The EMP Museum in Seattle was originally known as the Experience Music Project with the separate Science Fiction Museum attached. Now, the two museums are united under one title, EMP Museum, and one admission fee. The museum houses both permanent and temporary exhibitions, focusing on music history and sci-fi, as well as several interactive exhibits.

Located centrally on the edge of Seattle Center, EMP is close to lots of other things to do and see in Seattle Center and downtown Seattle.

EMP Museum Address

EMP Museum
325 5th Avenue N
Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700

Experience Music Project Hours

The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Why You Should Go:

• There is no better place for music lovers to get up close and personal with memorabilia from some amazing bands.
• There’s also no better place for nerds and geeks alike to indulge in some very cool pieces of sci-fi TV and movie history.
• EMP offers the ultimate interactive experience with its Sound Lab and On Stage exhibits.
• Exhibits change often.
• EMP is one of the attractions you can visit with a Seattle CityPASS.

EMP Seattle Coupons and Discounts

EMP Museum admission is not cheap. Even though the admission fee is worth it for most people who visit and love what EMP has to offer, saving a bit of money is always a good thing. There are a number of ways to get discounted admission.

If you go to the museum Monday through Thursday, prices are cheaper by $2. Holidays and peak season (summer) are also more expensive.

Buy in-advance online for a discount of $3-5.

Use a CityPASS. This pass gets you into six of Seattle attractions for one price, and comes out cheaper per site than buying individual tickets.

If you buy a museum membership, admission is free.

Look in Seattle TourSavers books or other local coupon books.

Children under 4 are free. Children 5-17 get a few dollars off admission.

Students and Military with ID get a few dollars off admission.

Exhibits

In 2012, exhibits will include Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film, Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound, Sound and Vision: Artists Tell Their Stories, Avatar, and Nirvana.

EMP Museum exhibits rotate often enough that repeat visits are likely to yield new experiences. What you can count on seeing on any visit are exhibits showcasing musicians and science fiction shows and movies. Past exhibits have included several about Jimi Hendrix, as well as everyone from Jim Henson to Michael Jackson.

The Guitar Gallery is a permanent exhibit detailing the history of guitars from the 1700s to the present. The museum also has a very cool and very large spiral sculpture inside.

The science fiction wing of the building (home of the formerly separate entity that was the Science Fiction Museum) now houses a collection of sci-fi memorabilia, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and usually a special exhibit. Past exhibits have included Battlestar Gallatica, Alien Encounters, and Robots: A Designer’s Collection of Miniature Mechanical Models.

The interactive exhibits are part of what make the EMP Museum so unique and fun to visit. In the Sound Lab, you can actually record your own music in a private booth. Don’t know how to play? No worries. Computers teach you how to play a bit of guitar and keyboards so you can put something together. Another interactive exhibit, On Stage, allows anyone to be a rock star on stage with lights, smoke effects, and fans!

Events

The EMP Museum hosts a few annual events, including the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (a film festival organized by EMP and the Seattle International Film Festival); Sound Off! (a 21-and-under battle of the bands); Hall Pass (a program designed to help teens meet artists, musicians, and creative professionals); and Oral History Program, which interviews musicians, authors, and other creative professionals.