Things to do in Washington, United States: The Best Art Museums

This non-profit art center hosts rotating exhibits on the most cutting-edge work the art world has to offer.

The Keller Heritage Center is located in Colville, Washington. The Fort Colville Museum, Keller House, Graves Mountain Lookout, and heritage village is part of the Colville city park system managed by Stevens County Historical Society volunteers. The museum moved from a small retail space to the Keller Heritage Center in 1975.

Pacific Bonsai Museum connects people to nature through the living art of bonsai. We feature world-class bonsai from the Pacific Rim nations of Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Free and open to the public six days a week, this cultural gem offers contemporary and traditional bonsai exhibits, group tours, education and special events.

Located in the heart of Seattle, Chihuly Garden and Glass provides a look at the inspiration and influences that inform the career of artist Dale Chihuly. Through the exhibition’s eight interior galleries, lush outdoor garden and centerpiece Glasshouse visitors will experience a comprehensive look at Chihuly's most significant series of work. With both day and night experiences, and full-service dining in the adjoining Collections Café, this long-term exhibition offers a unique experience rain or shine.

Northwind Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides visual art exhibits and sales, literary (poetry, prose, theater) reading series, new music in the Songwriters Showcase, the annual Art Port Townsend event, the Art in the Library exhibit and sales at the Port Townsend Public Library, and other programs. Our property at 701 Water Street is also available for event rental.

SAM has been the center for world-class visual arts in the Pacific Northwest since 1933. Visit SAM to see a museum carved into the city, as much a part of Seattle's landscape and personality as the coffee, rain, mountains, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle. Our three distinct locations celebrate the region's position as a crossroads where east meets west, urban meets natural, local meets global. Our collections, installations, special exhibitions, and programs feature art from around the world and build bridges between cultures and centuries. ​

TIMED-ENTRY TICKETS at www.maryhillmuseum.org. Housed in a majestic Beaux Art mansion overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the NW's most fascinating cultural destinations. Explore world-class European & American art, an extensive American Indian art collection, sculptures and watercolors by Auguste Rodin - one of the largest collections in the US - and much, much more. Cafe, museum shop, sculpture garden, & picnic grounds on-site. In 2012 the museum opened its 25,000 square foot Mary & Bruce Stevenson Wing, featuring a dedicated arts education suite, a cafe with terrace seating and sweeping views of the Gorge and Mount Hood.

A free art museum with a historical Founding Collection, showcasing cutting-edge contemporary art of the region and beyond.

Please note: the Museum is closed to the public March 14–31. With stunning architecture, exhibitions, and programs, the National Nordic Museum traces 12,000 years of Nordic history, showcases contemporary Nordic culture, and shares how Nordic values and innovation can shape the future.