The West Coast has always called to me, and now living in Seattle, I have found myself discovering some of the most unique places. It’s like the city hides these little pockets of amazing spots that at once seem random and yet awesome.
The city itself is extremely walkable with parks everywhere (hence the name the Emerald City) and if you can’t walk it the public transit is one of the best in the country.
So, the next time you’re in the area, and looking for the best things to do in Washington, make sure to check out these unique places.
Go on a brewery tour in Ballard’s Brewery District
Ballard is one of the coolest areas, and one of my favorites, in the city. Once a rough fishing community of Norwegian descent, this area now boasts some of the best restaurants and breweries in Seattle.
If you want to get off the tourist trail a little bit, this is the place where you will find locals enjoying a pint. And there are a lot of places in Ballard to enjoy a pint, hence the brewery tour.
The vast majority of the breweries in Ballard are within walking distance of one another, so you can take your pick and create a tour based on your favorite beer type (head to Great Notion for amazing sours and Bale Breaker for some IPAs).
Visit the Fremont Troll
Address: North 36th Street, Troll Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Not far from Ballard is Freemont, home to the Freemont Troll a large sculpture hidden under the Aurora Bridge. In 1989, there was a competition to rehabilitate the area under the bridge that had been a haven for drug dealers.
The winner created the Fremont Troll and it has since become a huge attraction and one of the most unique things to see in Seattle.
He’s also become quite the celebrity, having appeared in such movies as 10 Things I Hate About You, The Twilight Saga, and Sleepless in Seattle.
Check out the gum wall in Pike Place Market
Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
If you are looking to check out something random, check out the gum wall in Pike Place Market. It’s kind of gross and kind of fascinating at the same time.
Located in Post Alley, the gum wall started in the 90’s when local patrons and performers at Unexpected Productions started to stick their gum to the wall. Since then it has gotten bigger and bigger and now covers a huge area, obscuring the brick along the alley.
They do clean the walls off every couple of years so the process can start over, but man I would hate to have that job!
Take a Hike in Discovery Park
The largest green space in Seattle is Discovery Park. With 534 acres, trails meander along the roads, the water, through fields and forest. Situated the former Fort Lawton site, there are areas within the park that still have the fort buildings. Did I mention it was free?
Maintained as semi-wild, Seattle’s parks department maintains this park as a place of quiet and tranquility to allow it’s residents a place to get away from the craziness of the city and reset in nature.
It’s dog friendly and on a good day you can get views of both the Cascade and Olympic Mountains across the Puget Sound. You may even spot some wildlife from Magnolia bluff.
Have a picnic at Gasworks Park
Address: 2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103
Gas works Park is a cool park to watch the sun set with views of the city and the mountains and if you are there on New Year’s or the 4th of July, it’s a great spot to watch the fireworks.
Lots of locals can be seen lounging around the park having a picnic, walking their dogs, or just enjoying a rare clear day. A popular spot with locals, it’s a must visit, and make sure to also check out the new Gasworks Brewery next door, where you can paddleboard or boat up to it for an afternoon drink on a sunny summer day.
This park is 9.1 acres and was the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant and in 2013 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Take the bus to Woodinville for some wine tasting
If you want to taste Washington’s best wines, head to Woodinville. Located on the Northeast side of Lake Washington every other building is a wine tasting room.
Take a bike along the Burke-Gilman from the University District all the way to Woodinville or hope on the bus.
Go for brunch at the Rusty Pelican and then stroll down wine alley for some wine tasting. I highly recommend Tsillan.
Walk through the Washington Park Arboretum
Address: 2300 Arboretum Dr E, Seattle, WA 98112
The Washington Arboretum is another beautiful and free green space in Seattle. Managed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and the City of Seattle, the Arboretum has both paved and dirt trails throughout it’s entirety.
This 230-acre green space has a variety of areas with unique plants grouped together with areas for oaks, rhododendrons, hollies, etc.
Make sure to head into the Japanese Garden at the south end (there is a fee for this area but it’s totally worth it). You can even reserve a spot for a traditional tea ceremony.
Visit the Seattle Art Museum
Address: 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
The best art museum in Washington and a great place to go on rainy days in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a place that I will be returning to for years to come, it’s that good. With some rotating exhibitions plus the mainstays, there is a lot to see here.
