Photo: Ron Clausen [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
If you’ve never visited this city, you have been missing out for practically more reasons than one can count. If you have the chance to visit, grab it, and so you don’t feel confused when it comes to entertainment, we want to help. Here are five of the best, most popular tourist spots in the Emerald City…but remember, this is only the beginning of what this awesome Puget Sound city has to offer. You may discover that you are thinking about staying.
5. The Future of Flight Aviation Center’s Tour of Boeing
We open up our 5 Best Tourist Attractions in Seattle article with an experience that you will not soon forget. On Seattle’s fringe is Mukilteo, home of a fully-functional Boeing factory. Begin the tour at the Aviation Center, then travel by bus to the Boeing plant. The place is massive, and is the biggest building in the world when measured by volume. Not only do you get a tour of the factory, you get to view the manufacturing of aircraft such as Boeing 777s and 747s, among others.
After the factory tour, enjoy a period of airplane education at the Future of Flight’s Aviation Center, where you will discover how technology is playing a part in the advancement of flight in our modern age. This entire experience will take only ninety minutes, and it is the perfect afternoon activity for kids and adults alike. Many tourists boast that taking part in this tour was one of the best choices they made while visiting Seattle. Also, for those who are avid aerospace enthusiasts, don’t forget to check out the Seattle Museum of Flight.
4. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room
No 5 Best Tourist Attractions in Seattle article could ever be complete without a mention of one of the most popular brands in the world. Starbucks…as genuine Seattle coffee and espresso lovers will tell you, this is the city where it all began. If you are a member of this elite class, you will want to pay a visit to Capitol Hill during your visit, where you will find the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room. The place is amazing, and is as much a joy to the eyes as it is to the coffee-lover’s taste buds.
Since its opening in December of 2014 as the very first roastery, located less than a mile from the very first Starbucks store at the famous Pike’s Place Market, its Master Roasters have delighted in showing off their particular art to those who simply love to indulge in the java. With seeing the amazing roasting and coffee-making equipment to being dazzled by those who perfect the craft, visiting this place will be an incredible experience. Open from 7am to 11pm, seven-days-a-week, you are sure to find time to experience this history-making coffee company’s first roastery.
Photo: Joe Mabel [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
3. The Seattle Aquarium
The United States hosts many wonderful aquariums. The New Orleans Aquarium,The Boston Aquarium, etc….. Nonetheless, The Seattle Aquarium stands as one of the finest in the country. Everyone loves to wonder at the amazing sea life that shares our planet with us, and the Seattle Aquarium makes all that lives under the sea almost tangible to its visitors!
Open daily from 9:30am to 5pm, guests can experience a variety of sea-life-based activities and events, experience a variety of exhibits, including marine life, Birds & Shores, and be awed by the Underwater Dome, which literally surrounds you with the waters of the Puget Sound and allows you to peek inside. Visitors can purchase tickets for their visit, or longer-term passes, and they can even book private events! It is definitely worth fitting into your Seattle itinerary.
2. The Space Needle
After being redesigned in a wide variety of aspects, the new Space Needle will stun and amaze you and your family. Designed by Edward Carlson, who was inspired by a broadcast tower in Germany, the Space Needle opened on the first day of the World’s Fair in 1963. Resembling a large UFO that is positioned on a sky-high spike, it consists of two floor-to-ceiling views that are available on a multi-level basis. You can also visit their outdoor observation platform area, which has glass walls which provide ‘open air’. And yes, it still has The Loupe, which has the only rotating glass floor in the world. Unforgettable, to say the least!
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
1.Pike Place Market
Located at 85 Pike St., this nine-acre farmer’s market has just about everything under the sun, and then some. With everything from fresh seafood and produce, to a variety of small businesses and shops that offer whatever the heart could desire, you are sure to find something that will catch your eye and your fancy. Plan to spend most of an entire day, because you simply won’t be able to take it all in on a rapid basis.
Also, there are plenty of places to eat, so no need to leave just to grab a bite. Plan your day by checking out the market’s event calendar and list of shops, or simply dive in and start exploring; you won’t be able to get enough of the sights, sounds, and smells of this iconic marketplace. This is not just one of the 5 best tourist attractions in Seattle, it is one of the most frequented places in Seattle by those who live in Seattle.
Photo: photographed by wac at en.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)]
Well, now you have just a smidgen of an idea of what the incredible city of Seattle has to offer its visitors and residents alike. But keep in mind that these places and activities are only the tip of the iceberg. There’s also the Museum of Industry & History, Chinatown and the International District, the Woodinville Wineries, and much, much more. For your next vacation, or even if you are just passing through, make it a point to put Seattle on your list. The place is a world of its own, and you will definitely want to go back for more. We hope you found our 5 Best Tourist Attractions in Seattle article helpful and entertaining. Happy touring!
