Things to do in Seattle
Ballard Locks & Fish Ladder
Burke Art Museum of Natural History and Culture
Center for Wooden Boats
Chiluly Garden and Glass
Columbia Tower Observation Deck (Sky View Observatory)
Experience Music Project
Frye Art Museum
Local jazz clubs
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
Museum of Flight
Olympic Peninsula
Pike Place Market
REI Flagship Store
Ride The Ducks
Seattle Aquarium
Seattle Art Museum – Asian Art Museum – Olympic Sculpture Park
Seattle Center: Chiluly Garden & Glass, Space Needle
Seattle Great Wheel
Triple Door & Musicquarium Lounge
Underground Tour
Victoria Clipper
Woodland Park Zoo
Washington State Ferries
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Things to do in Seattle
The Hiram Chittenden (Ballard) Locks
http://www.myballard.com/ballard-locks-seattle/
The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or “Ballard Locks”, is a complex of
locks that were built in 1917 to create a barrier and passage way
between the Puget Sound (salt water) and the fresh water lakes in the
area. The locks allow boats to travel back and forth between the bodies
of water, as well as keeps the two types of water from mixing. Once in
the lock, the water level drops as much as 26 feet to bring the boats
even with Puget Sound. The Ballard Locks carry more boat traffic than
any other lock in the US. The Ballard Locks is a great place to spend
part of the day, see a part of Seattle history, and watch Mother Nature
at its best. Admission is free.
Fish Ladder
The locks are a critical link for salmon and steelhead heading
upstream to spawn. The fish ladder at the Chittenden locks is
unique in being located where salt and fresh water meet.
Normally, fish ladders are located entirely within fresh water.
The fish approaching the ladder smell the attraction water,
recognizing the scent of Lake Washington and its tributaries.
They enter the ladder, and either jump over each of the 21
weirs or swim though tunnel-like openings. They exit the
ladder into the fresh water of Salmon Bay. They continue
following the waterway to the lake, river, or stream where they
were born. Admission is free.
Burke Art Museum of natural History and Culture
http://www.burkemuseum.org/
Established in 1899 as the Washington State Museum, it
traces its origins to a high school naturalist club formed in
1879. The museum is the oldest natural history museum
west of the Mississippi River and boasts a collection of
more than 16 million artifacts, including the world's largest
collection of spread bird wings. Located on the campus of
the University of Washington, the Burke Museum is the
official state museum of Washington.
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Center for Wooden Boats
http://cwb.org/
The Center for Wooden Boats is a charming museum
dedicated to preserving and documenting the maritime
history of the Pacific Northwest area of the United
States. Located next door to the MOHAI on the Lake
Union waterfront. They offer boat rentals, classes and
workshops, and opportunities for direct experience on
the water and at the docks.
Chiluly Garden and Glass
http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/
Chihuly Garden and Glass is an exhibit in the Seattle
Center showcasing the studio glass of Dale Chihuly.
The eight galleries and three Drawing Walls offer a
comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s significant
series of work. The artworks demonstrate how he
pushed the boundaries of glass as an art medium in
concept, execution and presentation. The installation inside of the Glasshouse is an
expansive 100-foot long sculpture and is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures.
Columbia Tower Observation Deck (Sky View Observatory)
http://www.skyviewobservatory.com/
The Sky View
Observatory is located
on the 73rd floor of
Columbia Center. At
nearly 1,000 feet it
offers the tallest
public viewing area
west of the
Mississippi. The 360degree panoramic
view includes Mt.
Rainier, Bellevue, the Cascade Mountains, Mt. Baker, Elliott Bay, the
Olympic Mountains, the Space Needle and the city of Seattle.
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Experience Music Project
(EMP)
http://www.empmuseum.org/
Founded by Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen in 2000, the EMP is a
nonprofit pop culture, music and
science museum. The building is a
unique, colorful 140,000-squarefeet building, designed by Frank O.
Gehry. The museum houses multiple galleries and exhibits that cover pop culture, from
the art of fantasy, horror cinema, and video games to science fiction, literature and
costumes from screen and stage. It also has the largest collection in the world of rare
artifacts, personal instruments, and original photographs celebrating the music and
history of Seattle musicians Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix.
Frye Art Museum
http://fryemuseum.org/
The Frye Art Museum emphasizes painting and
sculpture from the nineteenth century to the
present. Its holdings originate in the private
collection of Charles (1858–1940) and Emma
Frye. Charles, owner of a local meatpacking
plant, set aside money in his will for a museum
to house the Fryes' collection of over 230
paintings. The Frye Museum opened to the
public in 1952, and was Seattle's first free art
museum. It is still free today!
