Whether you're a West Coast native or coming to Seattle from far away, you'll quickly notice (even in the span of a 48-hour trip) that Seattle has its own, unique culture that makes the city a great place to visit. Easy to get to and interesting to explore, you'll fall in love with the city's style and personality. From the charm of waterside seafood joints to the beauty of the city's parks and intelligence and artisticness of Seattle residents, you are guaranteed to enjoy your trip! Here are ten things that you should absolutely try to do during your weekend in Seattle.

Get started by booking your trip to Seattle!


10 Best Things To Do On A Weekend In Seattle


10. Wait Out the Rain at Chuck’s Hop Shop

Get started by booking your trip to Seattle! is known for its constant, inclement weather, which means you might be stuck indoors waiting out the rain for part of your vacation. If you’re a beer enthusiast, you’ll have no problem staying inside Chuck’s Hop Shop for as long as the rain falls. This beer bar and shop offers customers over 30 different types of beer on draught, and hundreds more for purchase. Chuck’s also holds events and tap takeovers quite frequently; in fact, the shop just held a three week-long adult coloring book competition. With a different food truck parked outside every day, year-round, you’re sure to find food to munch on after a few beers.


9. Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass

Dale Chihuly, an accomplished glass artist, was born and raised in Washington. After a long tenure at the Rhode Island School of Design, he confounded the Pilchuk Glass School at Washington State. The Chihuly Gardena and Glass is an exhibition hall of some of Chihuly’s beautifully constructed artwork. Located right next to the Space Needle in Get started by booking your trip to Seattle! Center, the exhibition hall, garden installation, and glasshouse hold some mind-blowing pieces of glass art. It’s definitely not a stop to miss!



8. Catch a Mariners Game

Safeco Field, home to the Seattle Mariners MLB team, has delighted baseball fans sine 1999. One of the newest field in the MLB, Safeco gives fans a view of downtown Seattle’s skyline, a gorgeous place to watch the sun set over Puget Sound, and, most importantly, an accommodating stadium to watch some of the biggest names in baseball. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. played a total of 12 years of his professional career in Get started by booking your trip to Seattle!. If you want to see future Hall of Fame players in their prime, Safeco field is a great place to do so.


7. Explore Volunteer Park

In the heart of Get started by booking your trip to Seattle! in Capitol Hill sits Volunteer Park. Inside the park, the Asian Art Museum, conservatory, and water tower provide ample activities for those who don’t want to relax on the lush, green grass. The Asian Art Museum provides visitors Asian art from contemporary artists working in Asia, but also older works from some influential artists. The water tower can be climbed, all 107 stairs of it, to offer a breathtaking 360-degree view of Seattle’s skyline, the Space Needle, and even Puget Sound. The best part about this attraction is that it’s free to visitors. The Volunteer Park Conservatory is just $4 for admission, but provides free parking for visitors. If you’re coming on a first Thursday or Saturday of the month, admission is free! There’s much to see at Volunteer Park, so be sure to put it on your to do list while in Seattle.


6. Hike the Trail at Discovery Park

This 3.9-mile loop intertwines with a forest to give hikers an easy way to get in touch with nature. The park covers a whopping 534 acres and offers open meadow lands, a lighthouse, sand dunes, and two miles of protected tidal beaches. Visitors will get an incredible view of the Puget Sound, the Cascade and Olympic mountains, and jaw-dropping sea cliffs. In addition, the park is home to Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, an urban hub for Native American cultural activities and functions. You can visit the center free of charge and explore the permanent exhibits and the changing ones in their Sacred Circle Gallery.



5. Cast Away

The Center for Wooden Boats provides admission-free entertainment for visitors of all ages. The center offers classes on the history of wooden boats, hands-on workshops, and field trips. Sunday Public Sail has taken place every week, rain or shine, for the past 25 years. This free event lets volunteer skippers take visitors out on yachts, schooners, and other boats on the waters of Lake Union. So if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to ride in a yawl or a spirit boat, this is your chance.


4. Paddle Through University of Washington

Okay, so you won’t go right through the university, but paddling directly behind Husky Stadium is pretty close. Head over the the Waterfront Activities Center at the University of Washington, open to the public, and rent a canoe or rowboat. This place is open 7 days a week from May through the end of October. Rent a canoe for $10/hour on the weekdays and explore the calm waters of Union Bay in Lake Washington.




3. Grab a Coffee

No, we’re not necessarily talking about Starbucks here (though if you're planning a fall trip, you might want to treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks!) Seattle is home to over 1,000 coffee shops, and while just over 400 of them are Starbucks, that leaves well over 600 different places to get a coffee (here are our seven all-time favorites.) Try Café Allegro, Seattle’s first coffee shop, or Stumptown, known around the pacific Northwest for their delicious cold brew, among other things. Or, check out local favorites Ventoux Roasters, who roast their own beans and give out free refills on drip coffee. You can get Starbucks anywhere, try some of Seattle’s local shops for a real treat.


2. GET SPOOKED BY REAL GHOST HUNTERS

Spooked in Get started by booking your trip to Seattle! was founded in 2004 by the president of the Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle and Tacoma. The company takes guests on 90-minute tours of some of the oldest neighborhoods and buildings in Seattle. Your tour guide will give you information along the way about ghosts and their presence in the city. Options range from a haunted pub tour to a ghost hunt aboard the USS Turner Joy.


1. Be a Tourist at Pike Place Market

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a tourist in a new city, especially when that city is home to Pike Place Market. Opened in 1907, it is one of the oldest continuously operated public markets in the entire country. With loads of vendors hawking their homemade pepper jellies and hand-crafted soaps, the market is a wonderful place to spend a morning or afternoon. Pike Place also has mainstays, called highstalls because they’re built higher up from the floor than traditional farmer’s market tables, that sell fresh fruits, veggies, and the iconic fresh-caught fish. To top it off, the market provides visitors with an unobstructed view of Seattle’s waterfront.



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This article was written by Julianne Aiello.