What to Do in Seattle: A Complete Guide (for First Timers)

Pike Place Market

I unironically love going to Pike Place Market. Is it packed full of tourists? Yes. Is it busy at all hours? Yes. Is it a fun place to explore and shop for little gifts, food items, and grab a bite to eat or three? Absolutely. 

Pike Place Market is the most iconic single place in Seattle (the other would be the Space Needle), and unlike the Space Needle, we think it lives up to the hype.

The first thing you need to know here is that it’s “Pike Place Market” NOT “Pike’s Place” – and anyone who adds the “s” probably isn’t really worth listening to on anything Seattle related. 

Pike Place Market is down near the waterfront (newly developed and a very pleasant place to be!), and it’s part farmers market, part food hall, and there are a wide variety of food options to indulge in, including some unique offerings that you probably don’t come across too often (piroshkis for example). 

One extremely important tip (rant) here: Do NOT go to the “original” Starbucks. It’s not actually the original location (just good branding of a relatively old location) and there are several better places to get coffee within a few blocks (Victrola, Anchorhead, or Ghost Alley Espresso, which is right under the market). 

If you absolutely must have Starbucks (boo), go to one of the other 17 locations within a few blocks of the Market, which are almost exactly the same and will not have nearly the same line.

The only difference is that the mermaid logo has a top on at those other locations.

Here are some spots at the Market that we love and think are worth stopping by. 

The Flying Fish: A Pike Place classic – hang out around the fish area right under the main Pike Place sign (here on Google Maps) to see the fish throwing in action. For one of my friend’s birthdays recently, we actually bought fish and other seafood here, which was a fun experience and was definitely my first time doing anything other than watching the fish fly. 

Piroshky Piroshky: A cult classic, this place has been serving up Russian pastries since the early 90’s, way before Seattle was “cool.” Various fillings are wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry (I think that’s what it is, anyway) and served out of a literal hole in the wall. They have vegan and vegetarian options, but no gluten free options. 

Beecher’s Cheese: Is Beecher’s my favorite PNW cheese company? Maybe (there are too many good ones to choose from!), but their flagship cheddar is absolutely in the conversation and is nearly always present on cheese plates around the holidays.

Their shop at Pike Place sells their retail cheese along with ready-to-eat items like Mac & Cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich (neither are safe for Celiacs, but the cheese itself is!).

Biscuit Bitch: Southern style biscuits and gravy with a bunch of different varieties to choose from. Follow your nose and the long lines to get here.

IMPORTANT: The gluten free biscuits are made in the same area and on the same equipment as the rest, and are NOT SAFE FOR CELIACS. Everyone else, go crazy.

Pike Place Chowder: One thing you need to know about Seattle is that seafood is serious business, particularly salmon. For chowder made with fresh seafood, head here. Pro-tip: get the salmon chowder, and get it in a bread bowl. 

Rachel’s Ginger Beer makes, you guessed it, ginger beer! You can get it straight or as part of a cocktail. They have some really fun flavors, like Caramelized Pineapple and Blood Orange, and they are constantly churning out new ones.

Indi Chocolate: I mean, high-quality, small batch, single origin dark chocolate. Need I say more? We particularly like their drinking chocolate, and there’s a fantastic view out over Seattle and the Puget Sound from the patio area right outside.  

Seattle Center

Along with Pike Place Market, Seattle Center is the other tourist-centric hub in Seattle. It’s north of Pike Place Market on the other side of Belltown, at the base of the hill in Lower Queen Anne. 

There are a bunch of attractions here, but there are three that stand out to us (for positive and negative reasons); the Space Needle, the Museum of Pop Culture, and the Dale Chihuly Gardens and Glass. Those are the ones we’re going to focus on. 

Here are some quicker hits on the other things to see here. 

KEXP + Caffe Vita: While it’s not quite our favorite place to get coffee in Seattle in terms of the actual coffee itself, it’s hard to argue that this cafe doesn’t have the best vibe of any in Seattle. 

Caffe Vita is a Seattle classic – they’ve been roasting coffee in Seattle for decades – and the space they’re in is a big, airy warehouse-feeling space that is adjacent to the recording studio (and offices) of KEXP Seattle, which is a well-known alternative station that rose to fame with Seattle’s ascent to the top of the grunge scene. 

It’s well worth stopping by for a coffee and, if you’re lucky and they haven’t taken them down, the cool photos on the walls featuring huge bands that played shows in Seattle (many of them from Seattle). 

The International Fountain: A cool fountain with a view of the Space Needle right outside Climate Pledge. 

Climate Pledge Arena: Formerly Key Arena, home of the Seattle Supersonics who were shamefully stolen and taken to Oklahoma City (your loss, I guess), this is now the home of the Seattle Kraken, Seattle’s NHL franchise, and also one of the big entertainment venues for bigger acts coming through Seattle. 

The Pacific Science Center: This would be an excellent thing to do with kids, because it’s a very interactive, kid-friendly museum. There’s an iMax theater here too, and they actually do some fun adult themed nights like laser shows to Jimi Hendrix music. 

Now let’s talk about those three major attractions. 

The Space Needle

The first thing we need to talk about is the Space Needle, which is usually either the first or second thing on people’s agenda when they’re visiting Seattle. 

