I am not a city person, but I could easily call Seattle home. The city has so many different neighborhoods and pockets of culture that could be explored for months. The food scene is competitive, creative and ever changing. The city fully embraces all that is urban while providing access to some of the most majestic scenery in the country, including views of Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound. It is 100% worth exploring both aspects of this area.
The Pike Place Market
This farmers market is one of the most popular attractions in downtown Seattle. The market has been operating for well over 100 years, providing a place for merchants, farmers and artists to sell their goods to locals and tourists alike. You could easily get lost in the alleys and underground sections of this brilliant market. I have purchased many one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry and art here. Leave extra room in your bag for some new treasures!
You can grab snacks, lunch, fresh cut flowers, fresh produce, homemade pasta, handmade leather bags and belts and so much more depending on the vendors there at the time. They also sell fresh fish and a couple times an hour the fisherman put on a fish-throwing show that I wouldn’t miss, but I would give them a wide berth.
The Space Needle
The most iconic thing in the Seattle skyline is the Space Needle. I had been to Seattle several times before I actually paid the entrance and went to the top to check the view. They have a rotating restaurant up there that is pretty spendy, but I would recommend heading up there to get the 360 view of Seattle. On a clear day you can see Mount Rainier which I was lucky enough to have seen and oh my, what a sight.
The Puget Sound
One of the most beautiful things to do in Seattle is take a ride on one of the ferries across the Puget Sound. From downtown Seattle you can go directly to Bainbridge Island – a residential island across the sound – or Bremerton a quiet navy town with some historical sights around the island. Grab a seat inside the ferry if it is raining outside, but if it’s a nice day ride up top or on the bow and take in the view. Whether it’s rainy, sunny, or foggy it’s a stunning ride through the islands and calm waters of The Sound. The views of the city skyline are also a good photo op.
These two ferries are also car ferries so it makes it easy to explore once you arrive on the other side. Bainbridge is worth driving around — the town is adorable and easily accessible by foot from the ferry, but if you do bring your car there is a lot to explore along the coastline and some really wooded in-land hikes. If you are there in September see if you can link up with some locals and go out mushroom picking — makes for a great activity and an awesome dinner.
Olympic National Park
Once you are on that side of the sound it’s an easy two hour drive out to Olympic National Park. I personally love camping so we based our trip on the camp sites we knew we wanted to hit — Rialto Beach being my desired destination. September was definitely a little chilly for camping, but your main concern when camping in the Pacific Northwest is the rain. It’s notoriously a rainy area, but if you prepare, it shouldn’t stop you from getting out in nature. If you tried to avoid the rain here, you’d never do anything. The rain also can add a beautiful element to the scenery and also is the reason the area is so alive and so lush.
The Pacific coastline of the park is breaktaking with rocky beaches like you’ve never seen before. Big, gray rocks smoothed by the years of rolling around make up the coastal beaches and tree-size driftwood is abundant along the tideline. Along the coast there are several beaches that provide views of massive rock structures jutting out of the ocean. These sea stacks as I have heard them called, are islands of their own with massive trees showing their age. Needless to say, the sunsets are one of a kind.
While you’re on the west coast check out our Portland, Oregon and Southern California posts for more travel destination ideas!
