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Burke Museum, Seattle, WA

Photo: Richard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day PickHistory Buff

Burke Museum

4303 Memorial Way NE · Seattle, WA

Why you should go…

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is the University of Washington's natural history museum and the official state museum of Washington, holding more than 16 million artifacts and specimens. Its building by Tom Kundig opened in 2019 with large windows into research areas, so you can see parts of the collection that were never shown before. Collections span anthropology, biology and geology. The Off the Rez Cafe serves fry bread.

  • #natural history museum
  • #native art
  • #university of washington
  • #fossils
  • #seattle museum

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Burke Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Free

    Gas Works Park

    Free

    Climb the kite-flying hill on Lake Union for skyline views beside the rusting towers of a former coal gasification plant.

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Fremont Troll

    Free

    Climb on an 18-foot concrete troll crushing a real Volkswagen Beetle under Seattle's Aurora Bridge.

    1.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Woodland Park Zoo

    $25–$50

    A century-old zoo known for naturalistic habitats and a canopy-level gorilla exhibit.

    2.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Museum of History & Industry

    $25–$50

    Seattle's history museum on Lake Union covering the region's maritime, industrial and pop-culture past.

    2.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Seattle Art Museum

    $25–$50

    Downtown Seattle's encyclopedic art museum with collections spanning global cultures, plus a waterfront sculpture park.

    3.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

    $25–$50

    Frank Gehry's swooping metal building houses exhibits on music, sci-fi, and pop culture icons.

    3.2 mi awayMore like this