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Seattle Attractions and ActivitiesMost Seattleites will tell you the best view of America’s most caffeinated city is from the water. Board any Washington State Ferry and you’ll marvel at a cityscape anchored by Queen Anne Hill and the Space Needle to the north and Safeco Field to the south. Behind the spectacular skyline rises the mighty Cascade Mountains with nearly 3-mile high Mt. Rainier seeming five, not fifty miles away. A two-block walk from the ferry dock will put you on the fringe of Pioneer Square. Here, novelty shops, the venerable Elliott Bay Book Company, numerous eating and drinking establishments, the Underground Tour, and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park (www.nps.gov/klgo/) all reside inside turn-of-the-last-century masonry masterpieces. Walk a few blocks beyond Pioneer Square and you’ll meet Seattle’s newest sports cathedral, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks (www.seahawks.com). Attractive Safeco Field, home of the 2001 American League West Champion Seattle Mariners (www.seattle.mariners.mlb.com) , resides behind the new facility. The oldest continually operating farmer’s market in America, the Pike Place Market will work your eyes, ears, and nose with colorful fruits, vegetables, flying fish, and unusual crafts. All in all, the market is home to 100 farmers, 150 craftsmen, 300 businesses and the world’s first Starbucks. By bus or via trolley and a short walk, a trip to Seattle Center alone can fill a day. Ride the sleek Space Needle (www.spaceneedle.com) elevator higher than any of the city’s seven hills. Experience hands-on science, laser light shows, a Tropical Butterfly House or Imax features at the Pacific Science Center (www.pacsci.org). Make your own music, watch a performance on the world’s largest video screen, or meander among the high and low-tech exhibits at the swoopy, flamboyant structure known as the Experience Music Project (www.emplive.org). Two worthy diversions are the Woodland Park Zoo (www.zoo.org) and the Museum of Flight (www.museumofflight.com). The 92-acre zoo and park, five miles north of city center, has drawn raves for its baby elephant, African village exploration, education center, and summer concert series. Ten miles south of the ferry dock; the Museum of Flight grew out of the Boeing Company’s original Red Barn. Full-size aircraft dangle from wires in a six-story gallery. The cockpits of a Blackbird and a Hornet beckon. Air Force One offers boarding time. The self-named "center of the universe" and "independent republic of Fremont" is home to some great public art (don’t miss the troll under the Aurora bridge, that’s a real VW bug in his hand) and funky shops and restaurants. Continue west to one of our favorite Seattle sights, the Hiram Chittenden Locks. Built and run by the Army Corps of Engineers these two boat locks join freshwater Lake Washington and Lake Union with the cold saltwater of Puget Sound. You can walk right across the locks and get a great view of a variety of ships, everything from single kayaks to huge commercial vessels. Don’t miss the fish ladder on the south side, in the summer you can sometimes glimpse mighty salmon swimming upstream. The Carl English garden on the north side is a pleasant spot for a picnic and on summer Sundays at 2 pm enjoy free concerts in the park. Please explore our other Day Trips, to help plan your stay: |
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