Tickets

Includes access to all collections, installations, and special exhibitions.

Visitors may choose to pay what they can to view SAM’s collections; excludes special exhibitions.​​​​

FREE​​ DAYS

Open:

Mon May 26 2014
Memorial Day

Fri Jul 4 2014
Independence Day

Mon Sep 1 2014
Labor Day

Fri Nov 28 2014
Day after Thanksgiving

Wed Dec 24 2014
Christmas Eve

Wed Dec 31 2014
New Year's Eve

Thu Jan 1 2015
New Year's Day​

Closed:

Mon Oct 13 2014
Columbus Day

Tue Nov 11 2014
Veterans Day

Thu Nov 27 2014
Thanksgiving Day

THU Dec 25 2014
Christmas Day​​

​Pa​rking Discount

Russell Investment Center Garage
   Weekend-only parking discount: up to 4 hours for $6

Request a discount voucher at the SAM Ticketing Desk to apply as you leave the garage. Normal garage rates apply after 4 hours. Entrance is on Union Street between First and Second Avenues adjacent to the SAM building.

Russell Investment Center Garage HOURS

This is an ADA-accessible garage; it has an elevator that will deposit you around the corner from the museum’s main entrance or inside the museum.

View more information here​ or call 206.264.8444.

Drop-off areas for visitors with special needs are available near the Seattle Art Museum. See Accessibility for more information.​​​

3rd and Stewart Garage
   Up to 4 hours for $6

Request a discount voucher at the SAM Ticketing Desk to apply as you leave the garage. The garage is 4 blocks from SAM’s 1st Avenue and Union Street entrance, with the entrance on Stewart Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Directions

The museum entrance is located on 1st Ave and Union St. View the Seattle Art Museum in relation to the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Asian Art Museum on this map.

Heading north: I-5 to Seneca St exit (#165), west on Seneca St to 1st Ave, and turn right (north) on 1st Ave. SAM will be on your right between Union and University Streets.

Heading south: I-5 to Union St exit (#165B), west (toward Puget Sound) on Union St to 1st Ave. SAM will be on your left between Union and University Streets.

From I-90: Heading west, merge onto I-5 North; take Madison St exit (#2C). Turn left on Madison and right on 1st Ave. SAM will be on your right between Union and University Streets.​​​

Hotels

Planning a visit to Seattle? Take advantage of special offers from our hotel partners.

Open during museum hours; admission not required.​

SAM Books offers the best selection of art and design titles in the city. At SAM Shop, you can purchase locally made jewelry, textiles, ceramics, Native carvings, a​nd children’s toys. And SAM Gallery presents a stellar selection of original art from contemporary Northwest artists for rent or purchase.​​​​​​​

Museum members receive a 10% discount at SAM Books and SAM Shop​!

Taste prepares delicious food made from the best local ingredients while minimizing the impact on our environment. We invite you to enjoy lunch, happy hour, or dinner, and on Sundays, our lively brunch. Remember, SAM members always receive 10% off at Taste.​

Hours

Reservatio​ns

​​Call 206.903.5291​ or make a reservation online.

View Site​​​​​​​​

Tour times and topics vary throughout the year. Tours are FREE with museum admission.

People and Places at SAM: Exploring SAM's Galleries
View creatively installed galleries and discuss outstanding artwork from SAM’S collections.

In Focus Gallery Talks
These 30-minute gallery discussions focus on a single gallery, allowing the visitor to experience works of art in-​depth. Topics rotate regularly.

My Favorite Things
Seattle's highly opinionated visual artists, dancers, curators, critics, and more are invited to select their favorite works of art in SAM's galleries to discuss during these 30-minute tours. What they choose is always a surprise.​

Special Exhibitions
Explore the special exhibitions on these 60-minute tours designed to illuminate themes and present diverse perspectives on the art on view.

ACCESS Tours
The ACCESS program provides monthly tours of the museum’s collection to visitors with low or no vision. Find more information regarding accessibility at SAM here​.

Schoo​l Tours

​​Are you ​an educator? You can find school tour information here.​

Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more. By booking your group in advance, you receive:​

• A discount on admission

• Guaranteed admission on days that may sell out

• One free copy of Brid​ging Cultures, a guide to SAM’s collection (while supplies last)

• A 10% discount at SAM Shop (good for each member of your group)

For K-12 visits and school tours, please find more information here.

Private Tours

Enhance your group’s visit with a one-hour private tour, led by a knowledgeable guide who can provide an insider’s view of the museum. Tours may be customized to focus on a specific exhibition or highlight of the collection at any of our three locations. Groups pay a flat-rate tour fee in addition to discounted admission. Three weeks' advanced notice is required to reserve a private tour, and three business days for self-guided tours. Each private tour can accommodate up to 30 people.

