This is a fun, interactive museum for all ages! Come check out all three levels while learning about the old days of computers... From learning about Alan Turing to original mainframes and terminals to classic video game systems in their natural habitat.

Really enjoyed seeing all of the unique computers from the apple 1 to the Xerox mainframes. The machines on display are mostly able to be used be visitors to the museum. Enjoyed the totally 80s living room and decor on display. My wife even enjoyed a game of Ms Pacman

This place is incredible. The fact that all the computers are still functional AND you can play with them is amazing. As a computer geek, I could have spent a week here. The highlight of my visit was playing with the FUNCTIONAL Apple I upstairs. I’d seen one before at Google’s computer museum but it was collecting dust behind glass. I also loved all the history, including the early Apple engineer swag and all the info about each machine. If you’re at all into computers or computer history or even if you just casually like gadgets, make this place a part of your Seattle experience!

Had a great time! My 9 yr old was not thrilled about where we were going thinking your typical museum. She loved it and insisted we bring her cousin back for his birthday present, she didnt want to leave! I thought it was fun to relive some childhood memories! Definably great for all. Kind of pricey, but it is Seattle. I would make sure you visit it at least once. We will be back.

Try to spend one whole day over here.There are so many things to see and experience.Admission is free on First Thursday.There are some old computers.So big. So surprised to compare the the laptop with this very old giant computers.Cant believe the effect of technology development ...Kids will really love it.Students who are pursuing computer science course must visit this museum.

Excellent place to see old computers and learn about computing history. Many hands on exhibits and very knowledgeable staff. I especially love the 80s living room setup they have and vintage arcade machines. Its also nice that the older computers upstairs are set up and working with discs that you can boot the machines up with and play games.

Come in! Definately a must-go place to experience some history of computers. There are hands-on experiences, speakers, classes/labs, video games and small arcade (with free tokens), books, and much more. There is parking on site (free) and bathrooms / gift shop on prem. You can even leave and go for lunch then come back to finish your experience the same day. There are other discounts as well (AAA) and others. Just ask.

The first floor seemed mostly for kids but did have a retro arcade (free to play the games) an old school room setup and living room from the ~80s era filled with all the period furniture and tech. The second floor was really awesome for anyone over 20. It had tons of old machines running old software and almost all of it was hands on. Windows 1 machines, Lisa 1 and 2 with Oregon Trail, an Apple 1, and a bunch more. I was really glad I came to visit this place and got to play with all the old tech.

This place truly deserves 10 stars because it is truly the most exceptional museum I’ve ever visited as a technology geek and museum enthusiast. This beats out every other museum in town and is one of the only museums in the world with such a comprehensive collection of working computers from every decade. I easily spent almost 5 hours here and didn’t even get to spend as much time as I would have liked at each station. They were previewing a documentary on the Apple Newton which was extremely interesting and they even invited some of the key figures in the Newton project to come up and answer questions. Extremely exceptional staff and the entrance fee is completely reasonable for the amount of living history you are able to explore. They also have shown off some new technologies like app based drag and drop robots that are able to be programmed to VR, to an old arcade set, to a telepresence robot that you can drive around. It truly is heaven for geeks and non-geeks alike. There is something here to pique your interest even if you think you aren’t interested in computers.

This museum is truly a gem. You can interact with almost all of the machines from punch card makers to the Apple I and more modern computers. As someone who truly enjoys video games it was amazing to be able to play games from the 80s and 90s including some I remember from childhood. If I could I’d spend an entire day here on their second floor!

This museum in Seattle has a series of exhibits about computers, computer systems and artificial intelligence.The exhibits starts with the first computers made during WWII. They explain , better than I have ever seen it before, how computers really work. This museum has activities for kids. The Living Computer Museum is a great place to go as part of a trip to Seattle and is highly recommended.

We had a free museum pass so decided to stop by with two kids aged 3 and 11 without knowing nothing about the museum. We were pleasantly surprised by many fun interactive aspects of the museum. They had a huge panoramic screen with a batman looking car for all to enjoy what virtual driving/self driving feels like. They also had a robot with a screen you can control around the museum. Many fun activities that kept our kids busy for about an hour and half.

Great family/ children friendly hands-on computer history museum. Plenty of reminiscing for an old guy like me and fun for my children too. Saw a Verizon of the DEC PDP 8e that was the first computer I put my hands on.

