91 Best Sights in Seattle, Washington

Gospel-music fans are drawn to the home of the state's largest Black congregation. The church's first gatherings began in 1889; back then its prayer meetings were held in homes and in a store. The church, which was recently designated an official Seattle landmark, was incorporated in 1903, and after a number of moves, settled in its current simple but sturdy brick building. Eighteen stained-glass windows, each with an original design that honors a key Black figure, glow within the sanctuary. Beneath the bell tower, James Washington's sculpture The Oracle of Truth, a gray boulder carved with the image of a lamb, is dedicated to children struggling to find truth.

Located in the Lake Union Park's converted Naval Reserve Building, the 20,000-square-foot MOHAI offers visitors an in-depth slice of regional history with a permanent collection featuring more than 100,000 objects ranging from vintage souvenirs to everyday household items. Permanent exhibitions include the Center for Innovation, which showcases Seattle's role as a place where invention and entrepreneurship flourish; the exhibit is supported by a $10 million gift from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon (which has its corporate headquarters a few blocks away). Special temporary exhibitions examine everything from chocolate to stories of Jewish merchants in Washington State.

What started as the Experience Music Project first expanded to include science fiction and fantasy, then took on all of pop culture. The 140,000-square-foot complex is a controversial architectural statement; architect Frank Gehry drew inspiration from electric guitars to achieve the building's curvy metallic design. It's a fitting backdrop for rock memorabilia from the likes of Bob Dylan and the grunge-scene heavies.

The 35-foot tower of guitars (and other instruments) traces the instrument's history in America and includes 20 guitars from music legends. A permanent exhibit provides a primer on the evolution of Seattle's music scene. Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses features rare and unseen artifacts and photography from the band, their crews, and families. The interactive space has 12 ministudio rooms where you can jam with friends on real or MIDI-compatible instruments. You can also channel your inner rock star in front of a virtual audience in the On Stage exhibit, complete with smoke, hot lights, and screaming fans.

In the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame and related exhibits, you'll find iconic artifacts from sci-fi literature, film, television, and art, including an Imperial Dalek from Doctor Who, the command chair from the classic television series Star Trek, and Neo's coat from The Matrix Reloaded.

Celebrating the Nordic cultures of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark (of which there are many descendants in Ballard), this museum opened in its spacious new building in 2018. Exhibits trace Scandinavian art, artifacts, and heritage all the way from Viking times. Galleries give an in-depth look at how immigrants came to America and settled in the Pacific Northwest. There's also a relaxing "Sense of Place" area, where visitors can immerse themselves in the scenery and sounds of the Nordic region while getting comfortable on plush stuffed rocks. Models of boats lead to the back garden, which contains a century-old functional sauna and a Viking ship.

The biggest and most popular beach park in the Bellevue park system, this large park has a big swimming beach, seasonal lifeguards, a fishing dock, nature trails, restrooms, and a large grassy area with picnic tables. The playground is a favorite, thanks to a train that tots can sit in and older kids can climb on and hop from car to car.

Focusing on the history of African Americans in the Northwest, this museum housed in an old school building tells stories through a diverse collection of well-curated and insightful photos, artifacts, and compelling narratives. Past exhibits have included Xenobia Bailey: The Aesthetics of Funk, and The Test: The Tuskegee Project, focusing on the first African American aviation units in the U.S. military to serve in combat. One gallery is dedicated to the work of local artists. NAAM also hosts film screenings, talks, and other community events.

In a renovated church in the Maple Leaf neighborhood, the only puppet center in the Northwest highlights the renowned marionettes of the Carter family, professional puppeteers trained by masters from Italy, Romania, and China. For their talent, they have received a Fulbright Award and a UNIMA/USA Citation of Excellence, the highest award in American puppet theater. New museum exhibits are curated each fall and may focus on a particular tradition, technique, or historic period. Past exhibits have included Puppetry from Around the World and Cheering up the Great Depression: Puppetry & the WPA.

