Seattle first timers....outdoor trip in October
 

Hello lovely people.

We are the newtravellers, and new here, although, we registered many years ago. Almost a decade ago! :)

Life got busy.

We are visiting Seattle from the South, for the first time in October. We will only be there for 2 days and want to experience some outdoor activity.

We are in our late 30s, but unfortunately, only have medium energy levels. We need to work on that!

Does any recommend any half day sort of outdoor activity in Seattle or whereabouts?

How about whale watching? Is this the season? Any other fun and low to mid intensity activities we can do?

Nothing too hectic, and we do not want to go to Canada, although it is beautiful, it is not practical for us, as we are just travelling within the U.S.

While we have your attention, any suggestions on what part of town to stay at?

We want to visit the Pike place area, and the glass museum, but do not need to stay downtown per se.

We can rent a car if needed and will fly in and out of the airport very late at night.

Thank you dear friends,
newtravellers

While you can plan an outdoor trip for October, there is no guarantee that you'll want to do anything outdoors at that time of the year. So you will want to have a "Plan B."

I'd suggest some things that will give you great views of the outdoors, like a ferry ride between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. You have such a short time in Seattle, going to the San Juans or to Olympic National Park are unrealistic.

I was in Seattle a couple weeks ago and took the ferry to Bainbridge Island for a day. I highly recommend it! It's a 35-minute trip. There's a small commercial area that's about a 10-minute walk from the ferry. Lots of interesting shops and nice restaurants and ice cream parlors. Great views of Mount Rainier on the way back.

Head to the Ballard neighborhood and see the locks. If you want a full day out of the city, head to Whidbey Island.

Take an Argosy Cruise- there are several options of where to go. I have enjoyed all of the ones I have done.

There is one that goes to an Indian village on Blake Island. Includes an excellent salmon dinner and a show. It is called Tillicum Village.
Also have done harbor tour and I know there are several more.

sunburn1944: >>There is one that goes to an Indian village on Blake Island. Includes an excellent salmon dinner and a show. It is called Tillicum Village. <<

Great idea . . . EXCEPT they don't operate those tours in October

newtravellers: Seattle might not be the best destination for an outdoorsy vacation in October. But it is a great destination for a city break w/ maybe a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island (takes a little over half an hour) if the weather cooperates.

Get a Seattle Citypass... includes the EMP, cruise, glass, space needle and more... some outdoors, but good deal...

I'll address the last part of your post, about where to stay and visiting the marketplace.

If you don't want to stay downtown, you can book a hotel near the airport. We chose the Hampton at the airport when we had a layover in Seattle because we were getting in late and didn't want the hassle of getting transportation downtown at that hour and after a long flight. The hotel is adequate, and has a nice breakfast but no restaurant. They'll give you local restaurant recs and shuttle you to them. Friendly, helpful staff.

The Hampton also has a shuttle to and from the light rail station, which will give you access to downtown. As an intro to the marketplace area, I highly recommend Seattle Walking Tours. They have a few different tours of different lengths and -- for real -- you pay at the end any amount you think the tour is worth. Go to their website for details.

I'd do the Whidbey loop, IMO the best one-day itinerary in the region. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/FTBgmn6qRyw

From Seattle you drive north to the pretty little waterfront town of Mukilteo. Take WA 526 from I-5; this is the "Boeing Freeway" and will take you past Boeing's Everett assembly plant, home of the 747s, 777s and 787s, and the biggest building in the world.

From Mukilteo take the short ferry ride (leaves from next to the cute little lighthouse - http://gardyloo.us/20140531_3Ha.jpg ) to Whidbey Island. Visit picturesque Langley and Coupeville, both very pretty waterfront villages, full of galleries, then spend an hour or two at Deception Pass State Park at the north end of Whidbey.

Deception Pass is a narrow channel between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands, and at tide change the rip through the gap is downright scary. But Deception Pass has fabulous beaches and trails to visit, great photo-op sites, and is worth every one of the ten dollars it requires for a day pass. http://gardyloo.us/083b.JPG and http://gardyloo.us/096b.JPG

Then follow WA 20 back to the mainland (bridge this time) and if you need one more picturesque town, stop in La Conner before heading over to I-5 and back to Seattle.

This is like a crash course in Puget Sound geography and environment, a really marvelous day trip.

Because this is your first trip to Seattle, I think you could easily fill up your 2 days in the downtown and Needle areas. And you can get plenty of outdoor walking in during that process, keeping in mind you'll have many views of the water in the process.

A nice half-day trip from Seattle is out to Snoqualmie Falls.

With only two days in Seattle, I don't think you have a lot of time to fill. If you want to do: Pike Place Market and the Chihuly Gardens, maybe add the Pioneer Square historic district and Underground Tour, and a ferry ride over to Bainbridge and back... that will pretty much fill your allotted time here.

