur exhibit has exploded from the past. So much to see read more

I visited the Burke Museum today with a group of senior citizens. The cultural section and the third floor were interesting and informative especially if you believe in Darwin and evolution. They claim ALL LIFE is related whether it is animal vegetable or mineral and started with two small atoms. The second floor and most of the first floor is either storage or laboratories. They offered neither scooters nor walkers for ambulatory impaired individuals. This museum is easily seen in 2 hours. read more

This should not be called a museum. It is barely two floors, and barely has any real exhibits. It was actually quite depressing. Not ideal for kids, or adults for that matter. Skip it, go to literally any other "museum". read more

Not a huge fan of The Burke. It's a small museum focused on the history of the PNW through fauna and other natural artifacts. The cost is outrageous. Go to MOHAI. read more

Do yourself a favor and avoid this place! We went there on a weekday and there were unsupervised students running and yelling everywhere. The students were climbing on bathroom stalls and looking into other people stall including mine...simply unbelievable!!! Also this place is small and not very informative. Save your money and check out another museum.!!!! read more

There are two floors at this museum. Free on first Thursdays of the month. Top floor was natural history and bottom floor was about cultural history. There's construction going on in that area. Staff were pleasant and helpful. read more

At the Burke museum is all this incredible tribal art and tools, not only Native American. They had art from Indonesia, all the remote pacific islands, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand. All the wonderful stuff I would love to have in my home. They have ancient things but also a lot of modern art too which I really, really enjoyed. Then there are two more levels, the second is biology. They had bones from hundreds of different animals. They are absolutely fascinating, two whale skulls, a hippo, elephants, giraffes. They had taxidermy, and wet specimens! They had windows to the science labs where there were real life scientist classifying butterflies, under low light. There was two women in another glassed off room removing flesh from a skunk and the other one a Wolf. There was blood everywhere, but they were working over a stainless steel table with a drain. I got super grossed out because she starting cutting into the pad of the wolf's paw, to cut it off because I think they are going to make a bone display or something??? There was another glassed off lab with a lady looking into the biggest magnifying glass I have ever personally seen, she was using a little Dremmel to clean dirt off of a real life fossil. Then there's this rad library with all these super important looking books on cool black shelving, taxidermied animals were on the top shelf, like a cougar!!! So then there are more amazing animals that are dead to look at. Then upstairs there's like a billion dinosaur fossils, T. rex skull. Woolley mammoth skeleton with a very aggressive saber tooth tiger acting like it's going to totally attack the mammoth and the mammoth is just standing there looking straight ahead..... likely story. They really need to reassess that display, the mammoth must appear concerned. Moving onto more and more fossils to fascinate, and conjure curiosity. I am forgetting a lot of details, but I probably should go back soon and see if they need any help with fossil restoration because I would like to quit my job and do that for the rest of my life. read more

Burke Museum - I loved the way they did this. It's so beautiful - Museums Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Hi went here April 27th love it the gift shop, Dimasour,fossil days Friday with mom, sister so cool.

Took my 3 year old here as he's beginning to gain interest in dinosaurs. Pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had here given the reviews that said it was too small. He loved pulling open every single drawer under the displays to find what surprises they had inside, putting on masks, playing with the dinosaur toys and being amazed by the large dinosaur bones and fossils. They have a crafting room for kids where my son made his own Angyaaq xmas tree ornament. Right next to him, museum curators and anthropologists were attempting to traditionally build an actual Angyaaq boat. This was out in the open for visitors to see; usually these things are done behind closed doors. This pushed it to 5 stars for me. Not sure what people are complaining about with regard to the cost. Admission is currently $10 a head and the kids are free. Parking is not $15 unless you go on a weekday and spend more than 4 hours in the museum. You get a rebate dependent on how long you've parked. There's also cheaper metered parking in the U-District if you're feeling lucky. I spent a total of $25 for 3 hrs at the museum with a family of 3 which came out to roughly $2.80/hour per person. Seemed like a bargain to me. read more

