Seattle, Washington

Location: Pacific Northwest

Best time to visit: Seattle is notorious for its rainy/gray days, but when we visited in July it was sunshine and 70 - 75 degrees every day. Go in the summer for the sunny weather, or anytime, because cities are always fun!

Trip duration: You can definitely hit the highlights of Seattle over a long weekend. However, if this area is a trek for you, then plan for 7-10 days and add on Olympic National Park, too!

Who to bring?: It’s a city, so almost anything goes! There are plenty of things for kids to do, but it would also make a great friends or couples trip.

Vibe

Known for grunge music, drizzly/foggy weather and a strong coffee culture, Seattle has a very cool Indie/Hipster vibe going on. But it’s not all beanie caps and beards. Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstroms, and Costco all have their headquarters here. Seattle has made some pretty generous contributions to the American culture!

And speaking of culture...watch Sleepless in Seattle to get you in that cozy ‘sweaters and boats’ coastal vibe. I did look for an Airbnb houseboat, but didn’t come up with anything that even came close to my floating home fantasy. If you know of one, drop a link in the comments!

**Sea Plane landing in the Puget Sound**

Something to be aware of…

A less celebrated side to Seattle is its growing homeless population. The cost of living in Seattle has risen 57% over the past six years leaving a number of people displaced.

It might be a good idea to have a discussion with your children ahead of time about the issue of homelessness, and what your family policy is about giving to people who approach you for money. There are so many life lessons and deep discussions through travel!

**Homeless ‘tent village’ in Pioneer Square.**

**If you’re into architecture, make a quick stop at the public library!**

Must Sees:

We flew into Seattle and decided to hit the more remote attractions before we checked into our hotel, and then just opted to leave the car at the hotel the second day while we explored downtown Seattle.

South of Seattle:

-Museum of Flight - this museum is quite a bit south of the city, so it makes sense to do first thing if you’re flying into Sea-Tac. We thought we’d give it an hour and ended up staying three (and could have spent more time). Basically, it covers the history of flight from models of the first airplanes to rocket ships and everything in between. There are 175 real airplanes in the museum - including a retired Air Force One, the Concord, and The Blackbird, which is the fastest flying plane in history!!!

***It’s an ASTC member museum, so if you’re a member of your local science museum, check your membership card for the ASTC logo. If it’s there, you can get in free when you show them the card.

**Checking out the planes in the World War II ‘wing’ of the museum.**

**There are many planes that you can get into and walk through!**

North of Downtown

The Fremont Troll - this fun piece of art brings tourists to the Fremont neighborhood which has quite a few cute shops and eateries!

Nearby, you will find Gas Works Park, which is a public park on the site of the former Gas Light Company. It’s unique and a great place to watch sea planes land with the beautiful backdrop of the city. There is also a children’s playground there that my kids loved. The Canada Goose have apparently chosen to call this place home, so just watch where you step. (It’s not the best place for a picnic).

Also North of the city is Theo’s Chocolate Factory. We wanted to take a tour of the chocolate-making process, but due to Covid they were not offering any at that time.

Downtown Seattle

These attractions are all clustered relatively close to each other:

The Space Needle - if this is big on your list, you may want to purchase tickets ahead of time (I’m not sure if the timed entry was due to Covid, or typical, but time slots were definitely selling out). Once at the top, the upper floor is outside (but with glass shields for walls) and the lower floor is interior and rotates slowly. You can purchase drinks at the top. When we visited it was $35 for adults and $25 for kids, so it’s a bit pricey for a family. If it’s cloudy, I would not spend the cash.

**View from the top (enclosed second floor)**

Chihuly Gardens - the gardens/museum are near the base of the Space Needle and there is a combo ticket for a discounted price if you plan to visit both attractions. Chihuly is a famous glass-blowing artist and his creations are stunning. We did take the kids, but, again, it’s pricey, so if only one person in your party is interested, the other adult could take the kids to the playground that is a short walk away (next to the Pop Culture museum) while they wait. You could visit the museum and gardens in an hour, and it is jaw-dropingly beautiful, so not to be missed if you like art!

**Here you can see how close the Space Needle is to Chihuly.**

Museum of Pop Culture - this museum is within yards of the Space Needle & Chuhuley Gardens. It’s very similar to a Hard Rock cafe, in that there is a ton of memorabilia on display from famous musicians and movies. There are whole rooms devoted to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Jimmi Hendrix (all born in Seattle), and some costumes and props from famous sci-fi and fantasy movies.

If the three aforementioned activities sound like fun, take the Seattle Monorail right to them! It departs from the Westlake station (about a 8-10 min. walk from Pike Place Market) and only goes back and forth between those two spots. It was created to transfer people to the Space Needle during the World’s Fair, and is a quick, clean mode of transport to get you between two prime destinations. My kids LOVE taking public transportation, so this was on their ‘must do’ list.

