Highest-rated specialty museums in Washington by visitors

Written by:
September 3, 2025
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

Highest-rated specialty museums in Washington by visitors

In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Washington on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

1 / 30
Tripadvisor

#30. Campbell House

- Rating: 4.6/5 (81 reviews)
- City: Spokane
- Read more on Tripadvisor

2 / 30
Tripadvisor

#29. Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

- Rating: 4.5/5 (210 reviews)
- City: Stevenson
- Read more on Tripadvisor

3 / 30
Tripadvisor

#28. Port Townsend Aero Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (65 reviews)
- City: Port Townsend
- Read more on Tripadvisor

4 / 30
Tripadvisor

#27. Schack Art Center

- Rating: 4.8/5 (89 reviews)
- City: Everett
- Read more on Tripadvisor

5 / 30
Tripadvisor

#26. John's Beachcombing Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (36 reviews)
- City: Forks Clallam County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

6 / 30
Tripadvisor

#25. Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

- Rating: 3.8/5 (191 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

7 / 30
Tripadvisor

#24. Marsh's Free Museum

- Rating: 4.1/5 (605 reviews)
- City: Long Beach
- Read more on Tripadvisor

8 / 30
Tripadvisor

#23. Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture

- Rating: 4.1/5 (125 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

9 / 30
Tripadvisor

#22. Northwest Railway Museum

- Rating: 4.0/5 (162 reviews)
- City: Snoqualmie
- Read more on Tripadvisor

10 / 30
Tripadvisor

#21. LeMay Collections at Marymount

- Rating: 4.7/5 (189 reviews)
- City: Tacoma
- Read more on Tripadvisor

11 / 30
Tripadvisor

#20. Feiro Marine Life Center

- Rating: 4.3/5 (126 reviews)
- City: Port Angeles Clallam County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

12 / 30
Tripadvisor

#19. Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (351 reviews)
- City: Leavenworth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

13 / 30
Tripadvisor

#18. REACH Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (176 reviews)
- City: Richland Tri Cities
- Read more on Tripadvisor

14 / 30
Tripadvisor

#17. Washington State History Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (246 reviews)
- City: Tacoma
- Read more on Tripadvisor

15 / 30
Tripadvisor

#16. The Center for Wooden Boats

- Rating: 4.5/5 (220 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

16 / 30
Tripadvisor

#15. The Whale Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (782 reviews)
- City: Friday Harbor San Juan Island San Juan Islands
- Read more on Tripadvisor

17 / 30
Tripadvisor

#14. SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention

- Rating: 4.5/5 (211 reviews)
- City: Bellingham
- Read more on Tripadvisor

18 / 30
Tripadvisor

#13. Pacific Bonsai Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (180 reviews)
- City: Federal Way
- Read more on Tripadvisor

19 / 30
Tripadvisor

#12. Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience

- Rating: 4.5/5 (346 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

20 / 30
Tripadvisor

#11. Bainbridge Island Museum of Art

- Rating: 4.7/5 (309 reviews)
- City: Bainbridge Island
- Read more on Tripadvisor

21 / 30
Tripadvisor

#10. Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (313 reviews)
- City: Everett
- Read more on Tripadvisor

22 / 30
Tripadvisor

#9. USS Turner Joy Museum Ship

- Rating: 4.6/5 (292 reviews)
- City: Bremerton
- Read more on Tripadvisor

23 / 30
Tripadvisor

#8. Gates Foundation Discovery Center

- Rating: 4.5/5 (716 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

24 / 30
Tripadvisor

#7. Microsoft Building 92

- Rating: 3.9/5 (246 reviews)
- City: Redmond
- Read more on Tripadvisor

25 / 30
Tripadvisor

#6. LeMay - America's Car Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,078 reviews)
- City: Tacoma
- Read more on Tripadvisor

26 / 30
Tripadvisor

#5. Museum of Illusions Seattle

- Rating: 4.8/5 (74 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

27 / 30
Tripadvisor

#4. Museum of History & Industry

- Rating: 4.5/5 (887 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

28 / 30
Tripadvisor

#3. Museum of Glass

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,326 reviews)
- City: Tacoma
- Read more on Tripadvisor

29 / 30
Tripadvisor

#2. Museum of Pop Culture

- Rating: 4.2/5 (7,338 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

30 / 30
Tripadvisor

#1. The Museum of Flight

- Rating: 4.7/5 (6,937 reviews)
- City: Seattle
- Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

Trending Now