The natural history of Washington State is explored through archaeology, geology, insects, mammals, fish, bats, birds, invertebrates, whales, and cultural artifacts from native people to this area. The dinosaur and mastadon skeletons are fascinating and the rotating exhibits are always bringing something new to town. While we were there we saw "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway" (May 2010) an exhibit of the colorful and vibrant art by Ray Troll. I also really enjoyed the display of spread bird wings. It is amazing to see the various sizes of bird wings and how they compare to each other! Go for the yearly membership and plan to visit the Port Townsend Marine Science (Port Townsend, WA) Center and Stonerose Interpretive Center (Republic, WA). With a student membership a visit to all three places will more than pay for the membership itself. Plus you can keep coming back to see the other exhibits throughout the year and get their informative newsletter. As others have said, First Thursdays are free! I would imagine it will be much more busy on these nights and you will have a more leisurely time perusing the exhibits on another night however. read more

Well, it's natural and cutlural history, and I did major in history in college, and the truth is that I love museums and this is no exception. There's nothing you can't learn here about the Pacific NW, Washington and the Pacific Rim. Plus, dinosaurs to keep the kids happy and interactive displays. Since it's on the campus go on a Sunday - the parking is free, otherwise you'll pay to park. Or, like most Seattle museums, go on the first Thursday of any month and admission is free. Free is good. So is this museum. read more

Very disappointed in the new Burke Museum, the exhibits appear smaller compared to the old museum. The native people's exhibit has been greatly reduced and there is virtually no mention of the geology and mineralogy of Washington state. The dinosaur section is quite small compared to say other museums around the country, for example, check out the one in Bozeman which is a fantastic museum. The life section is quite pathetic. And that's about it, there is nothing else to see. As far as I can tell most of the space is taken up with research, which is ok but at least make the museum as good as or better than the original. read more

Stopped in this morning to check out the Yellowstone to Yukon exhibit and it was awesome - I have a soft spot for the Yellowstone area after living there for 3 summers. The rest of the museum proved interesting and manageable. You can see the whole thing in 2-3 hours, which is nice you don't feel like you're missing out on anything. read more

One of the first museums I remember visiting and I loved the history of the PNW that was displayed. Some nights the Storytellers Guild was there and would weave their magic words through the rooms. I love this place and it always has something new to see when I return. read more

I'm just an ordinary guy so no degree in museums or history. I did find The Burke fascinating though. I have lived most of my life in the Northwest so all the native history was great! The artifacts and recreations was top notch. I went to see the Seahawks mask and I was not disappointed at all. The staff was so friendly and helpful. Just loved it. read more

This is a nice little museum in the U-district. I came on a day where they were doing a special event, and therefore had a lot of extra things to see and experience. It was really great! However, if there hadn't been a special event going on, the museum would probably be less exciting. It is quite small, and the exhibits are not very large or numerous. If you have an afternoon to kill though, it's worth checking out. read more

I liked Burke Museum. In spite of the fact that its on the small side, they did not fail in showcasing great artifacts and collection. One thing that really stuck with me was the downstairs area which featured exhibits on different cultures. Yes, it maybe just a small portion of these cultures, but they all made sense! It gives us (even) a tiny glimpse of different group of people. It really makes us proud and celebrate diversity!!! read more

One of my friends got married here. It was a really cool great location. Guests got to visit the museum first, then the ceremony, then caterers came in and served a buffet dinner. The groomsmen wore dinosaur socks. read more

I took my camp kids here for a tour of the museum. I have quite a few complaints. #1: There is no public parking. You have to park off campus and walk there. #2: We had two tour guides. Mike and Dana. Mike was wonderful. Very patient and helpful with the kids. But Dana was terrible. She constantly pressured our kids with questions and wouldn't let them answer without asking them another question. Then she thought she was joking around but she called one of my kids a DOOFUS! The child was upset and took offense to it. #3: the front desk staff was very defensive about me bringing in any sort of outside things. I was questioned about my backpack. And all it had in it was emergency forms for my camp kids. #4: we only observed 2 places in the whole museum for the tour. We had to personally take our kids to the other exhibits. #5: As we were leaving, Dana came over to apologize to our student that she called a Doofus. She then continued to pressure us to look at the museum more when we were going to leave. She didn't pick up the hint to back off and leave us alone. We were not pleased with this trip. At all! read more

My wife signed us up as members so it is free when we want to come and visit. I have seen the permanent exhibits many times and the last few visits have been for special weekend only exhibits - the last one was on BUGS. We usually bring our 12 year old granddaughter along and come on a sunday when the parking is free. read more