Things to Do in Washington

Puget Sound is a complex waterway of inlets, bays, and harbors that includes not only Seattle, but also the cities of Bellevue, Tacoma, Olympia, and a plethora of charming little towns and islands with a culture all their own. It is a region of sparkling blue waters, green forests, sandy beaches, and a relaxed pace of life. It’s a place where many Seattleites escape the bustling city life, get out on the water, and absorb the views of the Olympic Mountains.

Washington Ferries handle most of the traffic in Puget Sound, and you can get out on the water from Seattle Waterfront. Take a boat to Tillicum Village on Blake Island for a traditional Native Pacific Northwest dance performance, or sail to Brainbridge Island for an afternoon picnic. As you explore the Sound, you’ll come across old fishing villages turned yacht havens, and idyllic rural settings.

The fishy-smelling, heart of downtown Seattle is Pike Place Market. Each day, from dawn to dusk, the market bustles but not just with people perusing the fresh produce brought in by the farmers or the browsing stalls of fresh fish. The market is also brimming with good theater, as street performers entertain the milling crowds while more than 150 artisans and artist sell their creations.

The Main and North arcades of Pike Place Market are the most popular areas, with bellowing fishmongers, arts and crafts, and stacks of fruits and vegetables. Tiny shops of all descriptions are scattered throughout the market, along with dozens of restaurants. One of the most entertaining spectacles is the fish stall, where employees throw salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale.

Seattle has a long history with aviation and it was here that the first ever Boeing aircraft was assembled and where the company used to have its headquarters for decades. It makes sense that the city also hosts one of the most interesting aviation museums in North America. The Museum of Flight shows the history of flight starting with the experiments of the Wright Brothers and progresses through the years with over 150 planes, helicopters and even some satellites, rockets, space station parts and lunar module mockups.

Located at the Museum of Flight are also some more well-known aircrafts that are worthy of a special mention. The first presidential jet ever, now better known under its call sign Air Force One, has transported presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon and can be visited at the Airpark.

Definitely make the Seattle Waterfront your first stop on a visit to Seattle, for it is one of the most popular attractions in the city. The bustling waterfront not only holds gift shops, candy stores selling fudge and saltwater taffy, sidewalk T-shirt vendors, and restaurants of all kinds, it’s also is the spot for some of city’s top attractions and piers tied with boats waiting to take you out on Puget Sound.

On the Seattle Waterfront, you can touch starfish at the Seattle Aquarium, watch your kids take a virtual kayak ride on Puget Sound at the Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, or picnic in Waterfront Park, while taking in the breathtaking view across Elliott Bay to Olympic Mountains. If you want to get out on the water from the Seattle Waterfront, head to Pier 52 for the Washington State Ferries, Pier 55 for harbor cruises and trips to Tillicum Village on Blake Island, or Pier 56 for a boat to Chittenden (Ballard) Locks.

The Chinatown-International District, often simply referred to as the I.D., is the multiethnic center of Seattle’s Asian community. Coincidentally, it is also one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and thus, is chalk-full with plenty of history and culture. Some highlights include Kobe Terrace, a small terraced park on a hillside showcasing a urban community garden and Mt. Fuji cherry trees, the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience as well as the many cultural festivals that are held each year, such as the Lunar New Year celebration and Bon Odori.

Most people head to the Chinatown-International District because of the abundance of authentic restaurants though, which sell everything under the sun from dim sum to banh mi. Many of these eateries are tiny mom and pop type shops or food carts and offer completely authentic flavors and experiences.

Nature certainly has its miracles and you can see one of its highlights at the Chittenden Locks & Fish Ladder, locally known as the Ballard Locks, where you can see salmon fighting their way to their spawning grounds in the Cascade headwaters of the Sammamish River, which feeds Lake Washington.

Watching the salmon climb the fish ladder is pretty exciting. You can watch the fish from underwater glass-sided tanks or from above (nets are installed to keep salmon from over-leaping and stranding themselves on the pavement). In the past, the fish runs at Chittenden Locks & Fish Ladder have attracted sea lions that try to swallow the salmon as they go by. On the northern entrance to the Chittenden Locks & Fish Ladder is the Carl English, Jr., Botanical Gardens, a charming arboretum and specimen garden. Trails wind through gardens filled with mature trees and flower gardens. Flanking the gardens is a small museum and visitors center documenting the history of the locks.

