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Travel
A City Lover’s Guide of What to Do In Seattle
There are plenty of destinations in the Pacific Northwest that are culturally interesting, filled with excellent food and wine spots, and have a good, positive vibe about them. Seattle is that kind of place.
If you’ve...
There are plenty of destinations in the Pacific Northwest that are culturally interesting, filled with excellent food and wine spots, and have a good, positive vibe about them. Seattle is that kind of place.
If you’ve been, you know. It’s the kind of place where you can spend your morning in a cozy neighborhood café, sipping locally roasted coffee, and pulling apart the buttery layers of a freshly-made croissant before spending your day hopping around to beautifully grown-in gardens, cool art galleries, artisanal shops, and top-notch restaurants. If you’re headed to the Emerald City and don’t know where to stay, what to eat and whether you should really go to the Space Needle, check out this ultimate list of things to do in Seattle.
Reporter: Alyssa Brown
Seattle is a city that’s really fun to explore from the heart of downtown. In this guide, we’re sharing our favorite places to stay in Seattle that are central, modern and filled with that only-in-the-PNW character we love so much.
Set along the edge of Belltown, the Kimpton Palladian Hotel offers easy access to Pike Place Market and some of the city’s best destinations and restaurants. The suites here are gorgeous and filled with character, and the hotel’s five party spots include a Prohibition-style speakeasy.
See the city from every angle at this waterfront hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows in every room and an awesome rooftop bar upstairs. Planning a longer stay of a week or more? Check out the hotel’s residences.
If you’re on the prowl for the best penthouse in town, Hotel Theodore’s 2,000-square-foot residence includes three balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and tons of space for gathering with friends. If you’re looking for something a little more low-key, yet still modern and stylish, check out the rest of the locally inspired suites.
On trend for all you world travelers out there, Palihotel’s guest room styling elements include vintage luggage, colorful artwork, and the occasional old-world floral fabric. The suites are undeniably cheerful and cozy, while the southern style restaurant (The Hart and The Hunter) brings an additional sense of nostalgia to the whole place.
Set right in the heart of downtown, this 120-suite hotel boasts views of the harbor and the cityscape below. The suites here are modern and plush, and there’s a fantastic oyster and seafood bar right downstairs.
Kimpton Alexis Hotel includes roomy PNW-inspired guest rooms, a literary bar and café, and a fitness center with a climbing wall. If you’re hosting a get together or need to have a meeting while in Seattle, this spot has some great options for private dining spaces.
During a stay at The State Hotel, you might opt to spend your afternoon sipping cocktails on the rooftop or taking a wander 90 steps away to Pike Place Market. This boutique hotel offers comfy suites, a lively bistro, and plenty of options for gatherings if you’re traveling with a crew.
With 163 simple, cozy suites set in the heart of downtown, Hotel Max is the kind of place you can easily stay for one night or many. If you’re headed to Seattle with a crew in tow, check out the bunk rooms so you can get that slumber party vibe going strong.
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Seattle’s dining scene is known for its abundant seafood, creative cocktails, and gorgeous spaces. This city is one of the best for dining and drinking, and sometimes its hidden gems are the most memorable of all. Here, we’re sharing our favorite place to ask a bartender for a recommendation, a lakefront picnic spot where you can tie your boat to the dock, the bar with the best French wine list, and a local coffee roastery where you can take roasting courses.
Set just along the shorefront of Lake Union, Westward is a casual outdoor dining spot where you can sit outside at a picnic table and order up a big spread of seafood and local cider. Hot tip: you can tie up to the dock here if you happen to arrive by boat.
Photo by The Venue Report
The menu at this Capitol Hill oyster bar is always changing to utilize the best of the day’s catches, but you can depend on a solid list of seafood and complementary plates with a coastal French focus. The (mostly) French wine list includes pét-nats, chablis, sancerre, and lots of varietals and labels you’ll want to slowly taste your way through.
Calling Mammoth a simple sandwich shop feels like an understatement, as a sandwich here might include any unlikely combination of ingredients, like say, both a fried chicken leg and pork belly. And yet, it’s most definitely a sandwich shop. A sandwich shop with an impressive beer list, that is.
Photo by The Venue Report
Set inside The Spheres on Sixth and Lenora, Willmott’s Ghost is a bright, modern space where it’s easy to sit and spend a couple of hours chatting over lunch or dinner. During the day, you’ll find the menu is heavy on salads, paninis and pizzas. Dinner brings heartier main dishes like bone-in pork chops or half-chicken under a brick to the table.
Set in Ballard, in an old 19th-century house with rustic floor boards and porch seating, San Fermo is a casual neighborhood trattoria. Think grilled flatbread, saffron spaghetti bolognese, osso bucco and the like.
Starbucks fans, this is for you. Capitol Hill’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery isn’t your typical corner coffee shop experience that’s synonymous with the brand. Instead, this is a roastery centric shop where you can watch the roasting process unfold, enjoy a brew comparison flight or order a Chemex for two.
If you’re planning any meetings or dinner events while in Seattle, Cortina is a modern, minimalist space located in Two Union Square that’s great for that sort of thing. The menu is Italian and includes dishes like bucatini with beef and ricotta meatballs, tomato, bone marrow, and grana padano.
Set on the 16th floor of Graduate Seattle, this rooftop restaurant boasts panoramic views of the city, Mount Rainier, and Puget Sound. The menu at The Mountaineering Club is both campsite and locally inspired, with dishes like cast iron cucumbers and wagyu hot dogs, or a seafood boil with shrimp, clams, corn, potatoes, and sausage. On top of the delicious food, this hiking-meets-happy hour rooftop hangout also boasts an impressive line of cocktails and an array of natural wines and beer.
