The Top 30 Seattle Attractions
Attractions by Location
Please click here to see the Top 30 list in alphabetical order (on separate web page)
Seattle Art Museum Lobby Installation of Importune: Stage One
Selecting a short list of highly recommended attractions and activities in the Seattle area is a challenge because Seattle has so many wonderful attractions. These are our 30 top-rated attractions. Please click on the links or the images to see detailed information about the attractions.
Pike Place Market (A Top Five Attraction)
Seattle's number one attraction. Flying fish, the first Starbucks store, lovely floral displays, a famous brass pig, colorful street performers. This place is a bazaar on steroids. It's crazy and everyone loves it. Check out our eight page guide to the market.
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Seattle Center Attractions
Seattle Center is a hub for tourist activity. It is fun to stroll around this area. Popular attractions include seeing the Space Needle and the wildly futuristic building housing the Experience Music Project Museum.
Space Needle (A Top Five Attraction)
The Space Needle is Seattle’s Eiffel Tower. Its elegance and futuristic look have aged well and it is a Seattle architectural icon recognized internationally. It is Seattle’s number two attraction behind Pike Place Market. The Needle is an exceptional architectural structure that stands proudly over the Seattle Center campus. The Needle offers tremendous vistas on top. For people with acrophobia, there are other grand vistas of Seattle at the Volunteer Park Water Tower, Jose Rizal Park, and Kerry Park.
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Chihuly Garden and Glass
Seattle Center
This is a dazzling new attraction at Seattle Center. It is a permanent exhibition dedicated to the significant contribution to the world of glass art by Dale Chihuly. The exhibition does a masterful job of presenting Chihuly’s resplendent glass art in indoor galleries, a glasshouse, and in a lovely series of outdoor garden installations. This is a must see attraction for Seattleites and for Seattle visitors that appreciate art and botanical gardens.
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Experience Music Project Museum Building
Seattle Center
The most unusual building in Seattle and one of the most interesting structures on our planet is the Experience Music Project Museum building. It can't be ignored or missed if you are walking around Seattle Center. A stroll around this structure is like seeing a modern art work. This building is a dramatic structure to photograph. The building houses the Experience Music Project Museum and the Science Fiction Museum that are worth exploring. See the museum building even if you don’t tour the museums.
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Seattle Monorail
Seattle Center
The Seattle Monorail was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and celebrates its 50th birthday in 2012. This train is a popular Seattle attraction that connects Seattle Center with the Westlake Mall downtown. It is fun to ride. For photographers, the Monorail cars and the tracks with supports are elegant and make beautiful subjects to photograph.
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Olympic Sculpture Park ( a Top Five Attraction)
This unique, nine acre downtown park overlooks Puget Sound and the distant Olympic Mountains. It features a number of sculpture pieces complemented by dramatic landscaping. Seeing this park is one of the peak experiences in exploring Seattle. In an area full of beautiful places, this park really stands out. It is a must see, especially in sunny or partly cloudy weather.
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The Pioneer Square District ( A Top Five Attraction)
The Pioneer Square District is a small and charming section of the city whose attractions include historical architecture and several small but scenic parks. It is the oldest part of Seattle. You can spend a couple of hours walking around the District and enjoying its various attractions. Popular attractions include Smith Tower, the Pioneer Building, the Pioneer Square Park Pergola, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Museum, Occidental Square and Park, the Underground Tour, Bill Spiedel's Underground Tour, and Waterfall Park.
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Seattle Central Library (A Top Five Attraction)
Downtown
Architecture lovers and avid photographers have to see this stunning architectural masterpiece. Seattle Central Library looks like a giant spaceship that just landed or an Erector Set on steroids. This striking 11-story building is fascinating on the outside and the inside. Visitors flock to the library. It is a dramatic building set in the middle of Seattle’s attractive downtown.
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Russell Investments Center Observation Deck Views
Downtown
Seattle has a few must see aerial viewpoints including the Space Needle, the Smith Tower, and the Volunteer Park Water Tower. We can now add another required view to this list: the landscaped outdoor deck of the 17th floor of the Russell Investments Center. Join us for spectacular vistas and dramatic landscaping of one of Seattle’s best aerial views.
