This 60,square-foot facility focuses on the confluence of Asian and Pacific American history. The permanent collections include a tribute to the museum's namesake, Councilman Wing Luke the first Asian American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest , and other exhibits exploring the cultural heritage of pan-Asian Pacific American immigrants, addressing topics like local history, working conditions, and social justice.
It's a great place to begin exploring the stories of Seattle's under-represented communities. The pilots at Seattle Seaplanes are pure pros. Not only do they offer private pilot training, but for visitors their minute scenic flight tour of Seattle on a charming single-engine seaplane offers an impressive and efficient overview of the city. It's hard to pick a single highlight of this captivating journey that careens through clouds and over the Ballard Locks, the Floating Bridges, and Lake Washington, but the birds'-eye-view of Seattle's Space Needle and the downtown skyline leaves an indelible impression.
Dale Chihuly, Glasshouse Sculpture , Photo: Nathaniel Willson. Photo by Matthew Mornick. Photo by Brady Harvey. Courtesy Visit Seattle. Benjamin Benschneider. Courtesy National Nordic Museum. Kids over five years old are welcome. Got a car and want to do a self-guided dining day trip? Consider Chuckanut Drive, a gorgeous strip of two-lane highway that runs along the edge of Puget Sound.
There are oyster farms and cheesemakers and cool old cafes and gorgeous beachfront parks in which to eat your bounty. Bellingham Tourism produces a milepost guide to the route — download yours and go have an independent on the road feast.
Tips for Your Guided Food Tour Kids : Many welcome older kids — market tours and daytime tours are typically very kid-friendly, but you know your kid best. Evening tours that include bars are often 21 and over only. But addressing your needs will be much easier if you state your concerns in advance. Difficulty and weather : None of the food tours involve strenuous activity, but you will spend a lot of time on your feet. Wear good walking shoes. All operators go rain or shine, so check the forecast before you go to your meeting point.
Make a reservation. In the middle of the fairgrounds — what is now Seattle Center — stands the space-age vision for the 21st century, the Space Needle. It takes 43 seconds to reach the observation deck of the Space Needle by elevator.
Outside at the top, rest on glass benches that seem to hover above the ground. Rainier, and more. One level down from the top is the Loupe, which features a rotating glass floor that can be enjoyed by those brave enough to step out on it. Tickets can be purchased in advance online , or from tellers or kiosks at the Space Needle base. If you want to get to the Needle using thematic transportation, take the Monorail from Westlake Plaza Shopping Center. If you plan your trip up the Needle to coincide with sunset, Seattle will show off even more than usual.
The Giant Pacific Octopus can grow to measure 14 feet from arm to arm and can weigh nearly 35 pounds. The Seattle Aquarium has a display tank devoted to these critters — watching an octopus change colors or move through the tank is an aquarium highlight, to be sure. Right now. The Puget Sound tank in the entryway is a spectacular floor to ceiling display of the marine life in Seattle waters. There are tide-pool touch tanks staffed by patient and educated volunteers who will teach kids — and curious adults — about starfish and urchins and sea cucumbers.
There are brightly colored tropical tanks as well, usually surrounded by children who will be more than happy to point Nemo out to you. There is four-hour metered parking in the area, but you may find it easiest to just ditch your car in a garage or pay lot. Yes, they all have items on the menu for the non-fish eaters. You can easily spend a day poking around the waterfront — especially if the weather is nice.
Inside, MoPOP is a celebration of pop culture — not just music, but movies and ideas, too. The Sound Lab has a dozen studio pods where you can play with audio engineering or find out what it sounds like to play a real electric guitar. There are also a few trio labs where interactive learning tools help you understand musical concepts like the 12 bar blues. In addition to all the music exhibits, the entire lower level of the museum is devoted to science fiction and fantasy in literature, video games, and films.
