Things To Do In Seattle, Washington, USA

Last updated on 22 June 2026

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Our days in Seattle were jam-packed when we visited in 2019, and while it was really only one full day, with a night on either side that we were adventuring around this epic city, we still had plenty of things to do in Seattle.

While the last time we went to Seattle, we also had a jam-packed day, this time we did different things, which I was very pleased about. It was another beautiful day, and I’m beginning to think that the internet and all the people lied to me about it raining all the time in Seattle. Barely a cloud in the sky, and I’ve been there twice now.

This is not an extensive list of things to do in Seattle, just some of the things that we did on our one full day there. I hope they give you some ideas as to what you could add to your list of places to check out if you’re visiting yourself!

Some of the things to do in Seattle

Pike Place Market

The only thing we did that was the same was a visit to Pike Place Market, which I was happy with. I managed to get this beautiful hand-crafted ring at the market, and also lost my entire party, who went to lunch without me. Good thing I had roaming on my phone and could find them again.

I love wandering the market at Pike Place; it’s full of such interesting stalls and shops, and it has a wonderful eclectic mix of items.

Sky View Observatory at Columbia Center

The first thing we did as we left the house in the morning was head to the Sky View Observatory at the top of the Columbia Center, which is the highest tower in Seattle’s CBD.

While the Space Needle is a great spot to venture up to to get views of the city, the Columbia Center is a lot taller, a lot less crowded, and costs fewer dollars.

The Needle is neat if you’re ticking off all the viewing platforms in major cities around the world (the Tokyo Tower, Auckland’s Sky Tower, perhaps, the Eiffel Tower etc), but in terms of viewability and getting the most of your time, then it’s the Sky View Observatory for the win.

It’s also 902 feet high and is the tallest public viewing area in the Pacific Northwest, so you know. Pretty neat.

The Seattle Library

Our car was parked under Seattle’s main public library, so we had a quick look in and it was amazing! If you’re in Seattle, I highly recommend a visit.

The Seattle Library is designed in such a way that instead of floors which are your typical one-level floor, they have the Spiral of books. So you start on Level 1 and you find the magazines, then as you walk around on the path, the floor inclines like a ramp and you get to Level 2 which has all the books that begin with 200 in the library system. Keep walking, you get to the 300s, then 400s etc etc. It’s very cool!

Other things to do in Seattle

Other than the market (which I highly recommend – you can also visit the original Starbucks there, but there’s always a line out the door, so good luck), we went across to Bremerton on the ferry and visited a bug museum (long story but it was pretty great, tbh), had lunch at this hilariously awesome Mexican restaurant in nearby Port Orchard (called Puerto Vallarta, definitely recommend!), and spent the evening venturing back to Seattle, watching the sun set while we on the ferry.

The ‘third’ day we drove down to visit friends in Olympia, and then on to Astoria and Cannon Beach.

Have you ever been to Seattle? What did you do?