Super cool place. You can find any technology here, old or new. Very interactive, they let you type on the old (ancient) computers (see pics)!! A must go-to place if you’re in Seattle

Fantastic museum! The first floor is more typical computer exhibits of the latest computer tech advances. They have a cool section recreating life and environment of the 80s such as a classroom. They also have a VR demo station. The top floor though has some of the most impressive items. There is an actual apple I built by the two Steves that you can actually type and interact with. They have woke mainframe systems up and running and a lot more. Very impressive and even nostalgic

Great educational, historical value for the computer age. wonderfully curated collection of vintage computer systems. although the museum itself isnt large you can spend a lot of time there. A place to visit with kids or on your own, if the computer is your thing.

Awesome place for kids to play with. Many funny toys and kids really enjoy them, also 3rd floor is a great place to learn lots of history on computers, it even has workable PDP-08!

A good to take a look of the changes of the computers, ideal for kids

The place has robots, computers, video game coding, mechanical motors, and so much more! It was pretty fun to wander and look around the packed, albeit small place; theres even a tour (not that I joined it)! Its very interactive in a lotta places and the 2.5 floors were throughly filled with stuff to do. I even saw kids interact and make mini robots and codes, control robots, and draw on old timey computers! Might go again to show someone if I had friends.

The museum has a variety of computers, ranging from those made in the 70s and earlier to the modern ones we see today, all in working condition! Customers are allowed to use the computers which is really cool! Id recommend going at least 3 hours before the museum closes if you really enjoy this stuff.

Very cool and interesting place. Really enjoyed the walk back through time, brought out lots of memories. Did a good job of showing where technology is today as well.

Amazing place. they have some real cool ancient tech including the first PC which runs on large tapes, the first mac. The staff was super friendly. The best part is that they will let you play around with these things. They have a good collection of semi modern things as well. You will enjoy this even if you arent someone who is a computer person. It deals with countercultural and how things have evolved over the past few decades.

Such a great endeavour, so many of the computers are alive and well. Ever wanted to try a NEXT, play some Atari 2600 or a vintage mainframe? You can!

I would give this place 10 stars if I could. Its an amazing experience for kids and adults alike! Paul Allens Living Computer Museum. There are 3 floors of all manner of gadgets, robots, computers, and tech history.Most of the exhibits are interactive. You can play with, ride in, and touch them. The first thing that caught our attention was the Autonomous Car Simulator. You sit in a model BMW surrounded by a big semi-circle screen. You start out driving then the auto-function takes over, and you map to shopping, downtown, or the park.They have numerous robotics exhibits you can control with the touch of a screen, and a full 1980s era arcade featuring Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Millipede, and more! Right next to a middle school computer lab of the same era, also interactive. And a room made up like your parents living room with Atari, original NES, and some other consoles that are before my time. We sat and played Rad Racer, Ninja Turtles & Super Mario for a half hour. All these games, including the arcade, are free with entry. Theres a machine that dispenses free tokens that rounds off the arcade experience.There are VR headset displays that sadly, you cant touch. And 3D printed items; rabbits and teapots that you can. There are interactive digital art exhibits. Sound Circles is a black pool table type display, that when you touch it circles appear accompanied by soothing sounds. And thats just a brief summary of the 1st floor!The 2nd floor features a modern computer and coding lab. And the 3rd is all about the history of computers. They have a huge whirring mainframe to explore. And computers and digital tech from every era. We sat and played Oregon Trail on an Apple 2 for awhile.This is a must visit place in Seattle! They even have an access program meaning anyone with an EBT or Medicaid card can get in for just $1, or $10 for a year-long membership. Truly making it so everyone can afford to go. Its really something special. Parking is free and easy in their dedicated lot.

This was a great experience for the evening. My husband and I went for the compliment art Thursday admission day, first of every month I believe and very much enjoyed it. The staff were friendly and it was a great day seeing how far technology has advanced.

This was a cool museum. Note that you can save some money buying the tickets online, even if you do that in the parking lot on your phone like we did. They had a floor dedicated to old tech, from mainframes to original personal punch card computers, up through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and on. They have tours a few times a day, which we unable to make. There were also exhibits on game development, robotics, and AI, though the historic stuff was the highlight for us. We spent about 2 hours total walking the museum.You can touch and play with a lot of the equipment, so it can be fun for kids (and adults!). Worth seeing if you are interested in how far we have come in computing.

