Family-Friendly Things to Do In Seattle

Guest blogger, Elizabeth, shares the second part of her two week journey to the Olympic Peninsula with her eight year old son. Last week, she shared a fantastic list of things to do in the Hood Canal. This week, she is taking us to Seattle!  
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Getting to Seattle from the Hood Canal

After spending one week in the Hood Canal, we left for a more urban setting - Seattle!  It was rather easy getting to Seattle from the Hood Canal. We drove to Bremerton and hopped on a car ferry to Seattle.  The ferry system in Washington is impressive.  Only a few of the ferries take reservations so at certain times you have to be prepared to wait in long lines.  We had no problem getting on with our car and paid a whopping $13 for the car and three passengers!  This was quite a shock for us since we are used to Martha’s Vineyard and Cape May ferries that require reservations and cost quite a bit more.
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Where to Stay in Seattle

In Seattle, we stayed at the Crowne Plaza downtown.  I recommend staying somewhere downtown so you can easily walk to public transportation like the Monorail and the Light rail.  These make it very easy to get around Seattle without a car.  We picked the Crowne Plaza because it was close to the convention center where we had to attend some meetings.  If I were to return to Seattle, I would consider renting an apartment or something with a kitchen.  I wanted to buy fresh food at Pike Place but had nowhere to cook it.
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Things to Do in Seattle

• Take an Argosy Cruises Locks Tour.  This takes you through the Ballard Locks that separate Puget Sound from Lake Union.  You’ll get a great science lesson and learn a lot about the history of Seattle.  You’ll even see the Sleepless in Seattle House floating on the lake.

Pictured Above: A couple of the unique house boats we saw on Lake Union.

• Take the Monorail from Westlake to Seattle Center.  It was built for the world’s fair and is still operating. At Seattle Center you will find The Space Needle, The Pacific Science Center and the Chihuly Garden and Glass.  The Science Center is fun for kids but is a bit tired and in need of renovation.  The Chihuly Garden is worth every penny is costs for admission.  It is spectacular!  Dale Chihuly is the leading glass artist in the world and his work is just amazing.

Pictured Above: Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures - a must-see when visiting Seattle!

A view of the Space Needle from below at the Seattle Center

• Take the Seattle Underground Tour.  Admittedly, we didn’t have time for this but were told by many that it was really good.

• Visit Pike Place Market.  It is HUGE.  You could easily spend the day strolling through the many levels of the market.  I wish I’d had a place to cook some of the amazing food that was for sale there!  My son’s favorite was the Gum Wall…which is just as gross as it sounds!

• Visit Beecher’s Handmade cheese!  They make delicious fresh cheese there.  Make sure to try the cheese curds. These are the halfway point product when making cheddar and have a unique taste and texture. 

Where to Eat in Seattle

• There is a lot of good food in Seattle.  My favorite by far is Wild Ginger.  I first discovered this restaurant in 1995 when they were just a hole in the wall.  They now have a huge space downtown and the food continues to be amazing.  We had both lunch and dinner there during our visit and both meals were outstanding.

 

• Our other favorite is Ray’s Boathouse in the Ballard neighborhood.  They have a more casual restaurant with a deck upstairs and a more elegant dinner restaurant downstairs.  We sat upstairs for Sunday Brunch and it was lovely.  The neighborhood is about 8 miles from downtown Seattle so we went on Sunday while we still had our car.  You could take a taxi from downtown but it would cost quite a bit.  Might be better to rent a zip car downtown for a few hours!

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• Coffee is good and cheap in Washington.  Don’t be afraid of the tiny little boxes that sell coffee.  They are all good.  Starbucks is unnecessary.  

There is a ton to do in both Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula and we only scratched the surface on this trip.  I definitely want to go back!