Pike Place Market - So, anyone who tells you to go to Seattle will say that this is a “must see.” And it probably is because it’s very iconic of Seattle. Truthfully, I think it’s just kind of ‘meh.’ The fishmongers throwing fish is entertaining -albeit, brief- and something you don’t see many places, but honestly…they just really want to sell their fish!! And the salmon jerky strips are really good, so you should buy some! There are other stalls and shops to explore, but it feels very touristy. Bottom line: go, but set your expectations low and expect crowds.

The Gum Wall - So if you’re already at Pike Place Market, you’ve gotta head down the stairs (left of the fish mongers, if you’re facing them) and check out the gum wall. Which is actually a ‘gum alley.’ It’s gross. People chew up their gum and stick it to the wall. We didn’t contribute to the cause, but many people were and I’m pretty sure that gum is now a few layers deep.

Original Starbucks - We didn’t go this time, so I don’t have a photo, but the very first EVER Starbucks is a one minute walk from the entrance to Pike Place Market. Just type in “first Starbucks” on Google Maps and it will route you there.

The Seattle Great Wheel - While on the topic of “touristy” things to do in Seattle… the Wheel is 175 ft tall and does give you amazing views of the city and harbor (even Mount Olympus on a clear day!) Each family, or group, gets their own little gondola and about 3-4 spins around. This attraction gets you down by the harbor where you can stroll along the water and check out the action on Puget Sound. Adults are $15 and youth are $10.

**Phenomenal views from The Great Wheel!**

Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour - if you’re a history buff, this is a quite a fascinating tour! You’ll learn about exploding toilets, poor land purchases (like building a whole city on boggy soil), the Madame who ran quite the ‘underground’ business (don’t worry, they still manage to keep it PG for kids), and you do actually go underground a couple times to walk through the part of the city that was built over when they realized that they needed to be on higher ground.

Kerry Park - this park is in a charming residential neighborhood at the top of a hill and has amazing views of the city. We went during the day, but I imagine it’s even more splendid a view at night!

Starbucks Reserve Roastery - if you’re a coffee lover, put this at the top of your list! Just be warned, though, there is almost always a line of 20 people out the door (this may have been acerbated by Covid), so I would plan to get there slightly before they open. You can get coffee drinks - including a flight of coffees - that are not offered at regular Starbucks stores, as well as some lunch selections and pastries. The facility is quite large, and includes an area for Starbucks and coffee merchandise, a bakery, and the actual (working) equipment used to roast the beans. Staff are on hand to explain the process, and my coffee-loving husband was impressed. The kids had fun, too!

**A Starbucks’ employee at the Reserve Roastery explaining the process to our boys.**

Other Popular Tourist Activities:

- Seattle Art Museum

-Seattle Children’s Museum

-Argosy Cruises (boat tours with views of the skyline and Puget Sound)

-Pacific Science Center (closed due to Covid when we were there, but they are ASTC members)

-Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

-The Amazon Spheres - you can’t go in, but these are architecturally interesting and near Top Pot doughnuts.

Favorite Food Stops

- Plum Bistro is a great vegan restaurant and it’s nearby to Frankie & Jo’s, which sells unique flavors of vegan ice cream.

-Top Pot Doughnuts - a Seattle doughnut chain. The one on 5th avenue was very cute, close to our hotel and close the the Amazon Spheres.

**I think the lemon was the best, but the boys were happy with their selections, too.**

- The Walrus & the Carpenter - one of my favorite food experiences EVER!!! We showed up at 4 pm when they opened, and waited outside peering into a dining room that looked empty and dark. Finally someone in line tried the door and walked down a long hallway to an absolutely gorgeous space, bathed in light, with indoor and outdoor dining. Within minutes ever seat in the place was full. The food was incredible, and the service was friendly, prompt and informative. It’s north of the city (not too far from the Fremont Troll if you drove up for that), and sooooo worth the drive or Uber over there if you’re a fan of oysters - or even if you’re not!

**Oyster shuckers at The Walrus & the Carpenter. Go to this place!!**

- Bangrak Market - casual, Thai restaurant with a colorful, cute outdoor dining space. My boys were delighted with their coconut water that was served in an actual coconut. (A ten minute stroll from the Space Needle).

We found these Okazu Pan treats in a Seattle coffee shop near the airport, but I know they are sold around town, and are a great ‘grab and go’ food.

Accommodations:

We stayed at the The Sound Hotel in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, which is right in the heart of Seattle. You could walk to most things, including the monorail which takes you directly to the Space Needle.

**View from the lounge area of the Sound Hotel. We brought take-out up there to enjoy in the sun.**

Transportation:

We had a car because we were heading to Orcas Island and Olympic National Park, so we planned a “car day” to get us to some of the activities/restaurants further north and south of the city, and then just left the car parked the second day and took the Monorail, Uber or walked.

Puget Sound definitely adds to the charm of Seattle. From Kerry Park or Gas Works Park you can watch seaplanes land, helicopters circle and see the big white and green ferry boats come and go. The city ripples with rising and falling elevation around every turn and reminded me of hilly San Francisco or Lisbon.

When I return next, I think I’ll come in the winter and embrace that drizzly, gray weather that so nicely complements a warm and cozy coffee culture. I hear Pearl Jam pairs nicely with a hot chai.

Orcas Island, Washington

Moab, Utah