13 Best Sights in Pioneer Square, Seattle

When this iconic landmark opened in 1914, it was the tallest office building outside New York City and the fourth-tallest building in the world. (It remained the tallest building west of the Mississippi for nearly 50 years.) The Smith Tower Observatory on the 35th floor is an open-air wraparound deck providing panoramic views of the surrounding historic neighborhood, ball fields, the city skyline, and the mountains on clear days. It's also a superb spot to take in a sunset. The top floor includes the speakeasy-themed Observatory Bar, which features striking original architectural details and a cocktail and nibbles menu that pays homage to the Prohibition era. Smith Tower's ground-floor retail shop packed with locally made goods is also worth a visit.

One of the most important destinations on the First Thursday Art Walk, this gorgeous space featuring paintings, sculpture, and prints, is a top venue for national and regional artists. Be sure to check out the outdoor sculpture deck on the second level. If you have time for only one gallery visit, this is the place to go. You'll see big names that you might recognize, along with newer Northwest artists, and the thematic group shows are always thoughtful and well-presented.

Present-day Pioneer Square is actually one story higher than it used to be. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Seattle's planners regraded the neighborhood's streets, which had been built on filled-in tide lands and regularly flooded. The result? There is now an intricate and expansive array of subterranean passageways and basements beneath Pioneer Square, and Bill Speidel's Underground Tour is the only way to explore them. Speidel was an irreverent historian and former Seattle Times reporter who took it upon himself to preserve historic Seattle, and this 75-minute tour is packed with his sardonic wit and playful humor. Younger kids will almost certainly be bored, as there's not much to see at the specific sites, which are more used as launching points for the stories (some of the tour is above ground, as well). Comfortable shoes, a love for quirky historical yarns, and an appreciation of bad puns are musts.

Soaring 18-foot ceilings, classic brick arches, and antique wood floors make a dramatic backdrop for monthly rotating exhibits with a contemporary bent. Part of a multitasking, 6,000-square-foot studio space, the gallery features a roster of local, national, and international artists and photographers. AXIS hosts new shows with entertainment during First Thursday Art Walk.

One of the Seattle art scene's heaviest hitters has digs as impressive as the works it shows: a century-old building with high ceilings and 7,000 square feet of exhibition space. Works by internationally acclaimed Northwest masters Kenneth Callahan, Mark Tobey, Alden Mason, and George Tsutakawa are on permanent display, alongside rotating exhibitions.

Gallery 110 is a collaborative space that works with a collective of 30 contemporary artists (primarily Northwest-based), showing pieces in its small space that are energetic, challenging, and fresh. On-site exhibitions change monthly, with new exhibits typically launching during the First Thursday Art Walk.

A tiny yet delightful free museum illustrating Seattle's role in the 1897–98 Klondike Gold Rush, this gem is located inside a historic redbrick building with wooden floors and soaring ceilings. Walls are lined with photos of gold miners, explorers, and the hopeful families who followed them. Interactive components include ranger talks and gold panning demonstrations.

If you're in Pioneer Square on a Thursday between 11 am and 3 pm, this museum occupying the bottom floor of the Seattle Fire Department's headquarters includes eight historic rigs from Seattle dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as artifacts (vintage helmets and uniforms, hose nozzles, and other equipment) and photos, logs, and newspaper clippings recording historic fires.

Located directly south of Pioneer Square, Lumen Field hosts three professional teams: the Seattle Seahawks (football), the Seattle Sounders FC (men's soccer), and the Seattle Reign (women's soccer). The open-air stadium has 67,000 seats; sightlines are excellent thanks to a cantilevered design and the close placement of lower sections. Tours start at the pro shop (be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to purchase tickets) and last an hour and a half. You'll get a personal look at behind-the-scenes areas as well as the famous 12th Man Flag Pole, and have a chance to sink your feet into the same playing surface as your favorite Seahawks, Sounders, and Reign stars.

This shady, picturesque cobblestone park is the geographical heart of the historic neighborhood. On first Thursdays, it's home to a variety of local artisans setting up makeshift booths. Grab a sandwich or pastry from Caffe Umbria and people-watch from one of the colorful café tables dotting the tree-lined square. Note that this square is a spot where homeless people congregate; you're likely to encounter more than a few oddballs. The square is best avoided at night.

This elegant gallery will give you a real look at the best contemporary work of Northwest Coast and Alaska tribal members (and artists from these regions working in the Native style). Three floors exhibit wood carvings, paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces from the likes of Robert Davidson, Joe David, Preston Singeltary, Susan Point, and Rick Bartow.

This 47,000-seat, open-air baseball stadium with a state-of-the-art retractable roof is the home of the Seattle Mariners. If you want to see the stadium in all its glory, take the 60-minute pre-game tour or 75-minute behind-the-scenes tour, which brings you onto the field, into the dugouts, back to the press and locker rooms, and up to the posh box seats. Tours depart from the Team Store on 1st Avenue, and you purchase your tickets there, too (at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tour).

A tranquil spot to take a break in the middle of the city or eat a takeout snack, this small garden with a few cafe tables surrounds a 22-foot artificial waterfall that cascades over large granite stones.