Local Jazz Clubs
http://www.seattle.com/jazz
Seattleites are serious about their jazz clubs, and
the city has some seriously noteworthy live
venues worth getting excited about. Jazz Alley,
just blocks from Downtown and the waterfront,
features an intimate setting, world-class jazz and
delicious food. Bandoleone offers a different
vibe, with Latin Jazz played after dinner along
with some of Seattle's best margaritas. Since most
of Seattle's jazz clubs double as restaurants, these
are some of the best date destinations around. Tula's Restaurant & Jazz Club, in
addition to booking some of the best jazz musicians in the country, is known for its
extensive bar and excellent Northwest cuisine. Seattle jazz clubs are some of the best
that the Northwest has to offer! Check the web site for full details and current shows.
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Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
http://www.mohai.org/
The MOHAI is the largest private heritage organization
in the State of Washington maintaining a collection of
nearly 4 million artifacts, photographs, and archival
materials that primarily focus on Seattle and the
greater Puget Sound region. Located on beautiful Lake
Union in the heart of Seattle, The MOHAI is accredited
by the American Alliance of Museums and is a
Smithsonian affiliate museum.
Museum of Flight
https://www.museumofflight.org/
The Museum of Flight is the largest private air and
space museum in the world. Established in 1965,
the museum is located at Boeing Field, about 10
miles south of the Edgewater Hotel. The Museum
of Flight Collections acquires and preserves a wide
array of materials and artifacts relating to aviation
and space history, and holds one of the largest and
most comprehensive air and space collections in
the United States, containing millions of rare
photographs and negatives, a world-class library,
tens of thousands of artifacts, and over 150 rare
aircraft and space vehicles.
Olympic Peninsula
http://www.olympicpeninsula.org/
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in
western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from
Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean,
the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by
Hood Canal. The peninsula is anchored by the majestic
Olympic Mountains. No other place in America can
match its diversity in terrain and weather in such a
compact geographic area. So come visit and explore
our lakes, waterfalls, rivers, mountains, beaches and
rain forest.
Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous
United States, and Cape Flattery, the most Northwest
point, are on the peninsula, which comprises about
3600 miles.
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Pike Place Market
http://pikeplacemarket.org/
Located half a mile from the Edgewater Hotel
(location of our retreat), this world famous public
market overlooks the beautiful Elliott Bay
waterfront in Seattle. Opened in 1907, it is one of
the oldest
continuously
operated
public
farmers’
markets in
the United
States, and is
a place of
business for
many small local farmers, craftspeople and
merchants, who sell their goods every day…and
home to the famous “Flying Fish!” The Pike Place
Market is Seattle’s most popular tourist destination
and is the 33rd most visited tourist attraction in the
world. It is also home to the original Starbucks!
REI Flagship Store
https://www.rei.com/stores/seattle.html
The massive flagship store for REI is in the
Cascade neighborhood adjacent to downtown
Seattle and it attracts a lot of tourists. With
80,000 square feet of floor space and staffed with
380 employees, this is an REI store on steroids. It
has a mountain bike test trail and a simulated rain
booth for testing equipment. The interior features
a 65-foot tall rock climbing tower (reservations
required). If you can’t find a piece of clothing or
equipment for the outdoors in this store, it probably doesn’t exist.
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Ride the Ducks
http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/
Tour Seattle by land and sea on a WWII
amphibious landing craft! It's a party on
wheels that floats!
You’ll see all of Seattle on this 90-minute
adventure, which travels nearly 20 miles
from historical Pioneer Square to quirky
Fremont. Packed with local folklore,
historical information, jokes and music, your Tour Guide will keep you dancing in your
seat and surprising your friends with long shot Seattle trivia bits at the drop of a hat!
Seattle Aquarium
http://www.seattleaquarium.org/
This public aquarium opened in 1977 and
located on Pier 59 on the Elliott Bay
waterfront in Seattle. It promotes marine
conservation, with over 800,000 visitors
each year.
There are many unique exhibits, including a
one-of-a-kind undersea dome with a 360º
view into a 400,000 gallon tank filled with
hundreds of sea life unique to the Puget Sound area, a 12-foot high glass "donut" where
visitors can be surrounded by a multi-species display featuring a giant Pacific octopus!
They also are home to a fabulous assortment of marine mammals – such as otters, seals,
and a shorebird habitat.