Massive nostalgia overload. I’ve been here 3 times now. See the beginnings of the Information Age in action. Last working Apple 1 in existence, everything from the ancient tube room computers to virtual reality setups. Really well done and fantastic experience.

Lovely place. Incredibly informative.

Im 62 now , I saw computers that were in the background of One Adam-12 show , and the 6 Million dollar Man. Its was awesome , I remember having to install 20 or more floppy disk into a new computer from radio shack, that was on display as well. We went there this evening on the first Thursday of the month and it was free. Google shows they close at 6p.m. but there actually open until 8:00p.m. We spent almost an hour touring the museum. Time well worth spent. I was completely satisfied with the layout. Very friendly and totally knowledgeable staff showing much enthusiasm and patience with the public at large. This museum is definitely a hidden gem within the city of Seattle. Call ahead to confirm hours before heading out to see it. They do have a parking lot which looks like it could handle 20 or 30 cars at best.

Had a lot of fun remembering old commands to systems I used in my youth. Pretty much everything is hands on, with a few exceptions and a number of small items behind glass. Its really amazing to see how far computer tech has come in 50 years and makes you wonder whats next. Small gift shop has some fun items. The room for the 80s brought back a lot of memories! My 14 year old daughter spend a lot of time playing on the old game systems here. The mini arcade was also a huge flashback! I really thought I was better at some of the old games!

The best museum that I have ever been to!! I love those old computers. Playing with real Windows 1.0 and Apple 2. Feel and touch the history of computer. It is a museum that you can enjoy playing legacy video games and writing your own program with those computers!

Its so nice to look back to realize how the IT industry were built.

Ive lived in Seattle for 20+ years and I only just discovered this gem. This is a great place for people of all ages. Although, I feel like its catered more towards children on floors one and two.There are plenty of activities to keep one entertained for a couple of hours. There are interactive displays, games, labs, but most importantly, old computers to program or game with.There are lots of older computers you can use to write programs or you can pop in a game disc and play The Sims. Theres plenty to do and learn.Im not sure if it says this anywhere on the website but the first floor displays future/developing technologies. The second (and quite small) floor has current technologies, and the third floor has old technologies.Overall, I spent about three hours here and it was worth it. I recommend anyone with young children should come here. They do have a student discounts however, its awful. At the time of this review (Aug 2019) a student ID get you $2 off regular admission.To improve future experiences, the museum could print out more detailed manuals/instructions on how to program on the older computers. Following the instructions provided was frustrating and I didnt know what I was doing.

Fun and affordable! Large two story museum with lots of fun hands on activities. Modern tech is on the bottom floor while older tech is upstairs. Both floors packed with demos and information. We went on a weekday and pretty much had the place to ourselves. I would assume its busier on weekends.

This is an amazing place for geeks and those interested in computer history overall. Special thanks for the mainframe room! We first thought this will be a visit for an hour or two, but ended up spending half a day here. Spoiler alert: the 3rd floor is the meaty part - it is much bigger and more interesting than youd expect. Look up the schedule of free tours on their site, they are so much fun!The only downside is inconvenient location. Not exactly a very picturesque walk from Chinatown, lots of industrial buildings, two stadiums and somewhat shady people around.

This museum and so on, I loved getting to know computers, they have evolved a lot.

I had a few hours before my my flight and was looking for something to do solo. The Living Computers museum exceeded all expectations. It had something for everyone - the young and the more mature, digital native or not. I absolutely loved the 80s family room/basement where I could sit and play my favorite Nintendo games I don’t think I’ve seen since ~1992. It really is remarkable to see computers evolve over time and this captures that evolution perfectly. They have items I don’t think you’ll see anywhere else and if so, highly unlikely anything could be this hands on and open to use. If you speak code, you’ll get nostalgic dabbling in some early languages. If you were a student in the 90s, you’ll get to use computers just as they were - Macintosh andWindows 95. Quite a neat collection of history.

