Things To Do
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is a great place to eat, drink, shop and get a great view of the Puget Sound. Tourists and locals love the fresh flowers and watching people throw fish around. If you love mac and cheese, be sure to check out Beecher's (Michael's favorite is the Mariachi Mac & Cheese, Nataly's favorite is the "World's Best" Mac & Cheese). For coffee lovers, the world's first Starbucks is located at the market.
Space Needle
Visit the iconic observation tower in downtown Seattle. There are many good views from the top and they just added a glass floor to test your nerves!
Chihuly Garden and Glass
The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum is next to the Space needle in the Seattle center. It is a unique display of colorful glass sculptures.
Alki Kayak Tours
Right next to Salty's is Alki Kayak Tours where you can rent kayaks, stand up paddle boards, bikes or skates by the hour. Then you can go over to Alki beach, which is a great beach to picnic, walk around, and get food. If you don't want to rent from them but want a quick way to get around, there are rideshare scooters you can go on!
Ballard Locks
One of Michael and I's first dates was to the Ballard Farmer's Market and then the Ballard Locks. It is a waterway system that connects the saltwater of the Puget Sound to the fresh water of the Ship Canal. You can watch as boats enter the locks and see the water rise or fall. You can also watch for fish on the fish ladder and walk around the botanical gardens.
Ballard Neighborhood
The Ballard neighborhood is our favorite area in Seattle - it's where we live! There are so many places to eat and drink, you can't go wrong anywhere. Here are a few of our favorite places to eat and drink: 1. Breakfast: Portage Bay Cafe, Biscuit & Bean 2. Lunch/Dinner: Un Bien, Gracia, Ray's Cafe, Arashi Ramen, Matador, Poke Square 3. Dessert: Salt & Straw Ice Cream, Frankie and Joes, Hot Cakes 4. Drinks: Great Notion, Rueben's Brews, Urban Family, Locust Cider, Little Tin Goods & Apothecary Cabinet, Heritage Distilling, Skal Beer Hall Here are a few of our favorite things to do: 1. Ballard Farmers Market (open on Sundays 9am-3pm) 2. Walks at Golden Gardens Park, Discovery Park, and Ballard Locks 3. Rent kayaks or paddle boards from Ballard Kayak
Fremont Neighborhood
Fremont is also a great area to explore in Seattle! There are many spots that are iconic to Seattle in this area and it has an eclectic feel. Here are a few things to see and do: 1. Gasworks Park (it has a great view of Lake Union and the Seattle Skyline). 2. The Fremont Troll 3. Fremont Sunday Street Market (open Sundays 10am-4pm) 4. Woodland Park Zoo (in the summer, they have summer concerts called Zootunes that is a great way to spend an evening). Here are a few of our favorite places to eat and drink: 1. Lunch/Dinner: Paseo, Kin Len Thai Night Bites, Revel, RockCreek Seafood & Spirits 2. Desserts: Theo Chocolate (you can go in and get many free samples of their chocolate) 3. Drinks: Fremont Brewing, Schilling Cider, The Barrel Theif
Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island is one of our favorite day trip getaways or a little side trip to a downtown excursion. You can walk on the ferry (another great view of the Seattle Skyline from a ferry if you don't take the Seattle Water Taxi) and enjoy a drink or meal on the main road Winslow Way E. One of our favorite wineries is the Eleven Winery tasting room.
Snoqualmie Falls
Snoqualmie Falls is a waterfall about 40 minutes east of Seattle. We love it because you can see the falls right away or hike down to see the falls on the bottom (it is about a 1.6 mile hike).
Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands
If you are staying in Washington for a while, our favorite day/weekend trip outside of Seattle in the summer is visiting the San Juan Islands. You can go on hikes or go whale watching for orcas in the summer here. We also love the food and drinks at the San Juan Brewery (Michael's favorite is CBJ Burger). We take the ferry from Anacortes to Friday harbor. You can either park your car and walk on (the town is within walking distance from the ferry dock) or drive on (reservations are required and recommended to get well in advanced!).