Make sure to double-check the hours of any museum you are planning on visiting — they may be closed at days and times when you would assume they’d be open.
Seattle Pinball Museum
🕹️ This is a museum for people who would rather play than look at stuff. The Seattle Pinball Museum, in the CID, is a playground for pinball wizards, with over 50 games that range from vintage 1960 models to present-day machines (there are a handful of non-pinball arcade games in the mix). All are free to play with a $25 admission.
Know before you go: Toddlers and babies are allowed as long as you hold them the entire time, but children under seven are not allowed, because the website says they “have a hard time remembering the rules we have for safety of your young ones, other patrons, our staff, and equipment.”
Bakke Coffee Museum
☕ This Ballard assemblage of espresso machines may be the largest in the world, according to the museum’s namesake, Kent Bakke. The coffee industry icon imported espresso machines to Seattle in the 1970s and eventually became La Marzocco’s international CEO. Now his collection is the centerpiece of this free museum that tells the story of the espresso boom in the U.S., and how the coffee industry has evolved.
Know before you go: The museum is only open for walk-ins on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from noon to 4 p.m., though guided tours can be arranged on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. An appointment must be made in advance for tours.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
💰This is technically a national park but really a compact series of exhibits about the Klondike Gold Rush, when the discovery of gold in the late 1890s led tens of thousands of people to move to the Yukon territory of Canada (spoiler: most of them had a bad time). Admission is free!
Know before you go: It’s a fun snapshot of history, but don’t expect to spend a long time here. Fortunately, there’s lots to do in surrounding Pioneer Square.
Connections Museum Seattle
⚡A disclaimer: Many, perhaps most, people are not interested in looking at vintage telecom-related equipment. But if you are interested in that, this Georgetown museum run by the Telecommunications History Group is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The suggested donation is $10 for adults, and the website says that you can take a quick tour in about an hour, though it notes “For those with a keen technical interest, 3 hours in the museum is common.”
Know before you go: Children are welcome at the Connections Museum, but the website recommends that parents with kids under 12 visit the museum first to make sure that it would be suitable for their children.