While Pike Place Market is absolutely “touristy,” it’s also absolutely worth visiting and spending a good chunk of time exploring (and mostly eating and drinking). 

We have the exact opposite view of the Space Needle, and Matt tells everyone he encounters (whether they’re actively planning a Seattle trip or not) that it is one of the most overrated tourist attractions in the world (trailing “Juliet’s House” in Verona, which is a joke, and followed closely by Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco). 

There are a few reasons why that is the case, but it’s mostly a cost issue. At the time of writing, it costs a whopping $42.50 per adult (slightly cheaper for kids and seniors, slightly cheaper before 11am and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) to ride the elevator up to the top of the Space Needle. 

You’re mostly doing it for the view, and the biggest problem with the view of Seattle’s skyline from the Space Needle is that… the Space Needle isn’t in it. 

Not only that, but the best view of Seattle’s skyline (we think) is a public park that is FREE, is a short walk from Seattle Center (~15 minutes uphill), and includes the Space Needle in its view. 

That park is Kerry Park, which you can find here on Google Maps (and we have more on Kerry Park in the “best views” section below). 

One thing to know if you do want to do the Space Needle is that, for the most part, the best time to be up here for pictures is around sunset (you also get the benefit of being able to see the city light up at dusk) because the best view is looking southeast towards the skyline and Rainier, and the sun will be behind Mount Rainier in the morning hours. 

More information on the Space Needle, including current prices and hours, here. 

The Museum of Pop Culture

Of the attractions at Seattle Center, this is BY FAR our favorite of the bunch. It used to be the Experience Music Project, a funky looking multicolored building that seems to swallow up the Seattle Monorail as it passes by, but has since broadened its purview to include all things pop culture. 

Fun fact: Matt had his high school prom here!

The Museum of Pop Culture has a range of permanent exhibits, including a few focused on Seattle icons like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, along with a set of rotating exhibits (we went when there was an exhibit about the rise of hip hop in the 90’s and 2000’s and it was FANTASTIC) and some more experiential exhibits. 

The only downside is that it’s a little bit expensive, starting at $26.75 per adult (they do dynamic pricing, so it’s generally a few dollars cheaper the further out you book), but we absolutely think it’s worth it if you want to learn about some of the cultural icons that have shaped Seattle over the past few decades (like grunge music). 

It’s also worth checking out their current exhibitions to see if there are any interesting temporary things happening while you’re in town. 

Chihuly Garden & Glass

If you’re not interested in the Museum of Pop Culture, this museum across the street is a worthy alternative.

I would actually consider doing them both if you have the time and budget, because both tell pieces of the story of Seattle’s entrepreneurial, optimistic, creative story. 

It’s focused on the work of legendary glass artist Dale Chihuly, who spent his life in the Seattle area creating incredibly intricate glass sculptures.

If you visit, I can almost guarantee that you’ll say something to the effect of “how did he do THAT” at least once.

I did it for the first time on my latest visit (somehow I’d never done it before?) and I was blown away at both the work and the way it’s displayed.

There are also live demonstrations throughout the day where you can see how the glass is made, which was arguably my favorite part.

I would also prioritize sitting down and watching whatever video they’re showing in the theater area, which will also give you some insight into the process behind the art. 

There are multiple exhibitions and things to see here, including the glass gardens (think a botanical garden, but the installations are made of glass and are integrated with the natural world).  

Tickets here start at $29, and fluctuate based on time of day and other factors. It’s kind of expensive, which is part of why I had never done it before, but I loved it. More information here. 

Other Things in Seattle that We Love

Here are some other things that we think you should add to your itinerary.

Explore Seattle’s Past in Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square is where Seattle’s history as a major city as part of the United States began.

This is the oldest part of the city, and was designated a historic neighborhood in 1970, which means that the historic facades that have been replaced by glass-paneled skyscrapers in other parts of the city are still standing here.  

Now, before this latest trip, I’m not sure I would have advised anyone to spend any significant time in Pioneer Square. 

Mostly because it’s the part of the city where you’ll find the highest concentration of shelters and services for the unhoused community in Seattle, which can be uncomfortable (especially for people who don’t live in a city on the west coast). 

However, after spending a half day wandering Pioneer Square and exploring the history here, I definitely think it’s worth poking around if you’re interested in how Seattle became the city it is today. 

If you’re unfamiliar with how the west coast came to be populated by European settlers, here’s a crash course: the government was worried the European powers were going to annex the western part of North America, so they incentivized pioneers to head west by offering them up to 160 acres of land if they headed west. 

The original settlers who arrived in what is today known as Seattle showed up at Alki Point in November with a party of 20+ and set up camp near the beach only to find out that the wind and rain that whips through the Sound made a wooden structure on the point untenable in the winter. 

So they moved further into Elliott Bay, where you’re protected from the majority of the elements, and set up shop. 

Turns out the midwestern pioneers weren’t super familiar with the ocean, because they made a LOT of mistakes as they set up the beginnings of the city. 

For context, the waterfront used to be adjacent to 1st Avenue S before the infrastructure (like a seawall) was built.

It’s also worth noting that they built the original city in a tideflat at sea level, so every day the streets would end up covered by 6-12 inches of water and it was a muddy mess. 