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Seattle Art Museum
Downtown
The Seattle Art Museum has three campuses. The main campus is in downtown Seattle near the Pike Place Market. This is a major art museum with a wide-ranging collection displayed in well-designed exhibition spaces. Check out the 48-foot tall Hammering Man sculpture standing in front of the museum. Even if you don’t see the art collection, at least go into the lobby to see the massive art installation of nine Ford Taurus cars splashed with dramatic lighting effects.
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Seattle City Hall
Downtown
The Seattle City Hall is a dramatic building that offers sweeping views of downtown Seattle. It is a gorgeous structure seen from many different viewpoints. Be sure to look at the Fifth Avenue lobby. The City Hall also features several public art permanent installations.
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Artic Club Building
Downtown
The Arctic Club Building has been one of my favorite buildings in Seattle for many years. The building’s most notable and beloved feature is the group of 27 terra-cotta walrus heads that stand watch over the city from the building’s third floor. The Art Deco lobby is worth a look. One of the most beautiful commercial rooms in Seattle is the fabulous Northern Lights Dome Room featuring a stained glass ceiling by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The Arctic Club Building is now a 117 room Doubletree hotel.
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REI Flagship Store
Downtown
The massive flagship store for REI is in downtown Seattle and it attracts a lot of tourists and Seattle residents. With 80,000 square feet of floor space and staffed with 380 employees, this is one really big outdoor adventure store. Special features of the store include its 65-foot tall rock climbing tower, ice ax door handles, a mountain bike test track, and a scenic waterfall. Before or after your visit, treat yourself to a coffee break at Espresso Vivace, one of Seattle’s best coffee houses across the street from REI.
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Seattle Lakes Cruise
Lake Union
This is an enjoyable and highly recommended two hour cruise on Lake Union and Lake Washington where you can see a lot of Seattle's natural beauty, boats, homes, and other architecture by the water. It departs from Argosy's docks on South Lake Union. Argosy has been offering this cruise for many years. I have been on it several times. You really see Seattle’s natural beauty and vistas of many of its spectacular homes. This is an interesting way to learn about Seattle's life around its two main lakes.
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The Center for Wooden Boats
South Lake Union Area
This is an interesting outdoor museum located at Seattle's Lake Union Park and adjacent to the historic Naval Reserve building. Its delightful collection of historical boats is a treat to look at and to photograph. You can rent some of the restored boats as well as rent a model boat to sail in Lake Union Park's model boat pond. This is one of the best places to experience the beauty of Lake Union.
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Lake Union Park
South Lake Union
This new park on south Lake Union offers a scenic place to walk, picnic, view historic wooden boats, picnic, bicycle, and do photography. The park includes the Center for Wooden Boats and the Museum of History and Industry as part of its offerings. One of the park's unique features is a large model boat pond. The park has some sweeping vistas of Lake Union.
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Museum of History and Industry
South Lake Union
The Museum of History and Industry moved into its new home on Lake Union in 2012. This is a must see attraction for Seattleites and visitors. The move into the sparkling, renovated, historic Naval Armory building in Lake Union Park opens a bold new chapter for the Museum. The Grand Atrium is a delightful architectural attraction and it is filled with attractive historic objects and exciting exhibits from Seattle’s past. Block out several hours to experience the Museum and then continue your enjoyment with a walk around Lake Union Park, the Historic Ships Collection, and the Center for Wooden Boats.
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King County Water Taxi
Waterfront
From spring through early fall, one way to enjoy Seattle's views from Puget Sound is to take the round trip on the King County Water Taxi from the Seattle waterfront to West Seattle. On a pretty day, you get grand views of Seattle's full skyline, the seaport operations, and the Olympics.
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Seattle Aquarium
Waterfront
Enjoy the beauty beneath the surface of Puget Sound and other parts of the world. The Seattle Aquarium is the most popular attraction on the waterfront and is Seattle's third most popular paid attraction.
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Seattle Harbor Cruise
Waterfront
Water and Seattle are inextricably linked and the Seattle area’s rich history is tied to Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. The Argosy Cruises Harbor Cruise is an excellent activity for visitors and Seattle area residents. The cruise is a one hour, narrated tour that shows you the highlights of Seattle’s waterfront activities and gives you a brief history of Seattle and the water. The cruise has great views of downtown, the waterfront, the Olympic mountains, and the shipping terminal.
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Museum of Flight
Boeing Field
A spectacular collection of historic aircraft. This museum is a must see attraction for anyone exploring Seattle. You can easily spend a day enjoying all this museum has to offer.
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Ballard Locks
Ballard
The Ballard locks are a great destination any time and in any weather. The locks connect the salt water of Puget Sound to the fresh water of Lake Union. It is fun to watch the boats as they transit the locks. You can also see salmon swim up a fish ladder. For photographers, the locks and the adjoining Carl English gardens offer a treasure trove of scenery.
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Volunteer Park
Capitol Hill
Volunteer Park is consistently ranked as one of Seattle’s top attractions. The historic park was designed by the Olmsted firm and it is one of Seattle’s most attractive places. The Volunteer Park Conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the views from the top of the Water Tower, and the park’s splendid landscaping make this place a wonderful venue for exploring.
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Kerry Park
Queen Anne Hill
This tiny park on Queen Anne Hill offers the most photographed views of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle, and Elliott Bay. On a clear day, Mt. Rainier offers a nice view.
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Discovery Park
Magnolia
Located on northwest edge of Magnolia, Discovery Park is the largest and one of the most popular parks in the Seattle Parks and Recreation System. Its 534 acres offer a taste of natural landscaping for the Seattle area. 12 miles of trails offer many ways to see this park.
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Kubota Garden
Beacon Hill
This 20-acre Japanese-style garden was developed over a period by Mr. Fujitaro Kubota, a Japanese garden designer and landscaper. Mr. Kubota carefully planned and developed a garden that features a lovely variety of shapes and textures of plants, shrubs and perennials that offer the visitor a wide array of colors and shapes. The Garden has several water features and a lovely Japanese garden bridge. Kubota Garden is a landscaping masterpiece. Several years ago, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department acquired Kubota Garden and has preserved this special place.
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Washington Park Arboretum
This 230 acre, Olmsted-designed park on the shores of Lake Washington is lovely to drive through and is a splendid place to stroll and enjoy gorgeous landscaping. Built in 1934, the Arboretum is one of the best of the Seattle parks.
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Woodland Park Zoo
Green Lake/Greenwood
The Woodland Park Zoo is one of Seattle's finest and most popular attractions. This is a world-class zoo with fabulous exhibits. The Zoo is a lovely destination. It is nestled into 90 acres that were designed by the famous Olmsted firm that planned so many of Seattle's beautiful parks and scenic drives. This place is a treat just to walk around and savor the grand landscaping. You can easily spend several hours enjoying the Zoo and the adjacent Woodland Park Rose Garden.
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Woodland Park Rose Garden
Green Lake/Greenwood
This historic 2.5 acre park adjacent to the Woodland Park Zoo was created to display the incredible variety of roses that grow in Seattle's rose-friendly climate. From May through September, this garden is a showstopper.
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University of Washington Campus
The UW campus is certainly one of Seattle’s most popular and attractive settings. The lovely campus offers elegant landscaping blended with notable architecture. Tree lovers and landscaping admirers are offered a visual treat as they walk around the campus with its 480 species of trees. In the spring, the Yoshino cherry trees put on a delightful show in the Liberal Arts Quadrangle.
The UW architecture is quite distinctive. Highlights include the Neo-Gothic buildings around the Liberal Arts Quadrangle and the Suzzallo Library with its splendid reading room.
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Chapel of St. Ignatius
First Hill
One of Seattle's architectural highlights is the Chapel of St. Ignatius on the picturesque Seattle University campus. Over 40,000 visitors come to this special place annually. The Chapel's interior is almost otherworldly with the different colored sunlight that dapples the walls and windows. It is one of the most beautiful structures in Seattle. Combine a visit to the chapel with a tour of the Seattle University campus's lovely landscaping. The nearby Albers Business Building has a massive Dale Chihuly glass art installation.
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St. James Cathedral
First Hill
This important historic church is a visual treat nestled in the charm of First Hill. I have visited it a number of times and never tire of seeing and photographing its beautiful exterior and interior. It is a Seattle treasure.
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