Emerald City: Seattle's Top 20 Attractions

Space Needle Tower

A symbol of Seattle, one of the most famous towers in the United States, a "space needle" and just a refined structure in the middle of gigantic and bustling Seattle - this is the Space Needle Tower, which appeared in the largest city of Washington State in 1962.

From the outside, the Space Needle structure looks like a thin spear, on which a round wide part is strung - it is there, at a height of almost 160 meters, that the two-storey observation deck is located. Here you can admire the Cascade Mountains, the center of Seattle, as well as the Rainier Volcano and Elliot Bay. On the first floor of the observation deck, the floor is transparent and the whole thing spins on its axis, which adds to the spice of the experience.

Seattle Center Entertainment Complex

Seattle Center is a large cultural, arts and entertainment center with an area of about 30 acres. It was built specifically for the 1962 World's Fair, which boosted the city's economy and cultural life and attracted more than 2.3 million visitors.

From museums to concert venues and the 18,600-seat KeyArena Stadium, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants.

Downtown Waterfront

The best place to walk in any city is the waterfront. Seattle is no exception. It is a real cocktail of unusual and exquisite objects. On one side you'll see luxury hotels and restaurants, on the other side you'll see cargo ferries crossing Puget Sound.

A huge observation wheel, an aquarium building, and many souvenir stores complete this extravaganza worthy of the best urbanists and marinists.

Pike Place Market.

This is a huge, huge market. It is located on the coast of Elliot Bay and occupies an area of more than 3.6 hectares. The giant market consists of a complex of buildings, the tallest of which has 6 floors. It sells confectionery, vegetables, books, clothes, seafood, cosmetics, flowers - literally everything you can imagine. In addition to the stores, there are many cafes and eateries. The vacant corners are always occupied by street musicians, actors and magicians who gather a lot of spectators around them.

This grand shopping Babylon is visited by more than 10 million people every year. So, we can say that Pike Place Market in Seattle has already become an iconic place that attracts tourists to it.

Next to Pike Place is an unusual object, even somewhat strange and already cult - the wall of the Market Theater, decorated with chewing gum. Its "creation" began in the 1990s. Students, standing in line for tickets, began to use the gum to mold coins on the wall. Gradually, the length of the molded space reached 15 meters, and the thickness of the wall layer - a few centimeters. The authorities cleaned the wall several times, but in the late 90's they relented and soon became a local landmark.

Dale Chihuly Glass Museum

If you need a magic pendel to boost your creativity, the Dale Chihuly Museum of Glass comes in quite handy.

The Seattle glass garden, created by master glassblower Dale Chihuly, opened in December 2012. The one-and-a-half acre garden features glass figures along pathways, a gallery of 8 exhibition rooms, a pavilion, a multipurpose installation room, and a cafe. Inside the pavilion is a 30-meter long suspended structure of glass surprises. Dale Chihuly's incredibly colorful works of glass fascinate at first sight, you want to look at them again and again.

Museum of Pop Culture

Nestled in the heart of the city sits the "metal" brainchild of architect Frank Gary.

It's home to one of the state's most interesting museums, the Music History Project, which opened in 2000. The museum's many galleries offer a variety of musical instruments, clothing, photographs and videos of world musicians on display. song, learn to play the guitar and even perform in an arena in front of an audience of thousands.

Seattle's Big Wheel

Another way to admire the city from above is to take a ride on Seattle's Big Wheel, which is more than 50 meters high. Each of its 42 gondolas holds 8 passengers.

The wheel looks especially spectacular in the evening, when the illumination of 500,000 LED lights is turned on. After the ride, you can have dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants.

Kubota Garden

This is one of the best places in Seattle to enjoy nature. It was founded by landscape designer Fujitaro Kubota in 1927.

The garden is designed in the traditional Japanese style, but it features plants typical of the western part of the United States. Miniature waterfalls, floodplains, ponds, exotic plants are placed on 8 hectares of artificially created valleys and hills. Among other things, more than 200 Japanese maples, including rare species, have been blown up on the garden's territory.

Mount Rainier

If your family loves the outdoors, hiking and adventure, head to Mount Rainier National Park. It's home to one of Seattle's symbols, Mount Rainier. You'll have a great time wandering through scenic trails, alpine meadows and evergreen forests, admiring waterfalls and climbing sheer rock walls.

Be sure to visit the main attractions of the national park - Gobbler's Knob, Shriner Peak, Mount Fremont and Tolmie Peak lookouts, Ex-Nihilo Sculpture Park, Mount Rainier Railroad. In the winter, Crystal Mountain Ski Resort opens on the slopes of Mount Rainier.

Carrie Park

This famous place often adorns the first pages of tourist brochures - from here you can see all the iconic sights of Seattle.

