Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center

The honorable Bill Gates is a remarkable man. He has contributed heavily to both technology and now philanthropy. This free museum takes visitors on their journey with utmost fun.
I loved going here. His efforts are detailed one by one. Some visitor input is requested. You’ll learn so much about the world. Despite the seeming Montogemerey Burns look of Bill Gates, the issues here are presented fairly. At the end you can view some of the contraptions by his foundation.
This museum helps philantrophy be part of your operating system.

Great for obtaining perspective on other countries and their circumstances.
Most startling: Iron lung for treating polio victims.

The Gates have certainly commited a life to serving communities in the world. This was a nice detour from the other attractions north of Belltown. There are several interactive displays that provide plenty of information on the organizations and communities that have benefited.

Beautiful, educational, and inspirational. The staff are kind and patient and really brought out the best in my camp group (and in me!). I loved the interactive aspects, loved being able to feel like I could have my voice heard in this small space and hear other people’s voices. It was really a moving and thought provoking experience for me and for my campers.

I had 0 expectations for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, and I was pleasantly surprised and inspired. Just the walk to here was full of inspiration, with all the facts, slogans, and artwork outside. The center is so interactive. They really get you to read the facts and learn about the good things the foundation accomplishes. I was mind blown. And while the center is mostly informative, you get to have fun learning. You get to take pictures, make posters, sign cards, control interactive screens, press buttons, flip boards, etc. And yet after it all, you’re left inspired and optimistic that there are people out there who really get things done. I only came here because my boyfriend is such a big Bill Gates fan. Glad we came.

When I was eight, the song «Seattle» was etched into my brain in preparation for a gymnastics recital. Years later, I still think of that song every time I hear the name Seattle. The lyrics boast of the bluest skies and greenest grass, and even compare Seattle to a beautiful child, growing up free and wild, full of hopes, laughter, and dreams. That song was written long ago but it takes on a whole new meaning in the Seattle of 2015.
If you are in Seattle for any length of time, you might notice the blue sky and the green grass among other things. You will probably notice the tall white Space Needle proudly reaching into the blue sky. It’s hard to miss. If you look closely, you will probably notice that people sometimes sleep on the green grass below it when the temperature is an unseasonable 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hard to miss, also. You might even notice the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center directly across the street from both the Space Needle and the people sleeping on the grass.
It seems ironic. A structure built for people to see for miles on end. Another structure built to show work being done to help people in need around the world. And, a grassy area in between where you will see people who don’t have a bed, let alone a room or home, to sleep in.
However, the Gates Foundation is helping some of the more than 20,000 people who sleep in places not meant for human habitation in the state of Washington on any given night:
. It’s not a complete solution. The initiative focuses primarily on family homelessness. But, it’s a start. And, it makes a difference to families facing homelessness including children who will hopefully grow up, as the song goes, full of hopes, laughter and dreams. And, not like the other lyrics in the song: full of fears and tears.
Unfortunately, homelessness is not the only problem in the world. The Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center highlights ways that human lives are improved or even saved by things like vaccinations in remote and impoverished areas, safe drinking water or toilets that don’t require water and sewer lines or a power grid.
One problem is finding real solutions. That requires people who care enough about others and think creatively enough to find solutions that aren’t just temporary Band-​Aids on a larger problem. The center does a wonderful job of encouraging people to find solutions and they offer to provide funding to implement those solutions.
At the very least, the center raises awareness. Optimally, it can inspire people to think beyond themselves to make the world a better place and provide the resources to do so. Or, it can reveal some who have no interest in seeing lives improved, apart from their own. If that’s you, then you can skip this free display of innovation and spend $ 20+ to visit the Space Needle where you can see Seattle for miles on end.
If you only see one thing in Seattle, be sure to stop by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center.

Wow. I would love to work for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation one day. As a current MPH candidate, I was truly nerding out every minute in the visitor center, and was so fascinated by the museum! We had some spare time, and I was so happy I had the chance to stop by!
This place is really eye opening with all the realities and public health issues we have domestically and internationally. I definitely recommend this place for those interested in global health and have a knack for science. The exhibits were all pretty interactive and hands-​on, too! Oh, and bonus points — the visitor center is free!

Mind blowing. It’s not Disneyland or a flashy museum experience, but it is an extremely thought provoking place to question your perceptions and understanding of the future.

