Four of us (wife, kids age 13 & 11) will be arriving in Seatle April 10th thru 14th on the Amtrak Empire Builder from Chicago. First time in Seatle and don't have any plans so far, or place to stay. Please advise on both. Enjoy hiking, outdoors, sightseeing, etc. Will rent a car so we can split the trip between a couple areas, etc. What would you recommend.

Thank you,
Dave

A lot will be weather dependent. You have to factor in sprinkles, clouds and snow at high elevations, hindering access.

A couple of days in Seatle is good in any weather. You can go kayaking from Aqua Verde near the UW and have a great and inexpensive meal there. (This is find even in the sprinkles) You can try to find the houseboat in Sleepless in Seattle on Lake Union.

Rent bikes and take the path along the water at Alki if it's not too wet. There are great views of Seattle, bakeries to stop and eat at, and sandy beaches.

Visit Pike Place Market, of course.

It's a lot of fun to visit Ballard locks between Puget Sound and Lake Union and look at the fish jumping through the fish ladders. (Not sure who's jumping in April, but some fish probably are) There are nice gardens at the locks, too, as well as educational displays about salmon and the locks.

Seattle has some lovely parks with good hikes, too. Discovery Park is particularly nice. The path goes through forests to a beach with a lighthouse. You will not believe you are in the city. The road to this park goes through the Magnolia neighborhood and the scenic drive is pretty amazing.

A ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and a visit to Port Townsend would be good even in the rain. (Can kayak there, too) You might think about taking the ferry to the San Juan Islands (from Anacortes) and spending time hiking around there. It will probably be too early for Orca viewing.

Maybe the road to Hurricane Ridge is open in April. If so, that's a good hike and great view. Mt. Rainier will probably be largely inaccessible, due to snow. Ditto for Mt. St. Helens.

Other people can speak to the beaches along the coast. (or search this forum. There was recently a very good post with links to great photos of the different beaches along the coast. Hope you can find it.) The coast would be good to visit if it isn't too foggy.

I've written a lot of ideas and you would have to choose between the coast and San Juans. I think the weather might be a determining factor, if you don't have to have reservations (This might not be so important in April). It would be nice if you could just decide when you are here. If you go to the coast, you would probably want to spend the night. Ditto for the San Juans.

What a great trip! We took the train from Chicago to Boston once. The kids loved it. We did too, though I didn't sleep a lot.

Museum of Flight
Experience Music Project (EMP)
Seattle Center
Pioneer Square Historic District
Snoqualmie Falls

I've made that train trip, and I suggest a big room with a comfortable beds so you can catch up on your sleep. Check out "suite" hotels close to the retail core.

Here are some ideas about things to do:

• A play or a cruise: discount tickets are often available at the ticket office located in the Pike Place Market at 1st Avenue and Pike Street.
• Our new library has been praised for its forward-looking architecture.
• We have a great zoo at Woodland Park.
• Mt. Rainier is the most popular day trip from Seattle.
• In Pioneer Square there is a National Park devoted to the Klondike Gold Rush.
• A meal in an authentic Seattle joint, such as Mamma’s Mexican Kitchen.
• Search for oddities in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the waterfront.

PS On the train the dining room is a much better value than the snack stand.

I second the kayaking suggestion, either at Agua Verde or the NW Outdoor Center, if the weather is nice. You can rent doubles and each partner with one of your kids.
April is not a good month for mountain sightseeing-the snow will be starting to melt and the ranger led snowshoe walks at Rainier and Olympic will be over, but all the trails will be snow covered, so no hiking. IF the roads are clear (call the park and check to make sure; many times chains are required) and the weather is clear you can still drive up to either Paradise (Rainier) or Hurricane Ridge (Olympic) and see the view and tromp around in the wet snow. There are some low elevation hikes that will be snow free (like the Carbon River trail at Rainier), so that might be an option. You can look at the park websites for more info.
Like someone already suggested, Seattle's parks (Lincoln, Carkeek, Discovery) have some nice, scenic trails. A trip to Deception Pass and Whidbey Island (many nice state parks there) would be fun if the weather is good as well.
There are lots of good ideas above-I'll second the library, Alki, the Bainbridge Ferry and the Locks.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Edgewater, it is located right ON Elliott Bay. Gorgeous property and very friendly service. The Pike Place Market, ferry ride to Bainbridge and the Space Needle were all great fun.

We enjoyed meals at Dahlia Lounge, Salty's on Alki (they will come and pick you up in a comp limo that is fun) and the Flying Fish Grill. The Six Seven at the Edgewater is a beautiufl place for a meal. We enjoyed daily breakfasts there and appetizers in the afternoon out on the small deck over the water. Great place to relax and watch the ferries glide to and fro. Enjoy Seattle! ***kim***

www.edgewaterhotel.com is the website for more info on this gorgeous property. ***kim***

We visited Seattle just before our child entered high school and things she enjoyed the most were:
Experience Music Project (begged us to go there), Underground Tour at Pioneer Square, the Ducks (yes, touristy, but a way to see where things are on your first day in town), Pike Place Market (fish throwing) and Snoqualmie Falls. We liked Mt. St. Helens more than she, but as you already read, the weather may be prohibitive. Also, we are also Chicagoens and used to cold, but not cool weather and the dampness. Seattle is definatley the city for layering! We've stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle Center which is reasonable, provides continental breakfast, and has free parking. No views though.

Thanks for all the great ideas. Sounds like a bad time of year for whale watching or seeing Mt. Rainier/St. Helens - but does sound like there are a lot of other things to do. We do have 2 sleeper cars on the train that come with meals, so hopefully we will be rested. I think I may find a place in Seatle for 2 nights and then play it by ear and go somewhere else when we get there for the other 2 nights. It sounds like I won't have a problem finding a place to stay on the coast or San Juans without reservations? Thanks again for all your suggestions.

I wouldn't ever go to the San Juans without reservations. April is the time when business is picking up again for the beginning of high season. Maybe if you go on a weekday you'd be allright (I'd still look at my guidebook and call on the drive up to the ferry) but most lodgings are scattered around each island-the towns are very small and have only a handful of places to stay-you might end up spending your trip driving around looking for accomodation.

We too are planning a trip to Seattle. I was in Barnes & Noble's travel section and they had a neat Top 10 Best Seattle book that I definately plan to get. Maybe check for a used one on eBay or Amazon?

I've heard of an "Underground Seattle" tour that sounds interesting.

I second the Olde Curiosity Shop. I went there as a kid when we went to Seattle to see the King Tut exhibit and found the shop every bit as fascinating as King Tut.

The other thing we did as a kid that may not still be available is to get clam chowder & fries from the outside window at Iver's. I thoroughly enjoyed throwing fries to the seagulls. It's probably bad for the gulls but they're not known for being descriminating eaters.

Oh yes, there's still to-go windows along the waterfront to get those fish & chips!

We just got back from Seattle. Here are a few of the things we did.

Pike's Market
Pioneer Square
Space Needle
Underground Tour
West Seattle-Alki Beach
Ballgame at SafeCo Field
Chittenden Locks (if it's a nice day take a picnic)
Fremont Market
Farmers Market in the University area

We didn't take a Ferry because we'd just gotten off a cruise.

For cheap eats:
Dick's Drive-in
Pagliacci's Pizza-they deliver
14 Carrot-for breakfast