Founded by Dick Wagner around 1970, the Center for Wooden Boats upholds the legacy and heritage associated with the Pacific Northwest area's maritime past. This outpost at the South Lake Union campus is one of the two sites where the wooden boats are displayed. The unique feature of this museum is that the exhibits are not hidden behind glass. Instead, the wooden boats that make up this museum are out on the water, waiting to be boarded. Numerous historical boats are docked here and you can climb aboard and learn all about their history from a well-informed staff and dedicated volunteers.
The African American community has a pronounced presence in the US. Their history and culture is documented and preserved at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM). Situated in the heart of Seattle, this museum opened its doors to the public in 2008, and has generated wide interest among history & culture researchers and enthusiasts all alike. The museum is sprawled across 17,000 square feet and exhibits the works of eminent African American artists. A five-panel series chronicles the life and times of George Washington Bush, the first African American in the city. Besides its exciting museum pieces, NAAM also houses a beautiful gift shop filled with collectibles. Refresh yourself at the on-site cafe, after taking a round of the museum. NAAM is worth a visit!
Located right on the University of Washington campus, Burke Museum is a natural history museum. Exhibits are separated into three main divisions of anthropology, geology and zoology, and focus on the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Northwest. View totem poles, fossils, including the Northwest's only dinosaur skeleton, and many wonders of taxidermy. View displays of Native American art, gems and minerals native to the area.
Unique in the Seattle area, the National Nordic Museum is a tribute to the cultures of the many immigrants who came here from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland. It is aptly located in the Ballard area—Seattle's most Scandinavian neighborhood. Explore the heritage of the Nordic peoples and their contributions to the growth of this region. Visit five different ethnic rooms representing each country. The museum also features various traveling international exhibits.
Explore the history of flight from the Wright Brothers to space travel. Collections at Museum of Flight include commercial, military and civilian crafts. See a 1929 Boeing 80A-1, the sole survivor of its type. The 1926 Swallow was used as the nation's first contracted airmail service starting in April 1926. For those interested in more modern aircraft, there are the dynamic M-21 Blackbird, the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever built, and the VC-137B Air Force One, which flew President Dwight D. Eisenhower on a historic visit to meet with Germany's Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in 1959. Take a walk through the “Red Barn,” a museum in its own right, where the Boeing Company manufactured its first aircraft. There is also a library with an extensive selection of aviation information, as well as a museum store and a cafe on the premises.