A time was had at the Museum of Pop Culture. We learned a lot but we also love the interactive…read morethings. We walked around singing all over the place. There's one where it's like a dj booth with headphones. There's a place where people were in rooms learning how to play the guitar, piano & drums. There's a cool MJ section and more. We had fun. It wasn't all about music either, it was movies, shows games etc...

This museum is just OK. Its aesthetic design is pretty nifty and it checks a lot of pop culture…read moreboxes (music, video games, multiple movie genres). On the other hand, it felt like most of the material is either pictures & basic bios of famous people, or physical props. Is it really that stimulating to see a replica of a proton pack, a Dalek, or a Starfleet uniform behind enclosed glass? The section with the highest potential was the music lab, but the interactivity seemed pretty limited. On top of that, I caught a few factual errors, like misspelled names ("Paul Ruebens"), or bloopers in their historical video reels (both 1987 and 1990 contained clips of The Simpsons, which are both wrong -- it debuted in 1989 as a standalone show). Somewhere on the floor there's a poorly conceived gallery of video game controllers, which inexplicably features some generic third-party controllers that don't count, while controllers from many important game consoles are missing entirely. These are all sloppy errors for a museum to make. All in all, I'd say this place offers maybe $15 worth of fun, but not the $35 they currently charge.

The architecture is beautiful. We went for the Southeast Asian voices exhibit, which was really…read morewell done. I love all the artifacts and the displays were varied and interesting. The model train set provided a unique view of Tacoma. This is a great place for kids too

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!

Chihuly Gardens was so beautiful. I need one of these pieces in my home. What's cool is they have…read morean imax demonstrating how it's done. But not only that, when I was there there were also demonstrating outside. The art is so pretty and colorful. I highly recommend especially if you like art.

Let me be honest about this one, I thought I was not going to be interested in this at all. See, I…read morebought the Seattle City Pass and had to pick one more thing to fulfill the purchase. This was it, I was not really looking forward to it and thought of it as a time filler. Was I ever wrong. I kind of fell in love with this place as I toured around. The beauty of this place really shines through. In the end, I was extremely happy that I got to view this space. This consists of the garden, glasshouse and exhibits. Each a beauty unto itself. Entering here you first go through the exhibit area. Take your time in this area, there are so many exquisite glass pieces to see. This is where you will see a lot of Dale Chihuly's pieces. Born in Tacoma makes the local connection even greater. Being in the shadow of the Space Needle lends for some amazing viewing and photos. It can feel rather crowded in here at some points. This is the only downfall in here. People are everywhere and will try to push you out of the way to see a piece. Not because they want to see the piece, but they are trying to create content. There were too many influencers in here. Each one with the same, narrowminded, self absorbed mission. To make content that they feel people online will clammer to view. There was this one that just rushed between exhibits. Not to view them, but to take a glamour shot in front of it and get the right angle to use at a later date with information fished from the internet to fill in the gaps they missed with their own two eyes. The only downside to this place, and does not detract from the stars here. If you can find your way around them, you can still enjoy the place and take it in for that moment.

This museum was well planned and the exhibits are detailed and engaging. It helps that the staff…read moreall have been part of this community for 50+ years and we were fortunate to have Lisa on location as she knows everything about every detail of this community. The history of this tribe is inspiring and the art is of best quality I've ever seen. Cheers!!

This was a nice find while visiting the area. The museum is very educational about this Native…read moreAmerican people, their history, and their culture. My children enjoyed seeing many of the different tools that were used for catching fish and holding ceremonies. The architecture is intriguing as it is based on the Thunderbird. The museum and grounds are peaceful, allowing one to reflect on the history and culture of this people. The staff were friendly and the admission was reasonable. Visiting the museum was a great experience.

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!

I love art and I love the Seattle Art Museum! I love most of its permanent exhibits---especially…read moreits African arts collection, PNW tribal art and the Porcelain Room. But I enjoy the temporary exhibitions they install. I've been going to the SAM for more than 20 years. I can't afford to be a member or pay the regular admission, so I'm excited to go on Free First Thursdays. It's such a wonderful opportunity and program to those who can't afford to view art, but appreciate it.

First Thursday means free entrance to this lovely Seattle Art Museum…read more Amazing display of art, Pacific Northwest art and culture. Lots to see. Love seeing this place. Today we witnessed a traveling art by Calder and Tara Donovan.