Lucky for them (sort of), they got bailed out by a fire – the Great Seattle Fire in 1889 – that burnt the entire “downtown” area (Pioneer Square today) to the ground, which allowed them to raise the street level roughly a story.

But more on that in a second as it relates to the Beneath the Streets Tour (which I love and think is a must-do). 

Shortly after that, a major event happened that would catapult the city into the national spotlight; the Klondike Gold Rush. Gold was discovered up in Alaska. 

Ever the optimistic entrepreneurs, the Seattlites sprang into action to execute a marketing campaign for the ages, promoting Seattle as the ideal jumping off point for the journey north and selling the hopefuls all the gear they needed to take with them (and then capturing all of their hard-won gold winnings on their way back through Seattle through brothels and gambling). 

That wealth that came in during that period led to significant expansion in Seattle, and several of the most famous entrepreneurs in Seattle history made it big during the gold rush and started their businesses. 

For example, John W. Nordstrom used his money to start a department store in Seattle that would eventually become the one of the most famous fashion retailers in the country. 

Anyway, the point is that Pioneer Square is the proverbial room where it happened, and it’s worth spending some time learning that story as a foundation for your visit. 

There are two major things in Pioneer Square that I wouldn’t miss and that will give you that foundation; the Beneath the Streets Tour and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum (which is run by the National Park Service). 

The Beneath the Streets Tour

In every city I visit, I try to do (at least) one walking tour that dives into history to give me a good foundation for learning about that city, allow me to connect with a local and pick their brain on what to do, see, and eat, and I try to make it the very first thing I do. 

However, as a city that I know well after growing up in the suburbs and living here after college, I never really considered doing that in Seattle. 

After doing it again recently, I think that Seattle’s version of that tour is the Beneath the Streets tour. 

This tour is an institution and I hadn’t done it in many years until my recent stay in Seattle (I’ve done it multiple times, just not in a long time). 

After that tour, which I thoroughly enjoyed and gushed about to Alysha when I returned above ground, I highly recommend it as a fun way to learn about Seattle’s history. 

As I already alluded to, the area that is known as Pioneer Square today was originally built at sea level in a tideflat.

So when the fire ripped through the city in 1889, they reevaluated their decision and decided on a different approach that involved filling in the land to raise the street level roughly a story above sea level. 

The issue was that the project for raising the street level would take a decade (most unsurprising spoiler in history: the big public works budget went over budget and took twice as long as expected). And the city couldn’t afford to just put business on pause. 

So they came up with an innovative compromise. They rebuilt the downtown area at sea level, and then embarked on a big project to progressively raise it, with business still active and accessible during that period. 

The result is that there is a network of underground tunnels beneath today’s streets that are the original street level, and they have held up for centuries despite the multiple big earthquakes that have happened over that time period. 

The Beneath the Streets tour takes you into those tunnels to explore Seattle’s history from a different, unique perspective.

It’s almost more of a comedy tour than a dry history tour, but it does center around the underground tunnels that exist below Seattle and how they tell a story about the city as a whole. 

It’s focused on the area around Pioneer Square, which is a historic part of the city and is what you might call “Old Town” or “the Historic Center” if it was in Europe. 

It’s a fun way to spend an hour or so, though not if you get claustrophobic in tight spaces because you will be in underground tunnels (though they’re not particularly tight spaces, you’re just below the street level). 

The Klondike Gold Rush Museum

I’m not sure I would have prioritized this compact (but informative) museum if it had not been for the tour guide of the Beneath the Streets tour, who positioned the Klondike Gold Rush as a pivotal point in Seattle’s development and mentioned this free museum as a good place to learn more. 

It’s a relatively quick visit – 30-45 minutes at most – and it gives you insight into what Seattle was like during that tumultuous five year period where Seattle became the jumping off point for people looking to strike it rich. 

Now, I had actually already known the broad strokes of this story (I love MOHAI, and it’s covered there), but there were a few details that I picked up here that painted a more complete picture for me. 

One of the interesting points that I had never really considered is the fact that the gold rush had numerous terrible consequences for the area that persisted long after the rush had ended. 

Namely, the industrial mining operations destroyed the environment (they were blowing up hillsides hoping to find gold without having any idea if there was actually gold there), displaced wildlife and destroyed their habitat, and polluted all of the water sources. 

I also re-learned that John W. Nordstrom got his start in the gold rush, and used his money to open up a store in Seattle that grew into a worldwide fashion retailer.

There are some good artifacts and interactive elements, and it’s a nice way to learn about what the journey from Seattle to the Klondike looked like through the stories of people who actually did it. 

It’s also worth popping a block over to the waterfall park (here on Google Maps), which is both a beautiful park and also the place where UPS (yes, that UPS) was founded. 

Visit Some of Seattle’s Coolest Neighborhoods

Like many cities around the world, our favorite slices of Seattle are not in the commercial downtown core, but in places where people actually live (and there are businesses there to serve those people).

While neighborhoods like Belltown and Queen Anne are nice to visit, we’d encourage you to dedicate some time on your Seattle itinerary to getting out to the peripheral neighborhoods to do some eating, drinking, and strolling. 

While there are many good candidates for this section, we’re going to focus on two of them: Capitol Hill and Ballard (Fremont was a close third!).  

The first is arguably within the downtown core (it’s a short walk across the freeway from the Convention Center in downtown Seattle), and the second is a quieter, more residential area on the north side of the city.  