This shady, picturesque cobblestone park is the geographical heart of the historic neighborhood—on first Thursdays it's home to a variety of local artisans setting up makeshift booths. Grab a sandwich or pastry at the London Plane and people watch from one of the colorful café tables dotting the tree-lined square. Note that this square is a spot where homeless people congregate; you're likely to encounter more than a few oddballs. The square is best avoided at night.

Part of Pike Place Market’s recent expansion, Old Stove—which is brewed on-site—might be the kid-friendliest taproom in town. Choose from 24 drafts at the award-winning brewery and restaurant; try to nab a seat on the patio or by the window (especially at sunset) so you can watch ferries glide across Puget Sound from the 80-foot west-facing window that frames Elliott Bay and the mountains.

Marvel at the lustrous 53 acres of rugged forest at Schmitz Preserve, about 15 blocks east of Alki Point. The Preserve was donated to the city in pieces between 1908 and 1912, and features one of the remaining stands of old-growth forest in Seattle.

If you're traveling with kids, you already know that a good children's museum is like gold at the end of a rainbow. This colorful, spacious museum, located on the lower level of The Armory in the heart of Seattle Center, provides hours of exploration and fun. The 2022 renovation added more Northwest touches to the exhibits, including Tribal Tales puppet play area and local artist murals. There's a small play area called Orca Cove for toddlers and plenty of crafts to keep everyone engaged.

Want to hitch a ride to a soaring Seattle vantage point above the water? At the end of Pier 57, just steps from Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium, the Seattle Great Wheel is a 175-foot (about 17 stories tall) Ferris wheel. As you round the top, enjoy views of the city skyline, Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, and Mt. Rainier (on a clear day, of course). Rides are slow and smooth, lasting 15 to 20 minutes, with three revolutions total. Each climate-controlled gondola can hold six people (up to eight if some are children) and, generally speaking, parties will be able to sit together. The Seattle Great Wheel is also clad in more than 500,000 LED lights that put on an after-dark light show on summer weekends until 10 pm. Advance tickets are recommended—you'll still have to wait in line, but the line is a lot shorter.

More arcade than museum, this space puts a collector's life's work in play: more than 50 pinball games line up on the two floors, all included in the price of admission. The games rotate out frequently, and the collection includes machines as old as 1934 right up to recent releases. Entrance includes unlimited games, so take a break to chat with the staff, who can point out interesting features like the cigarette holders on the older machines. Children under 7 not permitted to play.

Seward Park, about 15 minutes from the C.D., is a relatively undiscovered gem on the shores of Lake Washington. The 300-acre park includes trails through old-growth forest, mountain views, eagles' nests, a 2½-mile biking and walking path, a native plant garden, art studio, and a small swimming beach. For an informative self-guided tour of the park, available as a printable PDF, visit  www.seattleolmsted.org/self-guided-tours. Turn your park visit into a bike tour on select summer weekends for Bicycle Weekends, when Lake Washington Boulevard (south of Mount Baker Beach to the entrance of Seward Park) is closed to motorized traffic from Friday evening to Monday morning. Check www.parkways.seattle.gov.

When this iconic landmark opened in 1914, it was the tallest office building outside New York City and the fourth-tallest building in the world. (It remained the tallest building west of the Mississippi for nearly 50 years.) The Smith Tower Observatory on the 35th floor is an open-air wraparound deck providing panoramic views of the surrounding historic neighborhood, ball fields, the city skyline, and the mountains on clear days. It's also a superb spot to take in a sunset. The top floor includes the speakeasy-themed Observatory Bar, which features striking original architectural details and a cocktail and nibbles menu that pays homage to the Prohibition era. Smith Tower's ground-floor retail shop packed with locally made goods is also worth a visit. Can't make it to Pioneer Square? Check out Downtown's Sky View Observatory & Bar at the Columbia Center. What the sleek skyscraper lacks in vintage architectural charm, it more than makes up for with epic views.