Since we were in the area visiting the Seattle Center, we decided to check out the visitor center and I wish we had more time to check it out because I know that the Gates give back so much to the local community as well as in the world. There is just so much to see. Hands on exhibit about buckets of water that children and adults need to carry every day in other countries and you get to try it out yourself (sans real water just the weight of the water) as well as type in what you would do if you had a foundation and share it with the community.

The center was a great way to kill some time while waiting for our timed ticket for the Space Needle. One could easily spend 15 minutes up to two hours depending on interest levels. The videos were just clippings from some of their commercials and youtube videos. Could use some updating.

Well intentioned but grotesquely misleading, the Foundation should be able to put a more respectable face on the need to solve intractable problems with $ 37 billion in assets devoted to The Cause. Exhibits are stimulating for the uneducated, the simpletons, and the gullible amongst us, but fail to explain why the poverty and homelessness right outside the door are ignored in favor of feeding the overpopulated Indian subcontinent.
Unfortunately, the issues are presented as though Mr. and Mrs. Gates are the great benefactors from above who are asking us all to put on our thinking caps and hold hands while we sing about buying the world a Coke. The whole experience is deeply depressing as one realizes the average visitor is being treated like a moronic child who will believe any tripe that is written on a chalk board (or computer monitor) by an elder.
If you’re in Seattle and you are in possession of your faculties, then enjoy a Seahawks game or the EMP Museum or even the Space Needle. You’ll make some memories and help fight world problems the old fashioned way, through capitalism and democracy.

What a beautiful place to visit! I didn’t know what to expect because I was wondering what information it would offer that couldnt be found online. The answer: inspiration, interactive exhibits, thought provoking opportunities to check your privilege and to contribute to the glibal conversations about many subjects such as vaccinations, public education, climate change, crop biodiversity, and foundation work.
The place is organized by history, problems of interest, innovative solutions, commitment, theater, and «next steps.»
Besides the displays of various creative solutions to global problems, there are inspiring quotes. I loved how the space was very conscientious and even used the restrooms as an opportunity for visitors to recognize their access to sanitation and restrooms as a privilege. I feel like anyone who visits here will be inspired to do something in their community. This is also a grey learning tool for youth who do not know about global isssues.
Five stars because they’re also free! ヾ(*´｀*)ﾉ

I enjoyed visiting the center. I am impressed with that the center is so clean and so organized with great designs. I also enjoyed looking at lots of inspiring words.
First of all, I started with the bathroom. Bathroom is also made as an educational tool with photos and words about the toilets in developing countries. So while you are urinating, you can ponder how it’s like to urinate in a dirty isolated place in developing countries and you appreciate how clean the toilets here and in America are and
I also enjoyed the videos. Each one is quite short but I felt inspired and positive watching each short videos.
There are many interactive tools to help data and social issues more understandable. So I felt it’s a great place for kids to come by and learn about world. For me as an adult, I wanted to be more informed about their activity. It’s more like an overview of their activity and social issues but I wanted to know more in depth. I felt the center is more like for kids and youth to give more dream and motivation and open up their perspective, which is great.
But I also wanted to know more how they select and distribute the money to each organization because I am still dubious about their decision to invest GMO crops produced at Monsanto… I understand it’s not black and white issue but still the foundation spends huge generous money to improve poverty and I respect their activity very much so I just want them to spend wisely as possible.

What a beautiful space to visit for free! It’s really interesting to see all the great work that the foundation is doing. They are certainly coming up with some creative ways to tackle some incredibly difficult problems.
I think it’s also a really great place to take children and young adults to teach them about volunteerism and inspire them to want to use their skills to help make a difference. There’s a bunch of thought-​provoking interactive workstations including a nifty quiz to help you figure out your strongest skill.
Definitely worth a visit! Did I mention that it’s free?

So, I never knew this visitor center existed before, but after taking one step through the doors, I can see how it could and should be an essential place to visit for both locals and tourists alike. Being located right across the street from Seattle Center makes it a must stop for anyone checking out all the sites in the area. The building itself is beautiful and looked like they had just opened the doors for the first time. I felt both educated and inspired having spent a short time here and I would hope everyone else who visits might come away feeling the same.
I suppose the purpose of this place is to give people an idea of what the foundation stands for, what it has accomplished, what it can accomplish, and what we as a population can do to help. There are lots of exhibits, both passive and interactive, that do a great job of educating as well as entertaining. You can take a guided tour or just wander through the space checking everything out. From what I understand, the visitor center staff does have the ability to host various types of events ranging in size and type as well as having the ability to cater the events from an in house kitchen.

