must-see places to visit in seattle (Bremerton, Bainbridge Island: buy, university, taxis)

[sarah232094]

What are some of the must-visit places to hit in Seattle?

[Ruth4Truth]

It depends on what you're interested in. I was just messaging someone who wants to visit Seattle soon, and they were interested in parks, so I told them about this big Japanese garden/park in the south end of the city.

https://kubotagarden.org/index.html Great for experiencing fall colors.

There's the Seattle Art Museum, which has a good collection of Native art from the region, among other collections. There's the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, which also has a big plant conservatory. And Broadway in Cap. Hill is nice to walk and explore the shops, coffee shops, and ice creameries during the day. There's the UW, which has many beautiful corners of gardens, hidden glades, and walking paths, and also has the Burke Museum, which is an anthropology museum.

For people visiting during the spring or fall salmon runs, the Ballard Locks are a must-see, to view the massive salmon run, a real spectacle of nature. And there's a botanical garden there, too.

If you're travelling in late May, there's the annual Folklife Festival, showcasing music and dance groups from around the world all weekend.


The Seattle aquarium on the downtown waterfront takes you under Puget Sound to view all the marine critters in their natural environment. That's pretty much a must-see.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by sarah232094

What are some of the must-visit places to hit in Seattle?

Hi Sarah, great suggestions above by Ruth as usual. What kind of things do you like to do? Although touristy, a trip to the top of the Space Needle will give you a great view of the area. Mopop and MOHAI are cool museums in Seattle. Hard to beat sunset at Golden Gardens Beach in NW Seattle. National Nordic Museum and Wing Luke Museum are both excellent, as is the underrated Frye Art Museum. Our in-city urban parks are fantastic, IMO Seward Park and Discovery Park are standouts. Hop on a ferry to Bainbridge Island and back, feel that vibe. Have a fun trip!

[heavymind]

I visited last November for the first time. No car, I relied solely on public transportation and stayed in the downtown area.

Chinatown
Uwajimaya Asian grocery store. I went on my last day and bought a bunch of goodies I can't get at home.
Pike Place market, only on Sat/Sun if you want to see all the vendors. It's pretty quiet during weekdays.
The main art museum downtown was awesome! I spent a full 4-5 hours there. The downtown library is also huge and fun to travel the multiple floors.
Space Needle, of course. I was petrified of the glass floor up there, but nobody else seemed to mind.
You can also take a guided tour up to the top of the tallest building in Seattle. I wanted to do it, but the hours were limited and didn't work with my schedule.

[CrazyDonkey]

Typical "touristy" stuff:

Downtown: Pike Place Market*, Seattle Art Museum+, The Monorail#, Seattle Public Library, Skyview Observatory (Columbia Tower)+, Link Light Rail#

Seattle Center: Space Needle^+, Chihuly Garden and Glass^+, Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP)^+, Pacific Science Center/IMAX, Kerry Park (Viewpoint)*

Waterfront: Seattle Aquarium^+, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour^+, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop*, Washington State Ferries at Colman Dock (Bainbridge Island and Bremerton), King County Water Taxis (West Seattle and Vashon Island)#, Waterfront Park*, Olympic Sculpture Park*.

Pioneer Square: Underground Tour, Klondike Gold Rush Historical Park (Museum)*, Smith Tower Observatory, Waterfall Garden Park*

International District/Chinatown: Uwajimaya (Asian Super Market)*, Hing Hay Park*, Wing Luke Museum

South Lake Union: Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), Center for Wooden Boats*, Amazon Spheres ("Jeff's Balls")*, South Lake Union Streetcar#

Capitol Hill/First Hill: Seattle Asian Art Museum (Volunteer Park), Frye Art Museum*, First Hill Streetcar#

University District/Montlake: The Ave (University Way)*, UW Campus*, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Shiga's*, Washington Park Arboretum*

Wallingford/Fremont: Woodland Park Zoo (Phinney Ridge/Upper Fremont)^, Green Lake (Wallingford)*, Archie McPhee (Wallingford)*, Gas Works Park (Wallingford/Northlake)*, Lenin Statue (Fremont)*, Fremont Troll*

