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Paramount Theatre
Five weeks after the release of Nevermind in 1991, when the band took the album on tour, Nirvana was still largely unknown outside the Pacific Northwest. Despite its capacity of 2,800 people, the Paramount Theatre in Seattle was the tour’s largest venue. That changed quickly after the Paramount show. A year later, Nirvana performed at the Seattle…
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The Central Saloon
For Nirvana fans, The Central Saloon holds special significance. On April 16, 1988, Nirvana performed their first Seattle show here, where Sub Pop founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman discovered them. The Central Saloon, established in 1892, is the oldest saloon in the city. In its early days, Yukon miners would sit on the creaky wooden…
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Linda’s Tavern
Opened in 1994, Linda’s Tavern was often called the Grunge Cheers. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain frequented the bar, and it was the last place he was seen publicly before his death. Friends gathered there to mourn, and the owner barred MTV and others from filming. It remains open today, and visitors can sit in Cobain’s favorite…
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Screwdriver Bar
Known as a Rock N Roll Utopia, Screwdriver Bar was a rehearsal space for Nirvana from 1988 until 1990, between the release of Bleach and Nevermind. After sitting empty for years, it became a bar in 2020 where people can drink and enjoy music.A prominent feature is a large painting of Kurt Cobain complete with his acoustic guitar…
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Sub Pop
Sub Pop was the original grunge label, home to Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. It was Soundgarden that brought the label’s founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman together in Seattle in 1987. Grunge, or the Seattle sound, is a hybrid of punk rock and heavy metal. The owners marketed the style cleverly, encouraging the media to describe it as…
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Labyrinth
The Artists at Play Plaza, located right next to the Museum of Pop Culture, is an artist-created playground. A 30-foot climbing tower joins an inviting labyrinth with a rebus at its center, a human-powered carousel, child-inspired musical instruments and much more to offer child-friendly fun. The labyrinth at Artists at Play is a replica of…
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El Corazon
The 120-year-old downtown club, has been a Seattle music venue and bar since 1910. It gained fame during the grunge era, hosting Pearl Jam’s first live shows as Mookie Blaylock and performances by Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Mudhoney. Nirvana debuted an early version of Aneurysm here in 1990. The venue was the heart of…
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Giant Sequoia Tree
Who remembers when trees grew wild throughout the Pacific Northwest? To honor its evergreen past, Seattle moved a 30-foot-tall Sequoia (now 90 feet) 🌲 to a downtown triangle park from Aurora Avenue back in 1973. Did you know that Seattle’s Giant Sequoia🌲 made headlines in 2016, thanks to the #ManInTree incident? Dressed in khakis, a…
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Understory
The Spheres, part of Amazon’s headquarters, feature three large domes housing over 40,000 plants from 30+ countries, creating a lush workplace.Understory at The Spheres is an exhibit space hosting Amazon’s Artist in Residence program. Local artists engage with the community through workshops and exhibitions.Located on the ground floor Understory is open to the public from…
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Chief Seattle
The bronze statue of Chief Seattle, for whom the city is named, stands in Tilikum Place (meaning friends, tribe, welcome in Chinook Jargon). It was sculpted by Seattle artist James A. Wehn, who also designed the city’s seal. Suquamish Chief Noah Sealth (c. 1790–1866) maintained a peaceful relationship with the area’s first white settlers, who mispronounced his name…
