Wonderful place! Learn and grow experience…read more Staff is very nice. Kids and adults liked it as did I. Steve

There is so much to do at the Children's Museum that there is never a dull moment. Flying a plane,…read morelooking for dinosaur bones, driving a bus, learning physics, playing on the playground outside, learning about the oceans and bay, sorting packages. Honestly hours of fun and entertainment. Everything is kept in good working order and there is something for everyone. A great place to let the kid's imagination go crazy! Lots of places to climb and run around to get all the energy out. My son slept so good after his visit. There were a LOT of people, and it is usually pretty busy. If you get a family pass it is a great deal, especially if you are going to go often (honestly there is so much to do you could go every week and do something new)! It is a bit on the pricy side, but the value is definitely worth it. Only gave it 4 stars due to the cost, but again, worth it in my opinion, but still on the expensive side.

Used to have a trolley. Call and check if it's scheduled to run before you go. It is a 1925…read moretreasure!

Around ten yrs ago when I moved to Issaquah, the Issaquah Depot Museum was just an old train…read morestation with one main building and some train carts. Thanks for the effort from Issaquah historical society, over the years it got renewed, improved and offered more activities for local community. My kid loves this depot museum and all the train carts around it. Ever since he started watching Thomas, he got fascinated by the trains. With all the tracks and train carts, he could spend lots of time here admiring them. And there is hidden treasure among the carts. Inside one of the cart is the model for old Issaquah town and train station, with all the detailed models of buildings, tracks, vehicles, trains. Excellently made model and IMHO it should be placed in the main building to attract more visiters. The main building was OK, typical small museum. Santa Clause is there around the holidays to take pictures with kids. About two yrs ago, local volunteers fixed the trolley and now it's running at the depot every weekend. It attracted quite some visitors ever since. With the red, golden and white paint, the trolley is simply beautiful and smooth. It also became the object for many photographers. It's nice to have such a nice museum around the neighborhood.

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.

Excellent museum with two separate building separate by the 6 lanes highway and connecting by a…read morepedestrian bridge. Other than two buildings they have life size plane at the cover pavilion. The plane under pavilion are the passenger and old fighter planes. That includes the air force one. The first building on west is mainly space program. You can see the evolve space program from Apollo, space shuttle to private sponsors space vehicle. The second building is the collection of all kind of plane. I like the most is the black bird with Marc 3.2 speed. They even have the flying car. The education center and special exhibits are at this building. You can see the radar for the SeaTac and the entire United States.

The museum itself is gem and worth a visit. However we…read moreencountered an unpleasant and likely racist woman at the ticket counter on April 1st. There were only 2 people at the counter. She was on our right and refused to make eye contact and even turned her head away when I looked at her. Another white couple cut in front of us and was helped by the other woman After staring at the other woman on the right for a good 30 sec she turned here head. She reluctantly helped us. Later we discovered she didn't give us some handouts others were given for the Artemis 2 Launch party. This woman shouldn't be working there.

5 stars it was amazing I'm 13 and my youngest sibling is 6months and my oldest sibling is 15 it was…read morefun for all especially the scared to death horror room it was amazing and fun it's fun for all ages even my parents loved it I totally recommended

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.

First time visit, and yes, the main aquarium center is closed for the winter, but, such a charming,…read moreeducational place. Small gift shop when coming in and then stunning whale bones and displays ushers you forward! At the end, there's a kids-focused, hands-on experience. Looking at everything from marine anatomy to actual bones, fur and specimens. Take your kids or kids at heart here. Now!

Loved seeing the octopus and Wetzel! Fun place to stop by. Lots of educational displays and…read morewonderful staff.

