How to Schedule a Tour and Prepare for Your Visit

Requests for school tours or visits must be submitted using our online web form at least four weeks in advance for any of SAM’s three locations: SAM Downtown, the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Olympic Sculpture Park.

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Step 1: Fill Out an Online Request Form

This form provides us with the necessary information to begin processing your request. It does not constitute a confirmed tour booking.

Tours and visits must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance of your visit. Email, fax or phone requests are not accepted. The museum cannot accommodate unscheduled groups.

If you would like your group to stay in the museum after a guided program and continue viewing exhibits, please be sure to request a self-guided visit on your request form. There is no additional fee for a self-guided visit on the same day as a guided program, and there is no time limit for self-guided visits.

Step 2: Confirmation

Your confirmation letter (which is also an invoice), chaperone information, visit guidelines and any pre-visit materials will be emailed or mailed to you after your tour has been booked. Your booking is not final until you receive this confirmation letter/invoice. If we are unable to accommodate your group, you will be notified via phone or email. If you need to communicate with the museum, please contact the Tour Coordinator at 206.654.3123 or tours@seattleartmuseum.org.

Step 3: Payment

Please do not send payment with your initial online request. The confirmation letter that you receive once your visit is booked doubles as an invoice and contains payment instructions. Payment prior to your tour date is preferred but not required. Please do not bring your payment with you on the date of the tour. Please pay before or after your visit by check or credit card according to the instructions on your confirmation letter/invoice.

The fee for guided and self-guided programs is a flat rate per group (1–35 students) that includes museum admission for students, teachers and chaperones. The fee for ARTreach workshops is a flat rate per class (1–35 students). Fees are indicated on the online request forms.

Schools with 40% or more of their students on a subsidized lunch program may apply for a 50% fee reduction for guided and self-guided visits to one of SAM’s three locations; they may also apply for a free ARTreach workshop. Partial bus reimbursement is also available.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellation requests must be made in writing no fewer than two weeks or ten working days in advance of your visit. Please email your request to tours@seattleartmuseum.org. If a cancellation is made at least two weeks or ten working days before a tour date, a full refund will be granted or payment may be re-applied to any rescheduled tour. Payments made with credit card will be refunded directly to the same card. Refunds of checks or cash payments will be made by check from SAM to the party designated by the school. No refunds will be given if cancellation is made within two weeks or ten business days of the tour date.

Step 4: Plan Your Visit

If you book a guided tour, a museum or park guide (docent) will contact you approximately one week before your tour to confirm your reservation and answer any questions you may have. Please avoid giving students assignments to complete during guided programs. These experiences are interactive and require dialogue between guides (docents) and students.

For resources to enhance your class's trip to the museum, visit the Wyckoff Teacher Resource Center or explore SAM’s online collection, where you can find out what objects are on view and listen to audio guides for SAM’s collections and special exhibitions directly from SAM’s website.

Group Size and Chaperones

A single group can range from 1 to 35 students. At least one chaperone is required for every six students in grades K–2 and one chaperone for every ten students in grades 3–12. Additional chaperones are welcome and will not be charged additional admission beyond the flat fee for the class. However, all chaperones are expected to facilitate students’ engagement in the educational experience as well as manage student discipline for the duration of the class visit to the museum or park. Students must remain with chaperones at all times.

Checking In

SAM Downtown

Museum guides (docents) will meet groups with guided tours at their scheduled tour time at the First Avenue and University Street entrance by the Hammering Man. Groups arriving before the museum opens should wait outside. Docents will direct students to place all backpacks, lunches and coats in the school bins provided. Teachers and chaperones may check coats and bags larger than 11 x 15 inches into Coat Check.

School groups visiting the museum on their own (self-guided groups) should enter SAM Downtown at the First Avenue and Union Street entrance. Place all student backpacks, lunches and coats in the school bins provided on either side of the entrance. Send one adult to check in at the Ticketing Desk while the group waits by the school bins. Teachers and chaperones may check coats and bags larger than 11 x 15 inches into Coat Check behind the Information Desk. After check-in, groups may proceed directly up the escalators to the galleries. View maps of SAM Downtown.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Museum guides (docents) will meet groups with guided tours at their scheduled tour time at the museum entrance. Groups arriving before the museum opens should wait outside.

School groups visiting the museum on their own (self-guided groups) should check in at the Ticketing Desk. View maps of the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Museum guides (docents) will meet groups with guided tours at their scheduled tour time at the entrance to the PACCAR Pavilion. Groups arriving before the PACCAR Pavilion opens should wait outside.

School groups visiting the park on their own (self-guided groups) should check in at the Information Desk. View maps of the Olympic Sculpture Park.

