Readers' Choice 2026
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Best Museum: Seattle Art Museum
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
A vote for Seattle Art Museum is really a vote for three different art outings. The downtown museum pairs ambitious exhibitions with a global collection; the Seattle Asian Art Museum occupies SAM’s original 1933 Art Deco home amid the 43 acres of Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park; and the Olympic Sculpture Park puts art out in the open on nine waterfront acres. Across all three, SAM treats art as an essential part of city life, as capable of causing pure joy as it is of challenging the way we see the world. There’s an accessibility to that vision, too, with the sculpture park always free and both museums offering regular free-admission days alongside community programming. Few Seattle institutions make it so easy to choose between a major exhibition, an afternoon in the park, or a walk among sculpture beside Elliott Bay.
Runner Up: Frye Art Museum
About Readers' Choice 2026
Once a year, we turn the tables and ask our readers about their favorite local spots. The neighborhood café with the best coffee, the restaurant you book for every special occasion, and where you send out-of-town guests for top-tier cocktails. Seattleites have opinions, and they shared them with us. This year, we received more votes than ever before, with some familiar favorites returning and plenty of new names making the list.
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