THE
CAN’T MISS LIST
for our hometown
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
With an influx of travelers coming to the city we were born in, and call home.
We figured we’d share our top 15 Can’t Miss Lists, for our home state and city!
Before We Get to Seattle…
A QUICK BIT ABOUT
WASHINGTON STATE
From the peaks of our picturesque snowy mountains to the waterfalls, creeks, lakes and rivers flowing down them.
Washington State’s natural beauty is mesmerizing.
In or outdoors, Washington State has something to offer every traveler.
For more on Washington State, like Day Trips from Seattle. Check out our Welcome to Washington page, below.
Without Further Ado…
THE
CAN’T MISS LIST
for
SEATTLE,
WASHINGTON
If you’re a tourist visiting us here, in Seattle. Welcome!
Below, is our Can’t Miss List of things we think you shouldn’t leave Seattle, without experiencing.
VIEW IMAGE GALLERY, BELOW LIST
- Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Located near Seattle Center, tucked underneath the space needle, lies this local urban oasis of earth and art.
- You can choose to go up the Space Needle, for a unique view of the city, here! or easily see the needles standing below.
- Eat Fresh Seafood
- This is what you’re here for. Trust us. Make a reservation and you won’t regret it.
- $$$$ Salty’s Sunday Seafood Brunch is top tier, exceptionally fresh and towered high. Leaning a bit more toward the luxury crowd, while remaining accessible.
- $$$ The Crab Shack at the Seattle Waterfront is the best for a little splurge on the giant pot of seasoned seafood boil that tumbles onto the table in front of you. Grab your bib, cracker, and picks. This is an unforgettable, American classic.
- $$ Happy Hours Seriously, Seattle seafood happy hour are on point. Try a few things and make a meal! Check out oysters and more at Elliott’s Oyster House on the Seattle Waterfront.
- $ – $$ Here in a colder month.. catch your own! We clam, man! Take a tour or search the Washington State sites for clamming or oyster beaches near where you’re staying. Or head out to an oyster farm on the Hokd Canal. Sit on a picnic bench and have them pulled then cooked or fresh from the oyster farm, in front of you!
- This is what you’re here for. Trust us. Make a reservation and you won’t regret it.
- Explore Pike Place Market
- You could easily spend an entire day weaving in shops throughout the levels of Pike Place (Pike Place, not Pike’s Place) From luxury goods like truffle or giant crystal formations, to dainty jewelry, jam, flowers, local goods, and even haunted shops, food and flying fish! You’ll find something for everyone, here.
- Looking for a smaller, less crowded, local market? Check out Sundays in West Seattle and Ballard neighborhoods.
- Head to a beach for the day!
- Here on a hot day? Do as the locals do and head to a beach or waterfront park. Seward Park, Alki Beach and Golden Gardens are great places to start. Or search for a beach with tide pools!
- The Seattle Aquarium is also a great place along the Seattle Waterfront to see some local wildlife! Located near the iconic Edgewater Hotel.
- Here on a hot day? Do as the locals do and head to a beach or waterfront park. Seward Park, Alki Beach and Golden Gardens are great places to start. Or search for a beach with tide pools!
- Take in the best views of the city in
- Alki
- Gasworks
- SLU Mohai
- Ballard
- Eat at a Waterfront Restaurant
- From food carts to Canlis. There are plenty of options for any size budget!
- Take the Iconic Seattle Ferry or Seattle Water Taxi
- Take in the best view of the city, like locals do, from the water. Not to brag, but Seattle’s Public Transit on the Water is some of the best in the world. It’s on time, organized, and easy to navigate.
- For a longer ferry ride to Bainbridge Island or one of our other many ferry dock locations, download and use the WSDOT Transit App. Walk on, bike on, and drive on passengers are welcome for ~ $30 round trip. The journey takes ~45 minutes, one-way.
- Find more Ferry information at the Washington State government site or WSDOT App.
