There are no artifacts except a few new ones made to look old. It is just full of writing on plaques with the occasional picture here and there. I have hiked the Chilkoot Trail and watched countless Gold Rush videos, so I did not learn much. If your new to this history, you will probably enjoy the museum.

Seattle has many sights and some great scenery. All the jokes about the rain is real, if you hit a week or month long rain spell, you may not have a very good trip. The best time is July to September. Even June can be horrible. There are windows of spectacular weather but weather can not be predicted more than a few days in advance in most cases outside of summer.

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Space Needle

Pikes Place Market

Pacific Science Center

Museum of Pop Culture

You have probably seen the market in a movie, probably a thrown fish or two. This crowded market place is full of venders selling fresh seafood, meats, bakery goods, flowers, artsy stuff and musicians. It is quite the spectacle and it is easily located as you walk between downtown and the waterfront.

A visit to Seattle requires a trip up the Space Needle. It is the icon. Go up for the view or even for dinner in the revolving restaurant.

Below the Space Needle, this attraction is full of traveling exhibits and permanent ones made for all ages. It has been around awhile, originally built for the 1962 Worlds Fair.

This is another attraction under the needle. This museum has fun and informational exhibits all related to music. The museum also brings in temporary exhibits and creates new ones each year. If you like rock music, you will want to give it a visit.

Seattle Waterfront

Tillicum Village

REI Flagship Store

Pioneer Square

This is a unique dinner experience where you can take a boat tour out from the waterfront to Blake Island and Tillicum Village. The island is a State Park and mostly forested. The small recreated village entertains dinner guests and puts on a fine Native American show.

The Seattle waterfront has undergone a transformation and is now the top spot in town. The views out in Puget Sound from the piers are nice and a stroll along the shops is fun. The Seattle Aquarium is located here as well as the harbor tours, dinner cruises and passenger ferries to outlining communities.

If your into the outdoors, the REI flagship store is a treat. You can test all kinds of equipment here or scale the large indoor rock pinnacle. I worked here for a few years and most visitors found it worth the stop. At one point it was rivaling the Space Needle for Seattles top attraction.

Historic Pioneer Square is a neighborhood downtown that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is where Seattle was born full of restored architectural buildings. These buildings were built after the city burned down in the fire of 1889. One story below ground is what is left of the original city and you can take the Seattle Underground Tour to see it for yourself. Pioneer Square is full of small independently owned shops, a good place for shopping away from the typical retail stores in most cities. Just be aware that it is dangerous here at night, only visit during the day, if at all.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park

Westlake Center

Outside the downtown area:

Smith Tower and Bank of America Tower

This is the typical mall area in the heart of the city where you can shop at high end retailers. But, there are often outdoor activities around holidays that decorate the area outside making it a fun place to hang out.

The Museum of Flight is for airplane lovers. It's a huge collection of anything that can fly. Located at Boeing Field south of Seattle, there is plenty of room for all the planes in the huge hangers. You'll learn a bit about Boeing as well. There are many flight museums in the world but this one is probably the best.

Near Pioneer Square, Smith Tower was once one of the largest skyscrapers in the world and was the highest west of the Mississippi for 50 years. Now it is just a historic building but one of the few with an observation deck. For the highest view in town, go to the Columbia Tower on weekdays for an expansive view in all directions from the 73rd floor.