Spark Museum Of Electrical Invention

People have a weird pride about this place and rate it ridiculously high for some reason… its sadder then a participation award in my opinion. Maybe it has something to do with the horrible lighting staff the city bought for like 2 million dollars in tax money as an «art piece» that is half a block away. Both wastes of time and money. Sorry just saying what most people are thinking.

Marking this as 2 stars because the folks at the front counter all but barred me and my younger children from entering, even though they did have a small kids area upstairs. We were rushed through and they made me super paranoid about my kids destroying their priceless artifacts. Lots of neat stuff in there but I dunno, rubbed me the wrong way. It was really more of a look through the display glass museum and not super interactive. It looks like there is an amazing show with tesla coils that we missed. So yeah owners, kids are interested in science too — even if it is a museum geared towards adults most parents keep a very watchful eye on their children.

Drove an hour to come here and I was very disappointed.
this place is kind of a joke.
when my fiancé and I first walked in to the girls you can tell we’re bored out of their mind no Smiles on their face or anything.
It is only $ 8 to get in so that really wasn’t bad but your website states that there was over a thousand hands on activities to do and that is complete lie.
half the stuff that you could touch were broken or we accidentally touched stuff you weren’t supposed to.
if you don’t get there by 2:30 you missed the show and that was the whole reason why we drove down there… but I didnt know.
it was a boring Museum and it was very dirty.
I definitely won’t come back here again and I will not recommend this place to anyone

The Spark! Museum is a pretty cool place! There are lots of old gadgets that pioneered the channeling and usage of electricity here as well as older or vintage electronic technology. The volunteers here are extremely knowledgeable as to what this doohickey does and how it works. It’s pretty cool! There are displays that require a brief demonstration that a volunteer would need to be present for so you should grab an available one while you can. The museum is kind of split into two as far as admission rates go. If you want to just look at the older historical items you can get in for $ 8 for an adult. If you want to see the sci-​fi type stuff like tesla coils and displays with electrical bolts they have a $ 12 show.
In addition to those two options they have an upstairs where they have a children’s learning center and an educational radio station!
There is a small gift area towards the end of the displays near the entrance with t-​shirts and fun little electronic gadgets that a person of any age would love to play with.
Spark! is a really cool place!

This is one of the strangest yet neatest museums I have been to in a long time. It’s up there with the crazy museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, Ca.
I don’t know where to begin with my description. It’s a fun way to see static electrics in action and the kids loved making sparks. My husband really enjoyed the radio and music areas. I was thoroughly intrigued by the craftsmanship of the glass bulbs and liquid filled tubes.
So if you’re looking for something off the beaten path and not your plain olé plain olé museum then this is the place to go.

I visited this museum today for my Physics class, and it was absolutely incredible. The staff are genuinely kind, and incredibly knowledgable. The museum features an incredible array of artifacts ranging from huge Tesla coils aka «The Mega Zapper,» to the 1^st light bulb. I cannot recommend this place enough! Thank you all staff!

We had an amazing day at spark today!!! We were approached by a docent Jim who then took us on the most fabulous tour of the museum. The museum itself is so comprehensive and has such a large collection that without Jim’s tour our family of 4 would probably missed a lot. He has worked there for 8 years and really knows his stuff! He kept both adults and the 14 & 8 year old boys captivated. The live demonstrations after our tour was the capper on an amazing experience. The staff know their stuff and make it great for all ages. I highly recommend this gem of a museum.

Really fun for kids and adults. Loud and exciting, our 7 year old loved the show and we had fun too.

As far as museums in Bellingham, this is worth a stop. There is quite a bit to see in the museum. I missed the electric show, so I can’t speak to that, but it seemed like it would be pretty cool. It’s a small museum, so it only took us less than an hour to see everything. But definitely worth a stop if you are in Bellingham. I think older kids would appreciate it more than younger kids. There are a few interactive things for kids.

Tap into your inner techie and learn to play the theremin, the first electronic instrument. Like me, you probably first learned about it from Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the television show The Big Bang Theory. Now you too can take a gander at making some intriguing sounds.
Not only is there a cool section on musical devices such as old school radios, phonographs and record players throughout the years, but there are also interactive displays and devices dedicated to electricity and light. I guarantee you will walk out of there sounding like Spock from Star Trek, «Fascinating.»
The docents do short 10-​minute demonstrations throughout the day in the auditorium. Be sure to grab a front row seat so you can see and hear what’s taking place. Apparently the big show takes place on Saturday, so you might want to schedule your visit for the weekend. The shows are all included in your admission ticket which was only $ 8 per adult.
You might as well pay for all day parking because your going to want to spend several hours here. Otherwise, expect to bring lots of change to feed the street meters. The good news is that your admission ticket lets you re-​enter throughout the day, and street parking meters are free on the weekend which is another reason to hit this place on Saturday.
I can’t wait to take another trip back in time and visit this place again.

