As you may know, if you’ve been here a while, my “list” blog posts, like my 40 Before 40 Bucket List or 10 Tips For Visiting Yellowstone, lean toward the abstract. So, this list of things to do in Seattle will be no different. Why? Because cities as dynamic as Seattle can be experienced lots of different ways. The city has plenty of green space to chill out in, and plenty of coffee places to rev up. You can play tourist and stand in all the lines, or escape to nature. There are other blog posts out there that will give you a detailed list if you want it. But I don’t want to box you in. I want you to do you. So, here is my first timer’s guide of things to do in Seattle.
Before getting into the nitty gritty, you can take this fun travel quiz to see where your future travels should be taking you!
Be A Tourist
I know, I know, I just told you that all the other blog posts have the detailed touristy advice. But when visiting a new city, I always like hitting the touristy places up front. That way it frees up your time for all the other things a city has to offer. Besides, can you imagine going to Seattle and telling people you didn’t see the Space Needle? No! Of course not! Some touristy sites are iconic to cities for a reason, and you have to see them for yourself!
There are lots of touristy things to do in this amazing city. Luckily most of them are in one place, and you can save money on them by buying the City Pass. The City Pass let’s you choose 5 of Seattle’s attractions and experience them all for one price of $109 per adult and $85 per child. The pass allowed us to see the Space Needle (duh!), the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, the Museum of Pop Culture, the ferris wheel and go on a harbor cruise with great views of the city skyline.
Space Needle
I really thought the Space Needle was going to suck. It was a super long line, even though we reserved ticket times (another thing the City Pass let’s you do), for what I thought was going to be 20 minutes max at the top. However, once at the top I was pleasantly surprised. Not only were we greeted with the most beautiful day and 360 degree views of the city, but there were fun things to do. Like glass benches to sit on that make you feel like you are literally falling through the sky. Or you can go down a few floors and sit on the still rotating ground of what used to be the restaurant. Plus some delicious (if expensive) drinks, makes for an hour well spent. You probably don’t need more than that though.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop)
Again, I was skeptical if this was a must of things to do in Seattle. However, my husband is a huge Pearl Jam fan, so it was a must for him. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, and bands like Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam had huge dedicated exhibits. There were also areas for video games, which the kids absolutely loved, fantasy games, and costumes. However, it was my least favorite museum. There was a lot of reading. For a museum with tons of music and videos they surely had to choose from, it was not very immersive. And I can’t say I absorbed the information.
Chihuly Garden And Glass Museum
The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum was my favorite. I am not artsy AT ALL, so it’s always impressive to me when I’m able to see so much creativity manifested. Also, the museum is so well done. A self-guided audio tour takes you through Chihuly’s life and works of art. And you’re able to see his inspirations brought to life, making the tour very educational and interesting. Plus there were glass blowing demonstrations which we so cool!
Museum Of Pop Culture 
Outside The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum 
Display At The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum
Eat All The Things
Seattle is an amazing hub for food. So some of the best things to do in Seattle is to eat all the things! One of the best ways to do that is by visiting Pike Place Market. But there are also tons of restaurants, rooftop bars, and food stalls to explore! To be honest with you, aside from the market, we kind of failed at this. Since we traveled during the pandemic and right after a major heat wave, restaurants ended up having weird open hours. And with hungry kids, you just kind of take what you can get. But I’m definitely going back someday, and I will eat EVERYTHING.
Pike Place Market
I am not going to spend too much time talking about Pike Place Market, because I have a whole blog post on it. But as touristy as it may be, it is still one of my top recommendations for first timers to the city. The greatest thing about the market is that you get to try lots of different foods from different places. If you want to know more about what we did and the foods we tried, you can head over to the other post.
A Mariner’s Game
For us having fun and eating get combined in the form of a baseball game. I know most people think of baseball food as hamburgers, hotdogs, peanuts, and beer. Well, the Mariner’s stadium has all those things and so much more! Things from mouth watering Asian food, to a killer $30 crab sandwich. I have had some good baseball food before (I’m looking at you White Sox with your awesome churros), but have seldom been surprised. However, the smorgasbord available in this stadium is not to be missed. Trust me on this.
Go Island Hopping
Seems like a weird recommendation for the Pacific Northwest right? Well it’s not! Seattle has tons of islands that are accessible by car and ferry and make for the perfect day trip (or overnight trip). If you’re in the city during the right time of the year, you can even go whale watching in the San Juan islands. Other options include Fisher Island and Bainbridge Island.
We visited Bainbridge Island, which again I have a whole blog post over. It was the perfect way to escape the city and have some amazing food at a slower pace. Not to mention the ferry gives you really great views of both the island and the city. We chose Bainbridge because it seemed the easiest to get to with the kids. And only took a half day instead of a whole day. However, island hopping is definitely something all first timer’s to the city should do. I for sure want to see some whales the next time I go back.
Connect With Nature
Unlike the advice to go island hopping, I’m sure my advice to connect with nature while in Seattle surprises no one. The Pacific Northwest boasts some of the most spectacular nature there is. Cool forests make for incredible, if challenging, hikes. And if hiking is not your thing, there are plenty of scenic drives. We hiked the Mount Si trail. I kid you not it was one of the most challenging days of my life.
26,000 steps later, I thought my knees and ankles were going to give out on me, and I didn’t end up making it to the summit. But that’s okay. While the rest of the party traversed the summit, I sat on a bench and waited for them. Sunlight trickled through the trees and I got to hear all the noises of the forest. So I was still able to connect with nature (even if nature totally kicked my ass!). And enjoying nature and silence is definitely one of the top things to do in Seattle.
Take A Beach Day
Finally, one of my last recommendations for first timer’s in Seattle is to take a beach day! Again, sounds kind of strange. I’m from Georgia, and go to Florida frequently. The two states are home to some of the best beaches there are. However, there is something awesome about going to beach and being able to see snow capped mountains in the distance. The beaches are filled with smooth pebbles and are not scalding hot even in the dead of summer. Be warned though, the water is ice cold! So I wouldn’t necessarily call it a swimming beach. More like a sit around drinking White Claw kind of beach. You know, unless you are very brave!
Wading Into Cold Water – Carkeek Beach 
Smooth Pebbles
That’s it! All my recommendations for things to do in Seattle for first timer’s. Hopefully this guide helps you explore this amazing city the way it was meant to be explored…by you!
Have you ever visited Seattle? What do you think of this first timer’s guide? Let me know in the comments!
