OT: What are your "not to be missed" sights/activities in Seattle area?

[Lori D.]

Me again. : ) You ladies have given me fabulous tips and places to check out for our big NW trip in April. We'll be staying several days in Seattle. What would you say are the "must" see or do things in that area?

Thanks! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Lorna]

Dh says the Underground Tour at Pioneer Square is unmissable. You get to see a secret side to the city that isn't apparent to those walking in the streets above.

[Stacia]

Dh says the Underground Tour at Pioneer Square is unmissable. You get to see a secret side to the city that isn't apparent to those walking in the streets above.

Yes, that was a pretty cool & fun tour (did it the last time I was there).

Drink coffee.

Buy flowers at Pike Place Market.

Ride the ferry.

Go to Mt. Ranier. It is so gorgeous, it's breathtaking.

Snoqualmie Falls is kind-of neat. Plus, there are some old trains & such in the old town of Snoqualmie, if you're into that. (Maybe someone from there could give more info...).

I know there's a ton more I'm not thinking about right now, lol. I love it out there & jump at the chance to visit whenever I can.

[kalanamak]

which is just down the street from the aquarium....I remember going there as a kid on our way to Japan, and years later, when I took my niblings a very old man told us HE remembered coming there as a kid. Love the penny arcade machines.

Consider Vancouver BC, with the second biggest chinatown in North America, plus many other things.

[April in WA]

nt

[SoCal Sandra]

that I never visit Seattle without a visit to Pegasus Pizza!

The Aquarium, Tilikum Village, and a day trip on the ferry to Victoria, BC for tea at the Empress Hotel (and Butchart Gardens if you are ambitious) are also nice things to do. Enjoy your visit.!

[Eliana]

THe Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of Moliere's The Miser
runs through April 6th. (If you're going to be here on the morning of the 3rd, I might be able to get you tickets to a student matinee that morning.)

http://www.seattleshakespeare.org/

The Seattle Art Museum's special exhibition 'Roman Art from the Louvre" will be up through some time in May: (tickets are quite cheap on the First Thursday of the month - admission to the museum itself is free and special exhibits are deeply discounted)

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibitDetail.asp?eventID=11105

The Kubota Garden is a lovely Japanese Garden in south Seattle (and it is free!):

http://www.kubota.org/

Discovery park is one of our favorite parks in Seattle:

http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/Environment/discovparkindex.htm


Northwest Trek isn't in Seattle proper, but it is fabulous:

http://www.nwtrek.org/

If you want to stop at a used bookstore, there are several Half Price Books outlets (the one on Capitol Hill is one of our favorites, the University one runs a close second):

http://www.halfpricebooks.com/washington.html

Pacific Northwest Ballet is doing Midsummer Night's Dream:

http://www.pnb.org/season/msnd.html

My son loves the Museum of Flight:

http://www.museumofflight.org/Portal.asp?Flash=True

As others have mentioned, window shopping at Pike Place Market can be fun:

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/frameset.asp?flash=false

My kids have had some great experiences at Soundbridge, the Seattle Symphony's Music Discovery Center:

http://www.seattlesymphony.org/soundbridge/

A ride on the South Lake Union Streetcar could be fun:

http://www.seattlestreetcar.org/

Or a ferry ride?

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/


if you get lost or need help while you are here, feel free to call or email:

Eliana (eliana@efn.org 206-760-9631)

[Jennefer@SSA]

the Pike Place market. Dh just returned from a conference there last week! He loved the market and took a million pictures to show me.

I didn't see this mentioned in any of the other responses (but I just skimmed so I may have missed it for sure) but anyone traveling loves coffee the first Starbucks is there at Pike Place. Dh brought me 2 mugs from there with the original Starbucks logo. It's also the only place you can buy their Pike Place Blend (other than on the internet)!

Not a historically significant place for sure but fun nonetheless! :)

[Lori D.]

My boys are going to think the idea of a "secret underground city" is really cool! : ) Looking forward to "going underground"! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Stacia]

My boys are going to think the idea of a "secret underground city" is really cool! : ) Looking forward to "going underground"! Warmest regards, Lori D.

They will love it, esp. if they love 'tongue in cheek' humor.

Also, fyi, there is a neat toy store across the street from where the tour starts. It is Magic Mouse Toys -- they have a lot of neat & fun things that appeal to many ages. :-)

[Lisawa]

Me again. : ) You ladies have given me fabulous tips and places to check out for our big NW trip in April. We'll be staying several days in Seattle. What would you say are the "must" see or do things in that area?

Thanks! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Oh... The Seattle Children’s theater is a treasure! We will be in Seattle in April.... April 1st and April 10th. The last 2 plays of the year for us. 100 dresses and an Indian folk lore one that the name keeps escaping me...

The science center is right around the corner..... The Space Needle and the EMP (Experience Music Project) is also just a short walk....

I agree that your boys would LOVE the underground tour.... they also have duck boats that drive on the street, but then drive into the water and turn into boats....

Seattle is a busy place.... lots to see and do! Have a great time.... I'll be praying our weather cooperates and is nice!

[Mom to 3 Island Boys]

ALL great choices! I'd like to throw in a visit to Mount St. Helens. Great way to study the aftereffects of a volcanic eruption! (Though not quite as cool as gathering ash from the eruption off of my Dad's car with my brother when I was little!) The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was built there to preserve the volcano and allow for its aftermath to be studied scientifically.

http://www.fs.fed.us./gpnf/mshnvm/

[Mama Bear]

Paradise, one of the highest easily accessible places on Mt Rainier, is open year round. It's gorgeous and otherwordly.

NW Trek is awesome. Even in the rain.

There are lots of old Forts (Casey, etc.) to tour out on the coastal areas.

The ferries are neat.

The Burke Museum can be cool, I don't know what they've got right now.

In Tacoma: The Tacoma Art Museum has a little known collection of Renoir prints (?) right now. Plus, The Washington State history museum and The Glass Museum are all within walking distance. The Spaghetti Factory is about two and half blocks away. The Glass Museum includes a hot shop where you can watch glass blowers at work with the furnaces, etc. The WA state history museum has mind blowing memorabilia of the early days of the state -- pictures of enormous stacks of lumber that look like toothpicks, trees 300' tall were the norm, interactive stuff about early settlers, local Native Americans, dress up stuff, etc.

The Elliot Bay Book Company is a trip by itself. ;)

The little food shops along the street by Pike Place make a great tasting lunch: pierogies, baklava, gyros, La Petit Patisserie, cheese, fruit in the Market, juices, The Market Spice tea shop, and don't forget the "flying fish" guys there by the brass pig. The outdoor park/installation of the SAM is cool, too, and not terribly far away. If you end up at the Seattle Spaghetti Factory, you'll be almost across the street from the lovely sculptures.

Have fun -- bring lightweight raingear for April showers. :D

[Lori D.]

Sounds like we'd need to spend a month there to do it all! (lol)
Warmly, Lori D.