My family and I recently traveled to Seattle, Washington and spent an entire weekend exploring the city.
We even spent a day hiking at Mount Rainer National Park, which is a few hours from the city, but doable in a day to and from the city, and worth every moment! So if you have a longer trip planned in Washington, I would highly recommend planning a day to explore the National Park while you are in town! You must make a reservation in advance here!
But let’s get back to the best family friendly must-do activities in the city and some other pro-tips when traveling to Seattle with your family.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Westin Seattle and we couldn’t have had a better location. It was centrally located in the heart of the city and in walking distance to most of the places we ate and visited (even for a 7 year old)! And the views of the city and surrounding areas, spacious and clean rooms, and hospitality couldn’t be better!
Where to Eat
When you travel to a city like Seattle, you have to try all of the favorite local spots! A few of my top favorite local places are:
Dog in the Park
If you want an authentic Seattle hot dog (they even have a veggie option) you’ll want to at least try this hot dog! This unique hot dog comes with cream cheese, veggies, and grilled onions, but you can add other items on it as well. Learn more here!
Ghostfish Brewing Company
This unique gem of a restaurant is in Seattle, but it’s definitely something you’ll have to drive or Uber to since it’s about a 13 minute drive from the city (at least where our hotel was located) even though it’s only about 4 miles away from where we stayed. I personally loved this restaurant because the entire establishment is gluten-free!!!!! The food, the beer, the desserts, everything!!!! How amazing is that??? And it was delicious! Learn more and check out the menu here!
Cinnamon Works
Pike Place Market has the best bakery with gluten free and vegan options! It can attract a lot of people and there is sometimes a line, but we were lucky and just walked up and ordered a gluten free chocolate chip cookie, which may have easily been the best one I have ever eaten in my life! My husband got a cinnamon roll and loved it! Learn more here!
Pike Place Chowder
The best chowder in the city! I recommend getting the 4-Cup Chowder Sampler to try a variety of different chowder flavors! You’ll get four 6oz cups of their best selling chowders including New England Clam Chowder, Seafood Bisque, Smoked Salmon Chowder, and Crab & Oyster Chowder. They were ALL delicious! Even the kids couldn’t get enough! Check out the menu and order online here!
Pro Tip: Order online and pick up to skip the extremely long line!!!
Fulcrum Coffee
This is an intimate, upscale coffee shop that was within walking distance from out hotel and they had the best iced latte and quiche! One of their signature beverages is the Purple Rain: an Uber Matcha latte with honey, vanilla, and oat milk, which I will be sure to get next time. Learn more here!
Storyville Coffee
This unique coffee shop is located on an upper floor that overlooks Pike Place Market. It had a fairly long line and it was a very cool location with a fun view of the people below, however, it was probably the most expensive meal we ate in the city. It’s more for the ambiance than the food and drink and I don’t think it’s quite worth the money if you are buying food and drink for your entire family as it’s a little too pricey, but if you want to just get a cup of coffee and have a fun place to sit for a short time, it’s a cool place to go. Learn more here!
Top Pot Doughnuts and Coffee
This is a local favorite and was a few blocks from our hotel. The location we went to had an upstairs, which the kids thought was fun. And they loved their doughnuts! Learn more here!
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
When in Pike Place Market, this is the place to go! They have award winning macaroni and cheese and are also known for their cheese curds and cheese sticks. I ordered the cauiliflower soup and it was amazing! And although the kids loved the macaroni and cheese, it was on the heavier and thicker side, so they shared it. Learn more here!
Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery
This bakery had a variety of different gluten free molten cakes and they were delicious! They have multiple locations around the city, but we went to the one that was down the street from Ghostfish. We ordered the S’mores, Gooey Brownie Cake, and Dark Decadence. They have dairy free and vegan options as well and other desserts, ice cream, and even some savory dishes like grilled cheese and tomato soup available! And if you are craving a coffee, tea, milkshake or a cocktail, they have those, too! Check out the menu and order online to skip the line here!
Pro Tip: For supplies like water, snacks, and essentials you may need while you are in town, go to the Target in Pike Place Market for convenience. We went there at least once during our weekend and it was within walking distance to our hotel. When you are staying in a big city and not a superb, it is difficult to navigate where to go for basic needs, and this was the most helpful place to go while we were there!
What to Do
Space Needle
I would highly recommend taking the Seattle Center Monorail to and from the Space Needle to where you are staying in the city. It’s very inexpensive and extremely convenient! This is the most expensive attraction we paid for in the city, but definitely a once in a lifetime experience and worth every penny! The views are spectacular and the whole family loved it, especially the moving glass floor! When in Seattle, this is a must do! Learn more and buy your tickets here!
