Seattle Tourist Attractions - On and Off the Beaten Path

If you haven’t done the usual round of tourist attractions before, then you should at least do a fly-by to see what the excitement is all about. The Space Needle will get you a great view of the city (but so will plenty of other viewpoints for much cheaper), but if you don't go up, it's still great for an up-close photo op. Seattle Center is home to tons of attractions, too. Visit the EMP Museum, take the kids to the Pacific Science Center, or catch a dinner show at Teatro Zinzanni.

The Seattle Waterfront area is also a must-see. Pike Place Market is located close to the water so it’s a natural pairing. Grab lunch at the market and stroll among the vendors and then venture down to the water where you can stop by the Seattle Aquarium or take a ride on the Great Wheel.

Many visitors also add one of Seattle’s museums into the lineup and they’re all worth a visit. See world-class art and special exhibitions at Seattle Art Museum, focus in on Asian art and history at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, or stop by the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) for a closer look at what makes Seattle unique.

But once you’ve seen the usual suspect, branch out! Find out what makes Seattle such an awesome place.

Depending on who you are, seeing a game may or may not be at the top of your tourist attraction list, but if it’s not, it should be. There are few other places where you’ll see exactly how enthusiastic Seattleites are about their sports teams (well, maybe a sports bar on a game day). The Seattle Mariners play baseball at Safeco Field, the Seahawks play football at CenturyLink Field, and the Seattle Sounders play soccer at CenturyLink Field as well.

Parks may be overlooked as tourist hotspots in the face of flashier destinations, but the Northwest is known for its nature and parks allow you to enjoy a snapshot of that. Seattle has several large parks especially suited to this purpose. Discovery Park is filled with trails winding through woodlands and along natural shorelines, as does Washington Park Arboretum. Volunteer Park is more groomed, but has the added bonus of being the location of the Seattle Asian Art Museum and a water tower you can climb and see out over Seattle for free.

The best thing about taking a jaunt over to West Seattle is that you get to take a ferry to get there. This is a cheap way to get out on the water and see a less touristy side of town. You can catch the West Seattle Water Taxi at Pier 50 along the Waterfront. You can either ride it right back to downtown Seattle, or you can wander around West Seattle. From the dock on the West Seattle side, you can either walk or catch local shuttles or buses to explore West Seattle and Alki Beach Park.

Located in the Ballard neighborhood (which is also a lot of fun to explore), the Ballard Locks manage boat traffic between the Ship Canal and the Puget Sound. Watching boats load into the locks can be surprisingly entertaining. You can also cross to the far side of the locks and venture underneath to watch salmon swimming up a salmon ladder during various salmon seasons, which happen on and off throughout the year.

Yes, it’s a library, and yes, it is very cool. The Central Library building was designed by Rem Koolhaus and Joshua Prince-Ramos, and is known for its funky and cutting-edge design. The library is a lot of fun to explore due to boldly painted hallways and escalators, and it’s also not a bad place to catch views of the city if you go all the way to the top. For photographers, you can get a lot of interesting photos in and around this structure.

Locally known as UW, this campus is a great place to explore on foot. Relatively few people venture here who aren't students or on campus for a purpose, but beautiful buildings and fountains punctuate the campus, but some highlights are seasonal. In spring, UW is one of the best places to view cherry blossoms!

Checking out a neighborhood can be a lot of fun, and one of the best for getting a great slice of Seattle life is Capitol Hill. Volunteer Park with its many attractions and great views is a must-see. Next door to the park, you’ll find a cemetery where Bruce and Brandon Lee and buried. Wander the streets of the neighborhood and you’ll come across tasty neighborhood bakeries, cool bookstores (don’t miss The Elliott Bay Book Company), a great art supply store (Blick Art Materials), cafes galore and great nightlife if you come back once the sun goes down.