Free Things To Do In Seattle Year Round: Myrtle Edwards Park
Myrtle Edwards Park is a 4.8-acre urban park near the Seattle neighborhood of Belltown, located along the city’s beautiful Elliott Bay waterfront. The park was originally coined as Elliott Bay Park, but in 1976, it was renamed in honor of late city council member and environmental activist Myrtle Edwards. It is open to the public 24 hours a day, located adjacent to Seattle’s Centennial Park, and is home to a 1.25-mile bicycle and pedestrian path offering spectacular views of nearby Mount Rainier and Puget Sound. Other attractions include the Olympic Sculpture Park, operated by the Seattle Art Museum. Annual events hosted at the park include the Seattle Hempfest.
3130 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121, Phone: 206-684-4075
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Get Some Free Exercise
With the great outdoors on their doorstep its no surprise that Seattleites love their exercise, and there are plenty of ways to get some many of them free. If you need somewhere to get back in cycling shape, try a few circuits on the Green Lake Park 2.8mi loop while runners should head for Myrtle Edwards Park and hit the paths along the shores of Elliot Bay.
Free Museum Passes Offered By Both Kcls & Seattle Public Library:
*This list includes museum pass offers that are identical at both the KCLS and Seattle Public Library System. The lists above are for museum passes offered only at one or the other.
Woodland Park Zoo
Who doesnt love a trip to the zoo? I love visiting the zoo and seeing all the beautiful animals. The Woodland Park Zoo prides itself on giving the best care possible to its animals, and they offer many interactive experiences and educational talks to improve our understanding of the animal kingdom. The KCLS Museum Pass/SPL Museum Pass is good for 4 free tickets to the zoo! So grab your family, pack a picnic lunch, ,and make some memories!
Location: 5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
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Visiting Seattle Asian Art Museum
Location: 1400 East Prospect St, Seattle, WA 98112.
Parking: FREE parking in Volunteer Park. Easy access from public transit.
Hours: Thurs-Sun, 10AM 5PM. Closed Monday-Wednesday. Closed Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Admission: $17.99/adult. Save .
Discount tickets:
- FREE admission on the first and second Thursday of every month, and on the first Saturday of the month.
- Seniors are FREE the first Friday of every month.
- Students, teens, seniors, and military with IDs get a discount as well.
- Membership provides FREE entry after the membership fee is paid.
- FREE tours with regular admission price.
5:00 pm | FREE | Multiple locations
What Art Is In The Seattle Art Museum Collection
We think SAMs greatest strength is the diversity of its collection. As you move from room to room, youll discover American landscapes, Islamic art, Native wood carvings, Egyptian artifacts, traditional Asian art, European porcelain, modern sculpture, and everything in between. Some of the big names are here, too, with works by Monet, Warhol, Pollock, OKeeffe, Matisse, Rubens, and others.
Check the museum calendar for special exhibitions, which have previously included Picasso, Wyeth, Kusama, and other traveling collections.
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Seattle Art Museum Parking In A Nutshell
If youre headed to the museums main building, you have a couple of convenient SAM parking options. Each Seattle Art Museum parking garage offers discounted rates for museum visitors, and parking vouchers are available at the museums ticketing desk. Learn more about both facilities and their services below.
When exiting any of the two garages, insert the voucher to get the discount. Be sure not to stay longer than four hours or else your fee may triple.
How To Get A King County Library System Museum Pass:
First off, youll need a KCLS library card. If you dont already have a KCLS library card, but live in King County, visit the KCLS website to learn how to apply for a library card.
You can reserve a museum pass through the KCLS online. The King County Library System issues new museum passes each day at 2:00 p.m. So if you look for a pass, and one isnt available for the date you want, just come back each day at 2:00 p.m. and try to get a pass then. Visit the KCLS museum pass website to learn more.
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A Different Free Day:
The museum offers free admission from 3 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. The museum showcases Washington through a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits. Its centerpiece is the Great Hall of Washington History. There also are exhibits dedicated to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II a look at the role of migration and immigration in shaping our state and an exhibit on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who visited Washington in 1961. Great suggestion: While youre in Tacoma, grab a snack or meal downtown along Pacific Avenue.
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Olympic Sculpture Park Parking
Seattle Art Museums Sculpture Park is on the central waterfront just a mile away from SAM. The PACCAR Pavilion garage is the most convenient option its entrance is on the southeast corner of the park. The garage is open from 6 AM to 11 PM daily and charges the following rates, which vary based on the day.
| Duration | |
| 410 hours | $10 |
The Olympic Sculpture Park garage offers three disabled parking spots since the number is limited, we suggest early arrival. Overnight parking is prohibited.
