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15th Ave NE & 41st St (UW Campus)
Seattle, WA 98195
Phone: 206-543-2280
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The curators at the Henry have put together an impressive collection of multi-media artworks that go way beyond the traditional oil-on-canvas conception of art. Included in this eclectic collection are videos, photographs, print works, blown glass, textiles, you name it. If you can make art out of it, it’s probably on display somewhere at the Henry. It’s definitely not your typical stroll through a museum, but then again, you get the feeling that folks around here like it that way.
Seattle Central Library
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-386-4636
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When it opened in 2004, this gleaming cube of a building certainly set tongues to wagging around town, as folks in Seattle are used to their architecture a little more on the symmetrical side. But, in a recent survey of architects, the library building joined Safeco Field on a list of the 150 best structures in the entire country. It’s certainly tough to pass it by without a second look, that’s for sure. Plus, there’s one of those “love-it-or-hate-it” sculptures by British artist Henry Moore just down the street.
Olympic Sculpture Park
2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: 206-654-3100
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Along the waterfront is the Olympic Sculpture Park, which opened to the public in early 2007. Thanks to a nifty thirty million dollar donation from Jon Shirley, one of the bigwigs over at Microsoft, this park has been able to obtain works by some of the world’s finest sculptors, such as Alexander Calder’s evocative Eagle, or Richard Serra’s massive rusted steel creation Wake. Admission to the Sculpture Park is completely free, and with its picturesque location overlooking Elliot Bay, the Olympic Sculpture Park allows visitors to experience both natural and man-made beauty of Seattle at the same time.
8415 Paine Field Blvd.
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Phone: 425-438-8100
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Before that upstart Bill Gates showed up on the scene in the Eighties, Boeing was by far the big dog here in Seattle. The assembly plant here is the biggest building in the world, coming in at a mere 472 million cubic feet. Daily tours of this marvel are available, and they start at the Future of Flight Center on the other side of the runway. At the Future of Flight Center, visitors can get an up-close tour of the company’s history, from its humble beginnings early in the 2oth century to its ascent into the stratosphere as the world’s number one airplane manufacturer.
Experience Music Project
325 5th Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: 877-367-7361
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The Experience Music Project is like no museum you’ve ever seen. The EMP is the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and it was originally planned to be a museum honoring legendary guitarist and Seattle native Jimmy Hendrix. But, as the project developed, it grew into much more than that. Equal parts historical archive and funky interactive museum, the EMP is dedicated to bringing visitors up close and personal to the creative process. You can make your own CD, take a shot at being a recording engineer, and even perform live in front of a crowd of virtual fans (mosh pit not included). While the “Seattle sound” in music may have peaked in the 90s with grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the Seattle sound in here is still going strong.
Frye Art Museum
704 Terry Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-622-9250
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The art in this small, but impressive gallery was originally the private collection of early Seattlites Charles and Emma Frye. The Fryes made their fortune in the meatpacking business, and invested heavily in art, amassing a collection of over 200 paintings through the years. Their tastes tended toward European Art, especially German and French painters from the 19th century. This museum opened to the public in 1952, and over the years, its curators have gotten a little more adventurous in their acquisitions and exhibitions, but the original Frye collection still never fails to impress.