Another bright, casual neighborhood spot, Oddfellows does all-day dining and libations. By day, you’ll find a menu with brioche french toast, porchetta sandwiches, and kale and farro bowls. By night, the offerings include fried artichoke hearts, meatballs and polenta, and carbonara tagliatelle.
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Hello, gorgeous! One of Seattle’s oldest bars, Queen City (formerly Queen City Grill) recently refreshed both its look and its menus. Natural wines, nitro tap cocktails, and a cosmo frozé all made the new list along with simple plates like burgers, roasted chicken, and steak frites.
Jam-filled, custard-filled, and sugar-dipped, the donut gang’s all here. General Porpoise brings perfectly puffed and filled donuts to the masses via their shops in Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square, and Laurelhurst.
It’s nothing but a straight-up fiesta at Copal in Pioneer Square, where the mango slushies are ice cold, the tacos delish, and the happy hour is legit. Head here with a crew, leave with full bellies and sore cheeks from laughing so hard.
A wood-fired grill sits at the heart of this seafood centric restaurant in Hotel Theodore. The chef here is big on fishing and foraging, and the menu reflects that connection with local terrain. Also, the side of pull-apart rolls with crab fat butter, old bay seasoning, and nutritional yeast sound way too good to pass on.
If you want to support local roasters, learn a little something about roasting and cupping, or just pick up a delicious cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie, Elm Coffee Roaster is the place to go. There are two locations, one in Pioneer Square and the other in South Lake Union.
Dungeness crab, whole fried snapper, and chicken and dumplings are just a few of the plates you might find on offer at Shaker + Spear at the Kimpton Palladian Hotel. This downtown spot includes three private dining spaces, so it’s a great place to check out if you’re considering hosting a gathering.
Something like 4,000 labels line the floor-to-ceiling shelves of this Capitol Hill boozin’ spot. The creative cocktails here are always a hit, but simply bellying up to the bar and asking the bartender for a recommendation might be the most fun way to enjoy Canon without going into decision overload.
With gorgeous views of the harbor and the Olympic Mountains in the distance, The Nest is one of Seattle’s most popular rooftop hangouts. Here, you might sip on a strawberry daiquiri and snack on a calamari salad.
Photo by The Venue Report
Some of Seattle’s best restaurants are small neighborhood gems like this one. Homer is located in North Beacon Hill and brings wood-fired Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired fare to the neighborhood, served in a space that’s light-filled and lovely.
So, here’s another fun drinking spot for you, and this one serves tiki drinks. A couple times a year, the bartenders here pick a country to base their new drink menus. Currently on the menu? Moroccan ingredients like preserved lemon, hibiscus tea and spiced dates.
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Photo by The Venue Report
This Occidental Plaza spot has all the good stuff: beautiful baked goods and breads, fresh cut flowers, small batch wines, local honey, and the list goes on. The London Plane includes a café, a flower shop, a bakery, and a specialty grocer.
Not sure what to do during your trip to Seattle? Besides eating and drinking your way around town, we’d also recommend hitting the Pike Place Market, Chihuly Garden and Glass, The Spheres, and taking a day trip out to the islands.
Washington native Dave Chihuly has been creating fine art glass sculptures for decades. At Chihuly Garden and Glass, you can explore his works in a variety of settings that include a spacious greenhouse and extensive gardens. For an extra fun time, check out the yoga classes in the greenhouse or the summer concert series here.
If you’re a plant nerd (like us), you should aim to visit The Spheres while in town. There are more than 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries within these massive greenhouse domes.
You’ll likely spot the Space Needle long before you step foot inside, but step foot inside you must. This famous icon is one of the best places to view the entire city of Seattle and its harbor as well as Mount Rainier.
Located in Olmstead Park, the Volunteer Park Conservatory combines botanical gardens and stunning architecture. The century-old Victorian greenhouse here is made up of 3,426 glass panes and houses countless plants, some as old as 75.
You came. You saw. You rode the Great Wheel. You conquered. That’s what you need to be able to say about your trip to Seattle when you get back home. If you didn’t visit the famous ferris wheel on Pier 57, did you even go to Seattle?
Photo by The Venue Report
If you’re headed to Seattle, chances are high that Pike Place Market is already on your must-see list. There are over 500 shops in the market, so you’ll definitely want to do your research before you go and narrow down your list of must-eats, must-sees and must-buys. If it all gets a little overwhelming, you can always take a beer break at Old Stove Brewing Co.
In addition to being a community center for locals, the Seattle Public Library is a feat of modern architecture that’s a thing to behold. The exterior structure looks like something you’d see in a movie set in the future, while inside it’s warm, friendly and sun-filled. There are lots of kid-friendly events here, making family travel easier than ever.
Bainbridge and Whidbey Islands are two of the most popular day trips from Seattle, and for good reason as they’re easy to access and have lots of local attractions. If you’re looking to camp overnight or head someplace more secluded with the best bakery on the planet (here’s lookin’ at you, Brown Bear Baking), check out Orcas Island.
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Photo by The Venue Report
Set on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Center downtown, the Sky View Observatory is a rad spot to capture the surrounding landscape of Seattle. Here, you’ll be able to gaze at Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, the Space Needle, and so much more.
If you’re up for seeing a show while you’re in town, check out the calendar at Showbox SoDo. The venue maxes out at 1,800 people, so it’s a cool spot to catch your favorite acts in a space that feels intimate.
