There is a mixture of art, history of Nordic countries in Europe, and history of Nordic influence in America. Everything is generally well presented (granted with a clear political message). However, it was $20 for really a pretty darn small museum- like yes it was clean and well done but there really isn’t that much and that price is quite considerable in my opinion. And the only really unique exhibit was a “meditation room” so to speak with a large TV showing scenes from the Nordic countries that was nice to sit and think in.

The National Nordic Museum does an excellent job of presenting the history of the Scandinavian nations in Northern Europe and the immigrants that helped build America. There are temporary art installations as well as permanent exhibits. Also check out the gift shop for real Scandinavian items.

Really enjoyed the visit here! Lots of things to see, very informative, visually stunning, has a nice gift shop. The cafe was not open at the time so I cant comment on that.

What a neat place to learn about Nordic history! The museum is informative, organized, clean, and offers just enough to remain digestible instead of overwhelming. The immigration stories were very neat and helped connect a lot of dots for the Pacific North Wests development. Overall, highly recommend visiting this museum - its a Seattle gem.

Beautiful space. The interpretative displays were well done and interesting. I particularly enjoyed the Viking boats, the video of scenes of the different countries, and the stained glass seabirds.

Some northern European history nestled in Ballard, Seattle - a neighborhood that has strong historical ties to Scandinavia. You get to see milestones in world history through the lens of migration from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and the Sami people. Educational and impressive in its collective overview and historical scope.

Very thoughtfully put together exhibits. Beautiful building. Really worth a trip if you enjoy history and learning about the roots of the Scandinavian population of Ballard and the Seattle area.

Starts off slow with the painting gallery which is nice though not enthralling but finishes strong upstairs with beautiful and well documented displays including a great walk of the nordic culture and history through time. Wish I had taken a picture of that for my review but now youll just have to go see for yourself!

Extremely cheap to go inside, with art paintings, artifacts, and videos of the Nordic lifestyle. Overall a basic experience but can learn a few things here and there about some interesting facts

Very cool museum currently offering an art exhibit on the first floor. Overall, the museum did not disappoint and plan to go back with my parents the next time they visit. The second floor offers a great insight into the contributions Scandinavian culture has made towards US culture.

Great way to learn about the history and culture of the Nordics and how they made their way to the PacNW. Would highly recommend for any Scandinavian or aspiring viking.

Absolutely beautiful museum. Great explanation of Nordic American culture and history.

I like this museum a lot, both the permanent collection and the rotating exhibits. I like the breadth of topics, from international to domestic to Seattle-specific (although I wish there were more of a local emphasis), and the experiential focus of many rooms. The building is beautifully designed. The cafe and gift shop are pretty conventional but theyre worth checking out. Make sure to stop by the locks and the botanical garden while youre within walking distance.

This museum showcases the history, culture, and art of the Nordic cultures, tying it all together with the immigration to the Pacific Northwest. Though it is not a child friendly museum, it is very well kept, informative, and educational. I would plan about 2 1/2 hours to read everything and enjoy all of the exhibits.

This is a terrific museum! Fabulous in every way.For the person who commented on the strange location, he should know that its in Ballard, the historic center of the original Scandinavian community in the area. So much so that there is a real live Syttende Mai parade down the main street with original folk costumes and all.

The new space is light and airy. Beautiful historic crafts and modern exhibitions - the Finnish paintings currently on exhibit are perfect for a fall visit and reminiscent of the PNW climate too.

Awesome place to learn more about my Great grand parents and their countries. Finland and Sweeden. Very friendly people from museum, to cafe, and gift shop. We had a wonderful experience.

This is a cool little hidden gem in Ballard. There is a lot to read within the museum but more interestingly there are so many unique things to see! There are a couple things outside, so be sure to check those out as well! You can get through this museum relatively quickly.

Awesome museum!!!! Exhibit of Finnish paintings until October - wow!

Awesome place to visit!

Really balanced between history, art, and culture. Beautiful new building. People working there are rightfully proud of the place.

As third generation Swedes and Norse descent, we made a point to visit the National Nordic Museum while near Seattle. It’s housed in a modern building and with Scandinavian crisp design. Exhibits were well curated. It took just an hour to tour the museums — we wished there had been more on display. Hoped to bring back a gift from Norway to family member from gift shop but no luck! Hope this museum grows over time. If you have the opportunity, it’s worth a visit.

