There are many things to see in Seattle, beyond the famed Pike Place Market.  We have put together a list of other things to entertain you with, while staying in the city.

Kayaking: For the more adventurous, you can rent a kayak at the Northwest Outdoor Center on the west side of Lake Union and paddle around the lake yourself.   For a little less urban setting, you can rent canoes at the Waterfront Activity Center by Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus and canoe through the north end of the Arboretum.  It is a great place to take a picnic lunch.

Views: If it is vistas that you enjoy, but you are not into paying the $9+ to go up in the Space Needle, then the water tower at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill offers the same height and only 100 steps, with an exhibit about our parks at the top.

Parks: Kerry Park on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill offers a view of the city that many will recognize from a famous TV show on NBC.  Other places with great views include Gas Works Park on north Lake Union, Golden Gardens Park on the Puget Sound in Ballard, Alki Beach in West Seattle, any ferry ride into the city, the Palisades Restaurant at Elliott Bay Marina at the foot of Magnolia Bluff, and Magnolia Boulevard on top of the Bluff itself.

Museums: Museums in Seattle, while not the Met or Louvre, offer a nice little slice of various interests.  The Seattle Art Museum is in downtown and has a nice collection and great feature exhibits.  The Seattle Asian Art Museum is in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill.  The Museum of Flight is at the south end of Boeing Field and currently has the original Air Force One on display.  The University of Washington has two fine galleries in the Henry Art Gallery, usually more contemporary pieces, and the Burke Museum which features northwest native art.  The Pacific Science Center is great for kids and now the Experience Music Project is open next door in the shadow of the Space Needle.  It will likely be a must see for any musician or music lover.

Shopping: Antiquing in the city can be done downtown under the Viaduct, on First Ave. around the Pike Place Market and in Pioneer Square.  Also, there are a few scattered shops in almost every neighborhood.

Zoo: We have a Zoo and it is great.  It has won numerous awards over the years for its exhibits, including the Tropical Rain Forest, Elephant Exhibit, Northern Plains Exhibit, and Nocturnal House.

Gardens: The Arboretum is our very own outdoor museum and the Japanese Gardens are (something has to be) magical.

Getting Around: Seattle is a fairly compact city, with its share of traffic problems.  With six drawbridges, two floating freeway bridges and three high over water bridges, the bottlenecks are inevitable.  Our bus service from the neighborhoods that all the Bed and Breakfasts are located in is very good and convenient to downtown and points mentioned above.  While a car is not needed for most of the in-city sights, it is needed for the out of town day trips.

The Market: We saved the Pike Place Market for last, because it is the most popular and most asked about location by our guests.  None of us are located at the market, but all of us are convenient to its location downtown.  Average time spent at the market by our guests is about 2 to 3 hours.  Many locals, especially the growing urban population, use the Market as their grocery store, florist, or specialty food store.  The flowers are incredible and affordable and all the inns have extra vases to use if you should purchase some.  It is also a great place to buy fish to take back with you as it is packed to keep for 48 hours in any weather, or browse through the many shops and tables of local crafts.

Coffee: Don’t forget that Seattle also has a multitude of local coffee shops beyond the one that has now gone global, plus a barista on most every block.  Take the time to sit and relax every so often, be it at one of these coffee shops or back at the Bed and Breakfast.

Western Washington offers plenty of sights within driving distance
- in fact, the countryside is so beautiful that the drive is half the fun!

Wineries: If you are not into hiking, then we suggest visiting the wineries in the Snoqualmie Valley, most notably Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, both next to the Redhook Brewery between Redmond and Woodinville.  Downtown Kirkland is worth a little stroll among the shops and the waterfront if the weather is good as it is just west of the Wineries on the northeast shore of Lake Washington.

Islands: North of the city, we believe that Whidbey Island is a great day trip.  Drive north about 30 minutes to the Mukilteo Ferry dock for the short ride to the southern tip of the Whidbey Island.  The island is 30+ miles long and narrow.  The highlights being, Langley and Coupeville for antiques and lunch, Ebby’s Landing for a peaceful walk on the beach with a great view, and Deception Pass at the top of the island for a little hike and great pictures.  You can be back in the city for dinner.