- For a shorter, less expensive ride with a still incredibly stunning view of the city from Elliott Bay, take the West Seattle Water Taxi! for under $7 per person, round trip. You can walk or ride your bike on the ~15 minute Water Taxi ride. Download the Transit Go app to purchase tickets ahead of time and show them to the ticket person when you arrive. (Do not activate the ticket until the ticket person tells you.)
- Find Water Taxi Routes, Schedules, and more information on the Transit Go App or online.
- For a longer ferry ride to Bainbridge Island or one of our other many ferry dock locations, download and use the WSDOT Transit App. Walk on, bike on, and drive on passengers are welcome for ~ $30 round trip. The journey takes ~45 minutes, one-way.
- If you are nervous you won’t understand the system, have no fear! The people working at the ferry will happily answer any questions you have and guide you along your way.
- Take in the best view of the city, like locals do, from the water. Not to brag, but Seattle’s Public Transit on the Water is some of the best in the world. It’s on time, organized, and easy to navigate.
- Visit a Washington State Host Tribe
- Get out of the city, and into the culture. Visit one of the over 29 Ancestral Tribes that call the area home.
- Some of the closest or most popular to visitors for their museums, longhouses, Cultural Heritage Centers, and more (and in some cases, yes, casinos) are the Muckleshoot, Tulalip, Snoqualmie, Duwamish, Puyallup, Tribes and The Yakama Nation.
- Root for the Home Team at a Seattle Pro Team Event Like the:
- Seahawks Football NFL
- Sounders Soccer MLS
- Mariners Baseball MLB
- Kraken Hockey NHL
- Go to a Concert
- Seattle has been world renowned for its music-scene since the early days of Ray Charles in the 1900s. Evolving through rock, garage, grunge, to now.
- Seattle almost always has spots to hear some good music. A google of “Seattle concert venues” easily brings up the top 15 great locations to search for tickets.
- Visit Capitol Hill
- If you’re an ally and looking to have some fun, Seattle is well known for being an LGBTQIA+ friendly city, and this is one of the most outwardly inclusive places in it. Come visit the Rainbow Crosswalks, inclusive bars, shops, and shows the area has to offer!
- The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
- Known locally as The Ballard Locks, come watch boats, yachts and more rise and fall with the changing water levels at Seattle’s our own mini-Panama Canal.
- The Locks connect the fresh water of Seattle’s South Lake Union, to the saltwater of Elliott Bay. Following course into The Puget Sound and The Pacific Ocean
- Known locally as The Ballard Locks, come watch boats, yachts and more rise and fall with the changing water levels at Seattle’s our own mini-Panama Canal.
- Whale Watching
- Hop on a cruise in May-October from the Seattle Waterfront to see our local orcas or humpbacks traveling by!
- The Seattle Aquarium
- Part of The Seattle Pass and an easy way to get a peek at our local sea life (and more) without ever leaving the city.
- Paddle board and Kayak Rentals
- Watersport rentals are plentiful in the area. From inside the city limits at Alki Beach to Golden Gardens or South Lake Union to Lake Washington and further, Lake Sammamish.
SEATTLE
IMAGE GALLERY
Waterfalls, starfish, Pike Place, fresh fish, and more. Here are some of our hometown favorites.
So much to do, so little time
Seattle has so much to offer, it’s truly difficult to narrow it down to just 15! Even, just outside the city there are so many more things to do and see.
That being said, nature is one truly of the best things the Seattle area has to offer.
Like snowshoeing or skiing in the winter, a summer hike to hidden Snow Lake, the easily accessible Snoqualmie Waterfall, the perfect blend of scenery and sound at The Gorge Amphitheater, or out in wine country driving through rolling fields of vineyards and orchards, just a few hours from the city.
CLICK HERE FOR THE CAN’T MISS LIST OF TOP SEATTLE DAY TRIPS!
For some of our favorite finds
to gift or take home and treasure
from Washington State,
check out:
THE CAN’T MISS LIST
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The Can’t Miss List, 2026.