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill is probably tied with Ballard in terms of the neighborhoods that we spend the most time in when we visit Seattle.

It’s full of great places to eat and drink, has some good walkable stretches with shops to browse, and is home to our favorite independent bookstore in Seattle.  

Like we said above, Capitol Hill is arguably within the downtown core because it’s just across the freeway from the heart of Downtown Seattle (albeit up a small hill). 

However, to get there, you do have to cross over I-5 (gross) and once you’re up into the Pike/Pine corridor, it looks and feels significantly different than the downtown core.

It’s more residential – though still dense – with a higher proportion of people who actually live here. 

In terms of time of day to visit, Capitol Hill is great in the morning, for coffee and/or brunch, and also in the evening, when it becomes one of the nightlife hubs in Seattle (and is home to several of our favorite cocktail bars in the city). 

Here are some places to visit in Capitol Hill that we like, in no particular order. 

Elliott Bay Book Company: The best bookstore in Seattle, I think. If we’re within a few minutes of this place, we’ll walk over and peruse the shelves. I especially like the staff recommendations sections, which is a great place to discover your next read. 

Analog Coffee: Probably my favorite coffee shop in Capitol Hill, they bring in roasters from all over the Pacific Northwest (usually Camber from Bellingham is a staple) and have a nice menu of espresso-based drinks, and pour over options for coffee nerds like me. 

Atulea: Alysha’s favorite! They do matcha and bubble tea, and their matcha ice cream is a huge draw. Alysha is all about the Ube Matcha Latte.

Molly Moons: Seattle’s OG ice cream spot, which now has an empire with locations all over the city. Great seasonal flavors with fresh ingredients, and fresh-pressed waffle cones. Skip Salt & Straw, which is originally from Portland, and go to Molly Moons instead. 

Nightlife in Capitol Hill: There are three excellent bars within a couple of blocks of each other in Capitol Hill. Go to Tavern Law for a speakeasy with great cocktails. Go to Canon for a massive whiskey list. Go to Footprint Wine Tap for wines on tap (which is more sustainable than bottles). 

Ballard

Ballard is the other place that we tend to find ourselves in Seattle, despite the fact that it is literally the furthest possible neighborhood from my mom’s house east of the city. 

Mostly because Alysha’s favorite tea place and the best farmers market in Seattle are in Ballard. 

Originally the land of the Duwamish people, the area that is now known as Ballard saw its first European settlers in the mid 19th Century, when some rich guys acquired the land in hopes that the Great Northern Railroad would come to Seattle to jack up the value of their investment. 

From there, the area became an industrial hub with mills and canneries galore, which is why you see so many industrial buildings today that have become craft breweries. 

We have a whole section below dedicated to planning a self-guided brewery tour of Ballard’s industrial area (which is now home to an absurd number of craft breweries and cideries). 

Ballard used to be an independent city, and at one point it was the second largest city in King County by population (after Seattle). 

After years of voting against annexation, Seattle essentially strong-armed Ballard into becoming a part of the city when the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Seattle couldn’t provide water to surrounding cities (which is how Ballard got all of its water at the time). 

Today, Ballard is a hip, young, fairly residential area with a nice walkable “downtown” area near Ballard Ave that is one of the most popular stretches in the city, day or night.

It’s still dense and close enough to Downtown Seattle, but a little more low key. 

Put succinctly, Ballard is where people in their 30’s move after living in Belltown or Capitol Hill and deciding they want more space and a less urban setting, but don’t want to move to the burbs.  

Ballard also has great access to green spaces, with the Burke Gilman trail running right through it (to connect you to Fremont and the University of Washington on a bike ride or run), and Golden Gardens Park and Discovery Park on its doorstep.

The Ballard Farmers Market: We also have a whole section on the Ballard Farmers Market below, which we definitely think you should visit if you’re in town on a Sunday.

It’s a display of the incredible bounty of fresh ingredients and makers in Western Washington, from cheese and mead to ready-to-eat foods out of stalls and food trucks. It’s a fun atmosphere, and is worth prioritizing, we think. 

Miro Tea: Alysha’s favorite tea spot in Seattle, their pink chai is legitimately one of the best drinks we’ve ever had.

They also have a bunch of other fun chai and matcha drinks, along with plenty of loose leaf tea options (with free samples available, most days). Definitely a must-stop for tea lovers in Ballard. 

Homage Coffee: What Miro is for tea lovers, Homage is for coffee fiends (like Matt). They have a variety of roasters from around the country (and world), and they have pour over and single origin espresso for the nerds (along with your usual espresso and milk drinks and some good seasonal specials). 

The Ballard Locks: Another unique thing! The Ballard Locks are just west of the heart of “downtown” Ballard and are worth a walk along Salmon Bay to check out the viewing platform of the fish ladder (sometimes you can see salmon, mostly in the summer!).

The locks here are the most prolific in the U.S. in terms of boat traffic, and are actually a big piece of shaping modern day Seattle by lowering the water levels to allow for more expansion (basically the same idea as filling or reclaiming land like Boston did, but with far less labor). 

Venue: There’s a lot of good shopping to be had on Ballard Ave, but this place is my favorite because it’s basically a gallery for a wide variety of local artists and we’ve discovered some of our favorites here over the years (like Red Umbrella Designs and Gianna Andrews). Good for souvenirs and local art. 

