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Seattle Maps & Attractions Guide
Seattle maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Seattle
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Seattle
Attractions - Things to do
1. Pike Place Market
First Avenue, between Pike and Pine Streets
www.pikeplacemarket.org |
What is it? Rachel, a giant piggy bank, stands guard over
the Pike Place Farmer's Market in downtown Seattle, placed there to
raise funds to preserve this National Historic District founded in
1907. The bustling market has provided the local people with
producer-priced goods for decades, and continues to do so today as
about 100 farmers and fishmongers tout their wares. They have been
joined by more than 150 local craftspeople and artists who have
also set up shop here, along with street performers, dozens of
restaurants and numerous speciality shops. The world's first
Starbucks coffee shop opened here in 1971, and is still brewing up
its famous beverage on the original site. At the north end of the
market Victor Steinbrueck Park provides a popular grassy place to
sit in the sun and escape the milling
crowds.
Hours of Operation: Open daily. Hours vary for different businesses, and
Sundays are voluntary opening days so some shops may be
closed
Phone:(206) 682 7453 |
2. The Space Needle
400 Broad Street
www.spaceneedle.com |
What is it? Anyone who has followed the Hollywood movies
will be familiar with Seattle's internationally recognised symbol,
the futuristic creative Space Needle building. From afar it looks
like a spinning top, with the needle aerial pointing skywards. The
Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair to showcase
upcoming architectural development, and proved itself by
withstanding an earthquake experienced in the city in February 2001
measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale. Visitors can ascend the 607ft
(185m) building as far as a revolving observation deck 520ft (158m)
above the city, where high-powered telescopes are positioned to
allow you to pick out the city sights. There is also a restaurant
on top of the tower.
Hours of Operation: Daily Sunday to Thursday 9am to 10pm, Friday and
Saturday 9am to midnight
Phone:(206) 905 2100 |
3. Experience Music Project
325 Fifth Avenue North
www.emplive.com |
What is it? One of Seattle's most popular attractions is
the Experience Music Project, basically a rock 'n roll music museum
with a difference, housed in a huge, colourful psychedelic
building, designed by Frank Gehry at the base of the Space Needle.
The museum was planned originally by Microsoft entrepreneur Paul
Allen as a memorial to Jimi Hendrix, the superstar guitarist who
was born in Seattle and died more than 30 years ago. The Hendrix
exhibit, featuring artefacts associated with the rock legend,
remains the biggest drawcard at the museum, but the collections and
interactive exhibits have been expanded to include the general
history of American popular music. Exhibits range from the first
electric guitars of the 1930s to a rock 'n roll thrill ride akin to
a roller coaster. In interactive rooms visitors can try their hands
at mixing on DJ turntables or playing various instruments. The
museum is also the venue for numerous
concerts.
Hours of Operation: Summer hours are Monday to Thursday 10am to 5pm;
Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm; Sunday 10am to 6pm (Memorial Day
to Labor Day). From 23 February to 31 May the museum is closed on
Mondays
Phone:(877) 367 5483 |
4. Seattle Art Museum
100 University Street
www.seattleartmuseum.org |
What is it? Seattle's downtown Art Museum is landmarked
by the animated thudding massive steel sculpture by Jonathon
Borofsky called "Hammering Man" that stands outside. Inside the
remarkable building, designed by Robert Venturi, are a large range
of exhibits covering European and American art, from ancient
through to a vast 20th-century collection devoted to Northwest
contemporary art. Free guided tours of the different collections
are offered.
Hours of Operation: The Museum is currently closed for renovations until
Spring 2007. Ordinarily open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
10am to 5pm; Thursday 10am to 9pm. Closed Mondays except public
holidays
Phone:(206) 654 3100 |
5. Pioneer Square
www.pioneersquare.org |
What is it? Billed as "where Seattle begins", the
historic district of Pioneer Square features more than 20 city
blocks of historic buildings, more than 30 galleries, a vibrant
retail sector and the city's most exciting nightlife. The district
is south of the main downtown area, and encompasses two major
attractions. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
recalls the days when Seattle was a jumping off point for hopefuls
heading for the goldfields. Another visitor favourite is the unique
Underground Tour, taking in the sunken storefronts of the original
"Skid Road", where timber used to be slid down to the steam-powered
mills on the shores of Elliott Bay.
Hours of Operation: Daily 9am to 5pm. The Underground Tour ticket office
opens daily 9.30am to 6pm
Phone:(206) 667 0687 |
6. Museum of Flight
9404 East Marginal Way South
www.museumofflight.org |
What is it? Next to Boeing Field, south of downtown
Seattle, the Museum of Flight consists of a six-storey high glass
and steel construction, which was the original Boeing factory.