Seaplane Excursion: Flying a seaplane off the water from Seattle is a Northwest must do, visit www.kenmoreair.com.  We recommend a day trip to Victoria or the San Juan Islands on Kenmore Air, the leader in the seaplane world. Flight times are about 45 minutes. You can enjoy a full day away, without long lines or wasting time enroute. Return to Seattle in time for dinner, theatre or a ballgame. Kenmore Air offers two Seattle area terminals, downtown on Lake Union and their home base on North Lake Washington. Or try their 20 minute flightseeing options over downtown Seattle.

Whale Watching: If you have your heart set on visiting the San Juan Islands and going on a whale watching tour, the best way to do it on a day trip is to drive about 90 minutes to Anacortes and walk on the Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  Enjoy a beautiful ferry ride, a great little town with shopping and restaurants, whale watching tours and sea kayaking, and then take the early evening ferry back to your car in Anacortes.  In the summer months, the Victoria Clipper runs a high-speed catamaran to Friday Harbor from downtown Seattle.

Tulips: Also north is the town of LaConner, about 75 minutes by car.  It is best known for the center of the Tulip Festival in April each year, but is worth a visit all year for antiquing and strolling.  Another town nearby that is better known for antiquing is Snohomish, which is a bit closer, but not on the water.

Bavarian Charm: For a little longer drive, Leavenworth, a quaint Bavarian theme town, is less than a two and a half-hour drive through the mountains past the Stevens Pass Ski area.

Victoria, B.C.: Victoria is a great town that can be seen in one day if you take the Victoria Clipper in the morning, take the bus to the Buchart Gardens first thing, then come back to Victoria and spend the afternoon and early evening having high tea, visit the BC Museum or Craigdarroch Castle and stroll around the town.  The Clipper will have you back in Seattle by 9 PM.  Visit www.victoriaclipper.com.  The other alternative would be to take a Kenmore Air seaplane from Lake Union in the heart of Seattle up to Victoria Harbor.  A fun experience and great views of the area.

Olympic Mountains: For those wishing to see the Olympic Mountains to the west of Seattle, in the late spring to early fall you can take a ferry across the Puget Sound and drive up north to Hurricane Ridge, which is near Port Angeles.  The hike to the top affords some spectacular views or the range and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island.  The Hoh and Quinault rain forests on west side of the Olympic National Park are at least 3-½ hour drive each way and are great.  Remember though that it is a “rain forest”, so therefore it rains often and a lot.

Across the Sound: For a shorter day trip across the sound, we recommend taking a ferry from downtown to Bainbridge Island.  The Bloedel Botanical Gardens are the best in the area but require a reservation, 206-842-7631.  Poulsbo is a sleepy little Scandinavian town just off the north end of the Island with a fabulous bakery and antique shops.

Volcano: To the south, there is our resident Volcano in just a few hours drive.  The Mt. St. Helens Johnson Observatory and Interpretive Center is both educational of the landscape and awe-inspiring.  Enjoy good hikes and surprising wildlife.

Mount Rainier: Certainly, the “granddaddy “ of all day trips is of course Mt. Rainier and the encompassing National Park.  Be reminded that all those pictures that you see of Mt. Rainier with the snow on it are true.  It is huge and dominates the vistas from up to 150 miles away.  The low trails are great for most of the year, but the high trails at Paradise and Sunrise are best after mid June into early October.

We have very long days in the summer months with up to 16 hours of daylight at its peak.  It does of course rain in the Seattle area, which means the foliage is lush and green and our gardens start blooming in February all the way into October.  The summer months are the best with very little rain, low humidity, few bugs, and temperatures rarely above 90 degrees in July, August, and September.  In the spring and fall, the rainfall of a "rainy day" often comes at night and in the morning hours with beautiful afternoons.  Snow is rare, but when it does happen, we just kind of slow down and enjoy its beauty until it melts that afternoon or the next day.

---

Helpful Links

In order to help you plan your northwest vacation, we suggest looking at the following web pages.
 

To visit Victoria from Seattle, check out the Victoria Clipper at: www.victoriaclipper.com

For Ferry schedules to anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, look at: www.ferrytravel.com

For information on our Canadian neighbors, check out B.C. Tourism at: travel.bc.ca
For information on Seaplane flights to Victoria or the San Juan Islands, check out Kenmore Air at: www.kenmoreair.com

Fishing Charters - Nyman Fish Finders Private Charters: www.fishingseattle.com