Seattle's most iconic building is as quirky as ever, and a 2018 remodel restored and improved it. The distinctive, towering, 605-foot-high structure is visible throughout much of Seattle—but the view from the inside is also great. 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 through floor-to-ceiling windows, the open-air observation area, and the rotating glass floor. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Needle has an app to guide you around and interactive experiences to leave your own mark. Schedule your visit for a day with a sunny forecast if you're lucky enough to have one. If you can't decide whether you want the daytime or nighttime view, buy the day/night pass that allows you to visit twice in one day. Also look for package deals with Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Prints, masks, drums, sculptures, baskets, and jewelry by local Native artists fill the space of this elegant Belltown gallery near Pike Place Market. Alaskan and Arctic art is also on display, including beautiful sculptural pieces carved from ivory, wood, and soapstone.

You'll see plenty of cheesy tribal art knockoffs in tourist-trap shops, but this elegant gallery will give you a real look at the best contemporary work of Northwest Coast and Alaska tribal members (and artists from these regions working in the Native style). Three floors exhibit wood carvings, paintings, sculpture, and mixed-media pieces from the likes of Robert Davidson, Joe David, Preston Singeltary, Susan Point, and Rick Barto.

The brainchild of art advocate and noted local architect George Suyama, this nonprofit gallery located within the architecture firm of Suyama Peterson Deguchi exhibits large-scale, site-specific contemporary installations three times a year. Unlike many of Seattle's galleries, this is not a commercial venue—its programming is made possible through grants and donations—which is just another reason to stroll through the lofty space. When you visit, ring the bell at 2324 2nd Avenue for entry.

This 47,000-seat, open-air baseball stadium with a state-of-the-art retractable roof is the home of the Seattle Mariners. If you want to see the stadium in all its glory, take the one-hour tour, which brings you onto the field, into the dugouts, back to the press and locker rooms, and up to the posh box seats. Tours depart from the Team Store on 1st Avenue, and you purchase your tickets there, too (at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tour).

Boeing, the world's largest builder of aircraft, was founded in Seattle in 1916. This facility at Boeing Field, between Downtown and Sea-Tac airport, houses one of the city's best museums, and it's especially fun for kids, who can climb in many of the aircraft and pretend to fly, make flight-related crafts, or attend special programs. The Red Barn, Boeing's original airplane factory, houses an exhibit on the history of flight. The Great Gallery, a dramatic structure designed by Ibsen Nelson, contains more than three dozen vintage airplanes. The Personal Courage Wing showcases World War I and World War II fighter planes, and the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery is home to the NASA Full Fuselage Space Shuttle Trainer.

If it weren't for a small sign on the sidewalk and the faint whiff of cocoa in the air, you'd never know that Fremont has its own artisanal chocolate factory with daily tours. Since it opened in 2005, Theo has become one of the Northwest's most familiar chocolate brands, and is sold in shops across the city. Theo uses only organic, fair-trade cocoa beans, usually in high percentages—yielding darker, less sweet, and more complex flavors than some of their competitors. Stop by the factory to buy exquisite "confection" truffles—made daily in small batches—with unusual flavors like basil-ganache, lemon, fig-fennel, and burnt sugar. The friendly staff is generous with samples. You can go behind the scenes as well, with informative, hour-long tours; reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends and during peak tourist season.

If it weren't for a small sign on the sidewalk pointing the way, you'd never know that Fremont has its own chocolate factory. Theo has helped to boost the Northwest's growing artisanal chocolate scene and has taken the city by storm, thanks to high-quality chocolate creations. Theo uses only organic, fair-trade cocoa beans, usually in high percentages—yielding darker, less sweet, and more complex flavors than some of their competitors. You'll see Theo chocolate bars for sale in many local businesses, from coffee shops to grocery stores. Stop by the factory to buy exquisite "confection" truffles—made daily in small batches—with unusual flavors like basil-ganache, lemon, fig-fennel, and burnt sugar. The super-friendly staff is known to be generous with samples. You can go behind the scenes as well: informative, hour-long tours are offered daily; reservations aren't always necessary, but it's a good idea to reserve ahead, particularly on weekends.

