What to know before you go
- 01
MOHAI is in Lake Union Park, at Valley Street and Terry Avenue North, inside the historic Naval Reserve Armory. Its collection holds more than six million objects, documents and photographs from the Puget Sound region, and only about 2% is on show at any time.
- 02
True Northwest: The Seattle Journey runs from the 1790s to today: the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the Klondike gold rush, the first flight of a Boeing plane in 1916, two World's Fairs and the grunge years.
- 03
Maritime Seattle fills the armory's old bridge room, with views over the lake, a working WWII-era periscope with 360-degree views of the city, an 1885 lighthouse lens and a real ship's wheel you can turn.
- 04
The Bezos Center for Innovation tells the story of the ideas and companies that started here, from Boeing and Eddie Bauer to Costco and Amazon, with hands-on challenges in the Idea Lab.
- 05
Bringing kids? The third floor is a play space for children 2 to 7, and you can borrow a free Discovery Pack at the admissions desk. Children 14 and under need an adult with them.
- 06
Walk-ups are welcome, and a ticket is good all day with re-entry. On First Thursday evenings the core exhibits are free.
- 07
There are lockers (ask at the desk about larger items), and Gourmondo, the lakeside café, looks out over the historic ships wharf. Food and water bottles stay out of the galleries.
- 08
The building is fully accessible, with an elevator to the upper floors and wheelchairs and walkers to borrow. The lot beside the museum is only for ADA parking and drop-off; the nearest public lot is at Valley Street and Terry Avenue North.
- 09
Kenmore Air's Lake Union seaplane terminal is a few minutes' walk away on the same shore, and the Center for Wooden Boats is right next to the museum.
Hours, exhibitions and holiday closures change. Check MOHAI's site before you go.