Pro Tip: It’s less expensive to go on a weekday than a weekend.
Seattle Aquarium
My kids love aquariums, so this was a no brainer for us. And we have been to a lot of aquariums and this one was definitely one of the better ones we have visited. The kids especially loved the virtual realty area in the back of the aquarium, which was an extra cost, but it’s something they talk about to this day because they loved it so much! And their new exhibit, Ocean Pavilion is now open! You must schedule your day and time in advance. Learn more and buy tickets here!
Pro Tip: The Seattle Aquarium is next door to the Seattle Great Wheel, so if you are doing both attractions, plan to do them in the same day!
Seattle Great Wheel
This is a must do in my opinion. And if you are scared of heights or get motion sickness, I think you will still love this experience! This giant Ferris wheel provides stunning views of the city, the Space Needle, and Mount Rainer National Park, especially if you can go on a clear day. Learn more and buy tickets here!
Pro Tip: The Seattle Great Wheel is next door to the Seattle Aquarium, so if you are doing both attractions, plan to do them in the same day!
Pike Place Market
This iconic farmer’s market is probably my number one attraction to visit with your family. From fresh produce to fresh flowers to bakery items, chowder, and flying fish, you have to visit here at least once while in the city! Learn more here!
Pro Tip: The famous flying fish can only be found on the far side of Pike Place )near the piggy bank). Look for the crowd and or the employees wearing the orange aprons!
Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room
If you love coffee and especially love Starbucks, this is the Disneyland of Starbucks! And there are only 6 in the entire world, 3 in the United States. This special roastery started in Seattle and have grown to New York, Chicago, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Milan. This roastery was not in walking distance to our hotel, so we drove here, but there is parking on the street or a parking garage across the street that was inexpensive and convenient. I had one of their signature coffee beverages and my husband tried their signature cocktails. The kids had cold hot chocolates and bakery items and we all had a blast! I recommend the coffee flights! There can be a line, so I recommend going on a weekday midday. It was still crowded and we waited a short while to order our drinks, but there was not a line outside to get in, which I heard happens a lot! Learn more here!
The Spheres and Amazon Go
Amazon Go is a fun and small convenience type store in the city (with a ton of locations) where you can grab and go a quick salad, snack, sandwich, or drink! You scan in with an Amazon account barcode and once inside do your shopping and then you leave. There are no employees but hundreds of cameras all over the ceiling that tracks what you walk out with and then you are later charged on your Amazon account for your items.
The Seattle Spheres (aka Amazon Spheres) is in the heart of the city and within walking distance to our hotel. It’s beautiful architecture surrounded by a grassy park area with some food trucks is a must see when in the city. The Spheres is where many Amazon employees work. You can go inside, but you must have a reservation ahead of time from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. PST on the first and third Saturday of each month. On the inside, there are work areas and places to sit and think that promotes serenity and wellness. And The Spheres are home to more than 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries. Reservations are posted in real time 15 days in advance starting at 10am PST, and are released every 15 minutes through 5pm PST. For example:
- December 7 | Registration opens 10am November 22, closes 12pm December 6
- December 21 | Registration opens 10am December 6, closes 12pm December 20
Learn more and make a reservation here!
The Gum Wall
The Gum Wall is pretty famous and also pretty fascinating. I have never seen so much gum in my life. The walls are 8 feet high and 54 feet wide, there are an estimated over 50 pieces of gum per brick or over 250,000 wads of gum on the wall. A few people think it’s kind of gross, but even if you don’t stick gum on the wall (which is more like an alley) it’s still something you should walk by and see! The gum wall is at the far end of Pike Place Market on the bottom level (take the staircase near the piggy bank by the flying fish to the bottom level). Me and the kids left our mark and one day I hope my kids go back as adults one day and find their gum!
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to pack some bubble gum to stick on the wall!!!
MoPOP Museum (The Museum of Pop Culture)
If you are a fan of music, you must go here! When I think of Seattle, I think of bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana and musicians like Jimi Hendrix. The grunge era began in Seattle with these bands and is home to so many iconic musicians! The museum also has movie memorabilia and other pop culture areas to see as well. A bonus is the giant playground next to the museum that you can go to afterwards! Learn more and buy tickets here!
Pro Tip: Go here on the same day you go to the Space Needle because they are right next to each other. Take the monorail to and from the museum, too!
Flagship Stores
If you have extra time to spare, it is always fun to go to a flagship store (the first store built) in the city and Seattle has a few of them!!! Seattle is the home to the very first Starbucks, the very first Nordstrom, the very first REI, and it’s the home of Amazon. And all of them are in the city!
Pro Tip: Other fun places to go in Seattle include the Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of Flight, Pacific Science Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Kerry Park, and take a Ferry ride!
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