For your first trip to Seattle, I'd recommend you say IN Seattle - not out at the airport. You will need to decide how much time to spend outside of the city - whether a ferry to Bainbridge or a drive to Snoqualmie Falls or Mt. Rainier. Gardyloo's excellent suggestion would take all day, and you would need to decide if you are willing to trade things you want to see/do in Seattle for a scenic drive. The Seattle Pass is a good deal only if you plan to visit most of the places on the pass, as it is rather expensive.

Today (Sept 23) our weather has turned, so it is grey and cold and rainy. I expect our weather to be like this for next month or so, then, in November, it will start to rain more heavily.

As this will be in October a car will have the added benefit of providing shelter from the rain if the month is typical. Parking in the downtown area won't break the bank for a day, and there are hotels in Seattle (not right downtown but in areas like Lake Union or the University District) that offer free or inexpensive overnight parking. As you're flying in and out late in the evening, with shortening daylight the car will also extend your range of activities.

Bainbridge is fine; however with a car you can also drive to West Seattle, where the views of the downtown skyline are comparable to those from the ferry, and where there are great beach walks, restaurants, etc.

Thank you friends. Apologies for the late reply. I am going through look these and get back with more questions.

In the interim, I wanted to thank all of you without further delay.

Thank you

Hello friends,

I hope everyone is doing well. I really appreciate your advice.

So far, we have only partially decided on our plans.

1) We would like to take the ferry to Bainbridge island on the Sunday we are there.

Any suggestions on what are some must see's/must do's on Bainbridge island?

2) On Monday morning we will take the Seattle walking tour and then go see the Chihuly garden in the afternoon.

We still have Sunday late afternoon and evening free and Monday evening free.

Is the underground tour interesting?

Where can we go for a scenic view? I have read that some parks offer a lovely sunset view, or even an enclosed observatory deck (on top of a building) which is comparable to, and cheaper than the Space needle?

Any other must sees/must dos's please? We can swap out a trip to the waterfall in place of Bainbridge island if you suggest that...

Thank you to everyone who replied, all of your comments were very helpful.

Thank you,
newtravellers

"Must sees on Bainbridge" ??? hmmm... well there's a cute little downtown area with some shops and restaurants. There's a large botanical garden over there Bloedel Reserve. The ferry ride over and back is the best part.

I think Snoqualmie Falls is much more interesting.

The Underground Tour is *fantastic* very fun and funny and I highly recommend it. You see a bit of the underground in the historic district but the highlight is really the tour guides and the way they educate you on the (more amusing pieces of) history of Seattle.

There's scenic views all over Seattle. Space Needle, Smith Tower, Columbia Tower observation deck (Sky View Observatory), Volunteer Park water tower, Kerry Park on Queen Anne, the Great Wheel (ferris wheel), any or many waterfront restaurants...

Really, we recommend Bainbridge for people who have very little time in Seattle an need a ferry ride to see the view. There are no "must-sees" in Bainbridge, it's really just a suburb of Seattle.

There are scenic views everywhere, but what you will be able to see in October is a matter of chance. If the weather is clear (unlikely) you can see many mountains - the Olympics, the Cascades, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker. If the weather does not cooperate, you will never know that there are mountains out there.

I like the view from Volunteer Park - no need to climb the water tower - just stand by the sculpture by Noguchi, framing the Space Needle in its center. It's a nice view of downtown and of the water and islands. You may or may not get mountains.

The new library building is very interesting architecturally, and there are some great views from there.

Thank you!

Do we need a car to go to Snoqualmie Falls or is it easily accessible by rail? Or affordable by Taxi/ride sharing?

We are debating whether we should stay in the Pike Place area or near the airport and whether we need a car for 2 days?

Also, are most of the underground tour operators similar or do you recommend the Bill Speidel underground tour?

Thank you!
Oxonian

You would need a car to go to Snoqualmie Falls.

I wouldn't stay out at the airport, as you will be in Seattle such a short time, I would think you would want to maximize your time in Seattle. Staying out at the airport will minimize your time in the city. If you are staying downtown, you will be able to walk to restaurants for dinner, for instance. And you can walk to some attractions, like Pike Place Market. Personally, I wouldn't rent a car, nor would I go to Snoqualmie Falls, but then, I am a city person. And I figure someone coming to Seattle for two days wants to see the city. If that is not true for you, please ignore this advice.

So far as I know, there is only one underground tour, Bill Speidel's. There are probably tour operators who will book you on that tour, like viator, but you are better off booking directly.

An easy scenic half-day trip (no car required) would be to take the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It gives you good views of the city from the ferry. Some people like to stroll the tiny downtown area of Bainbridge, stop in at a coffee shop, etc. But you don't want to spend a lot of time there.

I agree, definitely stay downtown instead of at the airport. This will maximize your time to see things.

The underground tour is very good, and if you look at their website, you will see they also have an Underworld Tour. We have done that as well and it is really good. There is another underground tour company besides Bill's, and that is called Beneath The Streets. I have heard good things about it as well, but have not done it so can't vouch for it;) You might check reviews and see if any of these best fit what you are looking for.