Arrive curious.
Leave inspired.
Imagine a world where all of us can live healthy and productive lives. Explore our exhibitions, learn about the work of the Gates Foundation and its partners, and be inspired to take action on causes you care about.
Hours and location
Open Wednesday – Saturday | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Public tour @ 2 p.m. | Toilet tour @ 3:30 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday
440 Fifth Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109
Always free
Upcoming events and tours
Teen Action Fair
Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 10 am – 3 pm PDT
Discovery Center
Teen Action Fair is an annual event created for teens by teens in our Youth Ambassador Program. Engage with local organizations, take part in games and activities, and connect with other teens!
Tour & Staff Chat
Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 2 – 3 pm PST
Discovery Center
Storytelling & Global Health | Tour the galleries for 30 minutes with a Discovery Center guide and then chat with a featured staff member at the Gates Foundation about their area of focus.
Stories You Can Feel: Tactile Tour
Saturday, March 29, 2025 | 10 – 11 am PST
Discovery Center
The tactile tour used objects that visitors can touch. Staff are trained in visual descriptions and have basic sighted guide training.
Low Sensory Input Morning
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 10 – 11 am PST
Discovery Center
Low sensory input mornings take place during the first hour and a half that the Discovery Center is open on select Saturdays. The space is fully open to the public during these times. The Discovery Center is mostly lit by natural light through a bank of windows, but during these low sensory mornings, the gallery lighting is lowered, videos operate with captions, and the audio is turned off.
Featured Exhibition
A Better Way to Go
Toilets and the Future of Sanitation
Explore innovations, powerful stories, toilets of the future, art installations, and visions of resilient and sustainable sanitation systems.
Exhibition highlights
Our work gallery
At the Discovery Center, you’ll see examples of how we work with partners around the world to fight disease, gender inequality, make agricultural innovations, and more.
Get involved gallery
How would you change your community for the better? We share all sorts of ways you can make a difference.
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