Unless you're lucky enough to have air conditioning, there's a good chance you spent the better part of this historically sticky Seattle weekend splayed in front of a box fan with all your shades drawn, gazing incredulously at your phone's weather app while feeling a particular reverence for your freezer and its icy contents. If you don't want to repeat that process on future hot summer days, bookmark this page to refer to some of our favorite air-conditioned spaces in town. Plus, check out our roundup of boozy frozen drinks Like List to try this summer.
See also: the city's complete list of cooling centers.
* = Advance tickets encouraged.
Jump to: Libraries | Museums | Movie Theaters | Art Galleries | Bookstores
LIBRARIES
Seattle Public Libraries
Ballard
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Beacon Hill
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Broadview
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Central
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Delridge
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Douglass-Truth
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Greenwood
Like
List
(Wed-Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
High Point
Like
List
(Wed-Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
Chinatown-International District
Like
List
(Sun, 10 am-6 pm & Mon, 12-6 pm)
Lake City
Like
List
(Tues-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
Magnolia
Like
List
(Wed & Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
Rainier Beach
Like
List
(Wed & Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
South Park
Like
List
(Mon, Thurs & Sat, 10 am-6 pm)
King County Libraries
Boulevard Park
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Fri-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Enumclaw
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Federal Way
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Kent
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Kirkland
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Lake Forest Park
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Lake Hills
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Skyway
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Tukwila
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
Woodinville
Like
List
(Tues-Wed, 1-8 pm & Thurs-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
MUSEUMS
*Bellevue Arts Museum
Like
List
Bellevue (Fri-Sat, 11 am-5 pm)
*Burke Museum
Like
List
University District (Tues-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
*Chihuly Garden & Glass
Like
List
Seattle Center (Tues-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
*Frye Art Museum
Like
List
First Hill (Tues-Sun, 11 am-5 pm)
*Henry Art Gallery
Like
List
University District (Sat-Sun, 10 am-5 pm)
*Museum of Flight
Like
List
Tukwila (Daily, 10 am-5 pm)
*Museum of History & Industry
Like
List
South Lake Union (Thurs-Mon, 10 am-5 pm)
*Museum of Museums
Like
List
First Hill (Thurs-Fri, 5-10 pm & Sat, 12-10 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
*Museum of Pop Culture
Like
List
Seattle Center (Mon-Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sat-Sun, 9 am-6 pm)
*National Nordic Museum
Like
List
Ballard (Thurs-Sun, 10 am-5 pm)
*Seattle Art Museum
Like
List
Downtown (Thurs-Sun, 10 am-5 pm)
*Seattle Asian Art Museum
Like
List
Capitol Hill (Fri-Sun, 10 am-5 pm)
*Wing Luke Museum
Like
List
Chinatown-International District (Fri-Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
MOVIE THEATERS
See our picks for new in-person showtimes every Thursday.
*Admiral Theater
Like
List
(West Seattle)
*AMC Pacific Place 11
(Downtown)
*AMC 10
Like
List
(University District)
*Ark Lodge
(Columbia City)
*Cinemark Lincoln Square
(Bellevue)
*Crest Cinema Center
(Shoreline)
*Grand Cinema
(Tacoma)
*Regal Meridian
(Downtown)
*Varsity Theatre
(University District)
ART GALLERIES
ArtXChange
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sat, 11 am-5:30 pm)
Columbia City Gallery
Like
List
Columbia City (Wed-Sat, 11 am-6 pm)
CORE
Like
List
Pioneer Square (Wed-Sat, 12-6 pm)
*Davidson Galleries
Like
List
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sat, 11 am-5:30 pm)
Gallery 110
Pioneer Square (Thurs-Sat, 12-5 pm)
Ghost Gallery
Capitol Hill (Wed-Sat, 12-6 pm)
Greg Kucera Gallery
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sat, 10:30 am-5:30 pm)
J. Rinehart Gallery
Like
List
Pioneer Square (Wed-Sat, 11 am-5 pm)
Linda Hodges Gallery
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sat, 10:30 am-5 pm)
*METHOD
Pioneer Square (Fri-Sat, 12-5 pm)
Patricia Rovzar Gallery
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sat, 11 am-5 pm)
*Photographic Center Northwest
First Hill (Mon-Thurs, 12:30 pm-9 pm)
Push/Pull
Pioneer Square (Wed-Sun, 1-6 pm)
Roq La Rue
Capitol Hill & Madison Valley (Fri-Sat, 12-4 pm)
SOIL
Pioneer Square (Tues-Sun, 12-5 pm)
Stonington Gallery
Like
List
Pioneer Square (Wed-Sat, 11 am-3 pm)
Traver Gallery
Like
List
Pioneer Square (Tues-Fri, 10 am-6 pm & Sat, 10 am-5 pm)
*Winston Wächter Fine Art
Pioneer Square (Mon-Sat, 11 am-4 pm)
BOOKSTORES
See more of our favorite bookstores here Like List .
Arundel Books
Pioneer Square (Mon-Sat, 11 am-7 pm & Sun, 12-6 pm)
Elliott Bay Book Company
Like
List
Capitol Hill (Daily, 10 am-8 pm)
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
Like
List
Georgetown (Mon-Sat, 11:30 am-8 pm & Sun, 11:30 am-5 pm)
Open Books
Like
List
Wallingford (Tues-Sat, 10 am-2 pm & 3-6 pm)
University Book Store
Like
List
University District (Mon-Sat, 10 am-6 pm)