It’s one of the best art museums I have been to in the United States and that’s saying a lot.
Browse bookstores in Capitol Hill
There are several great used books stores around Capitol Hill, several with live in cats to explore. Two great ones to check out are Elliot Bay Book Company (1521 10th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) and Twice Told Tales (1833 Harvard Ave, Seattle, WA 98122).
Walk through Ravenna Park
Address: 5520 Ravenna Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Ravenna Park is a small but beautifully wild place in a quiet neighborhood near the University of Washington. The park itself is at the bottom of a ravine and is abundant in wildlife and feels as though your no longer in the city.
It’s the perfect green space when you need quiet in the midst of chaos.
Visit Union Bay Natural Area for bird watching and great views of Mount Rainier
There are an abundant of waterbird species that come to Lake Washington throughout the year and this loop park follows along the shoreline with views of Mount Rainier. In the summer you can also walk over to the boat dock and rent a kayak to explore the area via a different viewpoint.
Some of the birds you might see include American Coots, bufflehead, green heron, and bald eagles. The park is also home to deer and coyotes as well.
Go on a personal food tour in Capitol Hill
Seattle has an amazing food scene and the neighborhood of Capitol Hill is just one of them. Below are a couple you definitely need to check out.
Rondo Japanese Kitchen
Address: 224 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102
With an abundance of fresh seafood, this sushi restaurant gets incredibly fresh seafood every day and you can taste it in the food. This is one of my favorite places in the city and one we visit on the regular. It’s fairly priced given how fresh and high quality the seafood is.
Nue
Address: 1519 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
This is a cool spot. The owner’s created a menu based on meals they experienced in different countries around the world. They are small plates, so you can try a little of everything. They have a Sunday and Monday night species between 3pm-close and a happy hour worth taking advantage of.
Morfire
Address: 1806 12th Ave Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98122
Hot pot isn’t just found in the International District. This thai style hot pot is one of my favorites (the other is Chengdu Memory). They offer a wide variety of meats, seafood and vegetables and several broth types. It’s a great place to go with friends and an added bonus is there is a small craft brewery right next door to go for a drink after dinner.
Visit the Burke Museum
Address: 4303 Memorial Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98195
This is Seattle’s natural history museum and though smaller than say the natural history museum in New York City, it is a great little museum.
It also has Off the Rez cafe, a Native American style cafe with their famous and absolutely delicious fry bread. Adult tickets cost $22.
Check out the Lenin Statue in Fremont
Address: 3526 Fremont Pl N, Seattle, WA 98103
This is definitely weird. Apparently someone wanted to open a restaurant in Fremont that was eastern European and they found this statue of Lenin in a dump and had it shipped back to Seattle to have in front of their restaurant. He however died before this happened and his family did not want this controversial statue, so it is currently for sale by Fremont and has sat in its current position with no buyers interested for many years.
Have a unique cocktail experience at Needle and Thread
Address: 1406 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Located within the restaurant Tavern Law, this speakeasy has a entryway that is a large safe door. You pick up the rotary phone and tell them your reservation and then they let you up. You need a reservation because it is an extremely small speakeasy with very few chairs and you can only stay for a specified amount of time.
What makes this place unique, is there is no drink menu. The servers ask you about your favorite drinks and flavors and then they create a drink specifically for you. Then they explain all the ingredients to you. There’s a huge number of ingredients that go into these drinks, it’s actually really incredible and someone the combination creates some of the best drinks I have ever had.
It’s expensive, but worth trying once. Each drink is around $20+. But the length of time you are there, each person usually gets two drinks (depending on how fast you drink of course).
Take an evening cruise
There is an incredible abundance of marine life in the Puget Sound, including the famous orca whales.
Several companies located on the waterfront offer tourist cruises, not specifically for whale watching, but will have meals and drinks and is great for a date night. See the city lit up from the water and keep your eyes open for orcas, seabirds, dolphins and seals.
Visit the Woodland Park Zoo
Address: 750 N. 50th Street, Seattle, WA 98103
This is a great, well managed zoo, right in the city. They do a significant amount of global conservation with species such as the tree kangaroo and Western pond turtles. They also host some really cool events from the lanterns to their love shucks event that’s adults only.
