Things to do in Seattle

Things to do in Seattle

There are probably hundreds of articles and lists of what to do in Seattle, but I’ve yet to find one that’s complete. When my friend Micky asked for a list due to a family visit, myself and other friends helped him build the following list. Here it is…hopefully for posterity. Current update: Aug 2019.

Note 1: Blogger is lousy at formatting tables, so I suggest copy-pasting the whole page into Excel or Word to view the details.

Note 2: When a location is listed that is not in Seattle, the acronym STS means “South to Seattle”. I’m sure you can guess what NTS, ETS and WTS means…

Item	Where	URL	Cost Per Person	Notes
Electric indoor Kart racing	Redmond (ETS)	http://www.k1speed.com/	$20	No drivers license required
Hot air balloon ride	Carnation (ETS)	http://www.balloondepot.com/	$189-210
The Seattle Great Wheel	Seattle	http://seattlegreatwheel.com/	$8.5-13	Long lines
Indoor Skydiving	Renton (STS)	http://seattle.iflyworld.com/	$60-100	250 LB weight limit
Wild waves theme and water park	Federal Way (STS)	http://wildwaves.com/	$33-40	$20 after 4pm.
Kayak and Canoe on Lake Union	Seattle	http://www.nwoc.com/	$14-22 Per hour
Kayak and Canoe on Lake Sammamish	Issaquah (ETS)	http://issaquahpaddlesports.com/	$15-30 per hour
River Rafting	Various	http://orionrivertrips.com/	$70-85	Some age restrictions
Pacific Science Center museum	Seattle	http://pacificsciencecenter.org/	$10-18	IMAX theatre on premise at extra cost.
Seattle Center	Seattle	http://www.seattlecenter.com/	None	Various events, fairs and promenade
Space Needle	Seattle	http://www.spaceneedle.com/	$12-21	Huge souvenir shop
Underground Tour	Seattle	http://www.undergroundtour.com/	$9-17
Washington Fairgrounds	Puyallup (STS)	http://www.thefair.com/	Varies	Various events, fairs and conventions
Washington state fair	Puyallup (STS)	http://www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair/	$9-12.5	Every September. Rides cost extra.
Boeing museum of flight	South Seattle	http://www.museumofflight.org/	$10-15	Very large museum. Many full planes on display, inc. SR-71, Space shuttle body.
Boeing future of flight+factory tour	Everett (NTS)	http://www.futureofflight.org/	$9-20	Some restrictions on tour for children
museum of glass	Tacoma (STS)	http://museumofglass.org/	$5-12
Lemay car museum	Tacoma (STS)	http://www.lemaymuseum.org/	$8-14	Significant walking distance inside
Seattle aquarium	Seattle	http://www.seattleaquarium.org/	$15-22	On the old seattle port, nice promenade
Seattle art museum	Seattle	http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/	$11-17	Cheap parking. Park there, walk around downtown.
cougar mountain zoo	Issaquah (ETS)	http://www.cougarmountainzoo.org/	$9-12.5
MOPOP (Music + Sci-Fi museum)	Seattle	https://www.mopop.org	$14-20	Music, Science fiction and other cultural exhibitions. AKA “EMP” museum.
Woodland Zoo	Seattle	http://www.zoo.org/	$11.75-18.75
Reptile zoo	Monroe (NTS)	http://thereptilezoo.org/	$5-6
Helicopter ride/flight lessons	South Seattle	http://www.seattlehelitours.com/ http://www.helicoptersnw.com https://www.atomichelicopters.com	$90-330	20, 30 or 40 minute tours
Microsoft visitor center and store	Redmond (ETS)	http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/visitorcenter/	Free	No software or hardware sold to the public, but plenty of Microsoft branded items like shirts, bags, office toys.
Wade’s gun store and indoor range	Redmond (ETS)	http://www.wadesguns.com/	$15-35	Renting a gun for the range requires a buddy to come-with, or bring your own gun.
Snow-play in Hyak park	Snoqualmie Pass (ETS)	http://www.parks.wa.gov/winter/trails/?Region=3&Park=16	$30	Winter time only
Liquor and Wine	Bellevue (ETS)	http://www.totalwine.com/	None	Huge store for drinking fans. Frequent wine tastings.
Google	Seattle	651 N 34th St, Seattle	None	Can’t get in without an employee escort
Facebook	Seattle	1730 Minor Ave, Seattle	None	Can’t get in without an employee escort
Amazon	Seattle	410 Terry Ave N, Seattle 1200 12th Avenue, Seattle	None	Can’t get in without an employee escort
Amazon Biodome	Seattle	2111 7th Avenue; Seattle,	None	Can’t get in without an employee escort
Bruce Lee’s grave	Seattle	1554 15th Ave E, Seattle	None
