Plan your visit

Exterior view of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center with green leafed trees lining the sidewalk in Seattle, Washington

Hours and admission

Reserve your visit

Open Wed. – Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Sun. – Tue. & major holidays

Admission is free for all. Online reservations are preferred, but walk-in visitors are welcome.

Parking and directions

Find your route

440 Fifth Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109

Visitors gathered together at the Discovery Center in conversation

Know before you go

Review FAQs page

Check out our frequently asked questions. Please note that all visitors are asked to adhere to our standards of respect.

Accessibility

View accessibility accommodations

The Discovery Center offers a range of accessibility accommodations for visitors of all abilities.

Visitors enjoy a group tour of the Discovery Center.

Group tours

Learn about tours

Group tours are available for groups of 10 or more. Please allow two weeks’ notice for scheduling.

Schools and educators

Learn about school resources

Explore our school resources and experiences for students.

Past

Designing Motherhood

This exhibition explores the arc of human reproduction through the lens of art and design. While being born is a universal human experience, the designs that shape it are not.

On view

“A Better Way to Go: Toilets and the Future of Sanitation” highlights new innovations, powerful stories, toilets of the future, art installations, and visions of resilient and sustainable sanitation systems that can move the needle on this critical issue and save lives.

Woman wears headphones to listen to a video installed in the "A Better Way to Go" exhibition.

Upcoming events

Explore all

AI for Good: How can AI help our food systems?

Friday, February 28, 2025 | 5 – 7 pm PST
Discovery Center

Explore, create, and mingle with AI experts at this Discovery Center experience! Find out how AI tools are creating more inclusive systems for small holder farmers and see how AI can help us all become better food citizens.

Maria Mtele holds recently harvested orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in a field in Mwasonge, Tanzania. Maria is a mother of 5 and farmer in Tanzania who relies on farming for food and income. Through a local agricultural program, Maria learned about a new crop of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, specifically bred to thrive in sub-Saharan Africa. They taught her about soil irrigation, crop multiplication, and how to get her crops to market. She is now a leader in her farming group and teaches others what she’s learned. Maria increased her families’ income and she is using this new income to build a new, sturdy home.

International Women’s Day: Stories of Strength

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 5 – 7:30 pm PST
Discovery Center, Online

Program in French with English translation | Join the Gates Foundation Discovery Center and Gates Foundation’s Employee Resource groups for an inspiring conversation with Djaïli Amadou Amal, a renowned Cameroonian writer, activist, and UNICEF Ambassador, moderated by Sybil Chidiac, Senior Program Officer for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality at the Gates Foundation, to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Exhibition highlights

Upcoming events