If you’re heading down to Tacoma to check out the city’s glass art—or if you’re looking for a different take on arts and culture entirely—nearby Seattle’s got plenty to offer.

Here are four attractions worth a visit.

Seattle Art Museum Downtown
www.seattleartmuseum.org/
1300 First Avenue (at Union street), Seattle. Info 206-625-8900

This museum is easy to find: just look for Jonathan Borofsky’s towering Hammering Man sculpture, which methodically toils away out front. Inside, the permanent collection houses Northwest Coast Native American works, modern art, and European painting, as well as Asian and African art.

Olympic Sculpture Park
www.seattleartmuseum.org/
2901 Western Avenue, Seattle. Info 206-654-3100

In 2007, the Seattle Art Museum opened the Olympic Sculpture Park, which transformed nine acres of industrial land into a green park that connects Belltown with the downtown waterfront. If cool sculptures like Alexander Calder’s stark red Eagle or Louise Bourgeois’s giant eye-shaped black granite benches don’t grab you, the views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains will. Best of all, the park’s free and open from just before sunrise to just after sunset.

Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
www.empsfm.org/
325 Fifth Avenue North (at the Seattle Center), Seattle. Info 206-770-2700

Music is the focus of the Frank Gehry-designed EMP, which explores American versions from jazz to country to good old rock ’n’ roll. An exhibition on puppeteer Jim Henson runs from May 23 to August 16. EMP is partnered with the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, which cultivates a healthy appreciation of SF.

Museum of Flight
www.museumofflight.org/
9404 East Marginal Way South (at Boeing Field), Seattle. Info 206-764-5720

Aviation enthusiasts young and old will be drawn to this spacious museum. Interactive exhibits entertain the kids, and over 86 aircraft, including restored fighter jets, keep adults entertained.