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.

Plan your free visit

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

Explore all

Tour & Staff Chat

Thursday, May 22, 2025 | 2 – 3 pm PST
Discovery Center

Global Health Diplomacy | 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.

Heather Yang Hwalek speaks during the IGNITE employee storytelling session. — Heather Yang Hwalek speaks during the IGNITE employee storytelling session during the Annual Employee Meeting at The Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2022.

Bring It To Me: Stationary Tour

Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 10 – 11 am PST
Discovery Center

The first gallery of our space requires very little movement and visitors can stay seated. Facilitators will share objects and props as part of storytelling.

Visitors remain seated during a stationary tour of the Discovery Center galleries. — Visitors enjoy guided tour at the World Toilet Day celebration at the Gates Foundation Discovery Center in Seattle, WA on November 16, 2024.

Stories You Can Feel: Tactile Tour

Saturday, June 14, 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.

Guest participates in a tactile tour at the Discovery Center.

Low Sensory Input Morning

Saturday, June 28, 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.

Visitors participate in a stationary tour at the Discovery Center.

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.

View the exhibition

On view

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.

On view

Get involved gallery

How would you change your community for the better? We share all sorts of ways you can make a difference.

Close up of the share your cause rack in the Discovery Center. Visitors can personalize a card and hang on the rack during their visit.

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Arrive curious. Leave inspired.