11 Things you must see and do in Seattle With Kids & Adults!:
Do you want a great vacation with your kids? Something different? Where you get to see new things together? Pack up and Take them to Seattle!
If you have time, don’t tell anyone and book a surprise weekend away! Have your to-do list and all their crap backed and off you go!!
Wherever you stay, just make sure you stay in the city…that way you can walk or use their transportation system (education and fun in itself!) especially if it’s raining!
First of all, let me make this clear – during my visit I saw very few children. Very few. It’s like the city of young hard working, hard playing people! Cause for a rainy place, Seattle people are all smiling! Maybe because there is so much to do. SO MUCH. AND even though there are few of them – there is so much for kids to do too!
Second? Seattle may be the greatest city I know so little about. It’s beautiful and clean and modern. I was quite impressed.
Two things you have to have with you when you start your day 1) Rain coat with hood. (you never know what the weather will do!) 2) Cup of coffee. It’s Seattle. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.
Here is the list (also be sure to check out the VIDEO at the end of the article – it has all of this with so much more!):
- Pikes Place: rain or shine, fun, fun, fun! Yogurt – several shops offer – can’t recommend one. Try them all!!
Spices and sauces – DeLaurenti’s has every type of sauce (like flavored balsamic, hot, sweet or spicy mustard) anything you can imagine- they have it!! I wanted to buy so so many, but my post 9/11 airline-carry-on bag-rule won’t allow liquids. Ugh.
Gum Wall – the most disgusting yet fascinating thing your eyes will behold.
Magic Store – a hip Magician is always working there. Talk to him about anything and everything magic.
Fish Toss – These guys are incredible athletes…in fish catching. By hand. From the air.
Fruits – everywhere! For the hotel. (I’m assuming you are in a hotel?)
Doughnuts
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – Brian Gilbert is the MAN. Talk to him about anything cheese!
BBQ Eatery: Pike’s Pit Bar-B-Que – eat and watch the fish toss!
Dog and Cat lover? Do not miss: Merry Tails – The greatest collection of gifts/toys/fun crap of anything and everything cat and or dog. LOVE this store!!! - Underground Tour: No one told me about this. Could be the most facinating thing I’ve done in my life. Crazy crazy story. If anyone would have told me the real story of Seattle at any time in my life, I’d have laughed. It can’t be true. People back then weren’t that…gosh, I can’t think of a word. So you fill in the blank. And then know that Yes, people were that. And more. The best tour I have been on to date. So much information my mouth was hanging open several times. Even my 10 year old, ADHD child, not only paid attention but repeated information to every Uber driver we met.
- Seattle Pinball Museum: One price gets you in…then it’s house of fun! Imagine a museum you can PLAY with!! This is it! Old machines (Older than me!) and lots of them! All over.
- Wings over Washington: Ever been to California Adventure? This is the ride Soaring Over California, only it’s twice as long and you are in (well…’over’) Washington State! The concept is just as cool. Only wish the ticket price were a bit lower – cause then we’d have seen it 2 more times! Actually i could have ridden it 10 more times, but it was rather expensive to do it more than once. Ridding it 5 times is as much as a whole day at Disneyland. And I think that place is expensive! But if you have the $, it’s worth the experience. And no, it won’t make you sick. It’s just thrilling! A big WOW! Actually 30 big WOW’s! Then sadness. The ride is over. Booooo…. We even tried to pay off the workers for a 2nd ride. Nope. Bummer.
- The Giant Ferris Wheel: If you want a thrill and a vision of Seattle. Get on this bad boy!! It’s very intimidating. Scary. Exciting. So that means it’s worth your $. And it’s a long ride. (See line before about worth your $!) Tie this attraction in with the Wings over Washington and you save a bit of cash!
- The Seattle Library: Put your past visions of library’s gone past and get your butt to this place and wander each of their 11 floors. Sounds so cheesy and stupid…but it’s not. It’s hip and cool. Take the escalator up to the 11th floor. You will not be sorry. Make sure you stop at the RED floor. I’m not going to tell you which floor it is…but it’s ALL RED. Who does something like this?? A cool designer. One who demands that you come and see it! Don’t tell the kids or the husband or the wife. Tell them there are 11 floors and they have to find the one that is all red. Then let them loose! Something different. Something fun. Make that your vacation logo!!
- Seattle is Home to Starbucks: Go to the Downtown Starbucks Reserve! Watch them cook and make their beans yummy. Did you know Coffee beans start out GREEN!? Watch. See. Smell. If you are a coffee lover or even a coffee drinker. Or even if the story of Starbucks fascinates you. Do not miss a visit here. There is even a eatery inside the roastery! Try the pizza. Doesn’t go well with coffee. So drink the coffee first while you wander around. Then go to the restaurant and get a pizza. Please be aware and Note: Tip is included on the bill.
- REI. Not to shop. Well you could do that. It’s HUGE. But go to do their rockclimbing…inside…on a rock REI is just up the street from Starbucks. Crazy. Cool. Worth a look and a climb! Best part is if you have someone climbing and you don’t like to climb, you are free to explore their insanely intense flagship store. In fact your climber will be done and waiting before you are!
- Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. All over Seattle there is glass being blown. Blow them all off (ha), and go here. Amazing. Stunning. Unbelievable. What they don’t tell you on the tour is that Mr Chihuly went blind in one eye and then was no longer able to blow glass himself. Because this happened he hired people to blow the glass for him and since he was ‘away’ and looking at the glass from a different view…he saw “bigger” and “better” and outside the box. Hence the reason he is so popular today. And WOW. Even the gift store is just as impressive. On site – there are glass blowers showing you how it’s done. Grab a seat and be prepared to be amazed. I was. Inspired too! Do not miss this!
- The Space Needle. Only go if it’s clear. If it’s cloudy, do not waste your money. Go to the library (11 stories) and get to their top floor. You’ll see clouds…and be grateful you are $50-75 richer. If it’s clear – buy tickets immediately online. Do not go and buy tickets there – you’ll be waiting a long time as they only have 1 to 2 ticket stations open. If you do forget and want to kick yourself as you stand in line…don’t. There is a few self-ticket boxes to the right of the ticket counter for impatient people like you and me. Go there and get your tickets.
- Klondike Gold Rush Museum! Kids or no kids. SEE this. There is a tour, a movie and an educational plan for kids. Where if they do their assignment, they will get a pass for their whole family to get in FREE to all the US parks for at least the next 8 months. Because in the middle of downtown Seattle IS a US Park – The Klondike Gold Rush! Very cool. Better yet, the park rangers – 3 of them – were all over my son, encouraging him and enticing him into action. Fill out some pages in this book. I was sure he would blow it off, but no. My son was hooked. Better attentive than homework time. Passion and excitement were on the forefront! He had to do it all!!! We had a blast and learned something about our crazy history too! This story is epic. I’m surprised no one has written a movie on it yet? They will.
Hotel to stay: Hilton Garden Inn was where I picked. On the edge of town but near the highway.
What we missed and will see next time:
1) Bill Gates House: Even a drive by is worth it.
2) All together skatepark: Why not.
3) SouthGate Roller Rink: See the after comment above…ditto.
4) The Free bug & reptile museum: What is not to love.
5) 5 point cafe: Because you can! Get the Cheese Curds.
http://www.thelifeexpert.com/when-in-rome-visit-pompeii/