This is a FANTASTIC place to visit. The vast number of original inventors equipment is mind boggling.
Every item in the museum is connected with the evolution of electronics and communications. And there is such rich history and context behind everything.
My first visit several weeks ago was going to be a quick walk through. But once I started to grasp what was here it took me two hours to scratch the surface. Stayed for the Mega Zapper show. Don’t miss this!
Returned a few weeks later and was fortunate to be given a tour with history of several items on display. Realized I need to buy an annual pass so I can continue to visit and learn.
It really is a surprise treasure in our community. It’s a destination that people from long distances travel to visit yet it’s in our own backyard.
Don’t put off visiting. Bring your entire family!

Excellent museum jam packed with exhibits, many of which are authentic, functioning pieces.
While fairly small, the numerous displays and interactive exhibits can keep people of all ages entertained for hours.
The employees here are extremely helpful and friendly, offering information and recommendations in such a way that it felt more like a private tour than just an ordinary stroll through a museum. Their enthusiasm contributes greatly to the overall experience and both the kids and I were very appreciative of their hard work.
We went on a week day and as such were unable to see the Tesla coil demonstration, however we saw the employees tinkering with some of the equipment and it definitely seems like an impressive show!
Very affordable at $ 5/​child and $ 8/​adult and great location.
I would highly recommend this museum for anyone looking to spend an afternoon in Bellingham.

Just wanting to get out of town for the day, we decided to drive up North. Spark… what a cool little museum. At lead we thought it was little until we discovered it had an upstairs, which is a hands on learning center for kids. Spark is a quietly well kept gem. It has a little bit of fun for everyone. History stuff, hands on things to touch, press and poke, demonstrations and noise… I mean NOICE! Lightening, thunder and even mad scientists in lab coats. Take it from me and spend the extra $ 4 to take in the weekend shows at 2:30…you’ll enjoy it.

What a fun museum! I was up in the area on business with some time to kill & found this unique place! It’s not a big museum, but there is plenty to do, look & touch when you’re there. I loved how they broke down the history of electricity into specific eras and showcased the important inventions & inventors of that time. I would love to bring my kids back up here. The price of the visit is very reasonable and the staff is friendly and willing to answer any of your questions. I don’t think you’ll find another museum quite like this one, so if you’re in the area… stop for a visit!

This is definitely a museum for older kids. I am thinking middle to high schoolers. There is a lot of antique electric devices and some hands on stations. It was interesting for my 6 year old to walk through but not enough for him to become truly engaged. He is too young to really appreciate the antiques. We didn’t get to see the show since it was not a Saturday but it was a fun excursion.

This is a small but brilliant museum. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and they actually HAVE a Tesla coil they demonstrate every weekend at 2.30pm. They have several Edison/​Marconi-​era devices from phonographs to Radiation detectors that actually power up! They have a lot of working old-​age equipment that will keep you enthralled for a few hours. Totally worth the admission price!

This place is great! There is so much to see here including radio and TV gear, music stuff, and various other electronic gadgets. There is so much to see — I’d recommend at least 2 hours here. The staff here are all very friendly and knowledgeable — all very clearly enthusiastic about the museum. Definitely worth the small price of admission.

Lot’s of cool stuff here. There is so much history here it’s crazy. The tesla coils were the best part though. Only problem I had was I was expecting for a bigger museum. Regardless it is still great!

Really interesting place. All kinds of gadgets, many of which looked like someone’s wild hair of an idea that just happened to work for its intended purpose. Unfortunately, the reason i went — to sit in the Faraday cage and get zapped by a 4 million Volt Tesla coil — wasn’t available on weekdays; a weekend-​only opportunity.
We arrived with only 45 min to go before closing, and stayed until they started to turn the lights off 15 min after closing. Wish we’d gotten there with more time…
A must-​do when in the Bellingham area, or if you’re heading anywhere north of Shoreline when in the Seattle area.

I really loved this museum. It’s worth going out of your way to visit. Docents are very helpful and obviously personally interested in and excited by the topics. I’ve been to a number of radio and related museums around the country, and this was definitely one of the best. You can easily spent several hours here. There is a mix of topics — old radio and TV stuff, war history, Titanic history, other little bits and pieces — even a little bit on the history of quack phrenology and electrosexual devices from the Victorian era (though not anywhere near as much as the Didusch Urological museum in MD, which is another one to go out of your way for)
Several hands on exhibits. One caveat is that on very moist days, some may not work, or work well. I would absolutely visit this museum again, especially on an event day where I could see more of the items being demo-​ed.