Space Needle

Space Needle Review

Almost 50 years old, Seattle's most iconic building is as quirky and beloved as ever. The distinctive, towering structure of the 605-foot-high Space Needle is visible throughout much of Seattle—but the view from the inside out is even better. A less-than-one-minute ride up to the observation deck yields 360-degree vistas of Downtown Seattle, the Olympic Mountains, Elliott Bay, Queen Anne Hill, Lake Union, and the Cascade Range. The Needle was built just in time for the World's Fair in 1962, but has since been refurbished with educational kiosks, interactive trivia game stations for kids, and the glass-enclosed SpaceBase store and Pavilion spiraling around the base of the tower. The top-floor SkyCity restaurant is better known for its revolving floor than its cuisine, but the menu has improved markedly in the last few years. Don't bother doing the trip to the top of the Needle on rainy days—the view just isn't the same. If you can't decide whether you want the daytime or nighttime view, for $17 you can buy a ticket that allows you to visit twice in one day.