Amazing museum in the ballard area. Great artifacts and information about Nordic history and its influences on the world and the pacific northwest.

A wonderful place to learn about and connect with the Nordic history and culture...the only museum in north America featuring all the nordic countries.Gift shop and cafe add to the experience. Waiting for the next Viking themed event.

A very thorough, pleasant walk through history with, currently, an exhibition of Edvard Munch photography (we didnt know he photographed as well as painted). Nice parking lot, reasonable rates, beautiful space, lots of light. The signage directing our self-guided tour could have been clearer at times, but we managed to make it through. The outdoor section seems like an afterthought. I wish they did more with it. It could be a really nice space with some more work. Definitely worth a visit!

Beautiful architecture surrounds this modern tribute to our local Nordic heritage. The structure is so thoughtfully designed with ample natural light that interacts with the space and the artifacts it contains, like the gorgeous glass birds soaring above you. The exhibits themselves are nicely curated and focus on each Nordic country (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway). The cafe and gift shop on the first floor also do a nice job of giving guests a taste of a Scandinavia. Worth any visit!

In a modern, streamlined building, designed to represent an aquatic vessel, the National Nordic Museum represents the Scandinavian tradition of Seattle. The atavistic Nordic relationship with the sea is handled well, at this tribute to the men and women who settled Seattle, and in particular Ballard. Ideals such as independent spirit, hard work, equality for all, and an open mind are stressed as a Nordic way. The displays are well done, and the museum is easy to navigate. Personally, I felt the museum was lacking exhibits on Scandinavian design and architecture, two aspects of the Nordic countries the world tries to emulate. In addition, the Scandinavian Noir, prevalent in literature, film, music and all the arts, was mostly absent. While sometimes looked at in a negative way, the Scandinavian Noir has motivated greatness and creativity. It is integral to any Nordic conceptual view.Whatever my criticism may be, the National Nordic Museum is a wonderful addition to Seattle, and it honors the people who helped make Seattle a uniquely wonderful place to live and visit.

They have an exceptionally curated Viking exhibit on display until April. Although it’s very small, its worth the $5. The museum itself has a very informative permanent exhibit. There are also replicas of boats isn’t the museum, which they allow you to touch, unless otherwise stated. It’s a neat addition to Ballard and worth the visit.

Gorgeous museum. Nordic culture is more than IKEA and Vikings (although these exhibits are cool in their own right). Def worth a visit.

We just visited the Nordic museum at their new location. I have a convenient moment-priced parking. Admission is $15 per person, with special discounts for seniors and AAA. On the first floor is a state of the art presentation of the early history of the Scandinavian people. On the second floor is a large and well-organized historical presentation. There is a small restaurant featuring Scandinavian inspired meals. We ordered Scandinavian hotdog make some ground chicken served on a pretzel bun with cream cheese and pickled onions, delicious. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

I enjoyed my visit to the Nordic Museum. It’s great that such a premier Nordic-American museum is located in Ballard. I don’t remember visiting the museum before the remodel, but the museum was designed with a lot of intention. The architecture evokes Nordic design in its beautiful simplicity and functionality. The exhibits were interesting and specifically the one about Nordic immigrants to the Pacific Northwest in particular. While it is a visually striking and overall good museum, I think it could be even better. While it a Nordic Museum in America, I hope down the road they could have an about face on how the Nordic countries were involved in the slave trade. A deeper dive into relations between Scandinavia and the Sami people would also be enlightening. While history is not always pleasant, I think reflecting on it and asking critical questions is extremely important. Overall, I do believe the museum is a great place to learn more about the Nordic people and their stories and do recommend people to visit.

Being mostly Finnish, I liked seeing how the Nordic culture affected the USA. It was neat to read about the cultures. Finns drink a ton of coffee.

Super amount of information. Fun for a cool afternoon of historic pacific northwest stuff. The Cafe was just coffee and three pastries. The gift shop is great with local and international stuff.

We finally made it to check out the Nordic Museums new location and it was beautiful! They have an incredible collection of artifacts and the layout is very well thought out. Not to mention that we were there for the special Viking exhibit which was incredible to see. I also recommend checking out their cafe. I had the quinoa salad with their smoked tofu which was so so good as well as some french press coffee that served on a beautiful wooden block and with a fun textured mug.

