Ultimate Seattle Bucket List (101 Things to Do in Seattle WA)

One of the reasons we decided to move to Portland was how close it was to a plethora of outdoor destinations and also only a 3 hour drive from Seattle.

On our first trip up to the city, thanks to the magic of connecting through instagram, we met up and stayed with the Mandagies. They’re Washington natives and have been living in Seattle for over six years, so we got their help in putting together our 101 for Seattle.

We’ll be updating this list as we visit, so check the date at the bottom for the latest update!

THE ULTIMATE SEATTLE BUCKET LIST (101 THINGS TO DO IN SEATTLE WA)

ATTRACTIONS

1. ⬢ Pike Place Market
2. ⬢ Stick a piece of chewed gum on the gum wall
3. ⬢ Take photos with the Fremont Troll
4. ⬢ Go Visit the Original Up House
5. ⬢ Take Skyline Pictures at Kerry Park
6. ⬡ See the Salmon Ladder at the Ballard Locks
7. ⬢ Go up to the Space Needle Observation Deck
8. ⬡ Go up to the Smith Tower Observation Deck
9. ⬡ Go up (higher) in the Columbia Tower Observation Deck
10. ⬡ Ride the Seattle Great Wheel
11. ⬡ Read at the Famous Seattle Public Library
12. ⬡ Park at Hamilton Viewpoint for Skyline Pictures
13. ⬡ Take Photos at Jose Rizal Park at Night
14. ⬡ Ride the Seattle Center Monorail
15. ⬢ Go to the very first Starbucks (near Pike Place)
16. ⬡ Visit the Starbucks Reserve & Roastery in Capitol Hill
17. ⬡ Take a Tour at Theo’s Chocolate Factory (Free choco!) Pro Tip: You can go dumpster diving in Theo’s Chocolate scrap chocolate bin
18. ⬡ Take the Pioneer Square Underground Tour
19. ⬢ Visit the Woodland Park Zoo
20. ⬢ Play with marine life at the Seattle Aquarium
21. ⬡ Study Harry Potter Spells in Suzzallo Library
22. ⬡ Take a Ferry to the Olympics! (Do the Seattle > Bremerton or Edmonds > Kingston)
23. ⬡ Japanese Garden at the WA Arboretum

MUSEUMS

24. ⬢ Visit the Chihuly Glass Sculpture Museum
25. ⬢ MoPOP / Museum of Pop Culture (formerly EMP)
26. ⬢ Boat Rides at the Center For Wooden Boats (free and Sundays only! Get there early in the summer; the spots fill up fast)
27. ⬢ Seattle Museum of Art
28. ⬢ Living Computers
29. ⬢ Seattle Pinball Museum
30. ⬢ Explore the Pacific Science Center

URBAN PARKS

31. ⬢ Gasworks Park (have a picnic in the day or watch fire dancers at night)
32. ⬡ Visit the Lighthouse at Discovery Park
33. ⬡ Bonfire at Golden Gardens Park
34. ⬡ Rollerblade around Greenlake
35. ⬡ Rollerblade around Alki Beach
36. ⬡ Bike around Seward Park
37. ⬡ Bike The Burke-Gilman Trail from SPU to Matthew’s Beach
38. ⬡ Rent a canoe or paddle boat at the WAC
39. ⬡ Go SUPing at Ballard Surf
40. ⬡ Go Swimming at Madrona Beach
41. ⬡ Walk through the Olympic Sculpture Park
42. ⬡ Visit the Greenhouse in Volunteer Park
43. ⬡ Rent Kayaks and go around Lake Union / Lake Washington
44. ⬡ Take a tour of the University of Washington campus
45. ⬡ Discovery Park Loop
46. ⬡ Magnuson Park

63. ⬡ Herkimer Coffee (U District)
64. ⬡ Slate Coffee (U District)
65. ⬡ Cafe Allegro (U District)
66. ⬡ Milstead (Fremont)
67. ⬢ Miir (Wallingford/Fremont)
68. ⬡ Storyville (Pike Place + Queen Anne)
69. ⬡ Cherry Street Coffee
70. ⬢ General Porpoise (Capitol Hill) – PRO-TIP eat all their donuts!
71. ⬡ Vivace (Capitol Hill)
72. ⬡ Fuel (Wallingford)
73. ⬡ Chocolati Cafe (Greenwood, Greenlake, Wallingford)
74. ⬡ Zoka Coffee (U District)
75. ⬡ Seattle Meowtropolitan Cat Cafe (Ballard)
76. ⬡ Craftworks Coffee (Queen Anne)
77. ⬡ La Marzocco Cafe (Seattle Center)
78. ⬡ Anchorhead Coffee Co (Downtown)
79. ⬡ Union Coffee (Central District)
80. ⬡ Fremont Coffee Co. (Fremont, fun latte art)
81. ⬡ Tougo Coffee Co (Central District)
82. ⬡ Peet’s Coffee (Greenlake)
83. ⬡ Victrola Coffee Roasters (Capitol Hill)

84. ⬡ Visit the Tulip Festival in April (Mt. Vernon)
85. ⬡ Attend a sports event (Seahawks, Sounders, Mariners, Huskies)
86. ⬡ Go Sailgating before a UW Husky Game
87. ⬡ Attend Bumbershoot Music Festival
88. ⬡ Listen to the Choir practice at St. Mark’s Cathedral (Sun, 9pm)
89. ⬡ Participate in Seattle’s SeaFair
90. ⬡ Watch a Musical at the 5th Avenue Theater
91. ⬡ See a music concert at the Paramount Theater

HIKING AND OUTDOORS

92. ⬡ Poo Poo Point (Tiger Mountain, 19 mi / 26 min away)
93. ⬡ Rattlesnake Ledge (Snoqualmie, 26 mi / 29 min away)
94. ⬢ Snoqualmie Falls (Snoqualmie, 29 mi / 34 min away)
95. ⬡ Big Si + Little Si (Snoqualmie Pass, 33 mi / 36 min away)
96. ⬡ Twin Falls (Snoqualmie Pass, 35 mi / 35 min away)
97. ⬡ Mailbox Peak (Snoqualmie Pass, 37 mi / 43 min away)
98. ⬡ Franklin Falls (Snoqualmie Pass, 52 mi / 53 min away)
99. ⬡ Wallace Falls (Stevens Pass, 47 mi / 53 min away)
100. ⬡ Gold Creek Pond (Snoqualmie Pass, 55 mi / 58 min away)
101. ⬡ Lake Serene (Stevens Pass, 53 mi / 1 h 5 min away)

PRO TIPS FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

• Many of the museums are free on the first Thursday of the month and some are free year round.
• A rain jacket is always a good idea! (this one is currently our favorite and has insulation)
• Summer is the sunniest and there are a plethora of outdoor activities then.
• If you’re looking for the classic, moody PNW vibes come in Sept – Nov, and head to the mountains for some fog envy! Expect lots of time in the car, but the end destinations are always worth it!

Emily and Berty are photographers and love exploring their local area. They’re constantly looking for hidden spots around Seattle. Go follow their blog and instagram to see their adventures in the PNW and beyond.

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Last updated: Feb 2, 2017

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