I arrived at Cascadia Art Museum at 5:06 PM, expecting to explore the exhibits during regular hours…read moresince Apple Maps had listed them as open until 6:00 PM. Unfortunately, the museum had already closed to the public. Luckily, Sydney kindly invited me to stay for a private evening event that was just about to begin. The $20 admission ended up being incredibly worthwhile. Before the event I was able to walk around and see the gallery entirely while the staff set -up. The event featured a guest lecture by Dr. Simon Lhopiteau, a Paris-based art historian who recently opened a studio in Seattle. His talk centered on Henry Saÿen, a chemist-turned-painter whose work is rarely acknowledged in mainstream art history. We discussed Saÿen's invention of the self-regulating X-ray tube, his move to Paris during the rise of the avant-garde, and the influence of Henri Matisse on his artistic development. Dr. Lhopiteau also spoke about how both Henry Saÿen and Henri Matisse were among the early artists to shape the foundation of modern self-portraiture. Their work explored internal perception just as much as external form, and this introspective approach helped redefine how artists captured the self. He also shared how abstract and impressionist art in the early 20th century was not just rejected by the public, but often met with deep hostility and even violence. One of the highlights of the evening was Saÿen's 1903 painting titled Primitive Agricultures. We also explored the legendary artist gatherings at Le Dôme café in Paris and discussed the deeper connection between light, geometry, and perception in modern painting. The entire conversation felt alive--intellectually rich, spontaneous, and deeply human. It was one of the most engaging experiences I've had in a long time. Before leaving, I visited the museum gift shop and picked out a beautiful orange floral scarf for my mom. The shop was just as thoughtfully curated as the rest of the space. I also had the pleasure of speaking with Nancy, one of the museum ambassadors, who was incredibly kind and insightful. She told me about her travels through the Balkan countries and the museums and art collections she visited abroad. I shared my love for Renaissance art and armor from the Middle Ages and she encouraged me to visit France to experience those collections firsthand. I mentioned that my niece is French and currently studying there, so now I have even more reason to go. Before I left, I met Julie, the museum's education director, and learned that her academic thesis focused on Renaissance art and the representation of women. It was such an energizing conversation. She even gave me a list of local spots to eat, which meant a lot since I needed to grab dinner for my family after the event. I have attached the photos part of the current exhibit to this review to encourage people to see art in person because it is of amazing quality and deserves recognition. Had I arrived during regular hours, I probably would have paid $12 or gotten in free with my student ID, but I'm honestly glad I came when I did. Cascadia is not just a museum. It's a place of conversation, discovery, and connection. Whether you're visiting for the art or open to the unexpected, it's absolutely worth the experience.

I had the pleasure of attending a curator talk at the Cascadia Art Museum, and it was phenomenon!!…read moreDavid Martin is a dynamic speaker and is a world recognized art historian of northwest style arts. He walked us through an exhibit called "Urban Scenes of Seattle: 1910-1960". Apparently in the "old days" and before the internet, Eastern U.S. arts are influenced primarily by European arts, while Western U.S. arts are influenced by both European arts and Asian arts. As a result, these mid-1900s regional arts has an intriguing amalgam of art styles from other parts of the world while serving as a historical data point of our area. I highly, highly recommend attending one of his "coffee with the curator" talks that give so much behind-the-scenes story of the artists, many of whom David personally knows. Other than the Urban Scenes exhibit, they are currently featuring a special exhibit of Christmas cards that are individually made by local artists that were sent to family and friends. No two are the same! The museum is modest size but packs a punch! It is definitely a local gem. Housed in an old Safeway building, it shares space with a bistro in the same building. Their museum store also has excellent pieces from artists and/or uniquely curated pieces. And they sell books written by David Martin. He'll autograph them if you want!

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!

I loved finally getting to tour this beautiful home. I am impressed by how well it is maintained…read moreand presented. Go see it. Take your time and don't miss the writing on the walls.

We came in December during a train event without having realized the trains were on display. It was…read morea happy coincidence, as my kids really enjoyed the displays and talking to the hobbyists. The actual history museum had a lot of interesting and well put together displays. The exhibit on native people was very interesting and informative. I grew up in the area and moved away without ever having learned much about the local native tribes and their history, so it was great to learn more as an adult. My kids are 8 and 5 and this place held their attention for over 3 hours. We probably could've stayed longer, but our tummies were growling so it was time to find lunch.

What a wholesome experience for the entire family! 5 floors of different type of Model trains while…read moreyou go through the states history as well. If you are here for the train displays with your kids, you need to cover floor 1 as the last stop. Floor 1 has play area with Legos and Toy train tracks and the toddlers don't want to go anywhere else! Super friendly staff at each display who are eager to interact with the kids and the adults. I missed it last year, now, we might end up coming here every year!