The mysticism, social structure and simple style of the Nordic countries, their people, architecture, history and food is simply endearing - it makes you wonder where the rest of the world went wrong. A great collection of all elements of everything that has contributed to their current state. Highly recommend especially grabbing a plunge coffee at the cafe downstairs

Its a very nice small history collection place with two floors and has a documentary videos of a current life in those countries a parking is on a back of the building and it was $2 per hour a tour took me about 3 hour this is Vikings little history museum next to the amazing break fast place called portage bay cafe so all I can say it was a nice and time well spend!

Went to the grand opening ceremony on May 5th and got to hear the President of Iceland, the Crown Princess of Denmark, the Seattle Mayor, among others speak. We had reserved tickets for the 3:00PM showing. The museum itself is very spacious and beautiful - definitely inspired by Scandinavian Design. The exhibits were very well done and give a good history of Scandinavia from stone age to present as well as displays on immigrants to the area and their impact on the region. Since it was the opening and fairly crowded, I want to go back and get a better look at the exhibits in the future when I have more time. This is great cultural addition to the Seattle and THE museum for Nordic history in North America.

Beautiful, newly built Nordic museum. We stopped by on the first Thursday of the month, when they offer free entry and we were really glad we did. They have a nice little cafe and museum store as well.

Went 1st Thursday of the month....FREE!!THANK YOU, Very nice.

Great information and displays. I really enjoyed it.

Great small museum with a wealth of Nordic information and artifacts from pre-history to the present day.

This is a beautiful museum with a well thought out layout. The exhibit presentations are amazing and rival larger museums. There is a lot to do and see at the museum.The museum is also in a great location with lots to do around it. I would recommend a day trip to the museum and visit the Locks.

Such a wonderful museum. Beautiful space, thoughtful and interesting exhibits, friendly staff, and delicious cafe!

Fascinating history of Nordic culture. My girls and I loved on our Seattle trip.

Beautiful building, excellent exhibits. Spans from the middle ages to present day, with a focus on migration from Scandinavia to the US. Oddly ignores migration from Scandinavia to Canada.

Amazing place. Dont miss out first thursday of every month free admission.

The Nordic Museum (previously Nordic Heritage Museum) is a museum dedicated to the heritage of Seattles Nordic immigrants, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish Americans. It was founded in 1980 and is in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The museum serves as a community gathering place and shares Nordic culture by exhibiting art and objects, preserving collections,and providing educational and cultural experiences.

The spaces are beautiful and the galleries are informative. If you have any interest in Nordic history and its huge influence on Seattles culture, you should plan a few hours here. The cafe is worth a stop too. The entire place is a celebration of Nordic design, and the building is as much of an attraction as the interpretive displays.

The museum was small but had a comprehensive coverage of the Nordic culture, values, and the Nordic peoples life after immigrated to to North America.

Having just returned from singing in Song Festivals in Finland and Estonia, I visited the Nordic Museum to remember my lovely visit to Helsinki.The Nordic Museum, now the National Nordic Museum, has an expansiveness translated by the ongoing film on the second floor, and the open and dramatic grand staircase. It is a wonderful uplifting feeling being inside the museum.I visited the Studio 54 photography exhibit that features the work of Swedish photographer, Hasse Persson. The advance publicity for the show emphasizes his photos of what some might say the libertine, privileged, and trendy scene at Studio 54. However, it is his photos if poor blacks in the Southern US, photos of Cassius Clay, and political campaign photos from the Nixon Era that stay with you longer after the visit. The Studio 54 life was ephemeral and worthy of a little, but not much attention in the long term. However, the plight of minorities and political culture in the US remains today still worthy of our attention.

Interesting collection about the history of the Nordic countries and how their culture influenced our continent, both in antiquity and in the present.And the building is beautiful.

Great exhibits. Cafe was small selection. Guidance was a little ambiguous. Suggest improvements in signage to guide visitors.

What Ballard desperately need is a real up-to-date community center for all. Not more Nordic flags everywhere and praises to the old world they left behind. Sorry, but yes, I believe there are better things to spend money on than building this museum though I agree it can be a fun place to visit for once and more often if you have Nordic connections or fetish.