MoPOP has an impressive array of events — speakers, live music in the Sky Church, movie screenings, and gaming days. Tickets are available through the MoPOP website, but get them in advance — the events tend to be very popular and sell out quickly. There is a restaurant on site, Culture Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck , that serves comfort food, sandwiches, soups, salads, and snacks and also has a full bar , and the Seattle Center Armory has an excellent food court less than a 3 minute walk from MoPOP.
Some of the temporary exhibits have assigned viewing times, so booking your ticket in advance, online, will help you plan your visit. Metro routes 3, 4, and 82 all stop at 5th and Broad Street, right near the entrance, but you can also take the Monorail from Westlake Mall in downtown Seattle.
Go during the day to enjoy the panoramic Olympic Mountains and Elliott Bay, or at night for the dazzling Seattle skyline. But beware: while perhaps a plusher ride, the VIP gondola is not for the faint of heart. The ride itself is slow, smooth, and around minutes long, depending on the size of the crowd and how many people are boarding.
I recommend skipping the ticket booth line and buying ahead online — tickets are good anytime, and have no expiration date. Be sure to arrive with your printed tickets in hand, though. There are plenty of food options around the Great Wheel: enjoy a meal on the waterfront, or head 2 blocks uphill to Pike Place Market. Metered street parking and pay lots are available across the street on Alaskan Way. This mammoth museum houses an impressive collection of artifacts that takes visitors through the fascinating history of human flight: all the way from those first rickety airplanes and hot air balloons to the miracle of modern space travel.
While there are loads of educational exhibits artifacts from the early days of flight, space suits, and rocket schematics, even entire airplanes in the Airpark section of the museum, and the original red barn where William Boeing had his first commercial manufacturing plant , there are also fun interactive installations. The gift shop at the Museum is a good one — full of fun toys, games, books, and even costumes for flight enthusiasts.
The Museum of Flight is south of downtown Seattle in an industrial district. The tour is excellent and geared towards adults and you have to be over 48 inches but anyone over the age of 7 that has an interest in airplanes should be thrilled. Visit on weekdays to see the factory humming at full speed.
Ferries are an important part of what makes Seattle great. The waters of Puget Sound are full of tree-covered islands — Vashon, Bainbridge, and the San Juan Islands to the North — and they all have their charm.
You pick your transportation: car, motorcycle, bicycle, or simply walk on. Winslow town center is only a five-minute walk from the ferry dock.
In the summer months, you can also rent bikes from Bike Barn Rentals call ahead to reserve your ride and tour the island on two wheels. This fine arts museum showcases the work of local artists and craftspeople. Winslow is full of cute shops and there are great places to eat.
Blackbird Bakery has excellent treats of the savory and sweet kind. And Mora Iced Creamery is an island tradition. There are acres of formally landscaped gardens and forest, and an elegant manor house with beautiful Puget Sound views.
Kitsap Transit runs bus service to the garden; check the website to learn more about how to get there without a car. Cyclists love Bainbridge for its varied terrain. The island is home to the Chilly Hilly, a ride that takes place early in the cycling season and is just like the name sounds — cold and hilly.
Summer rides are kinder for weather, but the hills are the same, year round. Riders with strong legs can follow the bike route signs and complete a mile loop trail around the island. The only thing you need to plan for is the ferry schedule. High season — summer and holidays — can bring long wait times for drivers. Plan your to return shortly before sunset. Jeroen van Luin. There are some remaining fancy architectural touches, some plumbing oddities, and purple glass tiles that let the light through into the musty spaces hiding under First Avenue.
Wear shoes you can walk in. You can show up and buy tickets for the tour, which is fine during low season, but during high season, you may have to wait a few hours to join a group. The City of Seattle decreed that new construction would be brick or masonry. But the neighborhood was a tidal flat and when it rained, the muddy ground would swallow everything. Imagine the awkwardness for the ladies of the day.
The Underground was condemned in , but in , Bill Speidel, an enterprising columnist for the Seattle Times, started taking people on tours and retelling the history of Seattle to his guests. The tour company also offers a ghost hunting tour and a saucier adults-only bus tour of the city. For a more intimate underground tour option, consider Beneath the Streets ; groups are smaller and the vibe is less corporate, though the guides are just as knowledgeable. Rumor has it, many of them used to work for the other company.