Five stars for giving parents and schools a way to teach kids several important lessons:
1. Somebody cares enough to make this kind of effort.
2. These issues are important.
3. You too can make a difference.
Because I work in Education Policy, I’m probably a little bit more familiar with the Gates Foundation than the average person would be – including the foundation’s sometimes controversial priorities. But at the end of the day, this foundation is a monument to human togetherness and generosity regardless of the politics involved.
The Visitor’s Center is like a small museum dedicated to the work of the Gates Foundation and the issues they work on. Of course, it doesn’t hesitate to toot the Foundation’s horn, but given what they’ve put into the world at large, I think they’ve got the right to that to an extent.
The Center is full of interactive exhibits that not only teach, but ask you to really get involved – from a chance to lift a pail of water as heavy as those that children in third world nations carry for miles to bring water to their families to designing posters to give a shout out to your own issues, these interactive exhibits are all built with philanthropy in mind.
If you have a child, this is a fantastic learning opportunity that puts doing good for others directly into action rather than just saying that it’s something you SHOULD do. This is a chance to show your kids that the richest man in the world isn’t just laying on a private beach and driving around in his Ferrari, and that someday, they too could be using their wealth, whether it be knowledge, love, dedication, or money, to improve the human condition.
At the Gates Foundation Visitor Center, kids can see the faces of the people who have been aided by this work and leave a photo of their own face or leave a card with their own ideas about how to help. After all, kids are the future, right? Who knows. One of these school groups might have the child who ends world hunger. And maybe that dream will start the day they come to this facility and realize what one person with intelligence and goals can really accomplish.

Inspiring and eye opening!
When I think of an activity to do, I would put the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the same category as a «museum». And given that the topics it covers, you might think this is a dreary place to visit, but it is not. If you are like me, you will come away with a much better understanding of some of the challenges we have in the world, but energised in some ways that you can impact peoples lives!
Did you know that only 3 countries in the world do not have polio under control? Sounds great, doesn’t it. Well, unfortunately, if there is still one person in the world with the disease, all countries are vulnerable to polio outbreaks. That is why is it so important to get people immunized against polio. To this end, the Gates foundation has given millions to Rotary to fund their polio immunization programs worldwide. A great program that will hopefully help eradicate this disease.
This is just one of the many facts that you can learn at this visitors gallery. Like I said, it is not all about what is wrong with the world, but more about what can be done and how you can help. Really inspiring!
And the best part, is it is FREE! Go check it it out.

Had to drag the husband here… He actually liked it! It’s very interactive, and not too large so you can spend 30min there and learn a lot.
It’s clean. Staff is very nice. Not a shrine to Gates…
Even the toilets are educational… and not like down-​your-​throat social justice preaching, actually thought-​provoking reminding you of your first-​world, middle-​class privileges.
As friends in the non-​profit sector, I really liked how you can search each grant they’ve given.
Oh, and it’s free. For some dumb reason I was worried they were going to ask us for a donation, until –duh– I realized they have their own $$ to give: p

I loved my visit to the BMGF Visitor Center! It was so interactive, educational and inspirational. The exhibits really educate you on what the Foundation does around the world. The statistics are great and educational. I loved the interactive activities to find out how I can personally help the community. The photo area was fun too, to see your face up on the visitor wall. Very cool.
I took a lot of pictures during my visit because the décor was great and modern. I loved seeing the block quotes around the center, and reading the blocks with the years on them. When I flipped them, I felt like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune because they turn automatically when you touch them. FUN!
They even have personal guides that take you around the center explaining each section, etc. Overall, I was very excited and pleased about my trip to the visitor center.

This visitor center can be summed up in one word: INSPIRATIONAL.
I was in Seattle a few weeks ago and had very little time to explore the city in general, but I knew I had to make my way here to experience everything that the visitor center has to offer their visitors.
The center is just a stones throw from the Seattle Center (Chihuly, Space Needle, etc), so the location is great for tourists and passersby alike! It’s very beautifully designed, with walls of wood and glass.
There are about 5 – 6 large rooms that you walk through each with a theme/​overarching message and very unique and interactive displays/​exhibits. I literally spent over 2 hours here interacting with everything because I wanted to get a grasp of what the foundation does and how I could help.
The very last room is an interaction exhibit with many purposes. Here, you can create your advertising campaign, goals, and projects that you would initiate for a cause that you find important.
Overall, I had a lovely experience and learned a lot of what the foundation is doing to better the world today. If you are in the area and have as little as 30 minutes to kill, stop on in, it’s FREE!