I’ve been in crazy planning mode for my Seattle trip next month. This is the first time I’m traveling alone to a new city here in the U.S. where I don’t know anyone beforehand. In the last couple of years, I’ve been to Burlington, Montpelier, Harrisburg, Portland ME, San Francisco– all where I had friends or family, or I was with Andy. This will be a whole new adventure!
I find myself focusing on details more than I usually do. I want to know my dining out options beforehand, and which neighborhoods to focus on, and have specific activities outlined before I get to Seattle. Of course, I’ll still leave room for afternoons spent photographing and popping into wherever looks inviting, but having no one but myself to spend time with means lots of sightseeing. It turns out, I’m spoiled for choice!
In my research, I’ve found plenty of things to do in Seattle, in the free, low cost, and willing to spend a bit more categories.
FREE IN SEATTLE
- The Frye Art Museum
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Ballard Locks
- Center for Wooden Boats (free public rides every Sunday on Lake Union, all year long!)
- Washington Park Arboretum
- Other beautiful parks like Gasworks Park, Alki Beach, Discovery Park, Seward Park, and Kerry Park.
- The Seattle Central Library is gorgeous!
- Enjoy sunrises and/or sunsets over all of Seattle’s bodies of water: Elliot Bay, Puget Sound, Lake Union, and Lake Washington
CHEAP IN SEATTLE
- Seattle Walking Tours: pay what you feel!
- International District (so many wonderful cuisines: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, etc)
- Ride the Puget Sound Ferry ($7.70 RT)
- Smith Tower (not as tall as the Space Needle, but less than half price and a whole different perspective on the city) (aaaand just found out it’s closed for the winter)
- Seattle Monorail ($2.25 O/W)
- Happy hours!
- Rent a bike and cycle the Burke-Gilman Trail along the Lake Union waterfront
- I just bought a Groupon for an architectural walking tour in Downtown Seattle– I’m all about the tours lately!
WILLING TO SPEND A BIT MORE IN SEATTLE
- Visit Olympic National Park and/or Mount Rainier National Park (stay tuned for details!)
- Ride the Seattle Great Wheel. How could I not ride one of the biggest Ferris Wheels in the country? Also, this wheel has enclosed gondolas, like another one I visited on a solo trip:
Are you familiar with Seattle? Did I leave anything out? Let me know in the comments!
Sounds like you will have an amazing time of it! I have Seattle on my wishlist and hoping to get there someday soon. Have a wonderful time and take plenty of pics!
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Thanks, Carolann. I can promise you I’ll return with about 800 photos 🙂
I love Seattle. A couple of on the cheap things to do definitely include visiting the first Starbucks and Pike Place Market, the fish stand is famous for outrageous customer service (and fish tossing). I don’t recommend doing this tour alone, but the Seattle Underground Adult tour is great, the city has a really interesting history under the ground. The museum of flight is also a lot of fun.
Can’t wait to hear about your trip!
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Yes, I think I’ll do one of the ‘pay what you feel’ tours of Pike Place Market, and how could I have left out the Underground Tour? It sounds like so much fun! Flight museum sounds good too, but the $20 admission might keep me away…
Awww, a big ferris wheel! I’d be ecstatic!!! Have fun in Seattle Christy! 🙂
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I know, I’m so excited!
All those great parks and the Wheel for sure! Of course Pike Place and some coffee 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Friday Finisher 2/6/15
I love when cities have lots of parks! And yes, I’m learning that Seattleites take their coffee *very* seriously.
You’re going to have the best time! Enjoy! I can’t wait to see the recap. 🙂
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I assure you, there will be more than one post dedicated to this trip- a whole week! So many different things to write about, I know it!
ye olde curiosity shoppe by the piers. Top pot donuts on capitol hill. Asian art museum is next to the dahlia test garden. Try to get around the back of alki where the view is better and there’s a coast guard light house. One of the hotels downtown has a huge dale chihully glass collection. Xoxo have fun. And remember, only tourists use umbrellas.
Oh I am *definitely* going to Top Pot. I read about ye olde Curiosity but thought maybe it was a lame touristy place? But okay, if you say so. And I never use an umbrella anyway! I’m set!
Sounds like fun! I’ve never been so interested in seeing how your experience is 🙂 Have a great one and take care Christy! -Iva
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Even if it rains the whole time, I am determined to have fun!
You might consider getting a city-pass. We did and it was really worth it. Seattle has so many places that charge an entrance fee, but this really lowered the price substantially (and, everything was prepaid- just give them the ticket). I did a review on the Seattle CityPass- check it out.
http://farinvazquez.blogspot.com/2014/06/seattle-seattle-citypass-review-was-it.html
Excited to hear how Olympic National Park was, and also, Pike Place Market, and also take the Monorail to the Needle. And visit Kerry Park, in the Queen Anne neighborhood. Amazing views of the space needle, harbor and downtown 🙂
I’ll add Kerry Park to my list and thanks for the tip, Farin. It sounds like it is a good option if I decided to go to all those attractions.
I’d be on one of those boats in a heartbeat… hope you had fun!!
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Thanks, Alex. Turns out the only boat I went on was the ferry across the Bay to Bainbridge Island, which was beautiful!