Leavenworth Bavarian town	Leavenworth (NTS)	http://www.leavenworth.org/	None	Lots to do, especially around Christmas
Victoria	Canada	http://www.victoria.ca/ and http://www.clippervacations.com/	Varies	Lots to do. Takes ~4 hours to get there.
Vancouver	Canada	http://www.tourismvancouver.com/	Varies	Lots to do. Takes ~4 hours to get there.
Las Vegas	Nevada	http://www.vegas.com/	Varies	Lots to do. 2.5 hours by plane.
Los Angeles	California	http://www.lacity.org/	Varies	Lots to do. 2.5 hours by plane.
San Francisco	California	http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/	Varies	Lots to do. 2.5 hours by plane.
San Diego	California	http://www.sandiego.gov/	Varies	Lots to do. 2.5 hours by plane.
Golden Gardens Park and beach	Seattle	http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=243	Free
Alki Beach	Seattle	http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=445	Free
Lake Sammamish	Issaquah (ETS)	http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=lake%20sammamish	Free, but requires discovery pass	http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/
Gasworks Park	Seattle	http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?id=293	Free
Argosy Cruises	Seattle	http://www.argosycruises.com/	Varies
Mt. Rainier	(STS)	http://www.npca.org/parks/mount-rainier-national-park.html	Free
Mt St. Helens	(STS)	http://www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens	Free
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (a.k.a. Ballard Locks)	Seattle	http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LocksandDams/ChittendenLocks.aspx	Varies
Olympic Park	Olympic Peninsula (WTS)	http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm	$15 per vehicle	Snow almost year round. Might be dangerous in Winter.
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop	Seattle	http://www.yeoldecuriosityshop.com	Free	Store that is somewhat of an oddity museum too
Family Fun Center	Renton (STS)	http://www.fun-center.com	Varies	Many kid-oriented fun rides and activities
South Center Mall	Renton (STS)	http://www.westfield.com/southcenter/	Free	Large mall, and with the adjacent strip-mall area, its HUGE.
Pike Place	Seattle	http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/	Free	Check out the Wall of GUM! Parking is difficult and expensive.
Deception Pass park	Oak Harbor (STS)	http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=deception%20pass	Free, but requires discovery pass	http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/
Camlann Medieval village	Carnation (ETS)	http://www.camlann.org/	Free
Olympic Game Farm	Sequim (WTS)	http://www.olygamefarm.com/	$11-12	Buy 4-5 loafs of wheat bread at Safeway beforehand to feed the animals.
Marymoor park concerts	Redmond (ETS)	http://www.marymoorconcerts.com/	Varies	Fun park to visit even when no concert
The Gorge Amphitheatre	Quincy (ETS)	http://www.livenation.com/venues/14067/gorge-amphitheatre	Varies	High profile shows, but 3 hours drive east
St. Michelle Winery	Woodinville (NTS)	http://www.ste-michelle.com/events/concertCalendar	Varies	Store and concert venue
The Triple Door	Seattle	http://www.thetripledoor.net/	Varies	Restaurant with shows
Seattle Theatre Group	Seattle	http://www.stgpresents.org/	Varies	Multiple theatres and venues
Showbox	Seattle	http://www.showboxpresents.com/	Varies	Various shows
Evergreen State Fair	Monroe (NTS)	http://www.evergreenfair.org/the-fair.aspx	$5-7	Fair every August. Admission doesn’t include rides
Evergreen fairgrounds	Monroe (NTS)	http://www.evergreenfair.org/	Varies	Various events year round
Bumbershoot Festival	Seattle	http://bumbershoot.org/	$50-55 per day	Every August
DEFY (Flying Circus)	Tukwila (STS)	https://www.defy.com/seattle/	$6-16/hour
Willows Mini Golf	Redmond (ETS)	http://willowsrun.com	$6-11	Call ahead to reserve time
Mini Mountain indoor ski	Bellevue (ETS)	https://www.minimountain.com	$55/lesson
Goodwill Seattle	Seattle	1400 S Lane St, Seattle	Varies	Largest Thrift store in the state
Uwajimaya	Seattle	600 5th Ave S, Seattle	Varies	Massive Asian product store
Lolli and Pops	Multiple Locations	https://www.lolliandpops.com	Varies	Unique collection of fun candy and snacks
Wings over Seattle	Seattle	1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle	$13-17	Unique ride