Some things to do in and around Seattle

Note: prices and links were last updated in 2007, so much of this information is probably not current. Caveat linkor!

Sightseeing

• Explore the trails and beaches at Discovery Park or Lincoln Park (free).
• Walk through the Arboretum (free) and the Japanese Garden ($5).
• Visit Kubota Garden (free).
• Go to the Ballard Locks and watch the boats go up & down and the salmon climb the fish ladder.
• Visit Fremont ("the center of the universe"), and see the statue of Lenin, the Fremont Troll, and many funky shops.
• Shop or browse the Pike Place Market and visit the original Starbucks store.
• Walk around Pioneer Square, visit the art galleries and the Elliott Bay Bookstore, and go on the Seattle Underground Tour ($9 for students).
• Visit Seattle's Chinatown-International District.
• Wander through the beautiful new downtown Seattle Public Library.
• Visit Seattle Center (site of the 1962 World's Fair) and go to the top of the Space Needle ($13).
• Take a boat cruise ($15–$26, depending on where you go).
• Take a ferry to Bainbridge Island and back ($6).
• Visit Snoqualmie Falls (free, 29 miles east; drive or take Bus 214 from downtown).

Physical Activities and Sports

• Rent a bike at Recycled Cycles ($20 for 6 hours) and ride on the Burke-Gilman trail: you can ride west to the Ballard locks, or north to the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville, or just boogie around and look at the scenery.
• Rent a bike ($50/day) at Gregg's Greenlake Cycle and ride around Green Lake (3 miles).
• Go skiing or snowboarding at Snoqualmie Summit or Crystal Mountain (not cheap!).
• Go cross-country skiing ($14 trail pass + $20 equipment rental) or snowshoeing ($10 trail pass + $17 snowshoe rental).
• Go hiking in the mountains (unless it's summertime, stick with low altitudes). Here's a list of nearby hikes.
• Rent kayaks at Agua Verde ($35 for 2 hours for a 2-person kayak).
• Rent canoes at the UW Waterfront Activities Center ($4/hour per canoe).
• Go bowling or play pool or ping pong or in the UW HUB.
• Go ice skating at Highland Ice Arena in Shoreline ($6 admission + $2.75 skate rental).
• Go roller skating at Skate King in Bellevue ($5 admission + $1 skate rental or $4 for roller blades).
• Go rock climbing indoors (REI $15, Vertical World $15, Stone Gardens $14) or on the outdoor climbing rocks at UW or Marymoor Park (free). (UW has an indoor climbing center, but it is not open to visitors.)
• Play handball, racquetball, pickleball, wallyball, or squash at the UW Intramural Activities Center ($7 for a guest with a UW student).
• Go swimming at the UW IMA pool (each UW student may bring one guest for $7), or Evans Pool at Green Lake ($3.75). In late summer, you can swim in Lake Washington: for example at Magnuson Park or Golden Gardens.
• Go dancing: swing, ballroom, tango, or folk.
• Catch a Husky sports event.
• Attend a professional sports event: the Sonics ($10 and up), the Thunderbirds ($10–$20), or the Mariners ($18 and up).

Museums and Exhibits

• Asian Art Museum ($3 for students).
• Boeing airplane factory tour in Everett ($15, 26 miles north; drive or take Bus 513 or Sounder Commuter Rail).
• Boeing Museum of Flight ($14).
• Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (on campus; $5 for students).
• Experience Music Project ($20).
• Frye Art Museum (free).
• Henry Gallery (on campus; free for college students with ID)
• Museum of Glass in Tacoma ($8 for students, 37 miles south; drive or take Bus 586 or Sounder Commuter Rail).
• Museum of History and Industry ($7).
• Olympic Sculpture Park (free).
• Pacific Science Center ($10).
• Science Fiction Museum ($13).
• Seattle Aquarium ($12).
• Seattle Art Museum (closed for renovations until May 5, 2007).
• Woodland Park Zoo ($10.50).

Arts and Entertainment

• Go out to a live music club. Check the Seattle Weekly listings.
• See an improv comedy show (Jet City Improv near the University $10, Unexpected Productions at Pike Place Market Theatre $12).
• See a play. In addition to the several world-class professional theatres for which tickets can be expensive and hard to get, Seattle has lots of smaller theatres where you can get tickets for $10–20. See the Seattle Weekly listings to find out what's playing. Also check out the UW drama school offerings.
• See a concert or dance performance at Meany Hall ($29–$45).
• Check out the free classical concerts at the UW School of Music or the Frye Art Museum.
• Attend a concert by Orchestra Seattle ($10 for students) or the Seattle Symphony (as low as $20 if you sit way up in the corner).
• Go to a public lecture at UW or the University Bookstore (free) or at Town Hall ($5–$20).
• See a movie on a huge screen at the Cinerama ($7) or IMAX theater ($9).

Food and Drink

• Go out to dinner at your favorite inexpensive restaurant.
• Have a barbecue at Gas Works or Ravenna Park.
• Visit a microbrewery.
• Tour a winery in Woodinville (14 miles NE; drive, bike, or take Bus 522 from downtown).
• Shop at Uwajimaya Asian supermarket in the International District.

About Transportation

You can get to most places in Seattle and surrounding areas by bus—Metro bus for Seattle and its immediate environs, or Sound Transit for the more distant towns. The buses are safe, clean, friendly, and usually on time. While you're in downtown Seattle, you can ride the bus for free if you get on and off in the "ride free area." The Metro Transit web site has a trip planner that will automatically find a bus route for you.

If you decide to go north to Everett or south to Tacoma, try the Sounder Commuter Rail. If you want to go to any of the islands in Puget Sound, the Washington State Ferries are fun and inexpensive for walk-on passengers. If you rent a bicycle at Recycled Cycles or Gregg's, you'll find that Seattle is one of the best cities in the US for getting around by bike.

But there are still a few places that are hard to get to without a car. If public transportation doesn't go where you want to go and you don't have a car available, a taxi can be reasonably inexpensive if several people share it:

• Farwest Taxi – (206) 622-1717
• Graytop Cab – (206) 782-8294
• North End Taxi – (425) 363-3333
• Yellow Cabs – (206) 622-6500

Be sure to sort out your transportation needs before deciding where to go.