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Connections Museum

5.0 (24 reviews)
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Sharon C.

Anyone that has ever wondered how the telephone works should visit this museum. Actually, anyone that has ever used a landline NEEDS to visit the Connections Museum. Located on the third floor of a CenturyLink switching office/ building, the entrance to the museum is through the side of the building. There is free parking on site, which is a nice perk. I'll preface by telling you that this is a working museum. If you're expecting Smithsonian quality, you will be disappointed. The museum started by a group of telecom employees who recognized the change in telecom and wanted to preserve the art and technology for future generations to remember and study. Our tour guide was Collin and he is super knowledgeable and answered all my nerdy boyfriend's questions. It was so great to see the passion in Collin. He took the time to explain to layman like myself and showed us how it all started. The idea of having to educate the public what the dial tone is and how to operate a telephone is bizarre, to say the least. But visiting this museum will really give you a sense of time and appreciation on how far telecom has advanced. There is so much to see. So many things that you had never seen. It is a donation based museum, so please donate what you can. The docents are all volunteers that work on fixing these equipments on their own free time. They are also only opened on Sundays, so bear that in mind. Highly recommend it.

Third floor of museum
Lenore M.

Truly a hidden gem, a must do in Seattle! My partner found it while we were visiting a couple weeks ago and it was the highlight of our trip! The museum is only open on Sundays for a few hours. The building is pretty inconspicuous. I wouldn't have known there was a museum there if I wasn't looking for it. You walk into a room with an elevator that tells you to go to the 3rd floor, which seems like you're in a strange mission. It opens up into this room filled with equipment - floor to ceiling! A volunteer greets you and asks you about your knowledge, then caters your 1.5 hour tour to what you're interested in. It was so much fun to learn and test out everything. Yes - it all still works! After our tour, we spent more time walking around to look at everything else we didn't get to on the tour. We went to a few other expensive museums while we were there, and this was our favorite - and it's free/donation only?! I highly suggest donating if you can. Cash only at the museum but we donated through their website afterwards. 100% worth it!

Joe L.

They have five stars across the board. Great way to spend 3 hours with the family. I've been to several phone museums and tours, this is the first one that had working switchboards and equipment. Seeing how things actually work was really interesting. Very camera friendly. The tour is lead by a volunteer who answers questions with enthusiasm. We made a small donation at the beginning but felt the tour was so good that we went back and left some more to thank them for a fun morning.

Lawson E.

Outstanding! This is hands-down *the best* interactive, hands-on museum that I have ever had the pleasure of going to. I'll keep it short. This isn't your typical museum with stuff in display cases that you can't touch. This is a full-scale WORKING telephone exchange system - correction, SEVERAL full-scale working telephone exchange systems. Equipment dates back to the original step-based dialing systems through the ranks of the various crossbar switching systems and into more modern PBXs from the 80s, 90s, and things that are still in use today. The staff are friendly knowledgeable folks, many of whom have made their careers in the telephone industry. All of them are eager to pass on the knowledge of how telephones work and the progress that the industry has seen over time. If you're in Seattle, you absolutely MUST visit this museum. They are only open one day per week (currently Tuesdays, soon to change to Sundays) for about 6 hours, and one additional day per month (currently a Sunday, soon to change to a Tuesday). PS: look through the pictures here on Yelp. I posted several including a video. PPS: Admission is FREE, but donations are encouraged - this equipment doesn't maintain itself. :)

Les (the elder) showing us how they used to connect phone to phone!
Carly R.

Best place to go for engineers! Specially about the telecommunication industry! Also great experience for tourist. 100% recommended. The first time there today. Although we think it was a little sketchy that they might close of weather is too hot, once you went in you understand why they have to close if it's too hot out. The outlook of the museum is not anything fancy. But the entrance is pretty cool and when you go up to level 3... You will be amazed. (Also the journey begins!) So we went to the level 3 entrance and signed in, and then the old guy called Les came ask us if we need a tour! We said yes and that's the best experience ever! He is funny and nice and he answered all our questions with no doubt (cause he has 50 years of experience in the telephone industry!). And actually turned on few things to show us how they used to use it in the old times. I don't know how to explain. It is something that you don't wanna miss in your life! I appreciated what we have right now more than ever after the tour today. Everyone gogogogogo! Me and my buds are def going back again for the level 2 tour! (P.S. They offered treats and drinks and the pink cookie is awesome!!!)

Alex S.

Absolutely amazing! We had three tour guides and didn't even get to finish the whole museum. Jerry was my favorite. He showed us the different teletype machines. He showed us a wooden wall mounted telephone that was similar to the one his grandmother had on her farm in Minnesota. We will gladly tell our friends about this museum and will make a return trip in the near future.

This little brass arm moves up and down to 10 available connectors, looking for an open circuit
John K.

The Connections Museum is one of the best exhibits I've ever seen. Our tour guide (pretty much essential for understanding what you're seeing) said that this museum came about when the telephone monopoly was being broken up in the 1970s, and the backroom equipment was being completely replaced with much smaller switching machinery that could deal with the coming data explosion. This museum preserves multiple types of earlier switching hardware, going back to the earliest automated methods of making phone connections. Being able to dial a phone, and physically see and hear the individual lines connecting themselves via the nearest currently available wires is just amazing. Having saved this local backroom hardware, tying most of it together, and keeping it running is one of the best examples of museum curating and conservation that I've ever seen. I'm not an engineer, but seeing this stuff in action transcends all the details. Seriously, don't miss this.