I was impressed with the detail of each display and the depth of knowledge regarding my ancestry. Attending at the time of the Marimekko showing was extremely fortunate! This museum is a gem, hidden away in a residential neighborhood. It has the potential to grow with some more investment and expansion, but even now it is a wonderful experience. I would love to know more about where the organ came from, as well as the immigration ledger..... the little information about the organ hinted at a family that was key to our little town I grew up in, and there appeared to be family members listed on the page of people coming overseas! Those two exhibits alone really made my day. It was fun to see all of the connections to my life and my history. A must-see for any Scandinavian who is in the area!

Great way to beat the heat on a hot summer day. Great artifacts, good interactive content, a lot of fun.

Great building with some amazing history. Love that Nordic lifestyle.

I went to the Nordic Museum for their special exhibit The Vikings Begin. It was $20 including all the exhibits ($15 of youre a student). The museum itself was pretty and the parking fee is reasonable. They also have a mini restaurant inside.All in all, it was nice to know more about the Nordic countries. Definitely check it out if you have time!

Excellent detailed exhibits. Freya Cafes selections: fabulous! Gift shop items: too tempting.

Lovely place. Self guided tour. Limited capacity, advanced tickets required at time of posting. Took us just shy of two hours to wander through the exhibits. Not much for younger children.

Its a very nice event center. Its warm , good lighting, friendly staff. It was available on time

Inspiring and minimalist, The Nordic Museum is not just a place to learn about Nordic life in yesteryears, but a place to gather. The exhibits are thorough in past and contemporary life, from antique lace to ikea furniture. The Osberg hall is a gorgeous setting for live performances with its all wood interior and star-lit light fixtures. There is a viewing room with a rotation of landscapes, which is inspiring to meditate in.

I enjoyed this Museum. It shows development of National Governments and Global Government bodies. History of the first UN meeting and development of Nations. And it shows a clip about Nordic Beautiful lands. (I want to live in Sweden, Finland and that part of the world).I hope you will enjoy the Nordic Museum as I did. NOTE: 396 WAS MY CLAIM TICKET FOR MY BACKPACK. I WAS NOT HAPPY TO LEAVE IT IN CUSTODY. SO BE ADVISED THEY DONT ALLOW BACKPACKS.

Where do I start? I learnt so much from this place about Nordic culture. Its pretty amazing! Students get a discount.Check out those viking boats and learn about the immigrants who settled in Seattle.

Very informative about late Nordic culture and early Seattle culture.

Lovely meeting, I especially liked the exhibition of Finnish art 🙂

I was accompanied by a 13 year old who is very interested but still, we didnt do over 2 hours. I need to go back because I only saw about a quarter of the museum and it is incredible. The history here is so rich and Scandinavia brought so much to this part of the Americas. The art is so beautiful and there were many pieces I fell in love with. Im half Danish so I luckily Im very familiar with the food of Scandinavia and my granddaughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal that we had. We also had dessert, of which was hard to make a choice... they all look so good. The gift shop isnt overwhelming and has some really lovely items, not all Ikea-like, which some might expect. Parking is easy and very reasonable. I miss the old museum because it just felt like a lot of my Scandinavian memories but this place makes up for it in beauty and charm.

Please do yourself a favor and do not visit this museum, or donate money to this establishment. It was so boring. The staff is so rude. When I requested a refund due to the sheer fact of it being boring, another manager rudely interrupted and said, It mustve not been too boring since you wasted an hour here. They had only a couple artifacts, rude staff, a nasty restroom. Yes, the admission is ONLY $18, but it should be free. They should pay someone to visit. I was promised a refund and I do expect it on my card immediately.

Lovely! Our kids enjoyed the activity book and interactive displays.

Cafe food and drinks are great.

So many interesting objects related to the NW.

Its a great place to learn a lot about nordic countries and how vikings played a role in their culture. The museum is brand new and was very clean. Its a great atmosphere and nice place to relax while exploring the nordic history and cultures.

Very cool spot!!!! Incredibly knowledgeable and educational. Will be back!

Displays and narratives are very well set up. Great Uppsala items presently. The cafe is also worth the visit.

The new structure of the Nordic Museum is Seattles best new museum celebrating the Scandinavian heritage of so much of Seattles history. A beautiful space designed as a stylized fjord with exciting, interesting exhibits.

