There was so much to do in and around Seattle that we couldn’t possibly finish it all in one short trip. We will just have to go back!

Here are some of the highlights:

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is one of the most popular places to visit in the city. It is a public market by Seattle’s waterfront where you will find food and products being sold by farmer’s and craftspeople.

It has everything! From colorful fresh vegetables…

to beautiful flowers.

But their claim to fame is the tradition of fishmongers tossing fish. It was cool to see. But stand back or you might come close to getting a fish to the face! Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.

Safeco Field: Mariners game

We went to a mariners game at Safeco Field. I took a nap while my fellow watched.

Pre-nap selfie!

Mount Rainier National Park

I love to hike and be outdoors. Recently I’ve had an obsession with visiting national parks and would love to see all of them one day. We headed to Mount Rainier National Park and it was just lovely.

This picture was taken very close to the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center on a very easy walking trail. We had a limited time in the Seattle area so we could not do any long day hikes. I’d love to go back and do some real trails.

 

Trees in Washington were like no trees I have seen before. They are so huge and green and spectacular to look at. I like this picture because it really shows how enormous these trees are.

Unfortunately, we went in September and it wasn’t exactly a clear day. That means we didn’t have any amazing far away views because of the fog. The scenery was gorgeous, nonetheless.

Snow in September due to high altitude! Pack accordingly.

We also made a new fuzzy friend native to the mountains of the Northwest. This little guy is called a hoary marmot.

Olympic National Park

National parks, round 2! In addition to Mount Rainier, we also visited Olympic National Park. These are photos taken near the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center. Again, due to limited time, we weren’t able to do any extended day hikes. You could spend days just exploring the park (maybe even a week!).

Such amazing views that the pictures cannot fully capture it! Beautiful rolling mountains as far as the eye can see.

Good luck getting a picture without other tourists in it!

The trees are so green and colorful. It’s really stunning!

Once again, here are some pictures that show the scale of these magnificent trees.

Space Needle 

For some great views of the city, check out the Space Needle. It is a observation tower in the middle of the city and was built for the 1962 world’s fair. It’s interesting shape has become an iconic part of the Seattle skyline. We bought tickets in advance, online, and were able to get to the top fairly quickly.

Great 360 degree views of the city!

Kerry Park 

For another amazing view of the city that includes the Space Needle, check out Kerry Park. It is the tiniest little park. Don’t worry! You are in the right place!

Great place for a photo opportunity but other than that there isn’t much to do.

Argosy Boat Tour 

We did the locks cruise that Argosy Cruises offers. It is always nice to spend some time on the water and this tour was a great way to see some of the things we otherwise wouldn’t have had time to experience.

We knew we wanted to see some of the floating homes. These are houseboats on Lake Union and they are so cool! It would be awesome to live in one!

After seeing many of the houseboats, we went through the Ballard Locks on the boat. The Locks connect the saltwater of Puget Sound to the freshwater.

The boat enters the locks and the gates close.

Then the water rises or falls to the level of the destination waterway… Puget Sound or Lake Union.

Once we entered Puget Sound, we had some more great views. Not only of the city skyline but also of the lighthouse at Discovery Park. You can even see Mount Rainier in the background! Amazing!

If you are visiting Seattle, try out some of these activities. There is so much more that I cannot wait to do. Fremont Troll, Mount Saint Helens, and North Cascades National Park, here I come!…One day.