Seattle Tourist Attractions: Things to do in Seattle, Washington

Seattle is situated in the northwest pacific region of United States, to be more precise, at the isthmus of Lake Washington and Puget Sound on the US - Canada border line. The city got its name after Chief Sealth, the leader of Duwamish and Squamish nomadic groups, who lived their before 4000 years ago. As we know, Seattle is the major commercial, educational and cultural powerhouse of the western Washington region. Seattle is an ordinary city with extraordinary and fun things to do, for every age group. Rock music, superb coffeehouses and rainy days combined with natural surroundings, you will find it all here. So, get ready as I unfold the traveling secrets, as well as the fun things you can do in Seattle, Washington.

Things to Do in Seattle, Washington

Seattle is surrounded by three water bodies, that is the Lake Union, Lake Washington and Elliot Bay along with the mountains like Olympic, Cascade and Mount Rainier. All these natural treasures come with rolling city life, world class museums (Seattle Art Museum), classic theaters and numerous world cuisine restaurants.

Ballard Locks
Actual name being 'The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks', is a complex of locks in the middle of the Bay Salmon which is a part of Lake Washington Ship Canal. Ballard is the place that works as a link between the fresh water of the Lake Union, Portage bay, Lake Washington and Salmon bay with the salt water of the Puget Sound. Here it is a fun to watch the passing sailboats, tugs, yachts and barges of all sizes. The amazing part is to watch the water shifting, which is done to ease off the movements of the thousands of ships, that pass through the Ballard locks. You can also see a clear glass fish ladder, that is specially prepared for the salmons to cross the fresh waters and enter the sea water.

Underground Tour
The whole Seattle city was elevated from the original ground level, somewhere in the 19th century. So, now it is a huge network of numerous underground passageways, in the downtown region. The 'underground' is the skittish part of the city, that lies below the present road structure of Seattle. These underground structures surely take you back in the history in their own ulterior ways. From the 60's the Seattle Underground Tours, started to make buzz among the tourists. It is a must visit place for all the history aficionados.

Woodland Park Zoo
The Woodland Park, a conversational and educational institute, spread across 92 acres of land situated in the Green Lake area near Seattle, Washington. It is a botanical garden and an educational institute that exhibits the value and interdependence of all the living things. There is a large variety of various living things including species from African Savanna, tropical rain forest birds, elephants from Thailand and from the northern trail of America. It also exhibits many endangered animal and bird species, along with various plants, shrubs and herbs. Visiting Woodland Park Zoo, will be a cool thing to do, on your next visit to Seattle.

Pike Place Market
Pike place market is the popular public market, of Seattle, Washington and is situated on the waterfront of the Elliot bay. The pike place market is also known as farmer's market from the old times. It is actually a very happening place amongst all the Seattle attractions. Spread over a vast area of 9 acres, the place is constantly buzzing over with the smells, flavors and sights of the fresh goods along with the sounds, cheers and quarrels of the craftsmen, farmers and artists. Watching all the hustle bustle and being a part of it is actually a fun thing to do in Seattle.

Space Needle
How can I forget this distinguishing feature of the city? The Space Needle is the symbolic figure of the Seattle city. The 605 feet tower, initially built for the World Fair in 1962, is a famous tourist spot. There is a rotating 'Eye of the needle', which has now been turned into a restaurant. When at the top, one can have a bird's eye view of all the surrounding mountains, the Elliot bay and most of the surrounding islands.

Other Attractions in Seattle, Washington

As I have mentioned earlier also, the city of Seattle will never disappoint its visitors. 'The Pioneer Square' is the place that holds many historic treasure buildings, most of them were built after the infamous Great Fire of 1889. You can also take a streetcar to Pioneer Square. Here one can experience the rich history of the city. On the streets you will find the native 'totem poles' and 'pergolas', which stand witness to the grandeur of those times. Seattle city is the homeland of the grunge music, which is a popular form of rock music from the 80's. It is also the birth place of many of the contemporary rock bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Seattle also has the entombment of famous martial artist and actors Bruce Lee and his son Brandon Lee. The city also houses The Boeing company, more than 2000 cruise ships including Harbor Cruise, Henry Art Gallery, Nordic Heritage Museum, Pacific Science Center and many more. I am sure that all these Seattle attractions will definitely make you want to visit this 'Queen City' over and over again.

The Seattle weather has extremely controlled temper, so, the best time to be in Seattle is each day of every year!!! Seattle, Washington is the great place to be, in any season and with any one you want, the fun is assured.