By : Lauren Rodych-Eberle

Now that Seattle has become my home away from home, I have a lot more suggestions of what to do when visiting (or being a tourist in your own home, if you’re a Seattleite yourself). I shared my first travel guide here, but I’m back for more!! Seattle is an amazing place to visit, whether you’re coming to explore the beautiful nature of Washington, or you plan on simply staying downtown and eating your way through the city – you won’t be disappointed. Pack some rain gear, and you’ll be able to enjoy it all, regardless of the weather.

Activities

Explore

  • Hike – There’s so much wonderful hiking all around Washington. Here’s some suggestions!
  • Parks – If you don’t want to make the long trek to some of the magical Washington hikes, there are so many fantastic parks you can wander, and get those cozy nature vibes! Here are some of my top picks.
  • Beachs – While you’re in the Pacific Northwest, you must touch some salt water. I highly recommend Golden Gardens
  • Trolls – Check out the NW Trolls by Thomas Dambo!
  • University Village – a great spot for a little walk, some food, and some (outdoor) shopping
  • Pike Place Market – You can’t come to Seattle and not spend some serious time at Pike Place. Do a food tour, create your own, or take some food to go! And if you want to see something completely disgusting, you can check out the Gum Wall. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about how disgusting it really is…
  • Pier 62 Waterfront Park – This is the pier where you can walk on a floating dock and possibly catch an outdoor event. Plus, head on down to Pier 57 to take a quick 15-minute ride on Seattle’s Great Wheel (but be prepared for a long line…)
  • Fremont Troll – Among the random things you should do in Seattle, this is one of them. Fremont is a great spot to look out at the water and get a good view of the city – Gas Works Park is your location for that! But, close by is a ginormous troll under a bridge that’s pretty much a touristic pic location. When in Seattle…
  • Ferries – Ride a ferry to get to another location, like Bainbridge, for example. Or simply set sail to get out on the water! Argosy Cruises has a great harbour tour or take a hot tub boat…yup, you heard me right!

Indoor

  • The Collective Seattle – This one is for locals, as it’s membership only. But it’s a fun place to go rock climb, use a Peloton, have a tea, hang out in a hammock, meditate, record some music, get a haircut, borrow some rain gear, have some lunch, see live music…does this seem like a mish-mash of all the best things? Yup, it is!!
  • The Spheres (Botanical Gardens) – A beautiful spot both inside and out!
  • Museum of Popular Culture (AKA. MoPop) – A great museum , especially if you’re looking for a rainy day activity. You could go back to this museum again and again, and still not see it all
  • Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum – Something very uniquely Seattle!
  • Space Needle – Every city has a tall building that’s fun to go up, right? This is Seattle’s! But again, even just from the outside, it’s a beautiful sight to see
  • Underground Tour – This tour is all about the guide. You get to wander through the old underground city of Seattle, but the entertainment and humour of the tour guide’s explanation of Seattle’s history is what makes this worth while!

Great for Kids

  • Bob’s Corn Maze – If you’re around Seattle in the Fall, it’s fun to hit up any of the seasonal spots for hay rides, corn mazes, apple picking, and pumpkin choosing (plus a hot apple cider!). Bob’s Corn Maze was the one we made it out to this year!
  • Aquarium – Right on the water and a great spot for kids
  • Seattle Children’s Theatre – Okay, we haven’t taken a show in yet, but we’ve heard amazing things and can’t wait to get some tickets in the new year
  • The Children’s Museum – It reopened in April 2022, and it is a kid’s dream!!
  • Artists at Play – This is a super fun park for kids of all ages, and it’s right by the MoPop, the Glass Museum, the Space Needle, Climate Pledge Arena, the Armony, and so much more, so it’s a great pit-stop
  • Woodland Park Zoo – If you happen to be a zoo supporter, or want to take in the Christmas Light Show, here you go

Sports

What’s still on my wish list and comes highly recommended:

Now to the Food…

Cafes & Non-Alcoholic Drinks

  • Monorail Espresso – my fav spot to grab a tea to-go
  • Starbucks – if you haven’t seen a Starbucks before (insert laughter here), you’ll find one on every corner, and you can spot the original one near Pike Place Market (which in truth, isn’t the original Starbucks, because the original no longer exists, but there you have it…)
  • Joe and the Juice – green juice is my jam

Pike Place Market
Some places you should eat in Pike Place are:

  • Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – mac n’ cheese, grilled cheese, all the cheese…you won’t regret it!
  • Fish Market – don’t miss the throwing of fish; any fish from Pike Place is unbelievably fresh and delicious
  • Pike Place Chowder – you literally have to eat this chowder
  • MarketSpice – true tea magic!
  • Sunny Honey Company – you’ll want to grab some honey to take home
  • Truffle Queen – I recommend their olive oil, their truffle oil, and maybe get some flights of vino while you’re at it!
  • Produce – any of the produce won’t stir you wrong
  • Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt – is it dessert or is it a snack? You decide!
  • Cinnamon Works – if you luck out on a time they are open, don’t pass up taking snacks to-go!

Breakfast

  • Biscuit Bitch – highly recommend going early on a week day if you want to wait 30-45 minutes, instead of two hours, but your taste buds will thank you for this “trailer park to table” cuisine
  • Portage Bay Cafe – Okay, I haven’t been to this one myself YET, but I’ve had so many people recommend it, that I’m guessing you can’t go wrong

Quick Lunch

  • Home Grown – healthy, yummy, quick sandwiches and bowls
  • Joey Kitchen – the chain from back home in Canada, but a perfect spot if you’re at University Village
  • Yoroshiku – I’d recommend sitting outside and ordering a bowl of Ramen
  • Pho Bac – the best Pho we’ve found so far, but the Pho wish list is still long here in Seattle!
  • Matt’s in the Market – where you want to be for fried fish!
  • dukes Seafood – okay, I know I talked about the Clam Chowder at Pike Place, but this is actually the clam chowder you need to have

Dinner

  • Purple Cafe & Wine Bar – upscale American cuisine, and flights of wine
  • Tutta Bella – Neopolitan pizza that compares to Famoso, if ya know what I mean!
  • Serious Pie – clams on pizza? Why not!
  • Casco Antiguo – my favourite Mexican spot in Seattle
  • Katsu-Ya – arguably the best sushi in Seattle
  • Cinque Terra Ristorante – there’s a theme here…my favourite Italian in Seattle
  • HoneyHole Sandwiches – these decadent sandwiches are heavenly (my husband says they’re the best sandwiches he’s ever had!); highly recommend the pulled pork!!
  • Anthony’s Pier 66 – go for the view, and the fish
  • The Butcher’s Table – the best steakhouse in Seattle, and worth the splurge; check out the flights of steak
  • Local 360 – this was one of my favourite spots when I travelled here years ago; farm to table
  • Grappa – it’s always my husband’s job to find the Mediterranean-magic where ever we go, and this is what he found in Seattle!
  • The Crab Pot – get ready to get messy, but don’t worry, they give you bibs!

Drinks

Dessert

  • Midnight Cookie Co. – I’m really bad at speaking for desserts, but my husband says these are some pretty awesome cookies
  • Salt & Straw – literally the best ice cream you’ll ever have

What’s still on my wish list and comes highly recommended:

Enjoy this wonderful place, rain or shine!!

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