Yonder Cider & Balebreaker Brewing: We’ll get deeper into the brewery and cidery scene below, but we love this place in particular.

We usually find ourselves here on our trips to Seattle because it’s a great indoor/outdoor space (firepits in the winter make it cozy) and you can bring your own food, so we go get takeout from one of favorite gluten free restaurants in Seattle and bring it here to enjoy.

Good cider, too, made in Eastern Washington (which is where all the apples are grown). 

Tackle an Urban Hike

One of the first things Alysha noticed on her first visit (of many) to Seattle is the fact that Seattle is a very green city. 

Coming from the Bay Area, where she was born and raised and the hills are green for maybe a few months a year, the bright green ferns and incredible moss straight out of a fantasy story was a sharp contrast. 

You can find tastes of that greenery throughout the city. Just walking through the more residential parts of Capitol Hill or Wallingford you’ll see all sorts of plant life.

Just like Portland, though, Seattle has some great parks that will have you questioning whether you’re still in the city or not, and that’s the best place to soak in the greenery. 

There are several good options for a nice urban hike that are within the city, like the Green Lake loop, the Seward Park loop, and the Washington Park Arboretum. 

Seward Park and the Washington Arboretum in particular are both excellent (both make our guide to the best hikes in Seattle), but we think Discovery Park is the one you should focus on because it combines the aforementioned ferny, mossy forests with the rugged coastal beauty that makes Washington State one of our favorite states in the union. 

Discovery Park is on a peninsula northwest of the downtown core, between downtown and Ballard (so it makes a good addition to your Seattle itinerary when you’re headed up to Ballard). 

There’s a nice 4.5 mile loop that is fairly easy that will take you to some of the best pieces of the park. 

You’ll start with a walk through the forest, emerge onto a bluff overlooking the coast, and then finish with a walk out to the point where the West Point Lighthouse sits, which has a nice view of Puget Sound and the Olympic range. 

You can do this hike year round, and it’s actually nice in the winter when it’s wet because the ferns and moss really pop. 

There are buses, but it will take ~45 minutes to get there on the bus, so a rideshare or driving yourself is probably the best way to get out there. 

Olympic Sculpture Park & the (New) Seattle Waterfront

Generally speaking, in the past 10-15 years, the Seattle waterfront was not somewhere that I was particularly interested in visiting. There were a couple of higher end seafood restaurants with a nice view, a Ferris Wheel, and some shops for tourists, but that was about it. 

On this recent trip when I visited Seattle like a non-local (aka not staying in the suburbs with my mom), I was staying near Pike Place Market (One of my top picks for the best places to stay in Seattle) and the waterfront was a short walk away. 

For context here, in the past decade or so, Seattle has undergone a big public works project to remove the Alaskan Way viaduct, a highway that used to run straight through the middle of the city (gross), and that removal has given way to a redevelopment project to make the Seattle waterfront more pedestrian friendly and a place that visitors actually want to visit. 

I’m not exaggerating (okay, maybe I am, but only a little) when I say that my jaw hit the floor when I saw all the great infrastructure that has been built along the waterfront to connect it to Pike Place Market and the rest of the city.

Wide pedestrian paths! Protected bike lanes! No highway running right above your head! It’s great. 

It’s worth walking the waterfront in the late afternoon when the light is golden.

Walk from the Olympic Sculpture Park, a big outdoor art installation put on by the Seattle Art Museum with great views of the Olympic Range, down to the beach (here on Google Maps), and south along the waterfront. 

Make sure to stop at the cruise terminal for the excellent view from the roof, the Bell Harbor Observation Deck (here on Google Maps), which is one of my favorite photo spots in Seattle. 

You can also head north along the redeveloped Elliott Bay Trail, which heads north from Pocket Beach. 

Learn About Seattle’s History at MOHAI

MOHAI – the Museum of History and Industry – was something that I (Matt here!) have done multiple times growing up in Seattle on school field trips, but it looked VERY different back then, which was pre-Amazon. 

Today, it has been completely redone and sits on Lake Union in South Lake Union, the neighborhood that Amazon has completely transformed with huge glass skyscrapers.

It’s a part of the city that didn’t really exist 20 or 30 years ago, and it’s still pretty surreal to walk around and see all these modern buildings, young people, and all the associated businesses catering to them (hip bars, fancy coffee, etc etc). 

Anyway, back to MOHAI. I went to MOHAI a few years ago to check it out and see how it has changed, and ended up spending several hours following the story it tells of Seattle’s rise from a stop on the way to the gold rush allllll the way to being one of the technology capitals of the world. 

If you’re interested in learning about Seattle’s history as a city, this would be the place I would recommend first.

It’s focused on the business and industries that have made Seattle what it is today (unsurprising based on the name), but I do think it’s a relatively fair look at their impacts on the city over the years.

Take the Ferry (to Bainbridge Island)

One of the most unique aspects of Seattle’s location on Elliott Bay and the chain of islands that runs off the west coast of mainland Washington is the fact that travel by ferry is a common occurrence. And we’re not talking about small ferries here, we’re talking about big car ferries. 

