Seattle attractions

Stretching from British Columbia in Canada down to Northern California, this rugged mountain range dominates the Pacific Northwest. With snow-capped peaks, virgin forests, glacial valleys, lakes, subalpine meadows, and plunging waterfalls—from which the range takes its name—the Cascades are a recreational and wilderness paradise.

High-tech exhibits in this free visitor center highlight the foundation’s philanthropic work around the world, with displays on issues including global poverty, infectious disease, and water access. Interactive features let visitors explore the data behind each of these problems, with the chance to brainstorm solutions and create a media campaign.

With vineyards, boutiques, waterfront cafés, and plenty of small-town charm, Bainbridge Island is a peaceful escape from Seattle that’s just a short ferry ride away. Beyond the compact downtown, Bainbridge Island is all about nature: Hiking and biking are popular here, along with kayaking, stand-up paddleboards, and even scuba diving.

The Hard Rock Cafe Seattle opened in early 2010, and it remains the only cafe in the popular chain in the state of Washington.Seattle's Hard Rock Cafe is located in the heart of historic downtown, near the famous Pike Place Market. The building in which the restaurant is housed is historic, too, as well as environmentally designed, and the memorabilia on display is largely Seattle-specific.The Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle, like all restaurants in the chain, features a traditional American menu, and an on-site Rock Shop where you can buy all kinds of Hard Rock Cafe merchandise. The Seattle location also features a music venue on the second floor, called the Cavern Club after the Liverpool basement club where The Beatles got their start.

Seattle’s hip, thriving Seattle waterfront neighborhood of Ballard is home to landmarks such as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (commonly known as the Ballard Locks), Golden Gardens Park, the Nordic Heritage Museum, and the Shilsole Bay Marina. It also boasts some of Seattle’s best restaurants, pubs, shops, spas, and parks.

At the Future of Flight Aviation Center, visitors can learn about the history and the future of aviation design. The Boeing factory tour—the only public tour of its kind in North America—lets you witness jet assembly, learn about the history of Boeing’s planes, and test your own aircraft designs at the educational Future of Flight Aviation Center museum.

The award-winning Woodland Park Zoo re-creates savannah, jungle, tropical rain forest, and other exotic landscapes on a 92-acre (37-hectare) campus by Seattle’s Green Lake. Full of furry, feathered, and scaly residents from across the globe, the Woodland Park Zoo is a leader in wildlife conservation and a kid-friendly Seattle attraction.

Located on Blake Island, a state park in the middle of Puget Sound, Tillicum Village offers visitors an opportunity to learn a bit about Northwest Native American tribes. Surrounded by trees, the venue is made up of a large restaurant and performance hall, which is designed as a traditional Northwest Coast longhouse with totem poles out front.

Comprised of two cruise terminals—Smith Cove/ Pier 91 and Bell Street/ Pier 66—the Seattle Cruise Port is a vast complex which welcomes liners and numerous cargo vessels from around the world. After docking in Seattle, explore all the city has to offer, from coffee and seafood to Puget Sound and Olympic National Park.

Arguably the world’s most famous coffee chain, Starbucks got its start in 1971 in downtown Seattle—it’s one of the reasons the city is synonymous with coffee. There’s often a line out the door at what’s called the original location, with coffee drinkers eager to say they’ve had a cup of joe at the birthplace of a worldwide phenomenon.

A natural oasis in the middle of Seattle, Woodland Park encompasses manicured landscapes, walking paths, rose gardens, and a zoo. Home to diverse species of wildlife, Woodland Park Zoo is indisputably the park’s main attraction. Visitors can also enjoy outdoor recreation areas, picnic spots, and lakeside strolls.

Just north of downtown and packed with boutiques, restaurants, and bars, the vibrant Seattle neighborhood of Belltown bustles with activity day and night. The densely populated area is considered one of the most walkable neighborhoods in the United States, making it an ideal place to explore on foot.

Legend has it that Chief Seattle of the Suquamish American Indian tribe, after whom Seattle was named, was born on Blake Island, wild, forested land off made up of thickly wooded trails, a campground, and moorage for boats. American Indian history can be explored in Tillicum Village, where traditional cultural experiences are offered.