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Seattle Art Museum
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/
The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as "SAM") is located in the heart of
downtown Seattle, minutes from the famous Pike Place Market. SAM actually
maintains three major facilities:
Its main museum in downtown Seattle
with over 25,000 pieces of modern and
ethnic art, European paintings and
sculptures, Aboriginal Australian Art, and
Native American pieces from the Pacific
Northwest.
The Seattle Asian Art Museum in beautiful Volunteer Park is in a gem of an Art
Deco building, erected in 1933. Its collections of Asian art remain the single greatest
draw for scholars and admirers of art to Seattle. The works span centuries and mediums
and come from China, Japan, India, Korea, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, the
Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Olympic Sculpture Park on the
central Seattle waterfront is a 9-acre
outdoor sculpture museum and beach that
contains large, contemporary sculptures.
Admission is free and it is only a 5-minute
walk from the Edgewater Hotel!
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Seattle Center
http://www.seattlecenter.com/
Originally built for the 1962 World’s
Fair, the 74-acre Seattle Center is a
park, arts, and entertainment center. Its
landmark feature is the 605-foot tall
Space Needle. There is much to see here,
including the International Fountain
(with over 20 spouts that go through
programmed cycles of shooting water
patterns accompanied by world music),
Experience Music Project/Science
Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, IMAX 3D
Movie Theater, Butterfly House, The Kobe Bell Meditation Garden, and a piece of the
Berlin Wall. The Seattle Center is also the main stop for the Seattle Center
Monorail terminus.
Space Needle
http://www.spaceneedle.com/home/
Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, this
iconic symbol of Seattle has an
observation deck at 520 feet and the
rotating SkyCity Restaurant. The
downtown Seattle skyline, as well as the
Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount
Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and
surrounding islands can be viewed from
the top of the Needle.
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Seattle Great Wheel
http://seattlegreatwheel.com/
The Seattle Great Wheel is a giant Ferris
wheel at Pier 57 on Elliott Bay in Seattle, less
than a 10-minute walk from the Edgewater
Hotel. Soar above the city at an overall height
of 175 feet and enjoy the beautiful view of Puget
Sound and Olympic Mountains.
Triple Door
http://www.thetripledoor.net/
The Triple Door is a 270-seat dinner theater,
lounge and music venue that hosts concerts for
folk, indie, and World music groups. Dinner is
served in the theater from the world-renowned
Southeast Asian menu of Wild Ginger
Restaurant.
Musicquarium Lounge
Located upstairs from the Triple Door, you will
find this unique local favorite bar, which features a 1,900 gallon freshwater fish tank..
There is live music almost every night of the week and it is always FREE. The lounge
also boasts “Seattle’s most exciting happy hour” (4pm-6pm Monday-Friday and 9pm12am Sunday-Thursday).
Seattle Underground Tour
http://www.undergroundtour.com/
Seattle's first buildings were wooden. On June 6, 1889 a
cabinetmaker accidentally overturned and ignited a glue
pot, which spread into the Great Seattle Fire that
destroyed 31 blocks in downtown Seattle. The city was rebuilt over the damaged subterranean passages that once
were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old
downtown Seattle. Guides tell the stories our pioneers
didn’t want you to hear. It’s history with a twist!
Victoria Clipper
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http://www.clippervacations.com/victoriapackages/day-trip-to-victoria/
This high-speed passenger-only ferry service is located
on the Seattle Waterfront, a 5-minute walk from the
Edgewater Hotel (location of our retreat). In less than 3
hours, travel from the Seattle Waterfront to Victoria and
enjoy the beautiful Pacific coast through the Strait of
Juan de Fuca. Victoria has shopping, restaurants and a
variety of attractions and activities including the world
famous Butchart Gardens for you to explore before
returning to Seattle in the evening.
Woodland Park Zoo
http://www.zoo.org/
Founded in 1899, Woodland Park Zoo has
sparked delight, discovery and
unforgettable memories for generations of
Northwest families. The zoo is home to
more than 1,000 animal ambassadors
representing 300 species across the globe.
When you see animals at the Woodland
Park Zoo, you are helping to save them in
the wild. The zoo collaborates with field
conservation projects around the world,
preserving fragile habitats, and increasing public awareness for wildlife and
environmental issues. Woodland Park Zoo is a recipient of multiple Best National
Exhibit awards from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Washington State Ferries
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/fun-placesferry-seattle-wa-60790.html
Feel like escaping without going too far or
taking a lot of extra time? The Washington
State Ferry Terminal is a 15- minute walk
from the Edgewater Hotel. Hop on one of the
Ferries and take an afternoon or evening
cruise to nearby Bainbridge island, or just to
get out on the water. Enjoy the beautiful
views, fresh air, and maybe even see some
bald eagles and sea otters.
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