I brought my 5 and 2 year old here and we all loved it. Very well-put together and professional. Enough interactive exhibits for the kids and lots of nostalgia for me. I loved watching my five year old using Microsoft paint on an old desk top. Both girls loved the programmable robots and the tablets featuring Osmo. I loved the replica basement from the 80s.

This is a great museum with fascinating and interactive exhibits that take visitors through a long history of computing and video games, tying things to modern culture and helping people to understand how modern technology involved. Its a very fun stop that I recommend for both visitors and locals.

Really nice place to visit! Enjoyed knowing more about computer history, remembering old times and the presentation Ive seen was really good. Cool thing is that you can in fact use the machines, I even get a punch card written by me as a souvenir :)

First Thursdays of the month are free 5-8PM. Three hours is not nearly enough to experience everything here. Theres quite a few old computer systems including tons of games and software from back in the day. You can play timeless classics like Space War, Oregon Trail, Pong, Asteroids, etc from tons of old systems. The mainframe room is pretty cool with live systems. Also you can play chess against a super computer and if you win, get your picture in the hall of fame!Theres also new technology including a VR demo, robot building blocks, and video game development stations. If I lived closer, Id definitely consider a membership, but Ill settle for the free entry on first Thursdays for now.

Great place to take the kids and share a love of and connection to technology. Interesting programming and lectures on specialty weekends. This is an amazing space and highlights the human connection to the tech that drives our world

Easy location to find. There is a small free parking lot on the side or a few parking spaces around the back. On the first Thursday of the month, admission is free. There is a lot to see and interact with: robots, computers, self-driving car, etc. Fun for kids and adults. My favorite was the VR section where I was able to “go whale-watching”. A good-sized museum—not too big or too small.

This is the coolest museum that Ive been to in a long time. They have current technology on the first floor, and the older stuff on the second floor. The best part is that you can interact with almost everything here, even the oldest of their computers. I will be coming back!

Really enjoyed exploring this museum! loved being able to get my hands on so many different pieces of technology! loved the 80’s room as well as the big checkers board game, and the old school computer games! would recommend to anyone!

This was an awesome place to visit. We got to use almost all the computers on display and got to take a punch card home as a souvenir. We almost missed the arcade section because its tucked in the back corner of the first floor but it was definitely worth visiting. Glad we didnt miss it! There was a lot of interactive aspects to the museum which was fun for us as adults. There were a lot of children and they all seemed to be having a good time. I would recommend setting aside a few hours to go through the museum if you want to do a lot of the interactive stuff.

Super cool museum for all ages. The first floor is all modern tech with a lot of interactive exhibits and the second floor takes you through the history of computers. Great experience!

OMG. Take a trip back in time. I loved seeing the arcade, classroom, and basement mock ups. The best part is that you can interact with almost everything. Play games that you havent played since the 80s and in an 80s environment! It was a treat to take my son back to the things I was doing at his age. Wow

Geek out tech. Hands-on experience with robotics, augmented reality, ai, self-driving cars, big data, internet of things, video-game making, and digital art. So lucky to see, use heirloom vintage computers and to be able to see the history of computing!

I cannot describe in words the fun I had. I cannot emphasize how important and underlooked this place is. You must come. Exhibits are awesome, and the interactives are top notch. PLEASE COME!!

Pretty awesome for both its modern and historical aspects on view to the public. And where else can you use an IBM 29 punch card machine or play an Atari 2600 video game computer/console?! I would like to return without my young kids so I can pay more attention.

For me as a computer fan it was very good I liked it a lot.

Awesome for vintage computing fans, everythings accessible from mainframes to PCs!

Great place if youre into technology. Planned to spend an hour or two but ended up spending four because there was so much to do and look at. The best part is that almost every single computer works and can be used to play games or do whatever.

Had such a great time exploring this place!! I wish I had been able to explore more but I was able to see some awesome parts of the museum. When I return to Seattle, I hope to be able to explore it some more.

Good place where you can see both old and new technology. You can learn a lot of things about technology, and they show it in a simple and beautiful way that everybody should understand.

Interesting museum. Very hands on. Learned some stuff and got to play cool old arcade games :)

Great educational experience for all ages. Downstairs they have newer technology while upstairs had older computers. We personally loved seeing all of the older computers and seeing how far we have come. Loved that the whole museum is hands on with interactive technology on all floors of the building.