Ballard/Magnolia: Chittenden (Ballard) Locks*, National Nordic Museum (Ballard), Ballard Historical District (Ballard Avenue), Shilshole Bay Marina*, Golden Gardens Park/Beach*, Fishermen's Terminal (Interbay/Magnolia)*, Discovery Park (Magnolia)*

SoDo/West Seattle/Rainier Valley: Museum of Flight (SoDo/Boeing Field)+, Alki Beach*, Kubota Gardens

(Rainier Valley)*, Seward Park (Columbia City)*

*=free. ^=CityPass (save up to 47%), +=C3/See Any Three (save up to 34%), #=Regional All Day Pass ($8 + $3 for an Orca Card, covers fares up to $3.50)

https://www.citypass.com/seattle-comparison

https://support.myorca.com/hc/en-us/...e-Seattle-area

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It depends on what you're interested in. I was just messaging someone who wants to visit Seattle soon, and they were interested in parks, so I told them about this big Japanese garden/park in the south end of the city.

kubotagarden.org/index.html Great for experiencing fall colors.

There's the Seattle Art Museum, which has a good collection of Native art from the region, among other collections. There's the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, which also has a big plant conservatory. And Broadway in Cap. Hill is nice to walk and explore the shops, coffee shops, and ice creameries during the day. There's the UW, which has many beautiful corners of gardens, hidden glades, and walking paths, and also has the Burke Museum, which is an anthropology museum.

For people visiting during the spring or fall salmon runs, the Ballard Locks are a must-see, to view the massive salmon run, a real spectacle of nature. And there's a botanical garden there, too.

If you're travelling in late May, there's the annual Folklife Festival, showcasing music and dance groups from around the world all weekend.

The Seattle aquarium on the downtown waterfront takes you under Puget Sound to view all the marine critters in their natural environment. That's pretty much a must-see.

I think the Ballard Locks are worth a look any time of the year... it's fun to watch the array of ships and boats passing through... from sailboats to tugs and barges to big cargo ships. Also, there's a tour boat (Argosy Cruises) that will take you across Lake Washington, through the locks, and down to the harbor. Highly recommended!

If the weather is dry, go over to Gas Works Park in the late afternoon. People like to gather on the hill there to watch the sun set.

And of course, the Space Needle.... and the monorail.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by NW4me

I think the Ballard Locks are worth a look any time of the year... it's fun to watch the array of ships and boats passing through... from sailboats to tugs and barges to big cargo ships. ...

Friday and Sunday afternoons are busy at the locks - high volume boat traffic.

[sarah232094]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

It depends on what you're interested in. I was just messaging someone who wants to visit Seattle soon, and they were interested in parks, so I told them about this big Japanese garden/park in the south end of the city.

https://kubotagarden.org/index.html Great for experiencing fall colors.

There's the Seattle Art Museum, which has a good collection of Native art from the region, among other collections. There's the Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, which also has a big plant conservatory. And Broadway in Cap. Hill is nice to walk and explore the shops, coffee shops, and ice creameries during the day. There's the UW, which has many beautiful corners of gardens, hidden glades, and walking paths, and also has the Burke Museum, which is an anthropology museum.

For people visiting during the spring or fall salmon runs, the Ballard Locks are a must-see, to view the massive salmon run, a real spectacle of nature. And there's a botanical garden there, too.

If you're travelling in late May, there's the annual Folklife Festival, showcasing music and dance groups from around the world all weekend.


The Seattle aquarium on the downtown waterfront takes you under Puget Sound to view all the marine critters in their natural environment. That's pretty much a must-see.

thank you!! when is the best time to visit the kubota garden for the fall colors?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sarah232094

thank you!! when is the best time to visit the kubota garden for the fall colors?

NOW! The fall colors are "on" now at the Kubota garden! It was recently featured in the Seattle Times for that reason. The natural display will probably continue through early October. If you can find a phone number or email address for the garden, you could contact them to ask how long the fall colors last.

[StealthRabbit]

While at the locks, take a picnic lunch, or buy fish and chips and enjoy sunset at nearby Shilshole Marina Golden Gardens beach. Plan your days around avoiding traffic. Consider a ferry ride that will put you inbound to Seattle about dusk, and enjoy the sunset reflected on buildings (and Mt. Rainier if lucky) then the illumination of the city as the lights come on.