School Bus and Car Transportation

SAM Downtown

Students should be dropped off and picked up at the bus loading zone on southbound Second Avenue at University Street. Bus parking is not available at SAM Downtown; however, limited bus parking is available at the following locations:

• Alaskan Way: Free 20-minute bus parking is available on the west side of Alaskan Way, north of the Seattle Aquarium.
• First Avenue: Free limited bus parking is available on First Avenue between Atlantic and Massachusetts Avenues near Safeco Field.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Students should be dropped off and picked up in front of the museum. Free bus parking is available in Volunteer Park. The best place to park is north of the museum along the street; however, buses are not limited to that area. Free car parking is also available in Volunteer Park. There are many spaces in front of the museum and along the side streets.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Students should be dropped off and picked up in front of the PACCAR Pavilion on Western Avenue north of Broad Street. School bus parking is available in metered areas on streets south of the park and on Alaskan Way just north of the Seattle Aquarium. Paid car parking is available in the parking garage below the PACCAR Pavilion and on neighboring streets.

School Bus Reimbursement

Partial reimbursement of the cost of school bus transportation to any of SAM’s three locations is available on a first-come, first-served basis to schools with 40% or more students on a subsidized lunch program. Indicate your interest in partial bus reimbursement on your registration form and complete the bus expense reimbursement form (PDF) after your visit.

Public Transportation

For detailed information, contact Metro Transit at 206.553.3000.

• SAM Downtown

  Many Metro buses serve SAM Downtown along First Avenue. Detailed rider information is available by calling Metro at 206.553.3000, Sound Transit at 206.398.5000 or Community Transit at 206.353.7433.

• Seattle Asian Art Museum

  Metro bus #10 stops along 15th Avenue behind the museum. Follow one of the walking paths through Volunteer Park to the museum.

• Olympic Sculpture Park

  Metro buses #1, 2, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22 and 56 stop along First Avenue just one block east of the park on Broad Street. Other buses service Second Avenue.

Storage Space

If possible, leave items such as lunches or backpacks in vehicles. Limited storage bins are available at SAM Downtown at the First and University entrance for groups on guided tours and at the First and Union entrance for groups visiting the museum on their own (self-guided groups). Teachers and chaperones visiting SAM Downtown may check bags larger than 11 x 15 inches and coats in the Coat Check behind the Information Desk. Limited school group storage bins are also available at the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Seattle Asian Art Museum upon request at the Information Desk.

Museum Safety Rules

• Please do not touch any of the works of art.
• Food, beverages and gum are not permitted in the galleries.
• Bags, purses and backpacks larger than 11 x 15 inches must be checked or left in a school group storage bin. Students should take valuables such as wallets and cell phones with them into the galleries or park grounds. At SAM Downtown, teachers and chaperones can check their bags at Coat Check near the First and Union entrance.
• If you plan to have your students draw or write in the permanent collection galleries, please use dry media only (pencils, colored pencils or chalk) and bring your own materials.
• Photography of the artwork in the galleries is not permitted. The art objects are copyrighted, and flash photography can damage them.
• Chaperones must attend to their student groups at all times, being responsible both for their discipline and for facilitating an enjoyable and engaging learning experience for all.
  

Sack Lunch Locations

SAM Downtown

Groups may eat sack lunches on the Art Ladder staircase or outside on the University Street stairs. These spaces are not guaranteed, so we advise that you plan for alternate locations for eating lunch.

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Volunteer Park is an ideal place to have a picnic. In case of rain, groups may be able to eat lunch in the Alvord Board Room vestibule. Please ask at the Ticketing Desk if this space is available. The space is not guaranteed, so we advise that you plan for alternate locations for eating lunch.

Olympic Sculpture Park

The Olympic Sculpture Park is an ideal place to eat sack lunches outdoors. If there is light rain, we recommend you eat outdoors on the north Pavilion Terrace under the eaves. Limited indoor space may be available for extreme inclement weather. Please inquire at the park’s Information Desk. Chaperones, please supervise students around installation artwork in the PACCAR Pavilion.

Weather at the Olympic Sculpture Park

We hope that you will have a lovely sunny Seattle day for your visit! However, since we live in the Northwest, we all know any type of weather is possible. Please prepare your students for all conditions. It is advisable that each student bring an umbrella and/or raingear. We will only cancel a school program due to extreme weather conditions. If SAM cancels a tour or art workshop, you will be notified and we will reschedule your group for another day without payment penalty. Call the Tour Coordinator at 206.654.3123 if you have weather-related concerns.

Museum Stores

Only five students accompanied by a chaperone may visit a SAM SHOP location at a given time.

Emergencies

Although we do not anticipate any emergencies occurring during your visit, it is always best to be prepared. If a medical emergency or other emergency occurs, immediately contact the nearest Visitor Services Officer (security officer) for assistance.

Tour Coordinator

If you need to reach the museum about your visit, please contact the Tour Coordinator at 206.654.3123 or tours@seattleartmuseum.org.

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