If you have the time, we definitely think you should make an effort to see the city and surrounding area from a ferry because there might be no better view on a clear day than the 360 degree view from the middle of Puget Sound. 

You’ll have the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier to the east and south, and the Olympic Range looming ahead to the west. It’s pure magic, especially if you’re not from the Pacific Northwest. 

There are two good ferry options from Downtown Seattle if you don’t have a car. 

Bainbridge Island is a ~40 minute ferry ride to the west across Puget Sound, and is our preferred option because it heads further out past the edge of Elliott Bay into the Sound.

We have an entire guide to taking a day trip out to Bainbridge Island via the ferry, which has our favorite places to stop on that side of the Sound along with more practical tips for the trip. Read that for more detail. 

It will take about a half day or so (minimum) to do the day trip out to Bainbridge and back. 

If you don’t have that much time, you can do a mini version of that trip out to Alki Beach in West Seattle, which is close to the place that the European settlers who established the city originally landed before realizing that the point is a horrible place to build a wooden structure. 

The water taxi to Alki Beach will give you a taste of that ferry magic in a much more compact package at just 10-15 minutes from downtown to Alki.  

From the water taxi stand, you can walk along the beach (around the point) to the west side of the peninsula, which is where most of the action is. 

Catch a Sporting Event

Seattle is an excellent city to catch a sporting event (like the World Cup in 2026!) for one big reason: the sports venues are all right in the middle of the downtown core. No hour-long drives to get to the stadiums here! 

Plus, there are a bunch of teams to choose from, and whatever time of year you’re visiting Seattle, there’s bound to be one of them in-season (though not necessarily playing at home – you’ll have to check their schedules).

There are four big franchises in Seattle, and three of them play within a few blocks of Pioneer Square on the south end of downtown Seattle at two stadiums; T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field. 

The Seattle Seahawks are the football team that play in the NFL and the Seattle Sounders are the soccer team (go Timbers), and they play at Lumen Field. 

The Seahawks play from fall to early winter (roughly September to January, depending on playoffs) while the Sounders play from spring to fall (roughly April through December, also depending on playoffs). 

The Seattle Mariners are the baseball team, and they play at T-Mobile Park (which is across the street from the other stadium). The season is from spring to fall, and while we’re not baseball people, catching a game on a warm summer evening definitely deserves a spot on this list. 

The newest major sports franchise in Seattle is the NHL franchise (that would be hockey), the Seattle Kraken, who play at Climate Pledge Arena (formerly Key Arena) in the middle of Seattle Center. The season here is more winter-focused. 

If you’re into soccer, there’s also Ballard FC in the USL, who played in the championship against Vermont Green last year (at the time of writing). 

I also want to just mention that we used to have the Seattle Supersonics (as evidenced by my vintage Luke Ridnour jersey that I got when I was a kid), but they were ripped away from us and sent to Oklahoma City (their loss, really). 

…Or a Show

Seattle is in the top tier when it comes to cultural hubs in the Pacific Northwest.

Sure, Portland is a great arts & entertainment city, and many of the acts that come to Seattle also make a pitstop in Portland (because it probably makes sense from a logistics perspective to pair the two). 

However, many of the biggest acts skip Portland (because we don’t really have a big venue like a football stadium) and do a show in Seattle, so people from Portland hop on I-5 (or on the train, which is far more pleasant) to come to Seattle to catch them. 

For example, when the Eras tour was happening, it felt like half of the people on my soccer teams in Portland were gone for a game because it was on the night of the Eras tour in Seattle. 

The venues for those big acts are going to be T-Mobile Park, Lumen Field, and Climate Pledge Arena. 

However, I also think Seattle excels at the small and medium venues, with venues like the Showbox, the Paramount, and plenty more. 

It’s worth checking what’s on when you’re in town, because there’s a chance that there’s a touring broadway show, a comedy act, or a band that you want to see. 

Everout is generally our favorite place to figure out what’s going on in Portland, and they have a Seattle hub too that we’d check for your dates.

They have a helpful roundup every week with all the events that are happening, along with a similar roundup by month. 

Things to Do for Foodies in Seattle

Do you love food? What about beer? Coffee? If the answer to any or all of those is “yes,” this section is for you. 

We now live in Portland, Oregon, which is a top three best food city in the country, and we’re not convinced that Seattle’s food scene is on that level.

Mostly because the cost of living is so high that it’s impossible to try things and also afford rent (that’s our hypothesis, anyway). 

However, I do think Seattle’s food scene is better than most cities, and particularly in the past few years as the city gets back to pre-2020 levels, there have been plenty of new entrants and openings that have injected a new energy that was very much needed. 

You should know that we’re not going to use this section to give you a list of restaurants in Seattle that we like. 

Mostly because Matt has Celiac Disease and can’t eat a speck of gluten, which means our list of restaurants likely looks a little different from yours (if you’re also gluten free, here’s our list of gluten free restaurants in Seattle!). 

If you’re looking for food recommendations, we’d head to this thread on Reddit (and this one), and this guide from the Seattle Met (that second Reddit thread is reacting to this list). 

The Ballard Farmers Market

As two VERY food motivated people, we make it a priority to visit the Ballard Farmers Market on every trip to Seattle (if it makes sense). 

It happens on Sunday morning, and several blocks of Ballard’s main drag are shut down to transform it into our favorite farmers market in Seattle (by far). 