Its genuinely beautiful, but as a norse pagan?? I was horrified to see how americanized a lot of this information was. There was hardly any education on their religions, and the information about enlightenment was ridiculous and infuriating. Norse Pagans were slaughtered at the hands of Christians if they didnt convert entirely. Pagans adopted the idea of multiple gods, and would even accept the Christian God alongside their pagan gods. Christians however werent so fond of the Nordic people not entirely devoting themselves to the Christian God, and refused them. Not only that, but the SMALL wall of information about their religion was horrific. The norse religion is beautiful, complex, and they could have included translated excerpts from the poetic edda but didnt.I myself throughout this experience, remember being given strange treatment from the women behind the counter which also drove me insane. They would only focus on me and my bf, to the point I grew concerned that if I left without buying anything, drama would stir up. Overall, dont go if youre going for educational purposes. Yes it does cover some good stuff, but it is also a perfect example of American propaganda and culture erasure.

Very nice museum! Loved going there and two hours was enough to see everything there.

Beautiful new modern building and a great museum of Nordic history and local heritage. A must visit for locals and visitors to Ballard and Seattle.

Such an expressive and passionate array of images. Creative and unique museum with videos aligning the walls to depict Nordic culture from the beginning to now. Must see

Amazing exhibits for both Nordic history and the immigrant experience. The cafe is a must try.

Great place to learn about Nordic culture and lifestyle. Beautiful building !

Loved it. Everything I wanted about Northwest Scandinavian history. Cafe is an extra plus. We attended the special exhibit of paintings by Ring a Danish painter. Extra cost for this. Buildings architecture has bridges transitioning from the old country on one side to America on the other. Im sorry I missed gift shop.

Clean, comfortable and very Scandinavian. Wish there was a little more dedicated to folklore and they seem to have forgotten to include Scandinavian American Contributions to US culture but the gift shop is nice.

The museum was pretty great. The Viking exhibit was amazing.

Beautiful new museum cebrating Nordic culture and traditions. If you only have a few minutes, pop in and take part in the Swedish tradition of Fika (coffee and a delicious pastry) at their wonderful cafe. Try some pickled herring, Swedish meatballs or Ulis sausage. Its always a delightful treat if youre in Ballard.

Great place to check out your heritage

Allow enough time because after paying for parking and tickets youll want to stay all day. Dont forget the outside area (like we did).

Wonderful exhibits and education. We had a wonderful afternoon wandering through all the rooms.

This museum is not big, but the collection here is very meaningful. This is a museum about the main body of the Nordic countries.

What a wonderful addition to Seattles cultural offerings. World-class museum celebrating Scandinavia in the heart of Ballard.

Beautiful new building, friendly staff, well-lit cafe (though relatively few vegetarian options), compelling exhibits.The space really suits the exhibits.The size, and the price, is just right (logom).The rotating exhibits bring something exciting to anticipate!🇩🇰🇫🇮🇫🇴🇮🇸🇳🇴🇸🇪🇦🇽

I like the exhibits as they were quite informative. I had never heard of the Sámi people or the autonomous Åland Islands prior to my visit. I also like the fact that there is available parking behind the building.

Very well designed, peaceful space that informs and inspires simultaneously.

This is a beautiful, modern museum that orients visitors to Nordic cultures and includes exhibits on immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. It has interactive touchscreens, several videos (with seating), lots of art and artifacts to look at, an outdoor exhibit space featuring a longship, and a cafe where you can eat Nordic inspired foods.I would plan 1.5-2 hours to go through the museum, plus an extra 30 minutes for the special exhibit, and some time for a snack at the cafe.

Very informative. Some of the display areas were close to being empty. But overall a good experience.

Loved it! I’m part Norwegian and Swedish so this place was fun for me to see what my ancestors were up too. I really enjoyed looking around and thought they did a great job during Covid! Well done. We will be back with our children to show them around too. Although I’d have to say, this museum is probably better suited for adults than children.

A restaurant inside a small plaze. It is not easy to spot. This is popular among students who live nearby. The dumplings there are good. They have also other good food such as sticky rice. The sticky rice there is sooooo good. I like that style. The pot stickers are also very good.

Great place to learn about Nordic culture

Great learning more about your ancestors and what they had to go through throughout the centuries.

Superb Museum. Learnt a lot about Nordic culture.

Nice new museum. Some nice artifacts from 6-9 BC up through the 20th century. A little obvious with their insertation of Leftist politics in sections which I didnt appreciate, but the museum itself was nice.