3 Days in Seattle.....
 

We plan to be in Seattle in late August from Thursday through Monday (return to East Coast on Monday). We've both been to Pike Place Market and Space Needle so don't need to see those (but would be happy to pick up picnics at Pike).

We love cycling, kayaking, fine dining, touring, etc. Should we stay in town? Head out? Do we have time to kayak the Islancs? HELP!!

I would either go up through the islands or take a Cascade loop.

You could take the Mukilteo ferry to Clinton, on Whidbey Island, then work your way up Whidbey and adjacent Fidalgo Islands before taking the Anacortes ferry to Orcas and San Juan Islands. Stop at Langley for lunch or dinner, and spend some time on the beaches of Deception Pass State Park. Drive up to the top of Mt. Erie on Fidalgo for a great view. Go kayaking on Orcas and biking on San Juan. Hike or drive to the top of Mt. Constitution on Orcas for one of the best views in the state.

Alternatively, take U.S. Route 2 over Stevens Pass and down the other side into Leavenworth. Take a hike (or bike) up the Icicle Creek road. Go over to Wenatchee and take a raft trip or kayak trip on the Wenatchee and/or Columbia Rivers. Drive along the Columbia to Lake Chelan, where you could also take a nice kayak trip in the upper end of the Lake (the lower end has too many motorboats). Take Route 20 through Twisp, and the Methow Valley. There are tons of bike trails in the valley, as well as boating in the river. Drive back over the Cascades on Route 20, over Washington Pass, where there are lots of fine views and hiking trails. At Rockport, take the Mountain Loop Highway through Darrington and Arlington. Lots of great hikes along this highway, as well as great rafting/kayaking on the Skagit River above Rockport.

Lot more to Seattle than Pike Place Market and Space Needle. Do you like music or sci-fi? EMP and Sci-fi museum are both a lot of fun. Explore the city....

Or, take day trips. Lots of neat towns in this area of the state, lots of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Port Townsend is a neat town, well preserved. Take the ferry to the San Juan Islands (good place to bike), maybe from Anacortes, a town which many people seem to like.
Or take the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria- Victoria has a lot to do (Natural History museum), great restaurants! Bellingham is also beautiful and popular. Same with Mt. R.
Alf's suggestions are great as well- Leavenworth is fun, if you have the time.

At least go to PPM for breakfast or flowers or the fish market- you can never do that too many times:)

Maybe a couple nights in the city and a couple out on Whidbey Island (i like Captain Whidbey Inn myself)?

Besides Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, downtown you'll find for starters:
Chinatown/International District
Pioneer Square historic disctrict
new Seattle Public Library
Triple Door or Jazz Alley

Thank you all so much; what a great community this is! I'll post to let you know what we ultimately decided.

For more suggestions...try using the search feature at the top of the page...type in Seattle to see lots of recent info on similar threads.
Debi

You could have a great time staying in the city or heading out! But just fyi, there are lots of places to rent kayaks in the city. Kayaking Lake Union from the NW Outdoor Center is one of the most fun city things to do, IMO. Make a reservation if you're going on the weekend. They have a website.