There are vendors selling produce, ready-to-eat food from food trucks, and a wide range of other products from ceramics to cider to cheese to peruse and snack on. 

Plus, Ballard itself is one of the cool neighborhoods we covered above, and it’s worth spending some extra time wandering, shopping, eating, and drinking nearby. 

Take a Chef-Led Tour of Pike Place Market

We’ve already given you a list of spots in Pike Place Market that we enjoy so that you can craft your own DIY food crawl, but we also recognize the value that local experts bring to the table. 

Usually when we’re traveling, we try to do as many activities as we can fit (and/or afford) that put us in a position to see a city from a local’s eyes. Food tours, walking tours, and cooking classes are all examples of that style of activity. 

Food tours are a little tough for us, since Matt has Celiac Disease and can’t eat gluten (cooking classes tend to be a better option), but just because we can’t do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!

If you want to really dive into the best things to eat and drink at Pike Place Market, this tour with a local chef is about as close to a must-do as it can be. It’s a two hour culinary journey with plenty of tastings along the way. 

You’ll get a dose of history, a dose of food, and an opportunity to ask a local chef where you should eat for the rest of your time in Seattle (which is also a valuable opportunity!).  

Explore the City’s Specialty Coffee Scene

First of all, an obligatory note at the top: If you’re into coffee, absolutely do not go to Starbucks while you’re in Seattle.

ESPECIALLY not the one at Pike Place Market, which is no different than any of the other three million locations in the city. 

There are so many great places to get a good cup of coffee in Seattle that I simply cannot think of a reason why you would need to go to Starbucks while you’re here (which I understand might not be true from where you’re visiting from). 

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Seattle’s coffee scene. 

One thing I would say is that people tend to think of Seattle as a coffee mecca of sorts, and I think it’s partially the fact that Starbucks is based here and partially because we drink a lot of coffee in the Pacific Northwest. 

Turns out, you need the sweet promise caffeine to get out of bed when it’s your 73rd day of gray skies and light rain in a row.  

My hot take is that I don’t actually think Seattle’s coffee scene is particularly special when compared to other cities on the west coast.

However, I would say that, over the past couple of years, I have seen a notable uptick in exciting new shops opening around town that I’m excited about. 

One of the things that has been exciting is the emergence of a new wave of coffee shops that break the mold that specialty coffee had become (you know what I’m talking about – the same aesthetic, the same coffee, the same surly baristas) and bringing their cultural backgrounds and experiences to offer something unique.

One of my issues with the Seattle coffee scene over the past few years is the fact that it felt very stale – innovation had stalled a bit – and this new wave of openings is an injection of energy that I am very much here for. 

With that out of the way, here are my favorite spots in town for a good cup of coffee. 

For more options, you should read my entire guide to the best coffee in Seattle, which goes through a broader look at the scene. 

Sound & Fog: The O.G. multiroaster cafe in Seattle, Sound & Fog was my first (coffee) love in the city.

They’re in West Seattle, so a little harder to get to, but if you want a fun selection of lightly roasted coffees from Europe (mostly) that you won’t find elsewhere in town, this is the spot! 

Homage: Right on Ballard Ave in the heart of all the action in Ballard, this is the place that I come most often in Seattle (mostly because Alysha’s favorite places – the Ballard Farmers Market and Miro Tea – are right here).

They’re also a multi-roaster, which means they bring in coffee roasters from around the country and rotate through them. It’s a good selection of roasters, and the coffee is always fantastic (they do pour over, too). 

Analog: One of the shops that has been around for a while, it’s still one of my favorites. It’s on a corner in Capitol Hill, and they serve coffees from a variety of roasters around the country.

There’s a line out the door every time I’m here, which says something because there are 100 coffee shops within a short walk, and people choose to stand in line here. 

Hood Famous: Famous (ha) for their baked goods, this place is the best example of bringing their cultural background to coffee.

They serve coffees from Asia (though not necessarily roasted there), and I had a Chinese coffee and a Laotian coffee here (my first coffee from Laos ever).

They also have a unique menu of seasonal and signature drinks incorporating Filipino ingredients like calamansi (Philippine lime), sampanguita (the national flower of the Philippines), and lillikoi (the Hawaiian word for passionfruit). 

Day Made Kaffe: Straight out of Copenhagen, this is a tiny shop down near the stadiums that serves a simple, coffee-forward menu using coffee from Coffee Collective from Copenhagen (where the owner worked before coming back to Seattle and eventually deciding to open their own shop).

This is probably my top pick for coffee if you’re downtown (it’s a short walk from Pioneer Square). 

Do Your Own Self-Guided Brewery Crawl in Ballard

If you’re into craft beer, I would say that heading up to Ballard’s brewing district is a must-do while you’re in Seattle. 

As someone who lives in Portland now, I think I might be excommunicated for saying this, but I think there is no better place in the Pacific Northwest to experience the craft beer scene in all its glory. 

There are a bunch (we’re talking 20-30) of breweries here in an industrial area full of warehouses that has recently become hip, and they’re all within an area that is roughly four blocks by four blocks. 

It would be fairly easy to head up here for an afternoon and taste your way through some of the greats in Seattle’s craft beer scene. 

