There's more to Seattle than the Space Needle and Pike's Place Market. Here are some of our favorite places to go and things to do — from music venues and cinemas, to parks, theaters, farmer's markets, and more.
Bainbridge Island is home to a planetarium and, at 27½ inches in diameter, the largest publicly accessible telescope in the Northwest. The Battle Point Astronomical Association holds monthly star parties, which include planetarium shows and telescope viewings that are open to the public.
Free
Located in Battle Point Park alongside Battle Point Dr., Seattle, WA
Acts that can easily fill larger venues opt instead for extended-night runs at the casual, intimate Tractor. Country singer Shelby Lynne popped by to perform recently. Other acts feature rockabilly, jazz, ska, blues, and pop.
Hold the Raisinets–opt for something along the lines of a glass of French red and a stone oven-crisped pizza topped with spicy Italian sausage and organic mustard greens. The Central screens indie flicks, old favorites, and events like the popular Arab-Iranian Film Fest in March. Read more
With free admission and $1 glasses of wine, this has to be the city’s best bargain night out. Local writers read essays, short stories, comedy, memoirs, and, yes, poetry while the audience packs the small cafe and snacks on cheese and crackers or hummus and veggies.
Performances happen every other month; visit website for calendar of events
Arthur Lee Jacobson Plant Tour
When it comes to trees in Seattle, Jacobson wrote the books. Having canvassed streets, parks, ravines, cliffs, and beaches to record the over 1,000 trees located in the city, Jacobson is well prepared to lead his seasonal walking tours.
Walking tours March-October; destinations change with the seasons
COLUMBIA CITY
Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center (parks)
With 277 glorious, woodsy acres jutting into Lake Washington, bike paths, and sandy beaches, Seward Park has always had a lot going for it. The center is within a historic landmark, a refurbished 1927 Tudor, where there’s a library, a lab, and two classrooms where kids can test their science savvy.
Open Tuesday-Saturday in summer; Wednesday-Saturday in winter
DOWNTOWN
The Triple Door (music)
You might her Robert Cray while munching on salt-and-pepper squid one night and then discover a folk singer-songwriter the next. This 1926 theater was saved from boarded-up neglect and turned into an intimate place to hear musicians who are not just run-of-the-mill mainstream.
For some schooling in the Northwest’s other brown bean, hop onto the Tour de Chocolat van, run by the Chocolate Box shop, for a three-hour edible intro to the city’s hottest sweet spots: Theo Chocolate, Oh! Chocolate, and Fran’s Chocolates.
The 5¼-acre park that forms a lid over part of Interstate 5 is known for its horticultural integrity as much as it’s engineering marvels. There are more than 350 trees, plus a slew of bulbs and perennials, that provide a constantly evolving tapestry of colors.
Go for their facility which can accommodate fine art from around the world and multiple special exhibits, like the Andy Warhol Media Works exhibit. Things loosen up a little after-hours at the Seattle Art Museum. The first Thursday of every month is always free and you get cocktails and live music.
Patrons visit this banya (Russian for “bath”) for it’s moist sauna, Turkish-style steam room, cold plunge, and tepid saltwater pool. Men, women, and families all enjoy the 20-ton 220° perilka oven, inside a bathhouse that is therapeutic without being froufrou.
Open Tuesday-Sunday; visit their website for details about the Early Bird Special
Northwest Outdoor Center (outdoor sporting)
The most astonishing thing about kayaking in Seattle is the variety of experiences in an urban backyard, especially in the industrial waterways where you can actually see more wildlife. The Puget Sound region has a wealth of instructors and kayak shops, including the NWOC.
In autumn, flame-colored maples light up the forest edges, chum salmon hit the creeks, and waterbirds like buffleheads and harlequin ducks come home for the winter. Add in year-round residents like rhinoceros auklets (yes, they have horns on their bills) and the place starts looking like a zoo. Observe from Discovery Park, where the wild beaches have tidepools, bluffs, and restored wetlands.
Call the visitor’s center (Closed Mondays) for directions to park
PIONEER SQUARE
Smith Tower (landmarks)
Seattle’s first skyscraper is located in the city’s original downtown Pioneer Square–a symphony of red brick, limestone arches, and cobbled streets. Ride up the hand-driven elevator to the observation deck for views that rival the Space Needle’s.
You can watch professionally trained bodies bending, leaping, and twirling every which way at the venerable Pacific Northwest Ballet. Tickets normally run $25 to $150, but if you time it right you can score tickets at the little-known $10 preview days.
Call for a schedule; preview days are usually the Friday before a show but tickets sell out quickly
Book-It Repertory Theatre
These are not just plays based on books but theater entirely from books. Practically every word is spoken, every scene, every situation comes straight from the text. From Don Quixote to John Irving’s The Cider House Rules, go for performances absolutely cut down to their essence.
Tickets $20-$40
Center House Theatre, 305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA
Enjoy this saucy mix of burlesque, comedy, and dinner circus. The ever-evolving production that combines improv, dance, and sensuality is served up with a five-course gourmet dinner under a giant Belgian mirrored tent.
Open Thursday-Sunday; visit their website for special events
WEST SEATTLE
Weather Watch Park
Make like a meteorologist or a little kid and look up. From towering cumulous castles to saucerlike lenticulars, Northwest clouds are viewed easily form the park’s wide-open western vantage point. Pull up a driftwood log on the pebble beach just below the park, tilt your head back–and gaze.
Contribute to the local economy while stocking up on fresh produce, cheeses, and baked goods at one of these seven bustling Seattle farmers’ markets: Broadway, Columbia City, Lake City, Magnolia, Phinney, University District, and West Seattle. Each has a unique vibe–from urban farmers’ mixer to neighborhood beehive¬¬.