Tours run daily, year-round, and are about an hour long. Grand Central Bakery is in a lovely brick arcade and has sandwiches served on their own bread. Feed a penguin. Watch the meerkats frolic. Laugh at the otter antics. The award-winning team at the Zoo has been recognized for their commitment to environmentalism, their quality as an attraction, and their education programs.
A daypack is a good idea, not just for bringing snacks and water, but for when you want to peel off your fleece in the more humid exhibits. There are no lockers, so you will have to carry anything you bring on site. The Zoo also rents strollers in all kinds of configurations, wheelchairs, and electric carts. Check with guest services for the latest rates. The Zoo has an impressive calendar of events. There are also seasonal events — an Easter egg hunt, the ZooTunes family-friendly summer concert series, and WildLights, a sparkling Christmas season lights display.
They also have a healthy variety of local beers on draft and yes, kids are welcome. Plus, there are meerkats. Everyone loves meerkats. From pop to portraiture, regional to international, here are the major players in the Seattle visual arts:. Check their website for current hours. The Olympic Sculpture Park is open daily, year-round, from 30 minutes pre-dawn to 30 minutes post-dusk.
It has recently undergone renovation and awaits reopening in The inspiration for the title of the band's most famous song? Another art installation: this one called The Black Sun , overlooking the city from another local park. Macklemore danced on the Broadway location's rooftop. Esquire called it the "most life-changing burger joint" in America. But the best recommendation?
The people still lining up outside these old-school joints just before they close at 2am every night, even though you can now get Dick's delivered via DoorDash. So heading there for some shopping provided you wear a mask is a no brainer, but figuring out what to do once you get there isn't. There are even options for people who aren't comfortable actually going to the market— boxes of items from market vendors you can get delivered to your home.
Or, if you'd rather share the experience with fewer people, head a few blocks away to the lookout across the street from Parsons Gardens. Michelle, on acres of wooded forest and yes, there is an actual chateau there, too.
On sunny days, people flock to the waterside and the neighboring Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden —one of the most beautiful green spaces in the city. If the sun is out, many people will just kick back dockside or stroll on the swinging walkways to watch the boats come and go. Whether you opt for triple coconut cream pie at Dahlia Lounge or thin-crust wood-fired pizzas at Serious Pie , you'll taste some seriously good grub.
For a sub-sidewalk circuit of the city, book the Beneath the Streets tour. Setting off from Cherry Street, the one-hour walk snakes under Pioneer Square, past beautifully preserved 19th-century architecture and into the earliest roots of Seattle. You can now also explore underground Seattle in a whole new light too, by joining a Red Light District Tour. Expect to come face to face with Seattle's underbelly, including discussions about prostitution, gambling, vice and drinking.
W hat is it? Celebrating pop culture and science fiction, the exhibition space is wrapped inside a fluid Frank Gehry design. The minute Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour covers the past, present and future of human flight in a state-of-the-art museum and gives you entry to the Boeing factory.
You get to g o behind-the-scenes at the facility where the famous Boeing aircrafts are made and tested. At a sprawling 98 acres, this is officially the largest building in the world measured by volume —and the place where Boeing developed the new Dreamliner.
If you can, try to time your visit to include the first Thursday of the month, when entry is free, and leave time to check out the nearby outdoor art at Olympic Sculpture Park. The museum is particularly strong on folk art and oral history, but also curates a number of fascinating neighborhood walking tours.
Triple Door—a beautiful s vaudeville theater that had stints as a burlesque house and blue movie theater— is well worth checking out. Check out historic ports and crowd-free national parks less than three hours away by car. About us. Contact us. Discover the best of the city, first. We already have this email. Try another? Best things to do in Seattle. Pioneer Square. Read more. Space Needle.
Attractions Belltown. Chihuly Garden and Glass.
0コメント