Seattle Center

Seattle

　　The remnants of the futuristic 1962 World's Fair hosted by Seattle and subtitled Century 21 Exposition are still visible over 50 years later at the Seattle Center. Thanks to regular upgrades, the complex has retained its luster and contains Seattle's highest concentration of A-list sights. It's also a superb green...

Richard Hugo House

Seattle

　　Established in honor of famed Northwest poet Richard Hugo, and the nexus of Seattle’s literary community, the Hugo House hosts readings, classes and workshops, as well as offering various events around town. Writers-in-residence keep office hours during which they’re available for (scheduled) consultations about writing projects. ...

Kerry Park

Seattle

　　Amid the glittering Beverly Hills–like homes of Highland Dr, mere commoners can enjoy eagle’s-eye views of downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay (and Mt Rainier, should it take its cloudy hat off) from this spectacular lookout. 　　Binoculars (50¢) are provided, so you can look back at the people at the top...

Woodland Park Zoo

Seattle

　　In Woodland Park, up the hill from Green Lake Park, the Woodland Park Zoo is one of Seattle’s most popular tourist attractions. Consistently rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country, it was one of the first in the nation to free animals from their restrictive cages...

Green Lake Park

Seattle

　　A favorite hunting ground for runners, personal trainers and artistically tattooed sunbathers, scenic Green Lake Park surrounds a small natural lake created by a glacier during the last ice age. The paths that wind around the lake are usually well used by those on foot and wheels of every variety,...

Alki Beach Park

Seattle

　　Alki Beach has an entirely different feel from the rest of Seattle: on a sunny day this 2-mile stretch of sand could be confused for California. There’s a bike path, volleyball courts on the sand, and rings for beach fires. 　　Look for the miniature Statue of Liberty, donated by the...

Myrtle Edwards Park

Seattle

　　Your best bet for an uninterrupted walk or jog if you’re staying downtown is this fringe of lawn and trees along Elliott Bay that starts next to the Olympic Sculpture Park and continues as far as the Interbay area between Queen Anne and Magnolia. 　　The park (sometimes erroneously called Elliott...

Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens

Seattle

　　On the northern bank of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this charming arboretum and specimen garden. Trails wind through gardens filled with flowers and mature trees, each labeled. Flanking the gardens is a visitor center containing a small museum documenting the history of the locks. ...

Nordic Museum

Seattle

　　Reason alone to come to Ballard – if the culinary scene and waterside parks weren’t enough – is this delightful surprise of a museum dedicated to Nordic history and culture. In 2018 the museum upgraded in size from its original location in a historic schoolhouse to a newly constructed and...

Waiting for the Interurban

Seattle

　　Seattle’s most popular piece of public art, Waiting for the Interurban, is cast in recycled aluminum and depicts six people waiting for a train that never comes. Occasionally locals will lovingly decorate the people in outfits corresponding to a special event, the weather, someone’s birthday, a Mariners win – whatever....

Colman Park

Seattle

　　Head south along Lake Washington Blvd E through the very upscale Madrona Park neighborhood and you’ll end up at Colman Park. The entire lakefront stretch between here and Seward Park is parkland. This is an especially good area for cycling. On the weekends the boulevard is closed to cars. ...

Gas Works Park

Seattle

　　Urban reclamation has no greater monument in Seattle than Gas Works Park. The former power station here produced gas for heating and lighting from 1906 to 1956. The gas works was thereafter understandably considered an eyesore and an environmental menace. But the beautiful location of the works, with stellar views...

Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center

Seattle

　　Inside Discovery Park you'll find this cultural center that displays a permanent collection of Native American artwork, special exhibitions and hosts events (check the online calendar). It's also a great place to pick up gifts – the on-site Sacred Circle Gift Shop (10am-5pm Wednesday to Friday) is full of incredible...

Hiram M Chittenden Locks Visitor Center

Seattle

　　In Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens on the north side of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this visitor center containing a small museum documenting the history of the locks. ...

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

Seattle

　　This Byzantium Revival building began life in 1915 as a synagogue for a congregation of Orthodox Jews. By 1969 the demographics of the neighborhood had changed and the building was reintroduced as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and was operated by the city's parks and rec department. More recently,...

Jimi Hendrix Statue

Seattle

　　Psychedelic guitar genius of the late 1960s and Seattle’s favorite son, Jimi Hendrix is captured sunk to his knees in eternal rock-star pose in this bronze sculpture by local artist Daryl Smith, created in 1997 and located close to the intersection of Broadway and E Pine St. 　　Hendrix fans often...

Hiram M Chittenden Locks

Seattle

　　Seattle shimmers like an impressionist painting on sunny days at the Hiram M Chittenden Locks. Here, the fresh waters of Lake Washington and Lake Union drop 22ft into saltwater Puget Sound. You can stand inches away and watch the boats rise or sink (depending on direction). Construction of the canal...

Space Needle

Seattle

　　This streamlined, modern-before-its-time tower built for the 1962 World’s Fair has been the city’s defining symbol for more than 50 years. The needle anchors the complex now called the Seattle Center and draws more than one million annual visitors to its flying saucer–like observation deck and pricey rotating restaurant. Purchase...

Chihuly Garden & Glass

Seattle

　　Opened in 2012 and reinforcing Seattle’s position as a leading city of the arts, this exquisite exposition of the life and work of dynamic local sculptor Dale Chihuly is possibly the finest collection of curated glass art you'll ever see. It shows off Chihuly's creative designs in a suite of...

Olympic Sculpture Park

Seattle

　　This ingenious feat of urban planning is an offshoot of the Seattle Art Museum and it bears the same strong eye for design and curation. There are dozens of sculptures, dotted around in a calm green space that sprawls out over reclaimed urban decay, with front row views over Puget...

Discovery Park

Seattle

　　Hard to beat on a sunny spring day, this former military installation has been transformed into a wild coastal park, laced with walking trails and offering glimpses of the Olympic Mountains across the water. It's the largest green space in the Seattle, with 534 acres of forest, meadows, sand dunes and...

Museum of Flight

Seattle

　　Even people with absolutely no interest in aviation have been known to blink in astonishment at Seattle's Museum of Flight, which takes visitors on a whirlwind tour through the history of aviation, from the Wright Brothers to the last flight of Concorde and the birth of the space age. This...

Museum of Pop Culture

Seattle

　　The Museum of Pop Culture (formerly EMP, the Experience Music Project) is an inspired marriage between super-modern architecture and legendary rock-and-roll history that sprang from the imagination (and pocket) of Microsoft co-creator Paul Allen (1953–2018). Inside its avant-garde frame, you can tune into the famous sounds of Seattle (with an...

Pike Place Market

Seattle

　　A cavalcade of noise, smells, personalities, banter and urban theater sprinkled liberally around a spatially challenged waterside strip, Pike Place Market is Seattle in a bottle. In operation since 1907 and still as lively today as it was on day one, this wonderfully local experience highlights the city for what it...