Seattle, topographically, has many ups and downs, but one of the steepest hills in the city is Queen Anne Hill. Accordingly, the neighborhood took a while to be completely developed because understandably, in the early days of the city, nobody felt like making the long trek up the hill just to build a home. Developers eventually offered a two-for-one deal – buy two plots of land for the price of one – to kick start population of the hill. Due to the many Queen Anne style homes built shortly afterwards by a number of the city’s elite who came here to construct their big mansions, the entire hill was named after the beautiful architectural style.

West and East Queen Anne Hill are more quiet residential areas compared to the adjoining Lower Queen Anne and the busy downtown, but there are still plenty of unique locations to be discovered.

Touting itself as the “Center of the Known Universe,” it’s hard to beat this signature Seattle neighborhood’s charms. Known for a funky, irreverent, imaginative environment, Fremont is a bastion of Seattle creative-types and a hotbed for interesting Seattle landmarks. See the Fremont Troll – a giant concrete troll molded under the Aurora Bridge, a slew of murals painted across walkways and bridges throughout the area, the controversial and engaging Vladimir Lenin stature in Fremont’s commercial district, or the 50’s era Cold War rocket still poised for takeoff. Sure, there are a lot of things to see in Fremont, but the best part of this old beatnik neighborhood is the attitude of the freewheeling people and the many shops, restaurants, and pubs they inhabit.

One of Seattle’s premier destinations for wine, art, and festivals, the Seattle Center is the 74-acre heart of all events in the Seattle area. Originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair, this vibrant hub of activity for Seattle holds some of the area’s best attractions. The Seattle Space Needle (once the tallest building west of the Mississippi) is here, as is the International Fountain, the famous Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, as well as the Kobe Bell, Mercer Arena, and the Pacific Science Center. Great for a family day in the park, for catching one of the numerous music concerts or cultural events, or for visiting the center’s many restaurants, the Seattle Center is one stop that you can’t miss.

Fishermen’s Terminal is the home port of most of the North Pacific and Puget Sound fishing boats, many of whom spend several months on the open sea before returning to Seattle. It doesn’t come as a surprise, that one of the main attractions of the terminal is the fresh fish. On big boards, the catch of the day – be it salmon, halibut or crab – is advertised and ready to be taken home and thrown in a pan. But those who can’t wait that long can also get their seafood fix at one of the restaurants right at the port. Chinook’s, Bay Café and the Highliner Pub offer great views of the Fishermen’s Terminal and are also popular hangout spots for the crews.

At the very center of Fishermen’s Terminal, hundreds of names are inscribed on a big bronze and stone memorial to commemorate all those who have died at sea and to serve as a reminder of the dangers of commercial fishing.

One of the many expanses of open greenery in Seattle, the Olympic Sculpture Park is a wide swath of open space aimed at providing the people of Seattle an easily-accessible park in which to view some of the greatest modern sculptures of our time. Arguably much more of a park than a museum, Olympic Sculpture Park plays host to numerous social activities, dances, and public performances throughout the year. People come here to walk or jog the hiking path, view the waterfront, have a picnic on a nice sunny day, or just wander around and explore the modern art.

Situated on the Seattle waterfront, the Olympic Sculpture Park is one of Seattle’s most picturesque and widely beloved parks.

Seattle is surrounded by plenty of incredible nature vistas and beautiful sceneries, but visitors don’t necessarily need to go much further than Pioneer Square to find a bit of nature in a peaceful garden setting. The Waterfall Garden Park was planned by the Japanese designer Masao Kinoshita to commemorate the birthplace of the United States Parcel Service (the UPS) and is one of Seattle’s best hidden secrets. Tucked away between Main Street and Second Avenue, the small oasis is a modern interpretation of a Japanese garden with lots of granite, brick, steel and potted plants surrounding the 22-foot-high, man-made waterfall splashing over huge rocks.

The roar of the waterfall and the softer tinkle of the surrounding stream drown out all the noise of Seattle’s concrete jungle and form a very compact, albeit effective urban oasis.