This is a nice museum. There are classic, old-fashioned computers there that are free to code on. I had a pretty good experience there, and this place is perfect for field trips with educational purposes. They also have a room for kids to learn coding with EV3 Lego Mindstorm robots.

Theyre not kidding about the living part! Many of the vintage computers are not only operable, but available for visitors to use. For example, I played chess against a computer from 1965. Very unique experience!

So many memories, a lot of the gear is working and usable, so much fun, made a computer punch card love note for my mate. Old arcade games! Loved seeing the old server mainframe computers.

This museum is fantastic for all ages and comfort levels around computers. The curators have done a wonderful job of weaving multiple perspectives and disciplines into telling the history of computing. The only element I think it lacks is a mention of the ENIAC.

OMG. This place was amazing. I could spend all day here. Even had the old computer room scents

Wonderful place to explore loads of technology experience for kids and adults. Good learning experience. Tough to get kids out of this place. Well maintained historic computers. Must visit place.

One of the neatest places Ive been. A great place to take your kids. Things to do for any age and a lot to learn from. You can play arcade games, tokens provided, a virtual reality headset, the original Atari, test drive a virtual self driving car, or games on a variety of computers located upstairs. You can also explore with a roaming robot, challenge Alexa to a guessing game and play Minecraft. Do take some time to learn where computers came from and how the size has shrunk over the years. Fans of Ready Player One might find it interesting to see a room that looks like its right out of the book and games mentioned in it right next door. A definite recommendation to any one to visit, fun for all, young or old. Easy to find with Starbucks headquarters located next door.

There is something for everyone at the Living Computers Museum. These are not just old computers behind glass; as a living museum, many of the computers are working and accessible. The history of computing comes alive here, with everything from early supercomputers to the evolution of the computers that we use in our daily lives. As a legacy computer enthusiast I enjoyed seeing many of the historical systems that I have read about, but also loved getting to talk with some of the engineers that helped restore them to life. My family enjoyed many of the first floor exhibits like telepresence robots and a fully functioning 90s arcade, as well as some of the interactive exhibits on the second floor. I would plan a half day for a visit, but its definitely worth it even if you only have an hour or two to visit.

Hands-on exhibits, vintage computers, and a great learning experience!

Great hidden museum. First on the first Thursday of each month. Holds a large collection of old computers, all available for use. Well-maintained.

This is an amazing place to visit, so much history there and yet its all alive and interactive which also makes it incredibly fun. Aimed more at adults and teens than kids, although there are plenty of games from across the ages to play too - the arcade is awesome

Really awesome interactive museum about the history of computers, robotics, and emerging tech. Easy, free parking. Great activities on their new first floor.

Really cool place to get hands on with old computers. I just wish that there were different programs besides games on them - would love to see a setup with the Atari ST where you could try out music software (even better if it was hooked up to an old analogue synth).

Fantastic place to see the history of computers in general, and especially personal computing. You can interact with most of their early 80 collection. Would like so see some Non-U. S. Computers like some Sinclair and BBC Micro that they are missing.

Fun place to learn about how far we have come in the age of computers

Super fun museum full of vintage computers and modern technology. Plus video and computer games.

Great fun for geeks like me. The old school computer room is an education. The working Macs and PCs are cool. Worth a visit

Might be a cool museum, however, theyre only after your money. If you get your tickets online (for students) it is $16 instead of $20 and nobody ever bothered to mention that. Total theft, WONT be back. One of the employees replied me as we dont have to mention discounted online rate on the front desk Shame on you for stealing from a student

Awesome place! Took my son and we had a blast. Very interactive and educational, no matter who you are, youll also feel nostalgic when you see your first pc in a museum!

Amazing place to visit for geeks. It was really cool to see, interact and learn about early computers. Even has a small arcade!

Definitely a highlight of our first trip to Seattle. My husband is a programmer and enjoyed seeing early technology. We visited in November during the week and practically had a private tour. Do the 11:15 tour for sure. Justin was very personable and educated us on the functionality, history and demonstration of systems. Our 6 year old was captivated by the ability to be included in the demonstrations of real, completely functional vintage systems! She loved the robot section as well. 3 hours flew by and we could have easily spent 3 more there. I personally enjoyed the 80s time capsule. It was a wonderful, immersive nostalgia experience.

