Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Super cool, well-designed, informative and free museum. I learned a lot about Gold Rush- not just factual information but also a lot of my own reflection. They have two short films which are good to watch too. In the souvenir shop there are small bottle of golds and double-sided coins, which I think are quite creative.

hidden gem—small but packed with fascinating history on how the Yukon Gold Rush put Seattle on the map. It’s surprising that the rush was really just a two-year frenzy from 1897 to 1898, but the exhibits do a great job explaining it all with authentic artifacts like prospectors’ tools and old photos that transport you back in time. Best part? Free admission, making it easily the best deal anywhere in the city. Don’t miss the fun scale where you can weigh yourself and calculate your worth in gold—it’s a quirky highlight! Pro tip: Street parking is usually easy to find, especially on a Saturday morning like we did, and it’ll only set you back about a dollar. Highly recommend for history buffs or anyone looking for a quick, free adventure.

Located in the historic Cadillac Hotel, this free museum is very well done! It’s interactive, and flows in an engaging way. “What would you do for a Klondike bar?”

Simply terrific 💯 to the staff, the organisation! Went there twice. Watched the movies which were a treat. The gift shop has great mementos and the gold panning work shop was very informative. This is a Seattle top spot! A must visit and that too for free.

Free informative museum about the Klondike Gold Rush, there are two levels and a rest area with bathrooms on each level. If you need to kill some time before your next train/departure like me, I highly recommend it. 👌

Excellent museum that documents the history very well. A word of caution on the street parking in front of the museum (pictured). It allows parallel parking only. I saw a bunch of infraction notices on cars that were not parallel parked.

Neat and free museum about Seattle's early days and the Gold Rush 🤠💰 We just got back from a cruise to Alaska, and this museum is better than the one we explored in Skagway. They have way more artifacts and exhibits to see how life was in the late 1800s. Many interesting real-life stories of ordinary people and what they experienced. As a free museum, it's one of the coolest ways to burn some time as you wait for your hotel or the clock to move along. Big ole stamp of approval from me! ✅️✅️✅️

Free and a must visit if you are in the area. Plan to spend an hour or two here because many of the exhibits are interactive and the information presented is easy to digest. My favorite part of the museum is the theme that most folks were in the gold rush for the journey and adventure and most would do it again. I would definitely coming back and spend more time here when I am in Seattle.

Maybe you missed out on the mandatory WA state history segment in middle school or high school. Maybe you're a history buff and happened to make the trip downtown. Maybe you had an appointment in Pioneer Square and had some extra time afterwards. Whatever the case may be, this park is worth the visit. Whether you're here for a day or for a lifetime I think it's worthwhile getting to know about Seattle's history and have a good understanding of the city's past. Dig into those roots of the city's growth. The Coast Salish people were here first so what brought more people here? The Klondike National Historical Park is here to fill you in on those bits of historical data. Instead of reading about it on your computer or phone, get out of your home (if you can, of course) and learn about this city in the Pacific Northwest. It has free admission, staff on site, two floors of exhibits, and a gift shop.

FREE small museum with information about the Klondike Gold Rush in Pioneer Square. The exhibit was interactive and engaging! You'll learn about how Seattle became a bustling town due to Klondikers stopping in the city to pick up provisions before heading to Alaska to mine for gold + the journey it took to get there and what life was like. The day I went, there was a living history presentation with an actress from a local theater company which was really informative and fun. I believe they also show historical films and have other events too.

Free and a must-visit if you're in the area and have some extra time. Plan to spend an hour or two here because many of the exhibits are interactive and the information presented is easy to digest. Great for all ages. Staff at the front are bubbly and seem happy to be working there. Even if you're not big on reading, catch their video screening to get a good summary on the Klondike Gold Rush.

Great little free museum in Seattle!!! Street parking nearby. Came on a Friday morning and there were some people but not crowded. There's an upstairs and downstairs space, well kept. Bathrooms too. A lot of exhibits to read up on and some interactive pieces as well. The free stamps are located in the gift shop if you're into that. Rangers were super nice and welcoming- shoutout to Jim!! Ask for the junior ranger program!! Says it's for ages 9-16 but I asked if I could participate and the ranger was nice about it and said it's for anyone! You just complete some activities in the workbook they give you (actually a bit of work I felt like I was back in school) about the museum itself and the nation park system as a whole. Once you're done, you can bring it back to the ranger and you get to sign your name on their records of all the junior rangers. Then you get sworn in and get a wooden badge and a temp tattoo! Super fun and unique experience in my opinion and can't wait to do more at more of the national parks!

