Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (the MAC)
Regional art, Native culture and a restored 1898 mansion, in one Spokane visit
The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, known as the MAC, is Spokane's main museum. It covers art, regional history and Native American culture, and it is the most useful single stop for understanding the place you are visiting.
The big attraction for first-time visitors is the combination. The modern museum building sits right next to Campbell House, a restored 1898 mansion from Spokane's mining-boom years. One ticket covers both.
Plan two hours if you like museums and an hour if you do not. The surrounding Browne's Addition neighborhood is worth a walk before or after.
What to see and do
A restored 1898 mansion open for self-guided tours, noon to 4 pm, included with admission. Look for the period kitchen, servants' spaces and the details that show how people lived then.
Galleries cover the art and culture of the Inland Northwest. Exhibits change, so check the museum's site for what is on.
The museum's focus includes Native American culture of the region. Check current exhibits for what is on view.
On the last Wednesday of each month the museum stays open until 8 pm.
The museum offers wheelchairs to borrow, elevators in most buildings and EnChroma glasses for visitors with color vision deficiency.
Local tips
- Budget time for Campbell House. It is included with admission but easy to skip by accident.
- Parking is free in the museum's three-level garage, with street parking on First Avenue and Hemlock Street.
- Visit on the last Wednesday of the month for extended hours, until 8 pm.
- The cafe is temporarily closed for renovations, so plan food elsewhere.
- SNAP/WIC cardholders pay $5, and AAA members and active military get $1 off.
- Active-duty military have free admission from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day through the Blue Star Museums program.
- Children five and under are free.
- Walk Browne's Addition after your visit to see more mansions up close.
A little history
Campbell House was built in 1898 for mining executive Amasa Campbell, in an Arts and Crafts English Tudor Revival style. It was a showpiece for its time, with electricity, a telephone, hot and cold running water and radiator heat from a boiler in the cellar.
The house is now a museum, and the MAC campus has grown up around it in Browne's Addition, the neighborhood where Spokane's wealthy mining families built their mansions in the 1890s.
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Questions visitors ask
How much is the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture?
Adults pay $15, seniors and college students $12, ages 6 to 17 $9, and children five and under are free. Check the museum's site for current prices.
Is Campbell House included with museum admission?
Yes. Self-guided Campbell House tours, noon to 4 pm, are included with admission.
Is there free parking at the MAC?
Yes. The museum has a free three-level garage, and there is street parking on 1st Avenue and Hemlock Street.
What are the MAC's hours?
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, and until 8 pm on the last Wednesday of each month.
Is the MAC wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The museum lists wheelchair access, loaner wheelchairs and elevators in most buildings.
More historical staples
Historic hotel · DowntownThe Historic Davenport HotelSpokane's 1914 grand hotel, with a lobby the city calls its living room.
Landmark · South HillCathedral of St. John the EvangelistA stone Gothic cathedral on the South Hill, with stained glass and a 49-bell carillon
Neighborhood · Browne's AdditionBrowne's AdditionSpokane's mining-boom mansions, Spokane's oldest park and a good walk to match