The park, which was created and donated to the city by the Kerry couple in the early 20th century, is essentially a huge observation deck equipped with several benches and stairs with railings. Kerry Park offers views of the Seattle Towers, the Observation Wheel and Space Needle, Puget Sound Bay and Mount Rainier, which we've already covered above. To enhance the experience, come here in the evening, when the city glows with the lights of street lamps and the many clever illuminations of buildings.

Lake Union

Lake Union was formed from a glacier 12,000 years ago. At that time it was inhabited by the original settlers of the Duwamish tribe. According to one version, the name "Seattle" comes from the name of one of their chiefs Chief Sealth.

Today, it is a popular recreation spot where you can picnic and enjoy the beautiful views. There are unique floating houses, and every Tuesday in the summer, the lake hosts Duck Dodge sailboat races, which attract fans from all over the world.

You can book a hotel in Seattle with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium, opened in 1977, consists of several themed pools where you can admire the inhabitants of the underwater world and sometimes touch the colorful sea creatures with your hands.

Unique here is the 95,000-liter pool with a coral Pacific reef and its peculiar flora and fauna; the "Grok of Waves" wave pool, which reproduces the coastal zone of Lake Washington; the "Marine Mammals" pool with seals, seals and buckets.

Several times a day there is a special underwater show featuring divers.

St. James Cathedral

Monumental, majestic, awe-inspiring - all of these epithets best describe St. James Catholic Cathedral, located in the heart of Seattle, in the expensive and sophisticated First Hill neighborhood.

From the "pearls" of religious architecture of Washington State, it would fit perfectly somewhere in the main square of Florence or Paris, but it is the inhabitants of cosmopolitan and cheerful Seattle who are lucky to live side by side with it, giving the citizens a sense of comfort, home and warmth.

Boeing factory

Those who are interested in aeronautics or just want to learn a little more about airplane manufacturing should definitely visit the Boeing plant, where the flying giants are assembled. This plant is located in the city of Everett about 40 kilometers north of Seattle.

The local educational center, Future of Flight Aviation Center, offers unique tours of the factory where commercial airplanes are manufactured - there is no other factory like it in North America. In addition to visiting the factory at Pine Field, visitors will be able to design their own model airplane.

Pioneer Square neighborhood

Pioneer Square is a trendy neighborhood in the heart of historic downtown Seattle, established in 1852 as the city's first "downtown." Its old neo-Renaissance style homes welcome tourists with the open door of its many gift stores, art galleries, wine bars and trendy restaurants.

If you want to see what Seattle was like before the terrible fire of 1898, you can purchase a tour of the local historic dungeons.

Snoqualmie Falls

Did you know that Seattle on the map of the United States can be quickly found because of the huge amount of water around? So, of course, we recommend visiting the water features here. In particular, Snoqualmie Falls.

It is located on the Snoqualmie River. The height of the water fall here is 82 meters, which means it is higher than even the famous Niagara Falls. The locals consider this place sacred. It is not surprising: the waterfall is incredibly picturesque, often covered with high rising fogs. There is a modern spa center nearby.

Chinatown neighborhood

Seattle's Chinatown is more than just a cluster of Chinese restaurants and stores. It's home to businesses owned by Japanese, Koreans, Thais and even Vietnamese, which is why an international epithet is often added to the neighborhood's name.

Within this colorful cultural diversity you will find many ethnic restaurants and grocery stores, travel agencies specializing in Asian tours, acupuncturists and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. Places to visit include Hing Hei Park and the Wing Luke Museum.

Green Lake Park

Picturesque Green Lake Park is centered around a small natural lake formed by a glacier during the last ice age.

Today, it is a favorite recreational spot for local runners, fitness trainers, and tanned sunbathers. The trails surrounding the lakes attract thousands of hikers and bicyclists, so if you're a hiker, we suggest heading here.

Pacific National Center

This place takes kids and adults on a fascinating journey through the world of science. The museum aims to awaken every child's curiosity, passion for discovery and critical thinking.

In addition to a variety of interactive exhibits that help them understand the laws of the universe and the cosmos through experimentation, the Pacific Science Center is home to two IMAX theaters, one of the world's largest dome laser theaters, a planetarium and the Tropical Butterfly House.

Wild Waves Theme Park

Wild Waves Theme Park is a theme park and water park with extreme and family rides, roller coasters and a variety of water activities. It is located in the city of Federal Way, 40 kilometers from Seattle. It is a must go here for the whole family for the whole day.

Thrill seekers are recommended to experience the largest wooden slides in Washington State Timberhawk Ride of Prey, Timber Axe, Brain Drain drop tower and Soaring Eagle. Want more relaxed entertainment? The Ferris wheel, various swings and merry-go-rounds are at your service. A fairy-tale railroad, boat rides and car rides are waiting for the youngest ones.