Discounted Group Ticket Rates

Members and children (12 & under) are always FREE!

If your group is interested in box lunches, or reserving the private dining room at Taste, please visit Taste's website.
​​

Cancellation Policy

• The final guest count and payment are due 10 days prior to your reservation.

• Please note that after that time, no changes or refunds can be processed.

• You will be charged for at least 10 people in order to meet the discounted group rate.​​

Questions?

Email​ us or call 206.344.5260.​​​​​​​

Wow your guests by hosting your next meeting or event at the Seattle Art Museum. Easily transformed to reflect your personality and vision, SAM will make your next event a masterpiece with its spectacular exhibitions and stunning interiors.

We offer​ a variety of room options, accommodating groups of 15 to 1,500 people.​

The Seattle Art Museum strives to be accessible for all visitors and provides a variety of support services to assist with your visit.

Drop-Off Area and Parking

There is a drop-off area in front of the main entrance to the Seattle Art Museum on the east side of 1st Avenue near Union Street. This is a three-minute load/unload zone and is valid 9 am to 3 pm. There is also a 15-minute permanent load zone on 2nd Avenue between University and Union Streets.

Wheelchair Loan

The Seattle Art Museum's facilities are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchairs are available through the coat check at the 1st Avenue and Union Street entrance. A piece of identification must be left with the coat check attendant​ for wheelchair loan. Wheelchairs are on a first-come, first-served basis and the number of wheelchairs is limited.

ACCESS Tours

The ACCESS program provides monthly tours of the museum’s collection to visitors with low or no vision. Tours are held at all three SAM locations and are free with advance registration.  Private tours are also available upon request. For more information, please email us.

Hearing-Impaired Services

Infrared hearing devices are available for programs in the Plestcheeff Auditorium and Nordstrom Lecture Hall. Please contact a SAM employee at the South Hall Admissions Desk for more information prior to the start of the event.

Hearing-Impaired Telephones

The museum has a TTY (Text Telephone) for outgoing and incoming calls. The TTY number is 206.654.3137 and is located at coat check at the 1st Avenue and Union Street entrance.

Hearing-Impaired Services for Public Tours

Sign language is available for all public tours upon request with four weeks'​ notice. Please call 206.654.3137 (TTY) or 206.654.3123 (voice) for more information. Printed copies of the current audio tour may be available at the Ticketing Desk.

Visually Impaired Services

Magnifiers for use in the museum galleries, educational resource rooms, and the Bullitt Library are available at the 1st Avenue and Union Street coat check. A piece of identification must be left for magnifier loan.

Audio Guide for Low/No Vision Visitors

For certain special exhibitions, an audio guide with extended visual descriptions and braille instructions may be available. Please contact the Ticketing Desk for more information.

Plestcheeff Auditorium and Nordstrom Lecture Hall

Wheelchair seating is available. ​​

The Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Library is a research library that supports study on general art history as well as on objects in SAM's collection in the areas of African art, American art, Australian Aboriginal and Oceanic art, classical, ancient Mediterranean and Islamic art, decorative arts, European art, modern and contemporary art, Native American art, Northwest art, and photography. The Bullitt Library also supports research on objects and themes associated with exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum. Located on the fifth floor. FREE and open to the public. ​

Hours

Lost and Found

Do you think you may have lost something? Report your lost article using this form, and we will let you know if it turns up.

Photography​

SAM allows photography in most areas. Feel free to photograph friends and family and your favorite works of art, but please do not photograph any work with this symbol:

A select number of galleries, including the Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries, include this notice, which means that photography is not allowed in those galleries. Please note that photography is allowed only for personal, noncommercial use, with the following restrictions:

• No tripods

• No f​lash photography

• No movie or video cameras

For press and other special photography, including filming and video projects, please contact SAM Public Relations. For images of works of art owned by SAM, please see Image Rights.

SAM reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to withhold or withdraw permission to photograph on its premises or to reproduce images of objects in its collection.

Cell Phones

Some special exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum feature a cell phone audio tour that lets you use your personal cell phone to access information on select works of art. Outside of that special circumstance, we ask that you silence your cell phone while in the galleries. Cell phones may be used at the Olympic Sculpture Park, in the Asian Art Museum's Fuller Garden Court, in the Seattle Art Museum's Brotman Forum and South Hall, and in SAM Shops and Taste.

Sketching in the GAlleries

Sketching with pencil, pastel, and charcoal is permitted in all galleries of the museum devoted to SAM's collection. The use of ink, fountain pens, or watercolors is prohibited.​​​​​​​