Seattle Art Museum | Opened 2007 | Free & Open Daily, from dawn to dusk

Once a contaminated industrial site, now a 9-acre urban oasis, the Olympic Sculpture Park transforms art-viewing into a walk in the park — literally. Opened in 2007 and run by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), it stitches together city, shoreline, and sculpture in a seamless experience.

Cool Facts:

• Built on a former fuel storage and transfer facility, it’s a major environmental success story — fully remediated and now home to native plants, pollinators, and salmon-friendly shoreline.
• Designed by architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi, the park zigzags down a hillside, cleverly crossing a four-lane road and train tracks without steps or elevators.
• It’s the only green space in downtown Seattle that touches the Elliott Bay waterfront, offering sweeping views of the Olympics, Puget Sound, and passing ferries.
• The park features major works by artists like Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra, and Jaume Plensa.
• It’s always free, and open daily from dawn to dusk — and designed to be explored again and again, in rain or shine.

🧭 Tip: Visit at sunset for dramatic shadows, sea breezes, and a real sense of calm-meets-culture.