This place is amazing! Love that it's free. Thought it might be too educational and not enough fun…read morefor some out-of-town visitors with an eight and eleven year-old but they loved it and learned so much. It's small but we spent more time there than intended and coupled with the outdoor features, we didn't end up making it inside museum though we originally planned to do both. They also some neat swag that's useful. My spouse has been using the grease scraper since haha. The people working here are also very nice and welcoming. Recommended little stop!

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.

We love museums, and the Gig Harbor Museum satisfied us 100%. It is well curated, and the section…read moreabout the Narrows bridge is particularly interesting. I also loved to see how is was like to get around in the 1930s etc. Well worth a visit to pick up tidbits on local Gig history.

If you're in Gig Harbor, you should take some time out of your day to check this museum out.  It…read morewas very impressive to me.  I loved the artifacts, the stories, the videos, the interactive exhibits, and the volunteers who gave me some interesting facts while I was exploring.  I had a deeper appreciation for how this town came to be after I left.  It left me in wonder.  There was also an outstanding local artist exhibit set up and some of the pieces blew my mind!!  And it's FREE!  So no reason not to stop in!  I planned on doing a quick walk through ... maybe spend an hour ... but stayed for several taking it all in - so well done!

My husband loves bonsai trees and while I think they look nice, I don't really know much about…read morethem. When I saw that we would be in the area of the Pacific Bonsai Museum on our most recent travels, I was super excited to put it on our itinerary. Unfortunately, while I was researching, I noticed that although this is an outdoor museum, they have a " service dogs welcome but no pets" policy. It was disappointed because we travel with our small dog so I decided to take it off our list of stops. When my husband noticed he was visibly saddened and I knew I had to do my best to see if we could make it work. I messaged the museum here on Yelp and explained my situation to them. They responded immediately, and said that although that is their policy, because my dog is small, well behaved, always on a leash and has no behavioral issues, staff would likely not approach me to ask me to leave or show my credentials. I truly appreciate their fast response and understanding. They have amazing customer service here. Our visit to the museum was lovely. Our dog enjoyed the shady walk along the path to get there and sat patiently while we looked around. The museum is not only gorgeous, but laid out by region, so it's almost like walking through the world showcase at EPCOT but better because there were no crowds and the environment was incredibly peaceful. It was so interesting to see all the bonsais displayed and to learn about them. Masterfully designed and curated and incredibly tranquil, it was definitely one of the highlights of our stops in the area. I encourage you to stop by and to donate to this amazing museum if you have the opportunity.

The Bonsai Museum is a hidden gem. We had a few hours to kill before picking up dinner and heading…read moreover to my cousins house. Since she and her family live in Fife, I ordered and scheduled pickup for 2:30 pm in Federal Way. We weren't what to do in the meantime and so I looked up botanical parks. The bonsai Museum and the Rododendron botanical Park came up. We noticed they were across from each other and so we headed over to the parks. It's a nice drive over there as everything is so green and lush. Once we parked, we noticed that we needed to walk a bit to get to the exhibits. Once we got to the exhibits, the Rododendron botanical park was on the left side with $12 entrance fee and on the right side was the bonsai Museum with free entry. On the outside, they do have restrooms available before heading into the bonsai museum We didn't know what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised with all the bonsai displays they had by the different artists from different countries, and there were a lot. It took us about 30 minutes to get through the entire exhibit. We would've stayed longer to read all the information, but we were running short on time and we still wanted to visit the botanical park across the way. I highly recommend the Pacific Bonsai Museum if you're in the Federal Way area especially because it's free.

Bruun Idun is an awesome troll to see looking out to the Puget Sound. Located in Lincoln Park…read more The parking lot was packed when I arrived, and I parked in a nearby neighborhood. I walked about 25 minutes along the shoreline and saw several bunnies and squirrels along the way to Bruun Idun. Under a canopy of trees, peacefully playing an instrument or smoking a pipe. Use your imagination.

Inside Lincoln Park is this random troll named Bruun Idum. It is a little bit of a walk but you get…read moreto see the trees and everything so it wasn't bad. It might be about a 20-minute walk from the parking lot. But I believe it is well worth it! This troll has a wonderful background of trees and nature. Also, it looks kike it is blowing maybe a musical instrument. It states that the artist is making the trolls out of recycled products and his unique way to see and make something so awesome is great!