Things to do in Seattle
Make the most of Seattle's outdoors vibe with a trip to Snoqualmie Falls, a ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island, or a walk through the Washington Park Arboretum. Nature and art collide in the Olympic Sculpture Park in fashionable Belltown. The Museum of Flight in Pioneer Square and the Downtown attractions of the Space Needle and Frank Gehry-designed Science Fiction Museum celebrate man's achievements.
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Local history and Pacific cultures
Gigantic reptiles, volcanoes and cultures of the Pacific are explored at the
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Capitol Hill. One exhibition
showcases 500 million years of Washington State history, others look at the
Pacific Rim's cultures.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$9.50; concessions US$6-US$7.50; free for under-4s and first Thu of month
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-5pm; first Thu of month 10am-8pm
Address
University of Washington, Corner of 17th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street, 98195-3010
Telephone
+1 206 543 5590
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame
Facing the future
Famous fictional spaceships are on display in the Science Fiction Museum,
alongside light-sabres, spacesuits, ray guns and even Klingon daggers. One
exhibit explains sci-fi technology, from wormholes to time travel. All this
is set inside Gehry's futuristic metal structure Downtown.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$15; concessions US$12; under-5s free
Opening Hours
Sep-May daily 10am-5pm; Jun-Aug daily 10am-7pm
Address
325, 5th Avenue North, (on the Seattle Center Campus), 98109
Telephone
+1 206 770 2700
Transport
Monorail from Westlake Center at Pine Street and Fourth Avenue
Website
Seattle Asian Art Museum
Objects from the Orient
Set in an Art Deco building in pretty Volunteer Park, the Asian Art Museum
houses items of Chinese and Japanese art, as well as works from Korea and
the Himalayas. Chinese terracotta funerary art and Japanese ceramics are
among the highlights.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$7; concessions free-US$5; free on first Thu of the month
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5pm (until 9pm Thu); Labor Day-Memorial Day: Wed-Sun 10am-5pm (until 9pm Thu)
Address
1400, East Prospect Street, Volunteer Park, 98112-3303
Telephone
+1 206 654 3100
Museum of Flight
Virtual flights
Four acres of weatherproof fun in the Pioneer Square district, the Museum of
Flight includes eight flight simulators. Visitors can pilot hang gliders and
jets, dock with the Hubble Space Telescope and journey with presidents
aboard Air Force One.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$14; concessions US$6.50-US$13
Opening Hours
Museum: daily 10am-5pmAirpark: May-Sep daily 11am-4.30pm; Oct-Apr daily 11am-3.30pm
Address
9404, East Marginal Way South, 98108-4097
Telephone
+1 206 764 5720
Seattle Art Museum
Artefacts and art
Seattle Art Museum's eclectic collection of artefacts includes many Native
American pieces, African art and contemporary pieces. Highlights of the
Downtown museum include Warhol's Double Elvis and Cai Guo-Qiang's
Inopportune installation of cars pierced by shafts of light.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$15; concessions US$9-US$12
Opening Hours
Wed-Sun 10am-5pm (until 9pm Thu & Fri)
Address
1300, First Avenue, 98101-2003
Telephone
+1 206 654 3100
Chinatown-International District
Vibrant and bustling
Seattle's Asian community resides in the Chinatown-International District,
scented with Chinese herbs and the aroma of roasting ducks. Visitors can
sample spicy dishes, shop for unusual gifts and take in the area's history
at the Wing Luke Asian Museum.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Intersection of I-90 and I-5, 98104
Telephone
+1 206 382 1197
Washington Park Arboretum
A leafy escape
The Washington Park Arboretum comprises 230 acres of gardens on the shores of
Lake Washington, east of Downtown. It contains the US's largest collection
of sorbus and maple, as well as varieties of holly, oak and conifer.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free; Japanese Garden US$5
Opening Hours
Daily dawn-dusk; Graham Visitors' Centre 10am-4pm
Address
2300, Arboretum Drive East, 98112
Telephone
+1 206 543 8800
Seattle Aquarium
Marine life
Visitors marvel at Pacific water life in the Waterfront's Seattle Aquarium.
Meet sharks in the Tropical Coral Reef and observe northern fur seals and
sea otters. The Underwater Dome contains 400,000 gallons of water, where
scuba-divers feed the fish daily.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$16; concessions US$10.50; under-3s free
Opening Hours
Daily 9.30am-5pm
Address
1483, Alaskan Way, 98101
Telephone
+1 206 386 4300
Experience Music Project
Rock'n'roll history
The Experience Music Project in Frank Gehry's aluminium Downtown building
contains over 80,000 music-related artefacts. Fans flock to see Kurt
Cobain's scrawled lyrics or Janis Joplin's bell-bottom trousers. The Hendrix
Gallery is filled with objects, including fragments of a smashed guitar.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$15; concessions US$12; under-5s free
Opening Hours
Sep-May daily 10am-5pm; May-Sep daily 10am-7pm
Address
325, 5th Avenue North, at Broad Street, Seattle Center Campus, 98109
Telephone
+1 206 770 2700
Transport
Monorail from Westlake Center at Pine Street and Fourth Avenue
Website
Space Needle
360-degree views
Built in futuristic style in 1962, the 605-foot-tall Space Needle still
provides a Downtown focal point. The lift glides up to the deck for
panoramic city views from a bar serving Washington wines and sunset
suppers.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$16; concessions US$9-US$14.50
Opening Hours
Mon-Thu 10am-11pm; Fri & Sat 9.30am-11.30pm; Sun 9.30am-11pm
Address
400, Broad St, 98109
Telephone
+1 206 905 2100
Volunteer Park Conservatory
Palms and picnics
The ornate 19th-century conservatory at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill houses
ferns, palms and cacti. There's also a bandstand, water tower and several
sculptures among the well-tended picnic spots where you can take a break
from Seattle bustle.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-4pm
Address
1400, East Galer Street, 98112
Telephone
+1 206 322 4112
Snoqualmie Falls
Rugged hiking country
Thirty miles east of Seattle lie the Cascade Mountains, where skiers head for
weekends on the piste. Visit Snoqualmie's 270-foot waterfall and explore the
rustic town and hiking trails where David Lynch's Twin Peaks was filmed.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Park open dawn-dusk
Address
Snoqualmie, WA 98065
Telephone
+1 425 434 6111
Seattle Mariners at SafeCo Stadium
Experience baseball
A trip to see Seattle's beloved Mariners at the Waterfront SafeCo Stadium is
an introduction to baseball. Get to grips with home runs, fireballers and
dirt dogs. You won't be alone - 47,000 fans regularly pack the stadium.
E-mail this item
Cost
US$15-US$60 per game
Address
1250, First Avenue South, 98134
Telephone
+1 206 346 4001
Olympic Sculpture Park
Art in the landscape
Overlooking Puget Sound in Belltown, the Olympic Sculpture Park (OSP) is home
to 21 sculptures by modern artists like Louise Bourgeois. Stroll across
Elliott Avenue to Calder's 30-foot Eagle, whose steel boughs echo the
industrial cranes on the water.
E-mail this item
Cost
Free
Opening Hours
30 minutes prior to sunrise-30 minutes after sunset
Address
2901, Western Avenue, 98121
Telephone
+1 206 654 3100
Bainbridge Island
Friendly small-town vibe
Ferries run from the Waterfront to Bainbridge Island. Rustic and wooded,
there's a friendly small-town atmosphere here. Visitors shop for crafts in
Winslow and wander Bloedel Nature Reserve. The ferry back after dark offers
great views of Seattle's illuminated skyline.
E-mail this item
Cost
Ferry for foot passengers approx US$7; concessions US$5
Opening Hours
Daily
Address
Bainbridge Island, 98110
Telephone
+1 800 337 0580
