Imagine Children’s Museum

Photo: Adventure Seeker via Google Maps

Imagine Children’s Museum is a hands on play museum in downtown Everett, with three floors of exhibits and a rooftop play area built for children and the adults who bring them. Its exhibits are designed especially for kids ages 1 to 12, with a dedicated space for children 3 and under, and the whole museum is self guided, so families set their own pace.

Locals agree: the museum says it was voted number one for family entertainment in The Daily Herald’s Best of Snohomish County awards for 2024. It doubled in size in 2022 with a three story expansion, and in 2017 it earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, a national recognition the museum notes few children’s museums hold. If you have young kids and a rainy day in Snohomish County, this is an easy call.

What You’ll See

The first floor is packed with pretend play and climbing. Kids can scramble through Woodlands Adventure, an oversized indoor forest, climb into the train cab of the Monte Cristo Railway to play with local rail history, and experiment with force, lift and flowing water at WaterWorks. There is also a pilot’s seat and cargo hold for playing airport, an Everett Transit bus to drive, a theater with costumes and stage lights, a stop motion movie studio, and the Early Childhood Seashore for the littlest visitors.

• Puget Sound Ecosystem: On the second floor, meet marine life, dig in sand tables and walk through whale bones.
• Engineer It! and Import, Export, Our Port: Design and launch ideas in a wind tunnel, then take the helm and operate a crane in a maritime play area.
• Tinker Shop and Art Hangout: Maker spaces where kids use real tools under supervision and create with open ended art materials.
• Rooftop Adventure: More than 9,000 square feet of outdoor play, including the Tall Timbers wooden play structure, a dinosaur dig area and the Rooftop Rhythms musical instruments. Access depends on the weather.

The Story Behind It

Imagine grew out of a grassroots effort in the early 1990s to give Snohomish County families a place to spend time together year round. For its first decade it operated in small leased spaces. A capital campaign then bought a permanent home in downtown Everett, which opened in September 2004.

The museum says it has welcomed millions of visitors since that move, and by 2023 it was serving more than 293,000 people a year through the museum and its outreach programs. In 2022 it opened its three story, double volume expansion, adding the new floors and play spaces families explore today.

Tips for Your Visit

• Adults 18 and older must stay with children on the same floor at all times. There is no drop off.
• Strollers are not allowed on the museum floor. Leave yours in the car; the front desk lends a limited number of infant carriers and backpacks.
• Food and drinks, including your own, are allowed only in the third floor multipurpose area, home to Divy’s Grab and Go food truck. Water fountains are on every floor.
• The museum says late weekday afternoons are usually the least crowded, except during school breaks. Sensory Time on the third Sunday of each month offers quieter access to part of the museum with registration, and earmuffs and sunglasses can be borrowed anytime.
• The main entrance is on Hoyt Avenue. There is a prepay museum lot behind the building on Colby Avenue, free 90 minute street parking nearby, and the city’s EverPark Garage on Hoyt. Ask about the Museums for All program, which offers reduced admission to EBT and other qualifying cardholders.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 1502 Wall St, Everett, WA 98201
Phone: 425.258.1006
Website: imaginecm.org
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps