Best places in Seattle to visit ?
- Thread starter Dave Hess
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I didn't go, but I recall on one trip, the rest of my family went to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island along with Leavenworth.
www.oakharborchamber.com
leavenworth.org
Visitor Information Center
one of a kind oak harbor We invite you to stop at the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center located at 32630 State RT 20 in Oak Harbor. At the Visitor Center you will find brochures and bundles of information about Oak Harbor and the surrounding areas on Whidbey Island. The...
www.oakharborchamber.com
Home - Leavenworth Washington
Discover: The Bavarian Village & Plain/Lake Wenatchee Packed with charm, year-round annual events
leavenworth.org
I didn't go, but I recall on one trip, the rest of my family went to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island along with Leavenworth.
Visitor Information Center
one of a kind oak harbor We invite you to stop at the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center located at 32630 State RT 20 in Oak Harbor. At the Visitor Center you will find brochures and bundles of information about Oak Harbor and the surrounding areas on Whidbey Island. The...Home - Leavenworth Washington
Discover: The Bavarian Village & Plain/Lake Wenatchee Packed with charm, year-round annual events
Leavenworth is a really nice place. Highly recommended.
We felt very safe there in 2007. Sorry to hear things have changed for the worse.
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Johnsons Ridge Observatory, overlooking Mount St Helens.
Closed due to mudslide for the rest of 2023…
Take some sunflower seeds (or native flower seeds) to feed the chipmunks….
Closed due to mudslide for the rest of 2023…
Take some sunflower seeds (or native flower seeds) to feed the chipmunks….
That's closer to Portland than it is to Seattle.
When I had family in Seattle/Bellevue, tourist stuff wasn't on the itinerary. Just fishing trips and a few over nights at the house in Port Hadlock.
I would always sneak away to Wally's Chowder House in Des Moines.
I would always sneak away to Wally's Chowder House in Des Moines.
I've never been to Vashon Island. Sounds interesting.
vashon-maury.com
Vashon Island | The Official Website
Vashon is a unique island just a ferry ride from Seattle and Tacoma, WA. This website provides information about the Island for visitors and residents alike.
vashon-maury.com
OK, I did not forget I promised to make a list; I have been busy and I knew I had time to get to it and also think about it a bit. I’ll break it down into four parts, things to do and then food/dining. Each also divided by either central Seattle or further out regionally. I needed to put together a list like this for friends/family who visit. So I questioned a few friends to round out my knowledge and put all this together.
#1 - Central Seattle activities/sights
- Pike Market: this is the premier Seattle attraction for most people. There is a lot of fun to be had and some great dining options. Café Campagne, The Pink Door are long-standing pleasers. There is a Turkish take-away place that does a very creditable Doner Kebab, and Piroshky Piroshky is also loved. There is a Bolivian restaurant on the other side of the street that is great for having a 2nd-story deck immediately overlooking the central market – outstanding place to have a Caipirinha or meal (Copacabana) and soak up the vibe and people watch. You can stroll south from Pike Market on 1st and it’s nice, as far as the Harbor Steps or more.
- South Lake Union is a great area and recently heavily developed (Paul Allen + Amazon). One of the absolute best things here is visiting the Center for Wooden Boats – outstanding location and lovely to walk the piers. The Museum of History & Industry is adjacent, and they have some cool old working boats and ships tied up there, including the original ‘Tugboat Annie’ if you know what that is/was. They provide free small boat tours of Lake Union on Sunday mornings. It used to be every Sunday but looks like it’s only once a month now. This is by far the very best “cheap” or free thing to do in Seattle IMO: https://www.cwb.org/free-programs
- The view from Kerry Park back over downtown is really neat. Especially at night. It is in Queen Ann and near(ish) the Seattle Center if you go there for anything.
- Seattle Repertory Theater is a great theater; it is at Seattle Center. There are two interesting plays kicking off the season in Sept/Oct which may overlap your travel dates; I intend to catch one or both. Good restaurants nearby so “dinner and theater” is distinctly pleasant.
- West Seattle/Alki Beach – a drive or trek from downtown but not far. Great views back to downtown (particularly from Salty’s restaurant). Duke’s on the main drag is an institution. Great boardwalk vibe and decent beach you would not at all expect in what is almost downtown Seattle.
- The Seattle Art Museum has really upped its (already good) game since I lived there and you should at least look at the website to see if you are interested in visiting. The outdoor sculpture garden is adjacent to Pike Market and is their work.
- Mariner’s Stadium – is a great ballpark but I doubt that’s going to be a viable option when you are here. There is an exhibition center between the stadiums that hosts neat events sometime – the International Auto Show comes through each fall, for example. We went to a Mecum auto auction there once, too, that was surprisingly fun (I was roped into going and then unexpectedly had a great time). You might check the event schedule.
- Museum of Flight as discussed – south of downtown a short distance. The gem of this place is the people – a huge number of the staff and docents are retired Boeing employees so you just might find yourself talking with the guy who helped design the “Cooper vane” for 727’s (the lock to prevent another DB Cooper style hijacking), or who helped build the Apollo command modules, and they’ll telly you amazing stories. So chat up the docents and guides.
- The UW main campus is really pretty. Dealing with the U-district in general can be a hassle(parking, etc). But if that interests you, strolling around the U-district and stuff can be fun.
- Also north of downtown like the U is the Fremont and Ballard neighborhoods. Each have a main drag of restaurants and shops that are neat. My cousin (who lives in W. Seattle) said that NW Market St. in Ballard has been taking over some of the functions of the normal downtown nightlife since the politicians have made such a (relatively speaking) mess out of downtown Seattle. The Ballard docks (working fishing and marine area) are cool and also worth visiting. The locks are fun to watch or stroll along. Out past the main drag of Ballard is another beach area (Golden Gardens) with bonfires at night, a large marina, and a couple very good restaurants (more on that under food).
- Viewpoints: I mentioned Kerry Park, it’s free/great and alleviates the need to go up the Space Needle or Smith Tower. If you are interested in either of those, I suggest the Smith Tower as I find the view more interesting (it’s right downtown vs. a little further out like the Needle), even if it’s not as iconic or as elevated. There may be other downtown buildings with public viewing decks I don’t know about.
- Volunteer Park in Capital hill is indeed a nice park, and has a fabulous art-deco core with the Asian Art Museum in it. You could check out Capital Hill and Volunteer park in an afternoon if you wanted.
- Kids: if you have kids w/you, the Seattle Aquarium is pretty good and they love it. Seattle center has a “Children’s Museum” for younger kids that is a huge hit. If you go to Fremont, underneath I-5 there is a massive concrete troll face built into the embankment; kids love that. I think the zoo in Seattle is massively over-rated compared to others I have seen.
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#2 - Sights and activities outside of Seattle proper:
- (North – kind of) Whale watching: You leave from the Seattle waterfront and generally go north up to Port Susan behind Camano Island or that area. You can in fact see some impressive whales. Puget sounds is quite cold and deep so there is some serious marine life going on.
- (North) Boeing Factory/Paine Field/Edmonds: This is the main Boeing factory for larger aircraft, and maintenance/service/etc. They offer tours, I think now of the 777 line principally. The Flying Heritage collection is here (excellent smaller air museum, and things are kept in flying condition), as well as another air collection. If there, drive a little further towards the water to Edmunds, it has a lovely beach and water-front downtown.
- (West) Ferry Ride to Bremerton: there is a fast passenger (1/2 hour each way - $12 total), and a car ferry which you can walk on ($10 total, hour each way). This is fun. You also get to see a big chunk of the Bremerton Navy base. I can’t recall if you can see the mothballed carriers from the ferry or not. If you are super lucky, you will see a big SSBN cruising on the surface heading in or out from service (it is not uncommon). You can break the ferry trip and visit the naval museum and destroyer (USS C. Turner Joy from Viet Nam war fame).
- (Way south) Mount Ranier: This is pretty far and most people underestimate that.
- (East) Woodinville and Redmond Wineries/Red Hook Brewery. The wineries out here can be fun to tour. Keep in mind these are just “show rooms” or in some cases smaller production facilities, the real wineries and growing is done in eastern WA. Red Hook is on a great spot; we use to ride our horses around there and tie up; go in to have a beer – great times. Chateau Ste. Michelle has awesome outdoor concerts in a lovely setting, often BIG names – you might check their schedule if it appeals. They have live music and tastings every Friday outside of the concert schedule.
- (East) Snoqualmie/North Bend. This has been mentioned, but I want to plug it more as it is cool (I did live in Snoqualmie a while). The falls are impressive. So is the Lodge both for overnight and dining – but it is very expensive even by Seattle standards. A lot of scenes from “Twin Peaks” were filmed inside, though it has been remodeled since then. On the other side of the valley, the Snoqualmie Tribe has a casino – it has several quite good restaurants with a sweeping view of the valley and mountains to the east. Downtown Snoqualmie is the best smaller town in King County, there’s an old train museum around the old depot, and the downtown is a nice area. Same for North Bend a few miles away. There is a fabulous music scene in this small community (national-level HS jazz band), so check out clubs in case that is a thing of yours. The great jazz place in Seattle (The New Orleans) closed a while back so this is the place, really. Another note is the “Twin Peaks” diner is in downtown North Bend. It is in fact an awesome diner. The name is actually “Twede’s” and it is unchanged for many decades. A must stop if you are in the area and liked the TV show. It is NOT touristy in that regard, it’s a real community diner. There are some great day hikes around North Bend if that is a prime interest the “Twin Falls” trail is particularly cool. Organized tour groups come from Japan, Germany, etc. to hike in this area and particularly the Alpine Lakes Wilderness another ½ hour further east above Snoqualmie Pass (the town of Snoqualmie and Snoqualmie Pass are distinctly different things ½ hour apart so don’t get confused).
- (South) if a “car guy” the LeMay museum in downtown Tacoma is pretty neat. Griot’s Garage is not far away (in an old Coca-Cola bottling plant near the Tacoma Mall). It has a small supercar collection next to their showroom. You could hit both, and then also Gig Harbor as a day trip, or eat at Cuerno Bravo (more below) which is very close to the LeMay Museum.
- (South) Gig Harbor. This is a unique and charming small harbor town that is still a working fishing community as well as uber-gorgeous waterfront small town. My parents spent a month in the mid-90s traveling the PNW from south of Portland to well north of Seattle finding a place to live for a job transfer. They picked this town over all others and they were not wrong. It is immediately across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, about an hour w/o traffic from downtown Seattle. If you have the urge to see a charming small harbor town, this is the closest thing for a very long way. A few excellent restaurants around the harbor.
- (West) Olympic Peninsula: fabulous coast, mountains, scenery, Lodges, even a rain forest (Ho). But it is at minimum a two-day drive around it and the only practical options without a multi-day side trip are a pretty ferry ride to Bremerton, or scouting Gig Harbor across from Tacoma.
#3 - Dining in Seattle itself. While things change, this is up-to-date:
You will have to google up the newer and newest best things, SeattleMet is a good reference, because I am a little out of touch with the latest-newest stuff.
- The absolute “queen” of Seattle restaurants is Canlis. And it has been since Harry Truman was President (yes). It is in a unique modernist building over Lake Union. I used to date a sous chef who worked there and I ate A LOT of their menu over time. It is a great restaurant.
- The Tom Douglas restaurants. Douglas is to Seattle as Brian McNally is to New York – hit after hit (I used to live next door to Balthazar in NYC so McNally is a hero of mine, lol). Covid destroyed what was I think his best, The Dahlia Lounge, though the Dahlia Bakery still remains. I just heard that The Palace Kitchen re-opened from Covid earlier this year, so check that out. I have not eaten at Lola or the Carlisle Room so you can check those out.
- Harvest Vine, a little out of downtown in Madison Valley. Spanish/Basque/Tapas. If you sample 10 foodies, several will name this their #1 spot. I can’t disagree with them; it’s that good.
- Best Italian is regarded as Tulio’s, downtown in the Hotel Vintage Park. I don’t know it but it is highly regarded by people I trust on this.
- Pike Market – I mentioned a lot of this above but forgot Matt’s. Like #4, I don’t know it personally. Location is a bit like that Bolivian place I mentioned, elevated and special.
- Chinatown/ID – lots of great Chinese and other Asian. I lived near here and basically just went into whichever restaurant had the most Chinese diners (a completely legitimate way to pick a restaurant IMO). If you have a Peking Duck fixation, you can get it treated here very nicely, maybe not quite as well as in NYC or SF Chinatown, but the food is pretty good here.
- Ray’s Boat House. This is a phenomenal seafood restaurant. Fancier restaurant downstairs, more casual bar/restaurant upstairs. Happy hour is phenomenal – cheap(ish) excellent food to go with your normal-priced drinks (that is how Seattle happy hours work to skirt the law). Table service/meals are outstanding. View is great, it is perched right above the entrance to the ship canal and locks to Lake Union. It is in the Ballard area, out past the center of Ballard.
- Special Mention #1: The Shop. It’s literally in a car garage/shop. The food is ok, but the environment is wholly unique (I think the original is in Dallas). It’s basically in a building that is a private yacht club for exotic car owners – if that makes sense. South of the stadiums a little. Last time I was there last year, they had a really nicely restored BMW 2002 in the waiting area (yes), so they won my heart (my first “real” car was a 2002).
- Special Mention #2: Uwajimaya Japanese supermarket. This is a fabulous market in the Pioneer Square/Chinatown/King Street Station nexus. There is a food court but the main appeal is the genuine Japanese supermarket. It is seriously neat. They even have live geoducks in tanks, and other live seafood. It’s worth touring even if you aren’t shopping.
You will have to google up the newer and newest best things, SeattleMet is a good reference, because I am a little out of touch with the latest-newest stuff.
#4 - Dining outside of Seattle. I will only mention a very few that are noteworthy:
- Herb Farm. This is a ‘destination’ restaurant. It would be two or quite possibly three Michelin stars if Michelin rated Seattle (they don’t do the region at all – Canlis above would be at least one star). Not cheap by any stretch but amazing experience; probably best meal I have ever had. It is adjacent to the wineries and things in Woodinville. If you are in the area for wineries or something, the “Barking Frog” next door at the Willows Lodge is a very good restaurant and under-rated. Only creditable croque monsieur I have found in the PNW.
- Snoqualmie Lodge – (“Salish Lodge” to be precise) already mentioned. If in the area, but can’t justify splashing out on this (I never can), an alternative is the restaurants at the Casino. Not “legendary,” but good, and the view is really lovely, over the valley and towards the Cascade Mountains, and make it worthwhile. I was impressed with the Asian cuisine at 12 Moons as it was much, much better and more authentic than I would have ever guessed.
- Cuerno Bravo (steakhouse) – downtown Tacoma. It is not as famous as other places, I think partly because steakhouses don’t get the attention they used to. Some friends (very serious foodies) took us here for my birthday a year or two back and I was amazed. It is a “Sinaloan” Mexican style steakhouse and it is national-caliber. The 100oz (yes) El Zabuton is not to be missed. I’d rather eat here than Smith & Wollensky’s.
JHZR2
Staff member
Related question… I really love the alder smoked salmon like they sell at the downtown market. I’m not in the city, not going downtown. Are there any recommendations on who/where sells it either around Tacoma or preferably Bremerton area?
Would like to bring many, many pounds home.
Would like to bring many, many pounds home.
Our neighbor is a commercial fisherman, 3rd generation at least. he has his own vessel and goes up to the Gulf, and smokes some he shares from his catch. Amazing.
The major good markets usually have it. Check in the back cabinet at Safeway or QFC. Metropolitan Market, if you can get near one of those, certainly will (they are a bit priceier though).
Here is what Safeway has, it is in fact local and in the stores:
SeaBear Smoked Salmon Trio - 18 Oz - Safeway
Shop SeaBear Smoked Salmon Trio - 18 Oz from Safeway. Browse our wide selection of Smoked & Cured Fish for Delivery or Drive Up & Go to pick up at the store!
www.safeway.com
JHZR2
Staff member
Thanks. Metropolitan Market in Gig Harbor looks like my best bet on the way to the airport.
And there is a nice Safeway across the street from there. Met Market is pricey but they have top flight stuff. We are 2 miles or so from that exit away from the Harbor from that exit/market.
If going outside of the Seattle metro area...
- Take I-5N to State Rte 536W to State Rte 20W to Deception Pass State Park - park at the lot on the Whidbey Island side of the bridges and walk across (if anyone in your party is afraid of heights, a walk across is probably out of the question). Nevertheless, a spectacular view. You can also walk down several trails to the beach below the bridge.
- After Deception Pass, you can drive a few miles east down the road, take Campbell Lake Rd to Heart Lake Rd to Sugarloaf Mountain Trailhead. There's a paved road for vehicles (Erie Mountain Dr.) that will take to the summit of Mt Erie, which is 1,200 feet up and offers awesome views, too. Very popular spot for climbers.
- If you want a ferry ride, after Deception Pass, drive south on State Rte 20W through Whidbey Island, which becomes State Rte 525, and take the Clinton/Mukilteo ferry. From Mukilteo, it will be about an hour's drive (traffic depending) to get back to the Seattle metro area. Note: The Boeing Everett assembly plant is literally next to Mukilteo.
