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Seattle Public Library Museum Pass: How to Plan a Visit

Start with the library's own rules for the Seattle Public Library museum pass, then choose your day: Seattle history at MOHAI, hands-on science for kids, or a full afternoon among aircraft at the Museum of Flight.

Part ofSeattle Travel Guide

Frequently asked questions

Go to the Seattle Public Library's official website. It sets eligibility, participating museums and how reservations work, and those details can change.

Pacific Science Center and MOHAI both suit young children. Pacific Science Center has hands-on exhibits and a makerspace, and MOHAI has the Kid-Struction Zone and free Discovery Packs at the front desk.

Daytime Laser Dome and Planetarium shows are included with admission. IMAX films and some laser shows carry an additional fee.

Seattle Museum Month in February has offered 50 percent off admission at more than 20 museums for guests of participating hotels. Check the current terms before you go.

The full guide

Seattle's museums stretch from the shores of Lake Union, where seaplanes take off outside MOHAI, to a rare Baird's beaked whale at the Burke Museum. The Seattle Public Library museum pass is run by the library itself, which decides who can borrow one, which museums take part and how reservations work. Begin on the library's official website to confirm current rules, then pick a museum for your group and plan around its strengths.

Getting started with your museum pass

Program details can change, so let the library be your only trusted source on eligibility and participating museums. Before you build a whole day around one place, make sure it appears on the current list. Then check that museum's own website for hours, because some close on certain weekdays.

Finding the right museum for your group

Seattle's story at MOHAI

Climb to the second floor of the Museum of History and Industry, where the True Northwest exhibit carries you through Seattle's story, from Coast Salish stewardship to the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Bring the kids up to the third floor's Kid-Struction Zone for building and invention play. Stop by the front desk first and ask for a free Discovery Pack, packed with puzzles and scavenger hunts.

Read the full guide

MOHAI sits right on the water in Lake Union Park, so step outside and watch the seaplanes take off. Next door, the Center for Wooden Boats offers free Peapod rowboat rentals, which you can book ahead for time on the lake.

Music and pop culture at MoPOP

Bring your hard-to-impress teens to MoPOP. Let them try unusual video games in Indie Game Revolution, wander the Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana exhibits, and make music together in the Sound Lab. Ride the Monorail from Westlake Center and it drops you right at Seattle Center.

Hands-on science

At Pacific Science Center, kids can touch nearly everything in sight. Explore how the brain works in Brainy Bodies, then settle into the Tinker Tank Makerspace, which can hold young attention for hours. Daytime Laser Dome and Planetarium shows come with admission, while IMAX and some laser shows cost extra.

Aviation, culture and beyond

Aviation fans can spend a full day at the Museum of Flight, one of the largest air and space museums in the world, moving from the Great Gallery to the Personal Courage Wing and the original Boeing headquarters. In Ballard, the National Nordic Museum traces Nordic life and culture in Nordic Journeys. Head to the Burke Museum to see a rare Baird's beaked whale, or drive to Tacoma for LeMay America's Car Museum and its celebration of car culture.

Save more in February

Plan a winter trip around Seattle Museum Month, held each February, which has offered half-price admission at more than 20 museums for guests at participating hotels. Check the program's current terms before you count on the discount.

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