Two hidden Seattle gems to check out right now
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Photo courtesy of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
In a world of hustle, hype and overblown expectations, it's nice to find the little lowkey gems that deliver.
Driving the news: A tiny museum in Seattle's Pioneer Square, oft overlooked by tourists and natives alike, has made the list of the nation's 20 most underrated attractions.
The intrigue: The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park at 2nd Avenue and S. Jackson Street deals a double dose of delights, guide Chris Gibbs told Axios.
- For one, it's an official National Park, like Mount Rainier, North Cascades and the Olympics, except it's tiny and indoors, which is pretty cool.
- But add the Dr. Who "bigger on the inside" vibe and you've got a winner.
What we're hearing: "People are always surprised how extensive it is for its size, how well it's put together and how fascinating the story is," Gibbs said. "It's a story about awesome difficulties and heroic efforts."
The big picture: Overall, museums turned out to be dark horse favorites — maybe because visitors went in with low expectations, according to the survey which analyzed 17,000 Tripadvisor reviews to create the list.
- In addition to the Klondike museum in Seattle, six of the other top 20 underrated destinations were museums, with the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens in Washington, D.C., listed as the best U.S. hidden gem.
In Washington state:
- Cape Disappointment was found to be the most overrated destination. One Tripadvisor review stated the setting is beautiful, but the park is average. "We ended up leaving a day early due to neighboring guests who were there to party, piss all over the trees and dump garbage everywhere."
- The most underrated was listed as the Kubota Garden, a 20-acre Japanese garden at 9817 55th Ave. South in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood.