20 Best Sights in Seattle, Washington

In summer, this is as close to California as Seattle gets—and some hardy residents even swim in the cold, salty waters of Puget Sound here (water temperature ranges from 45ºF to 60ºF). This 2½-mile stretch of sand has views of the Seattle skyline and the Olympic Mountains, and the beachfront promenade is especially popular with skaters, joggers, strollers, and cyclists. Year-round, Seattleites come to build sand castles, beachcomb, play volleyball, fly kites, enjoy the views, and people watch; in winter, storm-watchers come to see the crashing waves. Facilities include drinking water, grills, picnic tables, and restrooms; restaurants line the street across from the beach. 

Alki Point is the place where David Denny, John Low, and Lee Terry arrived in September 1851, ready to found a city. The Alki Point Lighthouse dates from 1913. One of 195 Lady Liberty replicas found around the country, Miss Liberty (or Little Liberty) lives near the 2700 block of Alki Avenue SW and is a popular meeting point for beachfront picnics and dates.

To get to the beach from Downtown, take either Interstate 5 south or Highway 99 south to the West Seattle Bridge (keep an eye out, as this exit is easy to miss) and exit onto Harbor Avenue SW, turning right at the stoplight. After Harbor Ave. SW curves south to become Alki Ave. SW, watch for the Alki Flower Houses on the left at 1400 Alki Ave. SW. The pair of 1914 houses, tucked between two high-rise condominium buildings, overflow with vibrant blossoms, inspired by owner Randie Stone's Hawaiian upbringing and nurturing the property's status as a wildlife habitat, while making it a photo-worthy gem. Alki Beach is a three-minute drive south from here.

Come here to get a dose of the PNW's wild beauty without leaving the city. Located on Magnolia Bluff, northwest of Downtown (and across the Chittenden Locks by foot from Ballard), Seattle's largest park covers 534 acres and has an amazing variety of terrain: shaded, secluded forest trails lead to meadows, saltwater beaches, sand dunes, a lighthouse, and 2 miles of protected beaches. The North Beach Trail, which takes you along the shore to the lighthouse, is a must, and the South Bluff Trail has views as far south as Mt. Rainier.

The park has several entrances. If you want to stop at the Learning Center to pick up a trail map before exploring, use the main entrance at Government Way. The North Parking Lot is much closer to the North Beach Trail and to Ballard, if you're coming from that direction. First-come, first-served beach parking passes for the disabled, elderly, and families with small children are available at the Learning Center. Note that it's easier to combine a park day with an exploration of Ballard or Fremont than with a busy Downtown itinerary.

Far from being an eyesore, the hulking remains of an old 1907 gas plant actually lend quirky character to the otherwise open, hilly, 20-acre park. Get a great view of Downtown Seattle while seaplanes rise up from the south shore of Lake Union; the best vantage point is from the zodiac sculpture at the top of the very steep Kite Hill, so be sure to wear appropriate walking shoes. This is a great spot for couples and families alike; the enormous and modern playground has rope climbing structures, a variety of swings, and a padded floor. Crowds throng to picnic and enjoy outdoor summer concerts, movies, and the July 4th fireworks display over Lake Union. Gas Works can easily be reached on foot from Fremont, via the waterfront Burke-Gilman Trail.

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.

Also known as "Ballard Locks," these are an important passage in the 8-mile Lake Washington Ship Canal that connects Puget Sound to freshwater Lake Washington. Every year, tens of thousands of vessels, from kayaks to yachts to commercial ships, pass through the two locks. The main reason for visiting here is to see them in operation, draining and refilling like giant bathtubs. The visitor center has displays and videos and offers free tours May through September at 2 pm on days when the center is open.

The adjacent 7-acre Carl S. English Botanical Gardens are a lovely place to picnic or just relax. Various musical performances, from jazz bands to chamber music, serenade visitors on summer weekends. And you can watch determined salmon climbing a 21-step fish ladder en route to their freshwater spawning grounds. (You won't be alone; look for seals in the water and herons in the trees, all hoping for a salmon meal.)

This 1¼-acre hillside park draws visitors up Queen Anne Hill for Seattle’s most iconic view. Facing south, you can frame the Space Needle, Downtown skyline, Elliott Bay, and, on clear days, majestic Mount Rainier in one perfect shot. It’s a spot made for memories. Politicians hold press events here, and couples often get engaged against the skyline. Just below, Bayview–Kinnear Park has a great playground for kids, and while you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth strolling the surrounding blocks to admire the homes. Some people really do get to wake up to this view every day!

An outdoor branch of the Seattle Art Museum is a favorite destination for picnics, strolls, and quiet contemplation. Nestled at the edge of Belltown with views of Elliott Bay, the gently sloping green space features native plants, chairs overlooking the water, and walking paths that wind past larger-than-life public artwork. On sunny days, the park frames an astounding panorama of the Olympic Mountains, but even the grayest afternoon casts a favorable light on the site's sculptures. The grounds are home to works by such artists as Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, and Alexander Calder, whose bright-red steel Eagle sculpture is a local favorite (and a nod to the bald eagles that sometimes soar above). Echo, a 46-foot-tall elongated girl’s face by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, is a beautiful and bold presence on the waterfront.

One of the nation's largest and oldest public markets dates from 1907. At one time the market was a madhouse of vendors hawking produce and haggling with customers over prices; now you might find fishmongers engaging in frenzied banter and hilarious antics, but chances are you won't get them to waver on prices. There are many restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and lunch counters—go to Pike Place hungry and you won't be disappointed. The flower market is also a must-see—gigantic fresh arrangements can be found for around $15. It's well worth wading through dense crowds to enjoy the market's many corridors, where you'll find specialty food items, quirky gift shops, tea, honey, jams, comic books, beads, eclectic crafts, and cookware.

In recent years, Pike Place Market debuted a significant expansion, fulfilling a decades-long vision for Seattle's Market Historic District. The market's newer digs feature artisanal-food purveyors, an on-site brewery, four public art installations, seasonal pop-up vendors, and a 30,000-square-foot open public space with a plaza and a viewing deck overlooking Elliott Bay and the Seattle waterfront. The famous "flying fish" fishmonger is located at the main entrance on Pike Street. Just be patient and eventually someone will toss a big fish through the air. Nearby, you'll also find Rachel the Piggy Bank, a life-size bronze pig that helps bring home the bacon for local social services; she's a favorite spot for Pike Place pics.

The Seattle Aquarium ranks among the best in the country, sitting right on the water's edge and housing exhibits that highlight the beauty and biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest. Inside, darkened galleries and glowing tanks showcase everything from hypnotic jellyfish to clever, color-shifting octopuses. The Life on the Edge tide pools recreate Washington’s rocky shores, letting kids get hands-on with sea stars, urchins, and sponges. If you’re visiting in fall or winter, bundle up—the Marine Mammal area sits outdoors along the waterfront, where brisk Puget Sound breezes are part of the experience.

The hub of Seattle's 26-branch library system is a stunning jewel of a building that stands out against the concrete jungle of Downtown. Designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Ramus, this 11-story structure houses more than a million books, a language center, terrific areas for kids and teens, hundreds of computers, an auditorium, a "mixing chamber" floor of information desks, and a café. The building's floor plan is anything but simple; stand outside the beveled glass-and-metal facade of the building and you can see the library's floors zigzagging upward. Tours are self-guided via a laminated sheet you can pick up at the information desk; there's also a number you can call on your cell phone for an audio tour. The reading room on the 10th floor has unbeatable views of the city and the water. Readings and free film screenings happen on a regular basis.

This huge, fascinating Japanese supermarket is a feast for the senses, and a 2020 remodel makes it easier to navigate the colorful mounds of fresh produce and aisles of delicious packaged goods, with unique sweets and savory treats from countries throughout East and Southeast Asia. A busy food court serves sushi, Japanese bento-box meals, Chinese stir-fry combos, Vietnamese spring rolls, and an assortment of teas and tapioca drinks. It's almost a department store, with housewares, cosmetics, toys, and more. There's also a fantastic branch of the famous Kinokuniya bookstore chain. The large parking lot is free for two hours with a minimum $20 purchase—don't forget to have your ticket validated by the cashiers.

Of Seattle’s large parks, the Arboretum, east of Capitol Hill, is the most carefully curated. Its 230 acres, stretching roughly in a rectangle south from Union Bay, are divided into themed spaces, following designs by the renowned Olmsted Brothers firm and maintained by the University of Washington. You can easily spend half a day or more here exploring and relaxing. There’s something to see in every season.

A good place to start is the Graham Visitors Center, near the park's north end, where you can pick up a map and discuss your plans with volunteers. Highlights include the ¾-mile Azalea Way path, the Rhododendron Glen, the Pacific Connections Garden, the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden (with brilliant winter blooms), the colorful Woodland Garden, and, on the shores of Union Bay, Foster Island (with wetlands populated by herons, ducks, turtles, and beavers).

Nearly everything is accessible on an easy 2-mile loop trail, and two roads running the park’s length are  beautiful drives, each with several parking areas along the way. Free 90-minute walking tours depart from the visitors center on the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 am, and there are regular classes for kids, adults, and families.

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.

Founded in 1885, the Burke is Washington’s oldest museum—and also one of its newest, after moving to a new, 113,000-square-foot facility in 2019. It’s an impressive space with an ambitious goal: to exhibit highlights from a collection of more than 18 million objects, encompassing natural history, archaeology, and native Northwest art and culture. You’ll see totem poles, hand-carved canoes, mastodon bones, a whale skeleton, bats, bugs, and lots of fossils. It’s all beautifully displayed, but what’s most striking about the design is the way it “turns the museum inside-out.” Glass walls let visitors look behind the scenes at 12 labs where researchers and conservators go about their work of studying and preserving artifacts. The Burke is also good about activities for kids, with daylong classes on dinosaurs and fossils (handy for parents who want some time to themselves). The museum is affiliated with UW and located on the northwest corner of campus.

It's not just famous for the Marymoor Velodrome, the Pacific Northwest's sole cycling arena. This 640-acre park also has a 35-foot-high climbing rock, game fields, tennis courts, a model airplane launching area, a huge off-leash dog park, and the Pea Patch community garden. You can row on Lake Sammamish or head straight to the picnic grounds or to the Willowmoor Farm, an estate inside the park. Evenings bring concerts by top bands ( www.marymoorlive.com), outdoor movies in the summer ( www.moviesatmarymoor.com), and Cirque du Soleil shows every two years.

Marymoor has some of the best bird-watching in this largely urban area. It's possible to spot some 30 resident species, including great blue herons, belted kingfishers, buffleheads, short-eared and barn owls, and red-tailed hawks. Occasionally, bald eagles soar past the lakefront. The Sammamish River, which flows through the western section of the park, is an important salmon spawning stream.

Ambitious bikers can follow the Burke-Gilman Sammamish River Trail to access the park; Marymoor is just over 20 miles from Seattle, and it's a flat ride most of the way.

Sculptor Jonathan Borofsky's several-stories-high “Hammering Man” greets visitors to SAM, as locals call this pride of the city’s art scene. SAM's permanent collection surveys American, Asian, Native American, African, Oceanic, and pre-Columbian art. Collections of African dance masks and Native American carvings are particularly strong. SAM's free floors have the best attractions for kids, including an installation of a massive tree-like sculpture hanging from the ceiling and the Chase Open Studio. If you're interested in checking a special exhibition, consider buying tickets in advance as they can sell out. The listed admission price to see the museum's general collections and installations is suggested pricing, though the museum charges fixed pricing for tickets that include special exhibitions.

The imposing art deco building that’s the centerpiece of Volunteer Park was built in 1933 to house the Seattle Art Museum, and that’s what it was until the museum expanded into its current primary location Downtown. The original building was dedicated to the museum’s Asian collection, and the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) was born. The permanent collection includes works from China, Japan, India, Korea, and Southeast Asian. It fills 13 galleries with rooms dedicated to pottery, images of nature, illustrated scrolls, and clothing. Six of the galleries focus on aspects of spirituality, including sacred texts, divine bodies, and sacred journeys. All in all, SAAM strikes a balance that makes it an especially enjoyable museum going experience: there’s a wide range of beautiful, engaging art, yet it’s small enough to keep you from feeling overwhelmed or getting bored.

Take in 360-degree views of the Emerald City from Sky View Observatory, located 900 feet above Seattle in the city's tallest building, the Columbia Center. Spot Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, Elliott Bay, and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges from the observatory. Experience Seattle from above during your chosen time: daytime, golden hour, or at night when the city lights glisten against the dark sky.

Seattle’s iconic tower, built for the 1962 world’s fair, wears its age beautifully—especially after a major 2018 renovation. Your visit begins with a ground-floor exhibit about the Needle’s history before an elevator zips you up to the two-level observation area. The lower level features a revolving glass floor and floor-to-ceiling windows; above it, an open-air deck offers unobstructed views. The 360-degree panorama is the real payoff—a breathtaking geography lesson where neighborhoods sprawl below, waterways wind toward the Pacific, and mountains crown every horizon. (Scan the QR-coded signs for an easy guide to the landmarks.)

Expect crowds, particularly in summer. Buying timed-entry tickets online helps streamline your visit and guarantees admission. The Needle stays open after dark, and the glittering city views are just as mesmerizing as the daytime ones. Can’t decide between the two? A dual-entry ticket lets you go up twice in a day. You can also save with a combo ticket that includes admission to the neighboring Chihuly Garden and Glass.

One of the only museums in the United States devoted to the Asian Pacific American experience provides a sophisticated and often somber look at how immigrants and their descendants have transformed (and been transformed by) American culture. The evolution of the museum has been driven by community participation—the museum's library has an oral history lab, and many of the rotating exhibits are focused on stories from longtime residents. Museum admission includes a guided tour through the East Kong Yick building, where scores of immigrant workers from China, Japan, and the Philippines first found refuge in Seattle (check the schedule, as this is the only way to see this section). The museum also offers weekly guided tours of the neighborhood along rotating themes.