Explore Imagine

Exhibits

Our playful learning galleries are inspired by Snohomish County and our regional economy, geography, and history.

Each area is designed to engage children through open-ended activities that support cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth.

Three floors, one rooftop, and a whole lot to explore!

Journey with a child through imaginative playscapes that inspire make-believe, creativity, movement, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

People playing in the interior of a children's museum, modeled on a woodland forest with rope bridges above.

Woodlands Adventure

Start your journey in a larger-than-life indoor forest. Climb over rope bridges to find hidden places in the tree canopy. Explore our Bird Watch Lookout and Mount Pilchuck Fire Lookout. Fish for trout in our pond, walk through the Snohomish Bicycle Tree, and see if you can spot Bigfoot from his treetop hideout.

Wildlife Rescue

Kindle a love of animals and the natural world as you step into wildlife rescue and care as a veterinarian or technician. Learn about animal health and conservation as you examine wildlife with X-rays, bathe the animals, and look at microscope slides of cells and hair.

Camp Imagine

Everyone can go camping year-round at Camp Imagine. Gather around the campfire to tell stories or simply have fun roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

Two girls smile at each other next to an interactive exhibit made of clear tubes. A bright pink and blue scarf float down into one of the girl's outstretched hands.

Air-Mazing Laboratory

Experience the power of air in this wildly interactive exhibit exploring air movement. Watch colorful scarves whip through a maze of transparent tubing, then jump to catch them as they shoot out into the air.

Young children are supported by adults as they play in an interactive water exhibit

WaterWorks

Expect to get wet with water play in this popular area for visitors of all ages and abilities. Explore force, gravity, and lift while using water to shoot balls into the air, watch a giant vortex, build a fountain, or create a raceway.

Young children play in a room with durable climbing structures with a beach and waterways theme.

Early Childhood Seashore

This area is designed just for children ages 3 and younger. Explore our balance beam boardwalk, climb over a bridge, crawl through a tunnel, or curl up and read books in our tent.

A child runs up a ramp into the open door of a children's museum exhibit designed to look like an airplane, while a girl cranks a conveyor belt loaded with luggage.

Imagine-Air

Step into the world of aviation, an industry with strong roots in our region. Take the controls in the cockpit, experience the journey as a passenger, or load and unload cargo as a busy ground crew member.

An interior scene at a children's museum with a large black train engine emerging from a mountain tunnel.

Monte Cristo Railway + Cascade Trail Collector Train

Watch the Cascade Trail miniature electric train speed through an elaborate setting of early Snohomish County. Be a train conductor in our kid-sized train cab, then use wooden trains to wind your way through the Cascade Mountains along the Monte Cristo Railroad.

Interior scene of a children's museum exhibit made from the front of an actual bus.

Everett Transit Bus

Climb aboard our full-sized transit bus cab. Sit in the driver’s seat, wear a uniform, and pretend to take fare from the passengers.

Piccolo Café

Take orders, then prepare and serve your own yummy feast at this child-scale restaurant. The kitchen is packed with a variety of food and drinks for unlimited pretend play.

A child and adult stand on the stage in a child-size theatre lit up in a dark interior.

Imagine Theatre

Become a singer, dancer, or actor for a day. Work at the ticket booth, run the lights, create sound effects, observe as a theatre guest, or dash backstage and dress up to star in an impromptu production.

A toy robot and dinosaur stand in front of an illustrated backdrop.

Movie Studio

Become the director of your own stop motion animation film. Choose a backdrop, select your characters, and play back your movie for your family and friends.

The interior space of a log cabin with books on shelves

P.J.’s Place

Snuggle up and choose your next adventure in P.J.’s Place, a cozy reading nook filled with books and comfortable seating for all ages. This is a great place to take a quiet break.

Treehouse

Enjoy a bird’s-eye view inside a treehouse. Venture inside at ground level and host a puppet show with forest critters, then scamper across a suspension bridge and peek at friends below through a periscope.

Two tables have wooden blocks of different sizes in front of a purple wall.

Marble Maze Madness

Use our wooden marble runs to create a unique path. Can you make a marble maze that runs the length of the whole room? How about a tall tower with lots of twists and turns?

Children and older adults play in an interior scene made to look like a farm. A child drives a pretend tractor.

Rise and Shine Farm

Take a journey to the farm, inspired by the agricultural heritage and working farms in our region. Ride a horse, drive a vintage tractor, milk a cow, count milk bottles, feed baby piglets, and collect eggs from chickens.

A toddler stands in a dark room looking at an illuminated screen.

Recollections Room

Dance to the music while watching yourself splashed on the big screen in waves of color. Write or draw pictures on the wall using light pens. The Recollections Room is a multisensory adventure that sparks creativity.

The Lodge

This versatile gallery offers playful learning activities, including Story Time, Playing with Music, RAD Science, performances, and special events. Check our Museum calendar to see what is happening today.

An interior scene in a children's museum with an illuminated sand table, aquarium, microscopes and whale skeleton.

Puget Sound Ecosystem

Encounter the skeleton of a real gray whale and walk through its huge rib cage. Observe live marine animals in our 500-gallon cold water aquarium, explore natural details with digital microscopes, and make flowing rivers and erupting volcanoes in an augmented reality sand table.

Children concentrate at a table while grown ups and children stand at a large wind tunnel.

Engineer It!

Experiment with aerodynamics as you design and make a flying contraption out of recycled materials, then send it flying in our wind tunnel. Try other inventions with no fear of failure, explore basic machines with cogs and pulleys, and step into our crane cab.

Interior of a children's museum where children gather around and place boxes into a conveyance system with a modified forklift in the background.

Worldwide Distribution

Explore the world of global trade happening right here in Snohomish County. Lift, sort, and move boxes using kid-friendly conveyance systems while getting a playful introduction to geography, logistics, and our globally connected economy.

An interior scene in a children's museum, with a pretend tug boat, crane and row boat.

Import, Export, Our Port

Get a glimpse of our bustling local port and the fascinating workings of maritime trade and transport. Take the helm as a tugboat captain, operate a crane, put on life jackets, and learn about water safety in our rowboat.

Children and adults stand at child-size workbenches.

Tinker Shop

Join a session in the Tinker Shop for a hands-on experience with real tools. After a short safety briefing, select a piece of wood, head to your workbench, and learn the basics of using a hammer, saw, vise, and even a power drill in a safe and supervised environment.

A woman and a child make art at a table in front of a colorful background.

Art Hangout

Art Hangout is where families create together in a laid-back and welcoming atmosphere. Children and grownups use unique art materials to make something new, whether they are painting, sculpting, or crafting with recycled objects.

An exterior play area with large jungle gym on a sunny day.

Rooftop Adventure

Our rooftop offers families over 9,000 sq. ft. for active, outdoor play. Climb the Tall Timbers wooden play structure, dig for dinosaur bones underneath a Stegosaurus skeleton, and explore Rooftop Rhythms with a range of musical instruments.

Please note: Access to Rooftop Adventure is weather dependent and may not be available during your visit. Museum staff will share rooftop availability upon entry, and access may change throughout the day as conditions allow.