This is another one of the most favorite things in Seattle, and what makes it even better is it is free!!! Very nice and quite large extensive interactive history museum fun for both adults and children!

Such an interesting NHP site to visit! There is no admission fee here and the exhibits are intriguing. I love getting my NP passport book stamped and this location was one I wanted to check out. I was not disappointed!

This is one of the best kept secrets of Downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square: a FREE museum with quality exhibits! Despite having "park" in the name, it is all indoors and very much a little museum. It is kid-friendly, but very informative for all ages. Great for an hour or so. Two floors. Friendly staff. Clean public bathrooms. Very informative information and video about Seattle history. Also, some displays on Japanese internment, and historical textiles. The only CON is that there is no parking lot. But, if you're in the area, you should definitely drop it.

Great small museum that is part of the National Park system and it's free! Loved the informative exhibit and helpful staff, and even living in Seattle now for decades, there was a lot I learned about Seattle during the Klondike Gold Rush and especially some interesting characters. They also offer a free hour long walking tour around Pioneer Square which was also very interesting. It's right by the UPS waterfall as well, so definitely worth a stop by when in this part of town.

Underrated museum in Seattle! Great for kids and adults alike with their informative displays and interactive exhibits. Don't miss out on the video in their theater room. Very informative on the Klondike Gold Rush and how that shaped Seattle. Free admission too.

The museum is free, great hours and my son leaned a lot and earned his junior ranger badge! We had tickets for something else that was canceled and stumbled upon this national park museum as a great alternative.

This was a super fun stop for our 8 layover in Seattle! We enjoyed the interactive exhibits and kind employees. Definitely worth a stop if you are near Pioneer Square!

Cute free museum in Pioneer Square! This is a great activity to pass time in the pioneer square area if you're waiting in the neighborhood for any reason. My only note is this museum is a ton of words/reading. It can be difficult to discern what I want to read.

Such an informative museum. I love all things history, and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park has so much to offer. Didn't realize how little knowledge I had of the Gold Rush! What a wonderful stop this was on our Seattle trip. The National Parks do such a good job. If you have a National Park 'passport' bring it to get your stamp at the small gift shop on ground level. They have two videos you can watch that have lots of information and make getting through the museum quicker. I enjoyed the mercantile display with it's lists of required items the 'stampeders' would need to make their journey and at what cost. Seattle advertised itself as the 'gateway' to the Alaskan gold fields thereby making prosperous local businesses. Located near Occidental Square, it's easy to get here from other tourist locations. Entry is free for all. Restrooms are located in the back and there is a water bottle filling station there. The displays are located on two levels and an elevator is available to those who need it. Definitely worth an hour or two of your time while visiting the city.

Hidden gem! Great little museum with interactive exhibits and a friendly staff. It's a bit off the beaten path, but worth it.

Fun place in the heart of pioneer square. Learn about the Klondike gold rush and it's connection to Seattle. Great displays and interactive things for kids to explorer. I also appreciate the displays about Bainbridge island and Japanese internment. May we all learn from history and never repeat it.

I'll give this free museum credit for one thing above all: it really cemented my desire to go to Alaska! It's a small museum in near Pioneer Square that provides visitors a fascinating insight into the huge but short-lived Klondike Gold Rush, which really put Seattle on the map as a hub for stampeders from the east. It's definitely an interesting stop on your Seattle journey, particularly if you are in the area, which you should be for one of the underground tours!

At the southernmost edge of Pioneer Square (or the northernmost edge of International District) is this charming historical museum (though it's actually called a National Historical Park). We had visited MOHAI (learned about early Seattle settlement and development), the Museum of Flight (learned about the Boeing influence on Seattle's development), and the Wing Luke museum (learned about Asian-American impacts on Seattle thru time). The Klondike Gold Museum basically provided detail on the early development of Seattle; how the Klondike/Alaska gold rush turned Seattle into a thriving boom town. Seattle became the biggest and oftentimes last outpost to supply up before you made your daunting trek up north to search for gold. The museum provided equal parts Seattle development with equal parts Klondike Gold Rush description. Definitely worth a few hours of touring time, especially if you're near Pioneer Square (sort of sketchy area especially after dark) or visiting the International District. Good for older kids up thru seniors and it's FREE!

