Recently, my sister in law and her family moved to Washington state. We’re a pretty close knit family, so as soon as we could, we booked flights, and planned our very first family trip to Washington. Luckily for me, my husband loves to explore new places just as much as I do, so we made sure to make time to visit Seattle Washington, The Emerald City. Which, what a perfectly suited nickname for Seattle! The city is so clean and beautiful, it’s surrounded by lush greenery, I fell in love immediately! It gives me San Francisco vibes with its steep streets and brick buildings, but with a more modern feel. Okay enough of me gushing over Seattle, let me tell you about the touristy things we set off to do in the Emerald City. Here are 4 things to do in Seattle, Washington! 

1. Visiting The Space Needle

Our first stop was The Space Needle. I always wanted to visit this iconic landmark. I don’t know if it was its stunning architectural design or that it was featured in Grey’s Anatomy, but I was thrilled to visit. And it was absolutely worth it!

The Space Needle is a towering 605 feet tall and offers a full 360 degree view of the beautiful city. The viewing areas give you a perfect view of the city and the bay. There are two levels, one being the outdoor observation deck sitting at 520 feet.  And the other is an indoor observation area at 500 feet. The observation area features a revolving glass floor. Yes, the floor moves! I had no idea it did that, so when I entered the observation level and noticed the floor moving I was in awe!

It was such a cool experience. I swear, had I not been afraid of judgment (or had to worry about the hourly cost of valet parking) I would have laid face down on the floor until the platform completed a full circle. Totally worth visiting Seattle to see this masterpiece. You can plan your visit to the Space Needle and buy tickets here. (Not sponsored, but it would be nice ✨😉)

2. Trip to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum

Our second stop was the Chihuly Glass Garden! The Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum is located next to the Space Needle, so we purchased tickets for both. And I am so glad we did! Thanks to Netflix’s Tv Series, Blown Away, I have a newfound respect and appreciation for glass art. And The Chihuly Gardens is the perfect place to see some incredible glass art installations. There was an enormous piece hanging on the ceiling of the greenhouse that was absolutely mind-blowing! I mean look at it, the piece is incredible. This Museum is definitely worth a visit, if you ever visit Seattle, I highly recommend you take a trip to the Chihuly Gardens. 

3. Visit Pike Place Market

Last, but not least, we visited the iconic Pike Place Market. It is located right on the waterfront so you get beautiful ocean views from the moment you park your car. Parking under $15 for the entire day. When you walk into the market you’re hit with the smell of freshly caught salmon. We walked through multiple fish markets displaying large salmon on ice. We even got to see fishmongers tossing fish & entertaining the crowd. It was pretty cool! 

Pike Place Market is huge! I underestimate the size of that place. There are multiple floors and the isles go on for what feels like at least a quarter mile long. I was kind of surprised that it wasn’t too crowded, might have been the season. I think Summer is probably when it’s busiest. I’m still a little bummed that I didn’t get to buy myself some Salmon from Pikes Place. I don’t think salmon can get any fresher than that, I’ll make sure to get my fresh salmon on my next visit to Seattle. 

4. The First Starbucks

Right across the street from the iconic Pike Place Market Sign is the very first Starbucks! You can hop right over and have your favorite Starbucks coffee from the OG location. The line wasn’t too bad when we were there, so if you’re a Starbucks aficionado, I’d definitely make the stop.

5. The Seattle Gum Wall

Don’t forget to pay a visit to the most disgusting but equally cool wall in all of Seattle, The Gum Wall. This iconic wall is located in the Post Alley Area of Pikes Place. The Wall has been collecting pieces of gum from visitors since the 1990’s! It is open to the public and free! Make sure to chew gum on your trip so you can add your very own piece of bubble gum to the wall. Me and my girls added our pieces! There’s a very distinct smell in the air, not gonna lie, but it’s not so awful that you can’t hang out in there. 

Seattle Washington has been one of my favorite day trip adventures, we were able to do so much and in like a total of 10 hours. And to add to the beauty of Seattle, there was no traffic! This is coming from someone who lives in Los Angeles, where there is REAL traffic. It was magical. I loved getting to visit The Space Needle & Pikes Place Market, can’t wait to go back again soon! If you happen to visit Seattle and find a great place to eat let me know!

Looking for more family travel ideas, check out our trip/guide to Vegas here!