Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
Once a rather rough-and-tumble place, Occidental Park has undergone a recent renaissance thanks largely to a partnership between the City of Seattle and a…
Must-see attractions in Seattle
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center
Belltown & Seattle Center
The work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is celebrated at this suitably high-tech visitor center, part of a larger foundation building located…
Ballard & Discovery Park
Golden Gardens Park, established in 1904 by Harry W Treat, is a lovely 95-acre beach park with sandy beaches north of Shilshole Bay Marina. There are…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
Originally built in 1908 by the Danish Brotherhood, Washington Hall has been a meeting place, music venue (hosting Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix and Duke…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
Everyone rushes for the iconic Space Needle, but it's not the tallest Seattle viewpoint. That honor goes to the sleek, tinted-windowed Columbia Center at…
Living Computers: Museum + Labs
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
Founded by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen (1953–2018), this place will evoke heavy nostalgia in anyone who can remember the world pre-internet. Hosted…
Seattle
Alki Beach has an entirely different feel from the rest of Seattle: on a sunny day this 2-mile stretch of sand could be confused for California. There’s a…
Queen Anne & Lake Union
Opened in 2010, this welcome green patch occupies ex-navy land on the southern tip of Lake Union and has a wading pond (with model sailboats you can use),…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
Like the psychedelic Beatles' song, the unique Arctic Building, completed in 1917, is celebrated for its walruses. Their heads (25 of them), surrounded by…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
This decorative iron pergola in Pioneer Square Park was built in 1909 to serve as an entryway to an underground lavatory and to shelter those waiting for…
Seattle
Approaching 90 years of age, the Henry is Seattle's modern-art masterpiece. Set in a sophisticated space on the University of Washington campus, it…
Seattle
This small museum on First Hill preserves the collection of Charles and Emma Frye. The Fryes collected more than 1000 paintings, mostly 19th- and early…
Belltown & Seattle Center
This interactive museum of science and industry once housed the science pavilion of the 1962 World’s Fair. Today the center features virtual-reality…
Seattle
Psychedelic guitar genius of the late 1960s and Seattle’s favorite son, Jimi Hendrix is captured sunk to his knees in eternal rock-star pose in this…
Belltown & Seattle Center
A remnant of the 1962 World's Fair, the International Fountain was completely rebuilt in 1995. With 272 jets of water (recycled, of course) pumping in…
Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
The beautiful Wing Luke museum examines Asia Pacific American culture, focusing on prickly issues such as Chinese settlement in the 1880s and Japanese…
Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
Ballard & Discovery Park
Inside Discovery Park you'll find this cultural center that displays a permanent collection of Native American artwork, special exhibitions and hosts…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
This 175ft Ferris wheel was installed in June 2012 with 42 gondolas, each capable of carrying eight people on a 12-minute ($14!) ride. The wheel sticks…
Seattle
It's practically obligatory to climb the 107 steep steps to the top of the 75ft water tower in Volunteer Park. Built in 1907, it provides wonderful vistas…
Seattle
What other US university campus has a perfectly framed view of a glacier-drizzled, 14,410ft stratovolcano? This beautiful green corridor of lawns and…
Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens
Ballard & Discovery Park
On the northern bank of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this charming arboretum and specimen garden. Trails wind through gardens filled with flowers and…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
If you need a tranquil spot to rest while wandering the ID, Hing Hay Park lends a little breathing space to this otherwise austere district. The…
Seattle
The lovely Quad is home to some of the original campus buildings, many of them built in a Collegiate Gothic style reminiscent of New England. On sunny…
Belltown & Seattle Center
The remnants of the futuristic 1962 World's Fair hosted by Seattle and subtitled Century 21 Exposition are still visible over 50 years later at the…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
At the southern edge of Washington Park Arboretum, this 3.5-acre formal garden has koi pools, waterfalls, a teahouse and manicured plantings. Granite for…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
Got kids? Got kid-like tendencies? Love the buzzers and bells of good old-fashioned analog machines? Lay aside your iPad apps and become a pinball wizard…
Hiram M Chittenden Locks Visitor Center
Ballard & Discovery Park
In Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens on the north side of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this visitor center containing a small museum documenting the…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
Sneak a peak at the beaux arts–inspired lobby while on your way to the 35th-floor Observatory of this landmark building. The views aren't as dramatic as…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
The Main & North Arcades, sandwiched between Pike Pl and Western Ave, contain some of the most quintessential Pike Place Market ephemera: flower stands,…
Seattle
This library was set up in 2009 by Gay City, a community organization, and has already collected 6000 volumes on LGBTIQ+ topics. There are regular…
Seattle
This large gallery space is dedicated to the work of artists over the age of 50 and features a wide breadth of mediums (painting to pottery to abstract…
Seattle
Feeling a little turned around? Consult this guidepost for directions from the 'center of the known universe' to lesser spots on the globe.
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
Elmer Fisher, whose fingerprints are ubiquitous in Pioneer Square, designed this iconic Pioneer Square building.
Seattle
Forest trails, an outdoor swimming pool and scenic beaches make this one of Seattle's most underrated parks.
Seattle
Cal Anderson Park is the active heart of Capitol Hill, where you’re sure to bump into locals playing ultimate frisbee, bike polo or soccer as you stroll…
Seattle
The US Coast Guard maintains this lighthouse, which dates from 1913. It has limited seasonal hours Memorial Day through Labor Day, but the tours are free…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
The original Pioneer Square is a cobbled triangular plaza where Henry Yesler’s sawmill cut the giant trees that marked Seattle’s first industry. Known…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
When you’ve had enough of Pike Place Market and its crowds, wander out the end of the North Arcade and cross Western Ave to Victor Steinbrueck Park, a…
Seattle
The lonely-looking grandstand at the southern end of Green Lake is all that remains of the former 5500-capacity Green Lake Aqua Theater, an outdoor…
Seattle
This grand working hotel on First Hill is a fine example of Italian Renaissance architecture. Built in 1909 by a Seattle clothing merchant, the Sorrento…