Inside is a collection of more than 130 aircraft, some suspended
from the ceiling, which includes some of history's most famous
airplanes. There is, for example, a replica of the Wright brothers'
first glider and the original Air Force One presidential plane used
by Eisenhower. The museum covers the entire history of flight right
up to the space programme. The Museum's most recent acquisition is
a British Airways Concorde - the only one on America's West Coast.
Concorde arrived in true style setting a new world's record time
from New York to Seattle.
Hours of Operation: Daily 10am to 5pm; open until 9pm on the first
Thursday of every month. Closed Thanksgiving and
Christmas
Phone:(206) 764 5720 |
7. Snoqualmie Falls
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What is it? About an hour's drive into the Cascades
Mountains east of Seattle is the resort of Snoqualmie Falls, where
the Salish Lodge and Spa is famous for having been the setting for
many scenes from the hugely popular television series,
Twin Peaks. The dramatic falls plunge 270ft
(82m) down a precipice into a pool of deep blue water, close to the
town of North Bend. The world's first underground electric
generator still operates behind the falls. There are several hiking
trails in the area and picnic sites with a view of the waterfall.
Snoqualmie also boasts four ski slopes: Alpental, Snoqualmie
Summit, Ski Acres and Hyak. In the town of Snoqualmie is the
Northwest Railway Museum and the historic Snoqualmie Valley
Railroad, which runs steam train trips to North Bend between May
and October.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
8. Puget Sound Islands
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries |
What is it? Washington State Ferries depart regularly
from the Seattle waterfront piers carrying passengers to and from
the many islands in scenic Puget Sound. Visitors generally favour
Bremerton, about 20 miles (32km) west of the city, actually on the
tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. Here stands the Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard Museum, and visitors can also explore the historic
destroyer, USS Turner Joy that is tied up at the ferry dock. A
popular island destination is Bainbridge, just 10 miles (16km) west
of Seattle, which has its own winery. Winslow, the main town on
Bainbridge Island, is a pretty historic town with some fine
restaurants and shops and a great view of Seattle. Vashon Island,
10 miles (16km) southwest of the city is an artist's colony. A
little further afield are the San Juan Islands boasting miles of
unspoilt beaches, state parks, whale-watching opportunities and
primeval forests.
Hours of Operation:
Phone:(206) 464 6400 |
9. Olympic National Park
www.nps.gov/olym |
What is it? Wilderness lovers revel in retreating to the
wild Pacific Coast with its glacier-capped mountains, magnificent
stands of ancient forest, fascinating biological diversity, and
wild Pacific coastline. About 95 percent of the park has been
designated a wilderness area, which protects a unique ecosystem on
the Olympic Peninsula that encompasses eight kinds of plants and 15
species of animals occurring nowhere else on earth. The Peninsula
separates Seattle from the Pacific Ocean.
Hours of Operation: Open daily, 24-hours a day. Some roads may be closed
during winter, call (360)565 3131 for automated road information
system. Visitor center hours vary throughout the
year
Phone:(360) 565 3130 |
10. Mount Rainier National Park
www.nps.gov/mora |
What is it? One of the oldest national parks in the
United States, Mount Rainier National Park was founded in 1899 to
preserve the lofty volcano, Mount Rainier, known to the Native
Americans as Tahoma. The snow-capped peak is visible from Seattle,
90 miles (145km) away and dominates the region, drawing thousands
of climbers every year to dare the dangerous ascent to its summit.
The rest of the park is a beautiful wilderness containing glaciers,
rivers, deep forests, lush alpine meadows and over 240 miles
(380km) of maintained trails.
Hours of Operation: Open daily all year round, but access is limited in
winter
Phone:(360) 569 2211 |
11. Mount St. Helens
www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm |
What is it? One Sunday morning in May 1980, Mount St
Helens, one of the snow-covered peaks of the Cascades Mountains,
lying about 168 miles (271km) south of Seattle, erupted, causing a
massive landslide and devastating a vast area of forest. The
volcano continued erupting intermittently for six years. Today the
area is being preserved as the Mount St Helens National Volcanic
Monument, being left to revive naturally from the experience while
scientists continue to monitor the volcano and the environment of
the surrounding landscape. The Monument has become a fascinating
tourist attraction equipped with numerous viewpoints and miles of
trails enabling it to be explored by car or on foot. Forest
Interpreters host visitors during the summer months organising
activities like walks and amphitheatre presentations, while in
winter the mountain slopes provide cross-country ski and snowmobile
trails. Climbers take on the journey to the crater rim and five
visitor centres operate on State Road 504 on the west side of the
mountain providing information about the volcano and the
environment. A gift shop at the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center
offers hand-crafted items made from Mount St. Helens ash.
Hours of Operation:
Phone:(360) 274 0962 (Mount St. Helens Visitor
Center) |
Seattle Holidays guide
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Transport -Seattle city centre is well serviced by
public transport with an excellent bus system, historic streetcars
along the waterfront, and a high-speed elevated Monorail which
links downtown to the Seattle Center and offers views over the
harbour and beyond.
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