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First Thursday Free Seattle Museums:
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Free. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., University of Washington, NE 45th Street and 17th Avenue NE 206-543-5590. Best for kids age 3 and up.
Henry Art Gallery. Pay as you wish 11 a.m.-9 p.m. First Thursday, University of Washington, NE 45th Street and 17th Avenue NE. Best for kids age 6 and up.
KiDiMu. Free 10-4,301 Ravine Lane NE, Bainbridge Island. 206-855-4650. Best for the 6 and under set.
Museum of Flight. Free 5-9 p.m., 9404 E. Marginal Way S. 206-764-5720. Best for kids age 3 and up.
Museum of History and Industry . Free 10 a.m.-8 p.m., 860 Terry Avenue N 206-324-1126. Best for kids age 3 and up.
Nordic Heritage Museum. Free 10 a.m. -4 p.m., 3014 NW 67th Street,Seattle 206-789-5707. Best for kids age 6 and up, but the museum often offers preschool-targeted storytimes on first Tuesdays.
Northwest African American Museum. Free 11 a.m. 7 p.m., 2300 S. Massachusetts St. 206-518-6000. Best for kids age 6 and up. Also free on the second Thursday of the month.
Seattle Art Museum . Free 10 a.m.-9 p.m. First Thursday, 100 University St. 206-654-3100. Best for kids age 5 and up.
Seattle Asian Art Museum . Free 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect St., Seattle 206-654-3100. Best for kids age 6 and up. Also free on the second Thursday from 5-9 p.m.
Wing Luke Asian Museum. Free 10 a.m.-8 p.m., 719 S. King Street 206-623-5124. Best for kids age 8 and up, except duringFamily Day on third Saturday.
Seattle Art Museum Parking Cost & Tips
Last Updated on February 5, 2022 by Snezana Grcak
Seattle Art Museums main building is placed in downtown Seattle and offers tens of thousands of incredible pieces of art. It also operates the Seattle Asian Art Museum in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront. Keep reading to learn how to get to the SAM and read all about Seattle Art Museum parking services and fees. This guide will help you find parking near each building and provide you with money-saving tips and alternatives.
The Seattle Art Museum address is 1300 1st Ave, and the entrance is on the corner of 1st Avenue and Union Street, a block away from Pike Place Market. Discover the admission ticket prices before diving into the main parking section.
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How To Get A Seattle Public Library Museum Pass:
If you live or work in one of Seattle Public Librarys free service areas, you can get a Seattle Public Library card. The free service areas include the cities of Seattle and Bothell, as well as those living in other areas in King County. If you have a library card from another county, such as the Pierce County Library System, you are also eligible to get a free Seattle Public Library card. Visit the Seattle Public Library to see the full list of eligible counties as well as what documentation youll need to get your Seattle Public Library card.
The Seattle Public Library Museum Pass works much like the KCLS Museum Pass in that you can reserve the passes ahead of time online . New passes are released nightly at 9 p.m. Visit the Seattle Public Library Museum Pass website for more information.King County Library System offers free museum passes to the following museums:
Learn about the people, places, and events that make up Washington states unique history. The KCLS Museum Pass is good for two adults and four children ages 17 & under. Passes not accepted during the annual Model Train Festival.
Location: 1911 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
Visit the Bellevue Arts Museum for creative displays of art, craft, and design. I feel like the BAM tends to focus more on the craft and design side of art, a little more so than say the Seattle Art Museum.The first Friday every month is free. The KCLS Museum Pass is valid for two free tickets.
Kids Quest Childrens Museum
Seattle Asian Art Museum
My last activity in Seattle I went to the Seattle Asian Art Museum on their free day. I dont know what the museum looked like before the renovation, but the layout is fantastic and conceptually nothing short of revolutionary. I highly recommend a visit this should be on your things to do in Seattle list. The galleries are not labeled by geography but organized by theme and with a focus on identity. Stories are told, not by boundaries or countries, rather through a nonlinear narrative. Ive never seen an Asian museum express their art through these concepts.
A few of my favorite pieces came from the Be/Longing exhibit modern and contemporary Asian Art raising questions of who we are, where we belong insider and outsider within an Asian heritage.