I dont think I stopped smiling the whole time I was here. Staff was super helpful. If you dont see your first computer, ask.

Wonderful museum! Give yourself at least three hours to hang out and explore. I would also suggest starting at the top floor and working your way down. There are so many interactive exhibits and so much information to soak up. I cant wait to go back!

There are some interactive parts of the exhibition - they are so much fun - doesnt really matter whether youre an adult or a kid! We were fascinated by the history and things we remember from our childhood. Id go again.

This place was a ton of fun! Kids will love the lower levels and I loved the history of computers on the 3rd floor.

Great place to geek out in Seattle! A whole lotta fun for the nerd in all of us ... even if you try to hide it. Spent like 2 hours here and it felt like 30 minutes. A completely interactive timeline of computing ... from mainframes to PCs to consoles and everything in between. Never has a name been so fitting ... the history of computing will literally be at your fingertips!

If you are a slightly older geek like I am, dont miss out on this trip down memory lane, its brilliant! You can even create you own original punch card :) highly recommended if you have an hour or two to kill

Besides all the fun exhibitions, I like the 80s atmosphere of its arcade game room. I can totally hang out there, do my work on my laptop, and play arcade during break. Serves my nostalgic.

Its a pretty good way to spend an afternoon: reliving my childhood computer and console memories. I tried to load the Ancient Art of War disk on the old 386 PC, but unfortunately it didnt work. That would have really brought the nostalgia home. As cool as it was, there wasnt really anything to bring me back to the museum.

Amazing museum, highly recommend you visit if you are in the area. Will definitely be back to see the things I didnt have the chance to see

If you are a technology buff, then this is the place to see old Big Iron, many of them in working order. Even has an old Cray supercomputer (sadly decommissioned)/and lots of old Apple machines. The museum is a little sparse on the software side of things, though. Well worth a visit.

Really interesting experience. Best for 4th grade plus. Has excellent staff very knowledgeable and offers field trips. Fun basement simulator and comprehensive collection of computers through the years. Over all a nice one time experience that I might take friends to.

The displays far exceeded my expectations. Inside the place is much larger and more interesting than you would expect from looking at the buildjng. They have retro kit and great exposioof the history of computing but also really forward looking areas as well. A nice gift shop.

Really great place, with tons of interactive exhibits to keep younger kids engaged. Theres even a small free-play arcade with old 80s-era arcade cabinets setup. Definitely worth a visit.

I had an absolute blast coming here! The staff is so friendly, the place is very well kept with many interactive exhibits. You can bring your entire family, it is extremely friendly for kids and adults. It includes virtual reality, car simulations, and programmable robots. There also robots that can be driven around to talk to people through them. It was an extremely enjoyable experience. I highly recommend to anyone with a family of any size. It also has many workshops and programs. It combines fun with learning. 5/5 stars. I would give more if possible.

This place is a fascinating journey through the history of computers. Brush up on your knowledge of BASIC, Linux+GNU interfaces, and early windows as you explore the history of computing. Still under construction, the displays they have now are absolutely worth a visit, and with student ID it is a mere $4 for general admission (see everything at your own pace).

What an amazing place to learn about and interact with old historical computers!

Its absolutely amazing to see technology progress. Tour guide was very knowledgeable!

A must-see whether youre 15, 35, 55, or 75. So much to see & learn. A very geeky museum, which is just what you want from such a place.

Beautiful place. Took my dad for a visit while he was visiting to show him old computers that he used to work with and even remembered certain hardware that was so old that he had forgotten about. Its is very cool to see the old Unix machines up and running or the old mainframes at the cooled room. I would recommend to go there with more than just one hour. There is a lot to see and experiment with. This museum allows you to actually use the computers on display. Was also very interesting to see the Apollo lander computer console in there. There are lots of IoT to play with and even my one year old daughter loved the place.

I was afraid it will be boring, but I couldnt be more wrong. We needed to drag out ourselves after 3 hours, because we really needed to go. My kids were amazed by the robots on the first floor, and we were amazed by all the working old computers on the 3rd floor. Lots to do lots to see if you are into technology. We easily couldve spend the whole day there.

If youre into computers or technology at all, you gotta check this place out. Its so cool to see all of the old computers that are still up and running right next to some of the cool new stuff like self driving cars, VR, robots and more.