This is a great free museum to check out if you're in the area. It's open to the public and has tons of history on the gold rush. I passed by it on my way to downtown Seattle from Chinatown and decided to stop in. There were interesting artifacts inside and very well presented so it wasn't just boring plaques of information. They also have restrooms and water fountains for anyone who needs to pit stop in the area!

A gem of a museum for both kids and adults. The exhibits are informative and interactive. Admission is free. The Junior Ranger program is a bit harder than the ones our kids have done at other national parks but with some guidance as to where to find the information they were able to complete it. The museum is located in the Pioneer Square district, and requires street parking.

This was a great visit to learn about the history of Klondike Gold Rush! It's great for both kids and adults. For the kids, you can request the activity book to complete and receive their Junior Ranger Badge. It's a wonderful reward + motivation for your little ones to have fun learning. They also had a small passport to encourage kids to visit and read about those specific stations. There was a lot to read, photos to see, props to feel and a short video in the theater. Make a quick stop or spend 2-3 hours reading if you would like, it's free and so generous of the organization to offer this.

The museum is free and open to the public. The security guard who greeted us and gave us an introduction to the museum at the beginning was nice and professional. There are clean restrooms to use and there's a water filling station and fountains outside the restroom. Masks and hand sanitizers are available at the front desk. We just happened upon the area after leaving the Waterfall Park. Lot of interesting artifacts in here. Got some good pictures. Learned that the Gold Rush was not just in California but a big chunk of the West Coast. It was fun to spin the wheel to find out if you would strike gold back in the Gold Rush days. I did not after two big spins. Worth a visit if you're in the area!

A national park in a city? How did they manage that? Visit this NP to find out. It's free and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours - however long your attention span is. A must for Seattle visitors and locals to appreciate the organized chaos that was the gold rush of the 1800s. Can you imagine taking a train across country for a 3% chance that you'd strike it rich? Or buying hundreds of pounds of bacon? Or walking across Canada for thousands of miles? For a 3% chance of gold? When I can barely walk 1/4 mile to go eat at a restaurant? How soft we are now. It's two levels with a gift shop where you can get your national park passport cancellations and pick up stickers, books, a national parks pass and more. Definitely stay and watch the short film about the gold rush. Spin the wheel of fortune wheel to see if you'd win. This is a small and mighty national park. Information is incredible. It's amazing to read how much revenue Seattle made and how many buildings and businesses were built (many of which are still standing) for people to pursue a slim chance of striking gold. My favorite part of the museum is the theme that most folks were in the gold rush for the journey and adventure, and most would do it again. Love this is in Seattle and I'll be back to digest more of the information. Keep it up, Klondike!

There is a great and free place in pioneer square, yes, Klondike Gold Rush. I find it on national park seattle list and it doesn't annual pass at all. This is a place you can learn the history of seattle. Seattle flourished during and after the Klondike Gold Rush. Merchants supplied people from around the world passing through this port city on their way to a remarkable adventure in Alaska.

Not much here, a playground, a few tables and chairs, some totem poles. The area looks clean and neat and well kept . Didn't see any plaque linking this t the gold rush. I understand that the park is located in the Cadillac Hotel. Didn't see that wither

I love this place! Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is a place to visit if you haven't done so already, as it tells the story of how Seattle came to be. I love taking visitors here or when I'm just in Pioneer Square and wanting to revisit. This national park is a true treasure to Seattle. As mentioned the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is a museum that covers the history of Seattle, especially the Pioneer Square neighborhood, Seattle's oldest neighborhood. In fact, the building that the Klondike is in is also a historic hotel that served those who came to Seattle for the gold rush. There are park rangers who greet you once you enter, and can get a map and information about the museum. It's free admission since it's a national park, so we're definitely blessed to have this in Seattle! The entire space has memorabilia and items from the gold rush, including articles and interactive exhibits. I would strongly recommend also watching the informative movie that they play in the theater, as it provides a great overview of the history of gold rush and Seattle. Connected to the museum is the national park gift store, which is also worth a visit for the collection of books on all of the national parks. I love the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park! I definitely recommend visiting if you haven't already, and it's the perfect place to take visitors. It's truly a gem to have this in Seattle, showcasing the history of the Emerald City.

Visited October 2022. Great NP / museum with rich history surrounding the Gold Rush era. Friendly service throughout our experience as well. Would definitely recommend visiting this place when in the Seattle area.

This is a great little museum. The price is right (free!). It is easy to get in an out in 2-3 hours. There is a short film which is worth watching, and some great displays.