Seattle parks
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Join The Silent Reading Party
The first Wednesday of every month, the Sorrento Hotel turns their Fireside Room into a social-yet-quiet literary occasion, when a mix of people claim the couches and armchairs to consume great written work. Everyone is welcome but the event is popular, so its worth putting a standing event on your calendar so you dont forget to turn up early and snag a spot.
King County Library Museum Pass
King County Library allows cardholders to print free passes from its website. Available museums and passes are found here.
KCLS library cards are available to anyone who lives or owns property in King County except for Seattle,Yarrow Point, and Hunts Point, or another area with which KCLS has a Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement, including Seattle and other counties and library systems throughout the Puget Sound region and around Washington State.
KCLS museum passes are available for: Bellevue Arts Museum and KidsQuest Childrens Museum, Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, and several museums in Seattle, including SAM, MoPOP, Museum of Flight, Northwest African American Museum, and Seattle Aquarium.
For details or to reserve a pass online, visit the KCLS Museum Pass page.
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Hiram M Chittenden Locks
The Locks, built by the US Army Corp of Engineers in 1917, connect Lake Washington, Lake Union and Salmon Bay to the Puget Sound. They maintain the water level of the lakes at 20-22 feet above sea level and prevent the mixing of saltwater with freshwater. The visitors center provides fascinating information about this project.
The locks are in use 24/7. This is one of my favorite places to go during a Seattle free museum day. Youve gotta check it out!
Seattle Asian Art Museum Parking
SAAM is located at Volunteer Park, approximately a 10-minute drive away from the museums main building. If youd like to know more about Asian art, this is the best place in the city. Plenty of Seattle Asian Art museum parking spaces are available nearby and free of charge! Accessible parking stalls are right in front of the building, as well as the drop-off area. Free parking is offered for all guests.
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South Sound Museums With Free Days
Tacoma Art Museum: In 2014, Tacoma Art Museum went through an impressive expansion, including adding a wing dedicated to western art and a large art studio on the first floor with free entry thats open during museum hours.
Deals: Free on third Thursdays from 58 p.m. Also, TAM has an intriguing new partnership with Childrens Museum of Tacoma , where visitors to CMT can get free family passes to visit TAM.
Tips: TAM also has an impressive set of outdoor sculptures that kids will enjoy exploring.
Childrens Museum of Tacoma: Tacomas kids museum has a warm and modern home, creative playspaces, and an attractive pricing policy pay as you can on any day.
Deals:Childrens Museum of Tacoma is by donation and open WednesdaySunday special play days for children with special needs are on Tuesdays, 1011:30 a.m.
Tip: As the Childrens Museum of Tacoma, along with many other Tacoma museums, is just off I-5, this makes a great, quick play break during a road trip.
Museum of Glass,Tacoma. Tacomas Chihuly jewel offers many programs dont forget to stop by the Hot Shop to see the fiery art of glassmaking in action. Marvel at the stunning Chihuly pedestrian bridge as you walk over.
Deals: Free on third Thursdays from 58 p.m.
Tips: Check out the Kids Design Glass program, where children 12 years and under can submit glass art designs each month, a design is selected to be made in MOGs Hot Shop.
Deals: Free on third Thursdays from 28 p.m.
How To Get Free And Discount Museum Admission
There are dozens of museums in the Seattle-Tacoma metro region. You could visit two almost every week and not hit the same one twice.
Of course 100 museum admission tickets could also take quite a bite out of your entertainment budget. So, weve got more than a few suggestions to reduce that cost.
Listed below are the ways to enjoy free or discount museum admission throughout the year to museums in Seattle and around the Puget Sound region.
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Seattle Public Library Museum Pass
If you have a library card for Seattle Public libraries, King County libraries, or Pierce County libraries, you can get free entrance to participating museums through the Seattle Public Library museum pass program. You qualify for a Seattle Public Library Card if you live, work, own property, or go to school in Seattle, Bothell, or most of King County.
You qualify for Seattles Free Museum Pass if you have a Seattle Public Library card, as well as a library card issued by other Puget Sound library systems, including- Everett Public Library, Kitsap Regional Library, Pierce County Library System, Puyallup Public Library, Sno-Isle Regional Library System, and Timberland Regional Library .
Many popular museums participate in the Seattle Public Library free museum pass program, including: The Burke Museum, Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, MoPOP, Museum of Flight, Museum of History & Industry , Nordic Heritage Museum, Northwest African American Museum, Seattle Art Museum , Seattle Aquarium, Wing Luke Museum, and more.
For details or to reserve a pass online, visit the SPL Museum Pass page.
