Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle
Visitors will flock to see the Space Needle at Seattle Center. But did you know there’s an amazing glass garden next door? Chihuly Garden and Glass is a great opportunity to see some colorful glass sculptures. While they may be classified as sculptures, they are truly intricate pieces of art.
I had no idea what to expect as we bought our tickets online. It seemed like something we would enjoy checking out, and I wanted to write about all the things people can do in Seattle. I was pleasantly surprised and loved the colorful glass art on display. These pictures may look amazing, but they don’t do the in-person experience justice. You’ll just have to check it out yourself.
Here’s a rundown on what you’ll find at Chihuly Garden and Glass and how to plan your visit.
Tickets and Getting to Chihuly Garden and Glass
The best way to get tickets is online in advance of your visit. This allows you to not only select the time you plan to visit, but you can purchase a combo ticket which saves you money when you visit the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass. You can also purchase the Seattle CityPASS, which includes admission to this venue.
During your online ticket purchase (regardless of which ticket option you select), select the day you plan to visit, the number of people who are visiting and then the time of your visit. Arrival time slots are in 15-minute increments. You’ll then show your timed entry ticket at the entrance when you arrive.
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If you ended up purchasing a Seattle CityPASS, you will still need to sign up for an arrival time on their website. You will then receive your timed entry ticket, which you can show upon arrival.
Proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test is required for all ticketed Guests to the Space Needle & Chihuly Garden and Glass ages 12 and over. Upon arrival, visit a prescreening location to show your proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results*. You’ll receive a wristband for quick access into both Chihuly Garden and Glass & the Space Needle.
The Seattle Center (which is where Chihuly Garden and Glass is located) isn’t too difficult to locate. The towering Space Needle gives away the location. Seattle Center has several parking garages and areas. Check out their parking website for addresses of the parking garages and costs per hour. You can also take public transit – like the Seattle Center Monorail.
Galleries Inside the Museum
Once your tickets are scanned at the front desk, your visit begins inside the building. The first several rooms are dark, except for the illuminated glass sculptures – as you can see from the two photos above. Don’t rush to get through these rooms. Take the time to enjoy the art. If you are planning to take photos, I recommend not using a flash – because it can bother others. Cell phones can do a decent job, although your selfie game may face some challenges since the background is illuminated and you aren’t. Just save the selfies for once you get outside.
If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas and seen the glass ceiling in the Bellagio Lobby area, you may recognize the style of art. It’s true that the artist – Dale Chihuly – has installed glass art like this around the world, including some in the Louvre in Paris.
During your tour, you can bring up and listen to an audio tour to learn more about the artist and what shaped his career.
As you prepare to exit the building into the garden area, you’ll enter a large glass house with fragile flowers hanging from the ceiling. Depending on the time of day your visiting, the colors may change as the sunlight passes through the varied sculptures.
The Gardens on the Outside
The gardens weave together the lush green leaves and plants with the bright colors of blown glass. As you can see from the photo above, there are small and large sculptures scattered throughout. As we exited the building, we ended up catching a tour guide just getting started. We joined in to learn a little more about the art we were seeing and the artist who created them. So if you see a guide, I recommend joining the group.
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Don’t rush through the gardens. Take the time to enjoy how the glass and foliage are blended together. If you’ve got a camera (which most people do), take some photos to capture the beauty of the area.
In one area of the garden, there are some café tables and chairs. Grab a snack from the café and find a seat. If you’ve timed your visit just right, you’ll be favored with a glass blowing demonstration.
Watch a Glassblowing Demonstration
There’s something therapeutic about watching small shards of glass become liquid, then seeing it rolled and shaped into something amazing. The artists do a great job of walking everyone through the process of making a glass vase. They show the tools and colors and explain each step in the process. At the end, they have a finished product they set aside to let cool.
But if you’re interested in buying one of the pieces made during these demonstrations, they’re available in the gift shop at the bottom of the Space Needle. We loved the one they made during our demonstration, but since it needed to cool, buying it wasn’t an option. We weren’t a big fan of the colors chosen for the ones that were in the gift shop, so we didn’t come home with a new glass vase. Oh well.
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During the demonstration, it was standing room only for us. We had our smaller kids sit on the ground closer to the front so they could see. But we stood behind the benches and between the tables of people enjoy food at the café tables. It wasn’t ideal, but it was worth it to see the whole process.
After watching the demo and wandering the gardens for a bit, we followed the signs to the exit and continued on our way. But I definitely recommend a visit to Chihuly Garden and Glass while in Seattle.
The Details:
Address: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
Cost: $32 for ages 13-64; $27 for age 65+ and $19 for ages 5-12. Children four and under are free. You can bundle your tickets with admission to the Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Space Needle next door to save a few dollars. Consider the Seattle CityPASS if you’re planning to visit other popular spots in Seattle, like the Seattle Aquarium, Museum of PopCulture or Woodland Park Zoo.
How Long to Spend: About one hour.
Parking: Seattle Center has several parking garages and areas. Visit their parking website for addresses and costs per hour. You can also take public transit – like the Seattle Center Monorail.
Hours: Hours vary by season, so check the website for current hours.
Website: https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/
Phone: (206) 753-4940
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