A Trip to the Seattle Art Museum & The Olympic Sculpture Park

We were so excited recently to take a quick trip out to Seattle simply to soak in the scene and to enjoy the good life. Retirement may be the best thing ever. While we were there, we spent an entire day at the Seattle Art Museum. While the museum was an incredible treat for the eyes (more on that later), something else called to us even more.

If you haven’t ever been to the Olympic Sculpture Park, it is a must-see in Seattle. This nine-acre industrial site right at the Seattle Art Museum has been transformed into an amazing green space reserved just for art. It’s set on the waterfront with views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound and it couldn’t be more peaceful or beautiful if it tried.

And the design of the park is as intriguing as the sculptures in it. In 2001, SAM picked the New York-based Weiss/Manfredi Architecture company to design the space. They created a Z-shaped design that connects three areas into four distinct landscapes. They’ve done an amazing job with their environmental restoration projects which have included salmon habitat restoration, native plantings, sustainable design strategies and more. The works of art scattered throughout the space are quite modern, and hard on the eyes at times. However, they do serve as an interesting juxtaposition to the soft scenery around them!

And then, of course, there is the SAM itself. They have everything from a listening room where you can enjoy music pleasures from times gone by to ceramic installations to modern art and more. The space is scrumptious and there is so much to see that one day didn’t even do it justice.