This National Park is pretty amazing, Its two stories full of lots of history of Seattle WA. Its a must see for Seattle visitors. Its extremely clean, the park rangers are helpful and knowledgeable. The park is free, open Friday-Sunday. It has a store, and restroom for the public.

The Gold Rush Museum is the best museum to check out the history of the start of Seattle and how it became a city. It's free admission. So I brought my friends in the past whom never been here before. Seattle boomed when people had to get supplies to go to the Yukon Gold Rush in the late 1800's. They took ferries and boats from the Seattle Port, to get up to Alaska and Canada. They have interactive exhibits here and nice displays. There are documentary films about old Seattle and the Yukon Gold Rush too. Pioneer Square was full of hotels, saloons, brothels, and supply shops. The bldg. they occupy was managed by a Japanese Family before WWII. During the war, they were forced to go to a concentration camp. There's a plague by the gift shop for them. If you are new in town, please visit when they Reopen. It's a great museum to take the kids too.

We came here because the previous tour we went to which was the Bill Speidel's Underground Tour. This place was mentioned in that tour and my friends and I thought it would be interesting to check out. This place was small but had a lot of history and information. I think most people can go through this in one hour or less. They had a short movie that was probably less than 30 minutes to watch regarding the gold rush. This would be a good place to check out if you're in the area and want to know more about the gold rush and it was free to enter.

Very educational and great for the kids to do a jr ranger book to help them stay interested in the history of this place.

Tons of information! Me and my husband learned so much and we actually spent around 30 minutes reading everything and learning about the gold rush. The way they set up the museum was very interactive and engaging. A definite must stop if you're in the area! It's free of charge as well

A free museum operated by the National Park Service celebrating the history of the Klondike Gold Rush. There are a couple floors of exhibits and a theater where you can watch an informative documentary showing the importance of Seattle in the story of the Klondike. You can also earn your Junior Ranger Badge for free by asking for a booklet at the front desk and filling out information learned while visiting the museum. A wonderful free spot!

This museum was surprisingly substantive. I expected it to be a very quick visit, but then I spent way more time than I anticipated reading and enjoying the highly informative and well sequenced exhibits. I would highly recommend this as a hidden gem in Seattle.

Trying to find something to do before our Seattle Underground tour with our family. There were 6 of us. We had a 6 year old and then two of the adults were in their 60's. We all found it interesting and a nice little time waster. Its a museum and its free, which is a rarity for Washington. The movies they played were interesting. It was two levels. A decent size to burn time in. Cute place! I would recommend checking it out.

Get Transported Back to the Days of the Gold Rush Great little interactive museum where you can learn about the history of Seattle and the impact of the Gold Rush. The movie and museum are free and very informative. It is amazing how many stores that exist now started due to the needs of the miners. When we went, there was a guest lecturer who showed how Seattle was built using animation videos that was very interesting as well. Buy a National Park Passport to collected dated stamps to document where you have traveled through the park system. If you go to Skagway,AK, visit the other Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park as a nice contrast.

It is a pretty decent museum considering that it is free to attend. There was lots of information about the Gold Rush and everything was in good condition. I felt though that there was too much reading material and not enough interactive things to keep the kids engaged. I really liked how you picked a character at the beginning of the museum and you follow the story of them through the Klondike. However, for kids there was no interactive stuff between the beginning and the end...you could either read plaques or read computer screens. Also, it would have been nice to see a gold panning activity for them to try. However, worth checking out particularly if you are into history...and an adult

This tiny museum is part of the National Park services and provides historical information about Seattle dating back to the Klondike Gold Rush period 100+ years ago when Seattle became a gateway for the goldrush up north in Klondike, Alaska. The museum itself is clean and pretty cool. A lot of the information is presented in an interactive (and not just pictures), so you can kind of have fun seeing things and really getting an idea of how things were like in Seattle/Gold Rush period back then. The museum itself is relatively small and take at most 30 min to complete. It's just a 1 small front building with 2 stories of information. It's super clean though and best of all, it's free! This is definitely part of a local gem to check out in Seattle, especially if you are already in Pioneer Sq (do it even before/after your underground tour!)

Free Historical Museum! This museum gives you information about the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897 and the impact it had on Seattle. You can follow 5 different people and learn about their journey and story. It also has artifacts and old photos and newspapers. This place is great for history buffs (which I'm not). They have a fun scale where it tells you how much your weight is in gold and how much you would be worth.