For more on the saving wildlife programs, check out their website and also plan your visit. Depending on the day you visit it will cost between $15-$35 and there is a fee for parking as well.
Spend the day at the Seattle Aquarium
Address: 1483 Alaskan Way Pier 59, Seattle, WA 98101
The Seattle Aquarium recently saw a huge renovation and expansion. Their animals are ones you would find locally, there are no whales, and their animal care staff are some of the best.
It’s a beautiful facility and you can come and get up close with some of the local marine life found in the Puget Sound.
Museum of Pop Culture
Address: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
This is one of our favorite museums in the city. There are exhibits for Kurt Cobain and Jimmy Hendrix and Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic and check the Mopop website for updates on the temporary exhibits.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Address: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
I visited this amazing place on my 40th birthday. I went by myself and just took my time around the incredible colors and shapes of glass. It’s such a unique space and truly worth the visit. Regular admission ranges between $29-37.50.
You can also combine it with other sites, like the Space Needle, Zoo, or a cruise to save a little on your tickets. This was one of my favorite places so far and a definite must visit.
Fish ladder at Ballard Locks
Address: 3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107
The Ballard Locks bring boats of various sizes between Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. There is a small park that has live music on the regular in the summer, including small orchestras, choirs, and bands.
You can walk around and explore the locks and watch the team navigate proper, safe placement of the boats coming through the locks before walking across to the area where you can see salmon migrating up the fish ladder.
There is an above viewing area and if you head below there are glass windows where you can watch the various species of salmon making their migration to their spawning grounds. It’s a pretty impressive site.
Never ideal to dam up areas, blocking typical access, but fish counts are made every year to monitoring returns and populations, allowing natural resource manages to better protect these species and monitor overfishing and environmental impacts.
Walk around Green Lake
Address: 7201 East Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, WA 98115
This pretty lake is near the Woodland Park Zoo and has a paved walking/running path around it’s entirety, as well as a bike path above it. There are grassy areas to spend the day reading in the sun with snacks and the area is surrounded by some great restaurants.
If you are looking for a quiet way to spend your day, this is a good choice.
Visit the “Up” house (Edith MaceField house)
Address: 1438 NW 46th St, Seattle, WA 98107
There is a house in Ballard, where the owner Edith MaceField, famously refused to sell her home to developers. It is now surrounded by the development and is shuttered and in disrepair as Edith has since passed away and no one has purchased the home.
It was thought to be the inspiration for the movie Up, however, it was mostly just used during the movie’s promotion. But you can still see balloons tied to the fence of the famous house and it put a smile on my face when I saw it and every time I see it as I go by when biking along the Burke Gilman trail through Ballard.
Visit Fishermen’s terminal and find the boats from the Deadliest Catch
Address: 3919 18th Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119
Fishermen’s terminal opened in 1914 and is run by the port of Seattle. There is a seafood market, breweries and it is the docking site for some of the boats seen on the famous show Deadliest Catch.
Visit Volunteer Park and see Bruce Lee’s grave
Address: 1247 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood this is another great green space with an amphitheater for shows, a public garden, picnic tables, and a cemetery where you can visit the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee.
Go to a Kraken hockey game
Address: 334 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
I love hockey and I realize that many of you readers may not, but Climate Pledge Arena was created as a sustainable arena and it’s a really unique building with a live wall of plants.
Tickets are not cheap here. If you want to see an NHL game somewhere, this is not the cheapest option but the atmosphere is fantastic.
University of Washington Biology Greenhouses
Address: 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98195
With over >6000 plants from around the world within 4 climate controlled greenhouses, this is a unique spot to check out. They are open to visitors for free every Thursday from noon until 4pm and the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 10AM-2PM.
Visit the Ballard Farmers Market
Address: 5345 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
This is my favorite of all the Farmers Markets in the city (and there’s a lot). For fresh produce, baked goods, handmade soap, honey, and a few lunch spots, this is a great place to wander around on a Sunday morning.
It gets super busy and crowded, but there are a ton of stalls to check out and is nestled into the streets where you can do some shopping, pop into a restaurant or grab a coffee at Umbria (best coffee in the city in my opinion) or there is a tea cafe right next door if you aren’t a coffee drinker.
