Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly is from Tacoma and studied glass in Venice with the Murano masters, and this opened in 2012 on the Seattle Center site where a fairground ride had stood. Eight interior galleries run through the major series - the Sealife room, the Persian ceiling walked under from below, Ikebana, Macchia bowls lit from behind. The Glasshouse is the centrepiece: a curved glass structure with a suspended sculpture about thirty metres long in reds, oranges and yellows overhead, deliberately warm-coloured for a grey-sky city. Outside, glass is planted among real vegetation in a garden so that the two read together. He lost sight in one eye in a 1976 car accident and stopped blowing personally after a later injury, directing teams since.

What to look for

• Eight galleries of major series - Sealife, Persian ceiling, Macchia.
• The Glasshouse - a thirty-metre suspended sculpture overhead.
• Glass planted among real plants - in the outdoor garden.
• Work made by directed teams - Chihuly stopped blowing himself decades ago.

When to go

Year round; evenings light the garden well. Two hours.

Before you go

It is expensive for its size and takes about two hours. Timed entry applies at busy periods. It is a single-artist commercial venue rather than a public museum. Combination tickets with the Space Needle are better value if you want both.

Nearby

The Space Needle is next door; MoPOP is across the Center.

Key facts