Fantastic museum filled with communications equipment from over 100 years ago to recent history, many in working condition
Karrot L.

This museum is packed with telecom equipment from the early days though more recent decades. The volunteer workers are very knowledgable and enthusiastically demonstrate many pieces of equipment. Take a tour, you'll be amazed!

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Review Highlights - Connections Museum

I've been to several phone museums and tours, this is the first one that had working switchboards and equipment.

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Museum of Pop Culture

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4.0
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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.

This is a great place for pop culture enthusiasts, guitar lovers and people who love to play with…read moremusic instruments and song composing. Because this place has a wonderful collection of legendary guitars and guitarists. One the second floor there a huge sound lab with booths of different instruments and individual rooms to do sound engineering. The game room section had several stations to try out different home made games. Other than these major features, there are few more artifacts from music, sports and movie world are scattered around the place. In the lower floor, there's a nice cafe. There's also a makeshift gift shop with limited pop culture products. We came to the museum around noon. Our tickets were part of CityPass. We spend about half an hour here. Overall it was an underwhelming experience for me.

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"I'll be back!"
"I'll be back!"
Gaming area
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Seattle Public Library - Central Library

Seattle Public Library - Central Library

4.4
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This building is a work of art. Coupled with its services and amenities, this library is now my…read morefavorite in the United States. It's a dynamic public space, open 10am-6pm every day (and until 8pm Tuesdays-to-Thursdays). There's a community bulletin board, art to appreciate, board games to borrow (to play there, not takeaway), an auditorium, computers to browse the web, plenty of power outlets, DVDs to rent, and a cute gift shop ($1 book deals!). Plenty of seating, free Wi-Fi, restrooms. There's a filtered water dispenser (bring a water bottle!). To my surprise, there's a cafe ("Howdy Y'all Coffee", open all week except Sundays) on-site. Oh, there are books too. Recommendation: Visit the 10th floor! It has a huge naturally-lit reading room. A serene oasis in downtown Seattle.

One of the most beautiful libraries in the U.S. is this 11-story masterpiece on a hill overlooking…read moreSeattle and the water. There's an underground parking garage or simply walk there since it's in downtown Seattle. Clear signage throughout is helpful in wandering 10 floors of thousands of books, maps, and more. There's plenty of seating, a gift shop, a cafe, reading rooms, computers, and more. Outlets for charging are everywhere. If you love travel, their travel section is among the best I've seen. Spend an hour walking up stairs or using the elevator to see the stunning architecture and views of the city.

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Looking down
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First floor.
First floor.
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Sky View Observatory

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My visit to the Columbia Tower Observatory on the 73rd floor was nothing short of amazing. The…read moreviews are absolutely breathtaking--truly one of those experiences where you find yourself stopping just to take it all in. Seeing Seattle from that height gives you a completely new appreciation for the city and its surroundings. What made the visit even more enjoyable was the staff. Every employee I encountered was incredibly welcoming, friendly, and genuinely pleasant. Their warmth made the experience feel even more special, and it was clear they take pride in creating a positive atmosphere for visitors. One observation I did have relates to the elevator experience. It has been two years since my last visit, and unfortunately, the elevator's video system is still not functioning. I remember when the observatory first opened, and the video played during the ride up--it added an engaging and memorable element to the experience. Without it, the ride feels noticeably less enjoyable. Interestingly, others seemed to feel the same way. I mentioned how long the video system has been out of service while riding up, and a couple riding up with us--visiting from Australia--commented that it would have been nice to have something to watch during the ascent. As an alternative, it might be a wonderful opportunity for the elevator operator to share a few interesting facts during the ride up. A brief, engaging introduction--highlighting that this is the tallest building in Seattle, along with a bit of history about its construction and facts about its tenants--could really enhance the experience and help pass the time in a meaningful way. Additionally, with all three video screens currently not working and visibly cracked, addressing this issue would make a noticeable difference. Either repairing or replacing the screens--or even temporarily covering them--would create a much more polished and welcoming feel for visitors and help elevate the overall experience. You can't beat the view though!

If you're deciding between the Sky View Observatory and the Space Needle, I'd strongly consider Sky…read moreView. The experience felt much more laid back, with fewer crowds and plenty of space to take in the views. It is also technically taller than the Space Needle. The observatory floor goes all the way around and has lots of helpful information and displays explaining what you're looking at, which made the experience more engaging than simply taking photos from an observation deck. There's also a café w/ bar upstairs, making it easy to relax and spend some time enjoying the scenery. One of the biggest advantages is that you get incredible panoramic views of Seattle including the Space Needle itself, which makes for some great photo opportunities. We got lucky and it was a beautiful afternoon and were able to watch the sunset from there. Between the views, the atmosphere, and the overall value, this ended up being one of my favorite stops in Seattle.

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Ticket area, but can also purchase online
Ticket area, but can also purchase online
Vita-Tini
Vita-Tini
A Roy rogers

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Connections Museum - museums - Updated June 2026

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