Visiting Seattle for the First Time? Here's What To See and Do

This 74-acre (30-hectare) campus is home to some of the city’s most famed attractions, including the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Pacific Science Center, the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), and the Seattle Children’s Museum. A must-see for visitors, the Seattle Center is also a hub of local civic life and creative culture, which is why it’s a stop on many tours of Seattle. You can also take in the area by Segway, on foot, with a self-guided audio tour, and even as part of a scavenger hunt.

Known for fishmongers who loft salmon and other seafood through the air, Pike Place Market is a trove of local products with a central location on the Seattle waterfront. Expect to find more than 150 stalls overflowing with sweet treats, artisanal products, and crafts. Its scale can be overwhelming, which is why guided market tours are a popular way to discover the market’s most iconic tastes and lesser-known delicacies—there are even plant-based, history-focused, and ghost-themed options for exploring the best of Pike Place Market.

With sweeping views across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains, the 9-acre (3.6-hectare) Olympic Sculpture Park is a walkable green space dotted with works by artists such as Beverly Pepper, Richard Serra, and Tony Smith. An included stop on many tours of Seattle, the Olympic Sculpture Park is a great addition to a day exploring Seattle’s many art museums—one of the most popular is the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Many locals also use the Olympic Sculpture Park as a destination for sunset picnics, as the park is gorgeous at dusk.

Towering 175 feet (53 meters) above Pier 57 on the Seattle waterfront, the Seattle Great Wheel has an unmatched vantage point by Puget Sound—and the views alone are worth the ride. Since rides on the Seattle Great Wheel last just 10 to 20 minutes, it’s also an easy, quick addition to nearly any itinerary. To photograph the waterfront with the Seattle Great Wheel, though, you’ll need to get out on the water: A cruise along Seattle Harbor affords excellent perspectives, or you can book a sunset sail to catch warm, evening light.

Public art and community spirit lend colorful energy to the Fremont District, a neighborhood north of downtown whose motto—“De Liberta Quirkas” —is fake Latin for “Freedom to Be Peculiar.” Tours of the Fremont District highlight that local flavor, whether you’re sipping craft cocktails, cruising around on an e-bike, or strolling to public art installations, both famous and obscure. While soaking up the atmosphere is much of the fun, don’t miss iconic landmarks like the Fremont Troll that lives under the Aurora Avenue Bridge.

Seattleites make the most of their limited access to sunny days, so pleasant weather brings cheerful throngs to the city’s Green Lake Park. The 2.9-mile (4.7-kilometer) pedestrian- and bike-friendly Green Lake Trail wraps the lake’s perimeter, and open green spaces are full of picnicking families and sunbathers. Ample playgrounds and an easy-going pace make this a favorite for families with small children; just to the north is the leafy Green Lake neighborhood, home to the award-winning Woodland Park Zoo.

Seattle’s long-time love affair with coffee helped revolutionize America’s drinking habits, making the Original Starbucks a kind of pilgrimage place. While the actual original Starbucks no longer exists, the Pike Place Market location is revered as the oldest remaining store. Keep in mind that though the early espresso drinks Starbucks sold were once groundbreaking, these days, the Seattle coffee scene is far more diverse. Coffee aficionados can take in those local flavors on guided tours of Seattle coffee culture in the Capitol Hill neighborhood or via a tasting tour of Pike Place Market.

The Washington State Ferries, a network of boats for both cars and pedestrians that links up islands and coastal towns across the Puget Sound, is both functional and wildly scenic. Tours of Bainbridge Island generally take advantage of the beautiful Seattle–Bainbridge Ferry, but other favorites include the routes to Vashon Island, Whidbey Island, and Bremerton. Pay attention when you’re out on the water, as it’s common to spot wildlife, including seals, sea lions, harbor porpoises, Dall’s porpoises, otters, and even whales from the boats.

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks —more commonly called the Ballard Locks—link the Puget Sound with Lake Washington. But boats aren’t the only thing that uses the system. From June through November, it’s often possible to see sockeye, Chinook, and Coho salmon passing through fish ladders on their way to spawn upriver. Many tours of Seattle stop at the locks, or you can hop a Seattle locks cruise that actually passes through the lock system itself, cruising by houseboat communities, the Seattle waterfront, and the South Lake Union waterfront.

Gold prospectors turned Seattle into a boom town, and the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park tells their stories through exhibits, artifacts, and documentary films. The small, free museum is even better when combined with a broader history tour of Seattle, with options that span underground walking tours of Pioneer Square, haunted pub crawls, and history-themed self-guided scavenger hunts.