First Hill's recently renovated Town Hall cultural center hosts scores of events in its spacious yet intimate Great Hall, chief among them talks and panel discussions with leading politicians, authors, scientists, and academics.

One block north of the Seattle Art Museum, Traver Gallery is like a little slice of SoHo in Seattle, with large picture windows and uneven wood floors. The focus is on contemporary studio glass, paintings, sculpture, and installation art from local and international artists. Pieces are exquisite—never whimsical or gaudy—and the staff is extremely courteous. After you're done tiptoeing around the gallery, head back downstairs and around the corner to Vetri ( 1404 1st Ave.), which sells smaller-scale glass art and home objects from emerging artists at reasonable prices.

While Vermillion is a fine bar, it is a very good art gallery, and excels most at the way it combines the two into a space that celebrates art, often with a glass of wine in hand. Vermillion takes the spirit of art openings—the way they combine an evening out with the appreciation of beautiful works—and presents it as a nightly event. Visual art exhibits take up the front room, while the back and bar area often host live music or performance art.

Nestled among the grand homes of North Capitol Hill sits this 45-acre grassy expanse that's perfect for picnicking, sunbathing (or stomping in rain puddles), and strolling. You can tell this is one of the city's older parks by the size of the trees and the rhododendrons, many of which were planted more than a hundred years ago. The Olmsted Brothers, the premier landscape architects of the day, helped with the final design in 1904; the park has changed surprisingly little since then. In the center of the park is the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM), housed in a 1933 art moderne–style edifice. It fits surprisingly well with the stark plaza stretching from the front door to the edge of a bluff, and with the lush plants of Volunteer Park. The museum's collections include thousands of paintings, sculptures, pottery, and textiles from China, Japan, India, Korea, and several Southeast Asian countries.

The Victorian-style Volunteer Park Conservatory greenhouse, across from the museum, has a magnificent collection of tropical plants. The five houses include the Bromeliad House, the Palm House, the Fern House, the Seasonal Display House, and the Cactus House.

A focal point of the park, at the western edge of the hill in front of the Asian Art Museum, is Isamu Noguchi's sculpture, Black Sun, a natural frame from which to view the Space Needle, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains.

Also called Sand Point–Magnuson Park, this 350-acre park northeast of the University District was once an active naval air base. Evidence of the park's roots are on full display, with barracks and hangars in various stages of use and upkeep. Keep your focus on the areas toward the lake, as the paved trails are wonderful for cycling, jogging, or pushing a stroller. Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails and a gigantic off-leash area includes one of the few public beaches where pooches can swim. Farther south, on the mile-long shore, there's a swimming beach, a seasonal wading pool, and a boat launch. Innovative art is threaded through the grounds, including Fin Art (made from submarine fins, on Kite Hill) and Straight Shot (which allows visitors to experience what a surveyor does). A fabulous playground engages little ones near the north end.

Various community organizations and non-profits fill the buildings. Arena Sports is an indoor soccer facility which offers an inflatable play area for children, and Sail Sand Point rents sailboats, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards in summer.

A tranquil spot to take a break, this small garden with a few cafe tables surrounds a 22-foot artificial waterfall that cascades over large granite stones. 

Located in Seattle's business district are 11 murals depicting local history. Some are trompe-l'œils, like the realistic 1918 street scene, The Junction, which appears to vanish into the horizon. Another mural is taken from a postcard of 1920s Alki. The most colorful is The Hi-Yu Parade, with its rendition of a Wizard of Oz–theme float reminding locals of a 1973 summer celebration. In 2019, a new Mural Alley off the 4700 block of California Ave SW added five new murals to the collection, and the original 11 underwent restoration between 2018 and 2020.