It should be noted here that craft beer in general is in a bit of a weird place right now, with younger generations choosing to drink less and the rise of seltzer and cider taking big chunks of the market away. 

The result has been consolidation by megacorporations like AB-Inbev, who have gobbled up a surprising number of local craft breweries in Portland and Seattle over the past decade or so (even the ones you think aren’t owned by them probably are at this point). 

The point here is to do your research and support locally-owned craft breweries!

Here are a few of my favorites. 

Yonder Cider / Balebreaker: This is my top pick, partially because I have Celiac Disease and can’t have beer so I enjoy Yonder Cider, and partially because the indoor/outdoor space is great.

Plus you can bring your own food, so we get Filipino fried chicken from the Chicken Supply in Greenwood and feast!

They’re two companies based in eastern Washington, which is where the hops and apples that every brewery in Seattle uses are grown. 

Reuben’s: I believe that Reuben’s was the very first craft brewery to open up a spot in this part of the city (if not first, then somewhere in the top three or so), and it has been around as long as I can remember (since 2012, I believe).

It was started by a homebrewer who won a bunch of homebrewing awards, decided to go to school to learn more, and proceeded to open one of the most successful breweries in Seattle.

Their Ballard taproom is one of the few places here that actually has a robust food program (not gluten free, but that’s not surprising). 

Stoup: When you ask a Seattleite where to get the best beer in Seattle, Stoup usually comes up at some point. They’re known for west coast IPA’s, and were one of the first breweries to open in this part of the city.

As someone who quit a more traditional and stable job to focus on something I was actually passionate about (spoiler: it’s this site), the story of three people who loved beer and had stable jobs betting it all on a brewery resonates with me. Good events calendar and food truck lineup, too. 

Urban Family: If you’re into sours, this is the spot for you. In a sea of IPA’s (of various levels of haziness) that you’ll find at the other breweries in this section, Urban Family has six different sours on tap (don’t worry, they also have plenty of IPA’s too).

I love their logo (a raccoon stealing a beer), and they have a nice lineup of food trucks and host square dancing lessons and stand up comedy (which they call “The Sour Hour”). 

Cloudburst: Cloudburst’s Shilshole taproom is located on the other side of Ballard, so you’ll have to walk ~15 minutes through the heart of the neighborhood to get to it, but I wanted to include it here because it’s one of the OG craft breweries in Seattle and part of the rise of the west coast IPA.

It was started by someone who worked at a bunch of famous breweries around the country before deciding to start Cloudburst when the brewery he worked at was acquired by AB-Inbev. 

Here’s a map of that route. 

As you can see, all of these breweries are within a few blocks of each other in an industrial section of Ballard that is a short walk from the heart of the action on Ballard Ave. 

Soak in Seattle’s Best Views

Here are a few of our favorite views in Seattle, from stunning skyline shots to breathtaking natural beauty. 

The Skyline from Kerry Park

We already sort of covered this in the section on the Space Needle above, but the view from Kerry Park – a public park a short uphill walk from Seattle Center – is our favorite view of Seattle’s skyline in the city. 

You get the Space Needle (which you miss from the top of the Space Needle, obviously) along with Mount Rainier and Elliott Bay – two pieces of natural beauty that are key elements in making Seattle one of the most beautiful cities in the country (no bias at all here!).

At least on a clear day when you can see Rainier, which is likely in the summer and relatively unlikely in any other season.

Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly a secret spot, so there will be a bunch of people sharing the view with you, and parking nearby can be a bit of a mess. 

You can find it here on Google Maps. 

The Waterfront from the Bell Harbor Observation Deck

One of our favorite photos we’ve ever taken in Seattle is from an observation deck on the waterfront, where you have a great view down the series of piers and ferry terminals that line Elliott Bay. 

You also get the Great Wheel, which is NOT worth going up in, but is a cool addition to the city’s skyline. 

It’s a short walk away from Pike Place Market and the Olympic Sculpture Park (another great photo spot!), so it’s an easy addition to just about any trip. 

You can find it here on Google Maps.

Gasworks Park

Gasworks Park, which is on the north side of Lake Union, looks directly south over the lake at the skyline. 

It’s a great place to go for sunset (again, because you’re looking south and ever so slightly east, so you’re looking into the sun in the morning), and you’ll find it packed on warm summer evenings with locals on picnics. 

The park itself also has kind of a cool story. 

It’s on the site of a former (prolific) gas plant that served the area including Seattle and suburbs as far south as Tukwila.

The plant ceased operations in the mid 1950’s when Seattle moved over to natural gas, and eventually the city built the land, detoxified it, and turned it into a park. 

The rusty orange structures still exist at the park. Old pieces of the former plant are built into the modern park, like the big open industrial-feeling barn.  

You can find it here on Google Maps. 

Discovery Park & West Point Lighthouse

As mentioned above, Discovery Park is our favorite urban park when it comes to hiking, and the Lighthouse Loop that takes you down to South Beach and out to West Point Lighthouse is a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours in nature. 

In particular, the view from driftwood-laden South Beach out towards West Point Lighthouse with the Olympics looming in the distance is one of the great views in the state. 

Don’t forget to check the trees around the beaches and lighthouse for bald eagles! We’ve seen them every time we’ve been here recently (all in the fall and winter, when it’s a little easier to see them).

You can find it here on Google Maps.  

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