It used to be called the The Experience Music Project. No one, not even Seattelites, really knew what that meant or why Paul Allen, who founded the museum, mostly with pieces from his own collection in 2000, decided to call it that. It changed names several times before finally settling, much to everyone’s relief, on the Museum of Pop Culture in 2016.

It’s – as our intrepid editor dubbed it when I sent this shot from the plane – “That Neapolitan ice cream building” right there.

MoPop hosts a rotating collection of music, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror artifacts, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and special exhibitions. When I was there in in 2017, the museum had a fantastic Hello Kitty showcase of everything from toys to couture to wedding cake toppers to wine to… ahem, adult… stuff.

Currently on display, in addition to the permanent exhibition halls, are: Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses, Pearl Jam:Home and Away, Hendrix: Wild Blue Angel, and Indie Game Revolution. Upcoming shows include  Prince from Minneapolis, Minecraft: The Exhibition, and A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes.

And, as always, there’s the Skychurch: a room with perfect acoustics where you can sit and listen to whatever music the museum happens to be playing or, if you’re lucky like I was during my most recent visit, an excellent live chamber orchestra.

I love pretty much every part of this museum.

I did skip the Nirvana and Pearl Jam exhibits. After four days of Emerald City Comic-Con, my legs and feet where exhausted and, to be honest, I’ve had my fill of 90s nostalgia lately. I realized, however, that I had never been in the guitar gallery, so I wandered through the cases while I waited for some friends to arrive. I was not disappointed.

I also found the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. It’s tucked away between one of the ticket desks and the cafe, so I’m honestly not sure if it’s new or if I just hadn’t noticed it before due to location. Small but very cool, the Hall showcases biographies of milestone figures in science fiction alongside costumes, props, and mementos from various incarnations of their brain babies. Definitely worth ducking in.

When my friends arrived, we headed toward Scared to Death: The Thrill of the Horror Film where you can find everything from Michael Myers’s suit and mask (Franchise Frenzy anyone?) to sets from The Walking Dead to a puppet from Gremlins to a discussion of horror tropes. All lit by red bulbs, of course. Oh, and in the vampire corner, you can climb into a coffin and blood runs down the windows. It’s rad.

Next, to the Hobbiton doors and through to Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic, where visitors can explore the genre through archetypes:

This section of MoPop is… well, magical. Built around a shimmering, metallic sculpture of a tree, lit by suspended lanterns and the ruby eyes of a dragon, visitors can stroll past costumes for Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and others, all while delving into the history of fantasy and the blocks with which some of their favorite stories are built.

Plus, this gem is worth the price of admission all on its own:

Third stop, my favorite room in the place: Infinte Worlds of Science Fiction. In this room, all fandoms are equal and it’s unlikely you’ll leave without seeing something from your favorite sci-fi property, be it Terminator (T-1000 endoskeleton?), Doctor Who (Dalek, Cybermen), Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Starship Troopers, Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers… It is a glut of geeky riches.

Even Farscape is represented, and how often do we fans of that show get to see Moya flying these days? This is also the most interactive room in the museum other than the indie gaming area, with touchscreens and quizzes for everyone to enjoy. This is where I consistently spend the most time on my visits, and I always leave awed.

I’m not much of a gamer, but the rest of my party seemed to enjoy the Indie Gaming Revolution rather a lot and I had a great time watching them play. There’s a pretty wide variety of experiences despite the relatively small space, and there’s only one accessible door so it’s a relatively safe place for school-age and middle grade kids to do their own thing for a little while without being able to fully escape the parental gaze.

If you’re going to MoPop with kids, you’ll probably need to deviate from my visit a bit: the horror room is a no go. (They actually have an age warning on the doors. I’d heed it.) Infinite Worlds is a bit dark and they do have an an alien queen and a bug from Starship Troopers, along with a few other things that might be a bit scary to kids, but everything is in cases and nothing moves so as long as the littles are aware ahead of time, most of them will probably do fine.

Fantasy is well lit and has tunnels for wee ones to crawl through and play in; the only thing that might give them pause is the dragon and it’s behind a gate and doesn’t make any noise or move. A few of the stations in Indie Gaming Revolution are adult oriented so you may want to read the descriptions before anyone under 17 or 18 embarks on their adventure. I imagine the special events and exhibitions vary in age appropriateness; ask the folks at the desk. They’re very friendly, very knowledgeable, and always happy to help.

Tickets are a little pricey (if totally worth it) so if you’re local, or even from the surrounding area as far away as Portland, and think you may visit MoPop more than once in a year, it may be worth joining. Make sure to check the website for discounts. Also, take a look to see if there are special events (like concerts or lectures).