The museum opened on August 10, 1996, at a building adjacent to historic Union Station that cost $42 million to construct.

[2] The grounds of the museum are set in a garden that reflects "the character of the entire state" with "dramatic circles and slopes ... sweeping circular ramp [which] suggests a Cascade mountain switchback, while a dished-out amphitheater seating over 200 people represents the Puget Sound".

[4] The top floor is also home to the state's largest permanent model train layout, which covers 1,700 sq ft (160 m2) and recreates scenes from Tacoma's Union Station (which is located next to the museum) and other regional railroads.

[5] Model train clubs set up "elaborate displays" in the museum, the festival runs until the first week of January.

The 5,500 square foot exhibit showed the park as an active icon in the natural world, as well as its cultural significance in the region.