The market runs every Sunday, year-round, so no matter the season you can always include this as a stop.
Pacific Science Center
Address: 200 2nd Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
This is a very family friendly place to visit and more geared towards kids than adults, but still worth checking out. Located within Seattle Center, it is near to the Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture, Space Needle, and Climate Pledge Arena, so there’s a lot of things to explore in one area.
It also has a large IMAX theater where you can watch nature documentaries and on occasion big blockbusters like Dune and Harry Potter.
Olympic Sculpture Park
Address: 2901 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
Made up of a 9-acre sculpture park, an indoor pavillon and a beach, this is another great (and free) spot to see. If you are interested in art, this is a must visit along the many art stops in the city and is run by the Seattle Art Museum.
Visit the Space Needle
Address: 400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109
The is probably the most popular place to visit in the city and everyone really should do it at least once. Located in Seattle Center, you can take the elevator up to the top for 360 degree views of Seattle and the Puget Sound. Dine in their rotating restaurant (though it is expensive and the food isn’t as good as you will find elsewhere in the city) it does give you a nice view and probably the best view in the city.
You can purchase the Seattle citypass for just over $100 and visit the Space Needle and two other popular sites in the city. It’s a great option, because individual ticket prices are high and you will save money by getting a pass, especially if you know what you want to see.
Visit the Seattle underground
Downtown Seattle is built on top of the old city of Seattle. The great Seattle fire destroyed the entire business district in Seattle in 1889. Many of the buildings were made of wood and went up like kindling. You can see what remains through an underground tour in Pioneer Square.
There are old opium dens and whole areas to walk through and the tour itself is great. We did the adults tour and got to have an adult beverage at the end of the tour as part of our tickets. This is definitely worth seeing and a must if you want to learn more about Seattle’s history.
Amazon Sphere’s/Seattle Sphere’s
Address: 2111 7th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
This was a surprise to me, and a pleasant one. You can grab free tickets to explore the Sphere’s at Amazon (yes, the Amazon where you buy all your stuff). Inside are over 40,000 plants from cloud forest regions in over 30 countries. It is really cool how it is built and I highly recommend visiting if you are in town.
Visit Golden Gardens and spend the day on the beach
Address: 8498 Seaview Pl NW, Seattle, WA 98117
There is a great beach north of the city called Golden Gardens. If you have rented a bike or a scooter, you can take the Burke Gilman trail all the way there and there is usually lots of bike parking. This is a popular spot among locals and the parking lots fill up and stay that way all day, especially when the sun is out.
There are volleyball nets, a snack shack, playground, small open field and of course the beach with views of the Olympic Mountains. People will set up hammocks among the trees and spend the day reading, while others come in big groups and set up in one of the picnic areas grilling and having some drinks with friends and family. It’s a great spot and sometimes you even see pods of orcas swim by.
Have a sauna with Wild Haus Sauna
This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. A floating sauna. Go on a “communal” tour with 5 other people and it’s $150 for 90-minutes, but what you get is a sauna with glass walls that is also a boat that drives around Union Lake. You can heat up in the sauna and then jump into the lake to cool off before getting out and doing it all over again.
Spots fill up fast, so check their website and book in advance.
Go for a ride in a hot tub boat
I see these all the time. Groups of people rent a hot tub, that is also a boat. It sits low in the water, so it almost looks like you are level with it. Someone drives you around the lake, while you and your friends enjoy a hot soak and great views.
See the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington
This is extremely popular among locals and tourists alike. Every year the blooming Japanese cherry trees on the University of Washington campus draws thousands of people a day when in full bloom. There is even a festival for it in the University District. You can find an entire events schedule as well as the participating restaurants and stores here.
Concluding Thoughts
Seattle is one of the coolest cities I have ever been too and I love that I get to live here. There is a ton of green space and unique locations to explore that you are going to need to visit on the regular just to check them all out.
If this is your first time, I highly recommend getting away from the main downtown area and exploring the neighborhoods. There is just so much to explore and in my opinion Seattle is a beautiful place with so many green spaces and care for the environment.
Make sure to also check out dog friendly hikes near Seattle, if you want to immerse yourself into the true nature of the Pacific Northwest.
