General Things to Do in the City
- Pike Place Market
- Woodland Park Zoo
- Aquarium
- Washington Park Arboretum
- Kayaking and canoeing around the Arboretum or Lake Union
- Underground Tour
- Tour of the streets below Seattle, and a funny brief history of Seattle
- Space Needle
- Columbia Center
- Panoramic view of Seattle - I like the view here better than the space needle, it's also much cheaper :)
- Theo Chocolate Tour
- They're the only fair trade, organic, bean to bar chocolate factory in the US.
- Farmer's Market
- There's a few around Seattle, but the biggest one is in Ballard on Sunday
- Ballard Locks
- Ride the Ducks - its kinda cheesy, but it might be fun for kids
- Exploring the neighborhoods of Seattle - each of the neighborhoods around Seattle usually have a main drag that have fun local restaurants, coffee shops, bars
- Areas I generally recommend is Fremont and Ballard for families
- Seattle Pi website of neighborhoods
- Visit the wineries in Woodinville
- While you're up there, there's also Maltby Cafe and the Redhook Brewery
- Rent electric boat on Lake Union
- I haven't tried yet but heard many good things
Scenic Parks
- Green Lake
- Large lake with a walking/bike path, near Woodland Park Zoo
- Sculpture Park
- Ella Bailey Park
- Big open areas, BBQ, and a big park with views of the sound & Mt Rainier
- Golden Gardens
- Beach in Ballard
- Gas Works Park
- Kerry Park
- Another great view of Seattle
- Hiking - there's lots of hiking within a couple hours of Seattle, where you're walking through old growth forest, meadows, and creeks, and arriving at alpine lakes, waterfalls, or mountain views
- Ferry rides
- There's a few islands with small towns west of Seattle - you can also go out to the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula
- San Juan Islands - has cute towns with hiking, camping, whale watching, biking activities
- Whale watching around Anacortes
- Olympic Peninsula
- This is west of Seattle and has wide range of activities, you can get here with a ferry ride
- There's a mountain range with great hiking, beaches on the Pacific coast, rain forest
- Leavenworth
- Small touristy Bavarian town couple hours east of Seattle
- Its fun to walk through town (only a few blocks though), we mostly go for the activities nearby - hiking, camping, water tubing, etc
- Vancouver
- Portland - only a few hours away
- Mt. St. Helens
- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
- Wildlife Park - I haven't been but have friends who highly recommend it
Events
- Skagit Valley Tulip Festival - April
- Cheese Festival - in Pike Place market, May
- Seattle International Film Festival
- SEAFAIR - lots of activities from June - Aug
- Bite of Seattle - delicious food booths set-up in the Seattle Center, July
- Chocolate Salon - July
- Bumbershoot at the Seattle Center - Labor day weekend
- Fremont Oktoberfest
Music
- There's a lot of great music in Seattle
- Some locations:
- Ever year, there's Bumbershoot at the Seattle Center
- The Gorge, a few hours from the city has a number of shows. Below are 2 I consider ever year:
- Sasquatch
- DMB
- Latest on Seattle Weekly
Snow in Washington - what makes the winter fun!
- Checking conditions
- Sign up for Larry's Powder report
- Cascade Crud - aggregate of the various mountain conditions
- WSDOT - road conditions
- Skiing or Snowboarding
- Crystal Mountain - 2 hours south of Seattle
- Stevens Pass - 2 hours northeast of Seattle
- Mt. Baker - 2.5 hours north of Seattle, nearby has great cheap cabins for the weekend
- Snoqualmie Pass - 40 mins from Seattle, good for night riding after work
- Snowshoeing
More Activities and Ways to Get Involved in Seattle
- DiscNW - ultimate frisbee community
- Lots of leagues and teams for all skills and commitment levels
- Indoor Rock Climbing at Vertical World
- If you're new to rock climbing, they have a great deal for beginner lessons and a week of free visits. I haven't been, but I heard Stone Gardens is better if you prefer bouldering
- Dancing at the Century Ballroom
- Great classes and dance nights for salsa, swing, etc
- Washington Trails Association
- Their website has useful trip reports of recent hikes and trail/road conditions
- World Affairs Council
- Local non-profit that hosts lots of interesting talks, language tables, etc
Public Transit
- Metro Trip Planner
- Seattle Bicycling Guide
- Bikewise - public bike reports
Some Places (mostly food) I Like in Capitol Hill
- Sushi Maki
- Best priced and good sushi in Cap Hill
- Stumbling Monk
- Great selection of Belgian beer, and they don't mind if you bring food (like Sushi Maki which is just down the block :)
- Than Brothers on Broadway
- Delicious cheap pho, and they give you a free cream puff :)
- Bleu Bistro
- Love their caprese appetizer and pasta dishes
- Indian Express
- Really good Indian food, and you can do take-out
- Bikram Yoga at the Sweatbox
- City People
- Not really Cap Hill, but close. If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll find out about their classes (went to one on chicken farming) and get a 15% coupon every month
- Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant
- Also not really in Cap Hill, but close and worth trying if you like Ethiopian food