This museum is a gem that opens you to the history of Seattle and its becoming. It's rather small with only 2 stories of exhibits. I recommend watching the movie for a good overview before you dive deep into looking and reading around the museum.

It is FREE! But that is not what gets it 5 stars. What tipped it for me was the exhibit on minority's and native Alaskans during the gold rush. It was an example of the detail the curator brought to the Meusum. Starting in Seattle the gold rush was traced. The economic, social, ecological, and in some cases individual impacts are chronicled and displayed. With pictures, interactive displays, and recreations the time, struggles, victories, and lasting impact are communicated very well in a limited space. If you are heading farther north be sure to start here to get the full context of the significance of what is ahead.

Saw postings about this place online and was interested that the museum was free. The location was easy to find and had a lot of cool tourist attractions surrounding it. I wish that they could play the Introduction video at the very start of each self-guided tour, because it would have been very helpful. Unfortunately, when I arrived, the video wasn't playing for another half hour, so I decided to walk around on my own. The information is interesting; however, the layout of the building and the order of information is confusing. I was never sure which way I was supposed to go and if I was reading the right signs. The other thing is that there is SO MUCH TEXT. I wish there were more variety in how the information was presented, like more videos or audio recordings. Definitely worth a visit (mostly because it's free), but WATCH THE VIDEO FIRST.

It's a small museum, cozy, I'd venture to say, and free. It explained a little about how Seattle and the surrounding area was affected by the Gold Rush. There were displays set up with clothes and tools, and places where they listed statistics ("100,000 people embarked for the Klondike / 300 made more than $15,000 in gold. The equivalent of $330,000"), as well as a little light up display showing how buildings have changed since the Gold Rush days. I went here with my friend during her lunch, and there were only a few other people inside. THE VERDICT: It's small, well-curated and clean, and--best of all--free to check out. There are some really cool exhibits here, especially if you're interested in historical numbers and statistics. It's a nice place to while away a lunch hour doing something different, but it gets that extra star for being freeee.

As a child, I visited the Klondike Gold Rush museum during a field trip. I remember being able to pan for gold in the back of this very small space. Even though it was small I remember being mesmerized by the fascinating history of the Goldrush and Seattle's history. The museum is now located in a new larger space. There are two floors of amazing displays that interactively take you back in time to the Gold Rush period. They also have a film that you can watch. I only wish they still had the fun area that you could pan for "fools" gold with the miner's equipment. Admittance is free. This is a great spot to take history nuts who want to learn more about Seattle's part in the Klondike Gold Rush.

Top notch museum that explores the Klondike gold rush. Good exhibits that allow you to track 5 individuals who actually went north. You can follow them on their journey, and it gives you a look into what motivated each, how they did and finally, what happened to them. Also explores how lobbying and advertising allowed Seattle to turnthe gold rush into the catalyst to transform the sleepy mill town into the prosperous gateway to the gold fields. Great artifacts, fotos that gives the visitor a look into this fascinating event in our history.

What a charming little museum! And free too! Happened upon it and was so glad we stopped in. It's very informative. Lots of interactive elements. And just a great place to check out.

Found this free little museum while walking. It was well laid out and we could look at displays at our leisure. It's mind blowing to think about preparing for a trip to the Klondike, and then what that trip would be like. This was an interesting museum with a long story regarding the gold rush. There's lots of things to see and do inside the building to captivate you and give you the story about how the Klondike Gold Rush started. I would highly recommend, especially if you're a history buff. You could spend about an hour here, and they have a nice gift shop at the end with lots of little things for sale. This maybe a small National Park site but worth the time to stop and look. Lots of interactive displays and history about Seattle's part in the Klondike Gold Rush. There are a couple good videos to watch and works well with kids of all ages. The museum is free to visitors and I would encourage anyone to take the time to visit.

This is a really cool attraction in downtown Seattle, worth a visit from anyone who happens to find themselves in this city. First of all (and perhaps best of all), entry is completely free of charge. The exhibits are well organised and structured so you experience everything in the correct order, and there are NPS staff on offer to answer any questions one might have about this interesting time in history. There is also a theatre playing a movie about the gold rush. I really found it interesting to learn about the tens of thousands who headed for the Yukon to make their fortune, with the vast majority of course completely failing to do so. I've enjoyed every NPS site I've visited in America, and this one is no different. It's free, very interesting, and well located in the city. Give it a go.

For as small as the park is, they can pack a ton of information into what they have. Excellent facility where you can spend more time than you think and learn more about the Gold Rush than you thought you really wanted to know.