What To Do In And Around Seattle
- noreeeeeen
- May 27, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 19, 2022
11 places to visit when in Seattle!
1. PIKE'S PLACE
Classic Pike's Place Market! Definitely need to visit if it is your first time here. They sell beautiful flowers, fresh seafood and fruit, and delicious tasty meals. As all popular tourist locations, parking can be difficult- so come early! Around this market is where you can stop by the famous first Starbucks location, delicious Piroshky Piroshky bakery, Le Panier, and many more. This is also where the bubblegum alley is located! Much to do around this area. Visit in the morning when everything is open, but I also like to stop by at night time to see the neon sign lit up, also it's really nice to take in the view when no-one is in sight, the only thing is that everything is closed. I usually always stop by here whenever I visit because there's always so much to do!
2. SPACE NEEDLE
This to me was more for a one and done type of deal. It was nice to experience the Space Needle for the sake of saying I've visited the Space Needle, but to me this would be last on my list to do if I was short on time. The views are spectacular, but with Seattle weather it can really be a hit or miss with the fog/ clouds. If it's rainy/cloudy that day, I wouldn't even bother wasting your money, however if the day is beautiful and sunny, go for it! General admission is $35 for adults and discounted for kids and seniors!
3. GAS WORKS PARK
This park is really one to visit for a nice skyline view! I've never been during 4th of July, but I've been told the fireworks show is really nice here. I like coming at night time to really see the city light up. Bring a jacket if coming during the winter/fall and even sometimes spring time!
4. CHILULY GARDEN AND GLASS, MUSEUM OF POP, SEATTLE AQUARIUM
The reason why I put these three together because 1. they are all located in the same vicinity and 2. I highly recommend getting the Groupon for these attractions! It's $100 for the groupon where you can visit 5 attractions from the list when they are normally $30-35 per attraction! (I picked the aquarium, museum of pop, Chiluly Gardens, space needle, and ferry/cruise ride). My favorites were the Chiluly Gardens and surprisingly, Museum of Pop! To me, I initially thought the Museum of Pop was going to be a waste, but it was my favorite attraction! The museum was a lot bigger than I thought and covered the history of pop, rock, rap, etc. in fun and pleasing ways to the eyes. They also had a section dedicated to different genres of movies- which was my favorite part! Plan spending about 2 hours the least in the Museum of Pop! Chiluly Gardens was also beautiful to see, but easy to go through in time, I think I spent a little less than an hour. The museum wasn't as impressive to me, it was small and not much animals to see (maybe because I'm used to the Monterey Aquarium in California).
5. KERRY PARK
Another park you can go to for beautiful views of the space needle and city! This park is popular and well known so be prepared to see a good amount of people.
6. FREMONT TROLL
The Fremont troll is always something interesting to visit! This sculpture is 18ft big located in the Fremont neighborhood under the bridge. Location: N 36th St, Seattle, WA 98103
7. SNOQUALMIE FALLS
About 35 minutes east of Seattle is Snoqualmie Falls, a 268 foot waterfall! If you don't want to hike to see this beauty, you can view it from the upper observation deck. It's just a quick walk from the car if parked at the Salish Lodge. There is no admission fee, but I believe they are charging $5 for parking now.
8. MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
I looooove Mt. Rainier! It's about a 2 hour drive from Seattle, definitely worth the visit! I do go deeper into my trip(s) to Mt. Rainier in my other post here, but for a run down, I highly recommend visiting! It is hard to get through the whole park because about half of it is closed during winter season and snow is still present and covers majority of popular trails until mid/late August. I still haven't gotten a chance to go through the whole park because of that. But as per usual, it is a national park so entry is $35/car unless if you have an annual national park pass. So much to see!
9. SKAGIT VALLEY
I was in awe with this place! Every April they host a tulip festival in Skagit Valley. I visited RoozenGaarde in early April. Each year is different on when they bloom, but people recommend visiting mid to late April for a full bloom. I visited the first weekend of April and as you can see in a couple of the pictures, the tulips were barely starting to bloom. It was beautiful regardless though and I am grateful to have experienced it! You can also buy tulip stems when visiting! There is an admission fee of around $15, I forgot the exact price, but definitely worth it for me. Skagit Valley is a little over an hour drive from Seattle.
10. CHERRY BLOSSOMS AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Again, in the month of April, Seattle has great areas for cherry blossom blooms. Believe it or not, the quad at the University of Washington has an abundant amount of cherry blossom trees that can be best seen in April! They only last for 1-2 weeks, which can be best seen in the beginning of April. I recommend coming early, I came at 7am on a Thursday and there was already a good amount of people there having little photo shoots, luckily I got lucky to get a couple of pics in without the crowd.
11. LEAVENWORTH BARAVIAN TOWN
Christmas galore! If you love the holidays, this is one of the best places to see during December. It's originally supposed to be 2.5 hours away from Seattle, but the drive here with the snow is no joke (at least for me because I am not used to driving in the snow at all). With it being super snowy, it took us a little over 3.5 hours to get to Leavenworth. Absolutely gor-ge-ous. I felt like I was in a Hallmark Christmas movie. We did a day trip from Seattle, so we didn't stay over night, but I wish I did! However, going around the town, there didn't seem like there was many options for accommodations. This Bavarian styled town is covered all in Christmas lights with Christmas music blasting out in the space and food stands all over. If you want to feel like you're visiting another country without having to actually leave the country, this is the place to experience. If you are going during the winter, AWD or tire chains ARE required. There are highway patrol right before stevenspass ensuring you have one of the two and if not they turn you away and do not allow you to go further in.
I hope you have fun on your trip to Seattle and that this helped you at all planning! Njoy!
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