An Affordable Family Outing at the Seattle Art Museum

When some think of Seattle, Washington, they might think of it in terms of the Mariners, Space Needle, the constant rain, Mt. Rainier, or even the ever-so-precious film Sleepless in Seattle. Perhaps the thought of this bustling Pacific Northwest city also might conjure up memories of Owl City's catchy little "Hello Seattle" ditty. However, the locals of Seattle know that this town has much more to offer-from waterfront parks to fine dining to quality historical and art museums, Seattle is truly a city that never sleeps. For both visitors and locals alike, the Seattle Art Museum offers the perfect blend of cultural and artistic entertainment for both adults and youth. Special deals offered by the museum make it a perfectly affordable option for anyone.

The Seattle Art Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday (with the exception of some holidays) and requires standard admission fees of $15 per adult, $9 per student/teen, and allows children in free. However, if these prices look a bit too high for your babysitting budget, then don't worry! The Seattle Art Museum offers free admission for everyone the first Thursday of every month. Additionally, the museum offers free admission to teens (with ID) the second Friday of every month and free admission to seniors (ages 62+) the first Friday of every month. Free tours are also offered for selected displays at specific times (check with a museum attendee to find out more about the tours on the specific day of your visit). Taking advantage of these free days will keep your visit to this quality art museum entirely affordable and worry-free (at least in the monetary sense).

The museum offers a variety of displays, including but not limited to many traveling art galleries. Since many of these traveling displays are showcased for at least an entire month, the "free day" for everyone is set up perfectly so that as many people as possible can enjoy the work of all of the artists. The work of artists featured (or to be featured) at the Seattle Art Museum include that of Nick Cave, Chris Brodahl, Matika Wilbur, and Alden Mason. The museum also displays themed exhibits, such as "Picturing the Artist," a collection of photographs of famous 20^th century artists featured at the museum from March through November of 2011.

Finally, the Seattle Art Museum is not just an affordable museum displaying art at only once location. Instead, the Seattle Art Museum works in conjunction with the Seattle Asian Art Museum (also free for everyone on the first Thursday of every month) to display even more culturally specific works of art. Check out the main, downtown location at 1300 1^st Avenue, or visit the Asian Art branch at 1400 East Prospect Street.