Visit a Colorful Gum Wall in Seattle

If you’re a germophobe, it is best to steer clear of the Gum Wall near Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Each day, countless visitors press pennies into discarded wads of gum and affix them to a historic wall. The wall of gum has created a colorful tableau that adds a welcome splash of color to Seattle’s notoriously overcast days.

The Gum Wall originated in the 1990s when a group of listless theater patrons in line for an improv show decided to stick their gum on the wall to pass the time. At first, the Gum Wall was widely chastised for promoting littering and defacing the exterior of a historic building. Over time, many Seattle residents embraced the Gum Wall as a constantly evolving art project.

Starting in 2015, the Gum Wall has received a handful of abrasive power washes from the Pike Place Preservation Development Authority. The Pike Place PDA said in a statement that they’re worried that the sugar in the discarded gum will eventually degrade the wall. After each power wash, avid Gum Wall enthusiasts line up to create new patterns and affix ticket stubs, business cards, and gum wrappers to one of Seattle’s most colorful walls.

The Gum Wall is a popular spot for photos. Couples often pose for photos in front of the wall, blowing pink gum bubbles in tandem. Travelers who love a photo op with a bright background can’t get enough of the Gum Wall’s rainbow hues.

The Gum Wall is adjacent to Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market, which is home to a few oddities that admirers of the Gum Wall will surely enjoy, Visitors can stroll Pike Place Market and deposit money in Rachel the giant piggy bank—a ceramic pig who is modeled after a 1977 pig pageant winner. Every coin deposited in Rachel helps local charities provide food, medical care, and childcare to the surrounding community.

Pike Place Market is also home to a Giant Shoe Museum, which showcases the shoes of Robert Wadlow, who is the tallest documented man on Earth. Visitors can deposit a few coins in a coin box and view a series of gargantuan shoes that will make the shoes on your feet seem like doll shoes.

Seattle, Washington is celebrated for its many creative flourishes. If germs don’t give you the willies, a trip to Seattle’s Gum Wall is the ideal place to celebrate the city’s weird and wonderful spirit.

Address:
1428 Post Alley
Seattle, Washington, 98101
United States

Location on Google Maps