Are you visiting Seattle with your family?
Would you like to explore the city without breaking the bank or exhausting the pocketbook?
Do people even say pocket book anymore?
Have I turned into my grandmother?
There are plenty of places to spend loads of cash in this town! It's totally worth the money to hit the tourist spots like Wings Over Washington, The Space Needle and MoPop. There is also a plethora of activities that will cost you little to nothing!
I have some penny pinching tips for experiencing Seattle on a budget.
Pike Place is my all time favorite place in Seattle! You could spend hours...or days here and still miss something. Sample produce, watch the fish throwers, check out the gum wall and explore all the corridors, ramps and levels of this historical market.
*Play Structure at Westlake Park
There is a smallish climbing structure in Westlake Park. Good for the little travelers and shoppers.
*Play Space at Westlake Center
Activities are set up daily. Play chess on a giant board, try your hand at Corn Hole or Connect 4, shoot some hoops or attempt a windy game of ping pong. There are often special events with live entertainment, art projects and other activities for kids, check the website for events.
Even if your kids are reluctant to go to a library, I assure you there is no other library quite like this one. Be sure to find the octopus mural and the astronaut mural by local artist Will Schlough. Head up the stairs to the Red Hall and be sure to explore the spacious kid’s section. The staff is very friendly, feel free to ask them for directions. They offer a free tour with a library specialist and a self guided cell phone tour that is interesting and informative. Also, because it is Seattle, there is a coffee shop in the library.
The library offers free story times both in English and in Spanish! Times change, so check their website for details.
If you are going to go to a Starbucks on vacation, you might as well find an interesting one. The one in the Russell Investments building is spacious and warm, with comfy seating, couches and loungey chairs and plentiful outdoor seating. This location is only open on weekdays.
Free, local music throughout downtown Seattle in various locations. Once limited to lunchtime concerts, they now have additional concerts at varying times and locations. Check the website for scheduling.
Take the Monorail to Seattle Center
My favorite mode of transportation between Seattle Center and Downtown. There is only one stop so you don’t have to worry about getting lost. One way and Round Trip Fares available. Catch the monorail on the top floor of Westlake Center.
*Spinny Chairs!
The South Lake Union Trolley stop at Westlake Station has a fun courtyard and waiting area with domed spinny chairs. Always a favorite with my kids.
*Barnes and Noble Story Times
Check their website for storytimes.
Belltown
Belltown is the neighborhood a few blocks north of downtown. Belltown is filled with some of the city's best coffee chops and restaurants. You can even find some kid-friendly happy hours. Belltown is best explored during the day as it becomes pretty clubby at night.
*Olympic Sculpture Park
Seattle Art Museum’s sculpture park is free to the public and offers amazing views, beautiful sculptures and plenty of grassy spots to run around. The sculpture park is a great place to relax and let the kids run around.
The end of the Seattle waterfront has a park with three little pocket beaches to enjoy. The first one is pretty rocky and the others are Seattle’s version of a sandy beach. At low, tide there are naturalists from The Seattle Aquarium that help you find and explore sea life!
Myrtle Edwards offers lots of wide open grassy spaces and stunning views of Elliott Bay. There is a waterfront trail where you can often spot (and hear) Sea lions!
A wee botanical oasis right in the heart of the city! This hidden spot on Vine Street is a sweet place to stumble upon.
A coffee shop with a hidden mezzanine offering free video games, shuffleboard and pool. There is also a Japanese Restaurant, a grocery store, a bike shop and more all nestled underneath the VIA apartments.
*Amazon Spheres
In order to go inside, you must either know someone that works for Amazon or reserve a tour in advance. They offer tours on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Spots fill up fast. If you can’t snag a tour time, pop by anyway and take a look from the outside.
The children’s programming at Bell Street Park is a work in progress. There are often really cool pop-up play spaces on Saturdays but it’s a little hit and miss. I wouldn’t plan a trip, but if you happen to be in the neighborhood you can see if there is anything set up.
Grab one of Seattle’s most famous treats. Don’t be intimidated by the line. It moves very fast!
This hotel lobby has a coffee shop with lots shuffleboard, tabletop video and board games not to mention a very cool aesthetic.
Seattle Center/Lower Queen Anne/Uptown
Seattle Center in the home of the Space Needle. It was developed around the 1962 World's Fair. The neighborhood is known by many names including, Uptown, Lower Queen Anne, and Seattle Center. Many cultural and performing arts programs call the Seattle Center their home.
*International Fountain
Run around this iconic fountain built during the ‘62 World’s Fair. Great place to cool off on a sunny day.
Walkable Seattle only has one full sized playground and this is it! Great for all ages.
This huge interactive flower sculpture is located outside the Pacific Science Center. When you walk near a flower it will play its own series of musical notes. Try to set off multiples sensors at once. It’s a harmonic feast!
We call this the foot fountain. Located outside McCaw Hall you will see a controlled flood of water stretching across the ground. At night, the panels above the fountain light up in various colors.
*KEXP/La Marzocco Watch a broadcast-relax with a cup of coffee and watch a live broadcast of Seattle’s KEXP radio station.
My favorite mode of transportation between Seattle Center and Downtown. There is only one stop so you don’t have to worry about getting lost.
Children’s Museum
The last hour of the day is $5.00. This interactive, hands-on museum as a great place for the younger kids to explore.
Grab a famous Dick’s burger at their Lower Queen Anne location. Cheap and satisfying.
This place is surprisingly fun as well as educational. This a free interactive center that takes visitors on an innovative journey all around the globe. Older kids will get more out of it that little ones, but open to everyone.
Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square is the neighborhood just south of Downtown and the birthplace of the city as we know it. This district is rich with history and culture and home to many art galleries, studios, coffee shops, restaurants and the Seattle Underground.
You can grab a cup of something and a treat at a number of nearby coffee shops and relax in a picturesque courtyard while the kids can run a round, play basketball, bocce ball, hula hoop and what ever cool things they put out for the day.
*UPS Waterfalls
A hidden gem if there ever was one. Check out the waterfalls in the middle of the city!
*Klondike Gold Rush Museum
This interactive kid-friendly museum is one of my favorite free things to do in Seattle.
This interactive kid-friendly museum is one of my favorite free things to do in Seattle.
Don’t feel like spending a ton to get your family up to the top of Seattle’s tallest building? You can caffeinate on the 40th floor for only the price of your order. Check out the sweeping views of Seattle from this groovy spot. Check hours online. This Starbucks is only open on weekdays.
*Explore Magic Mouse Toys- Seattle only has one toy store in walkable seattle. This place is the best! Want to learn a new game? Check in with the game concierge downstairs. He will teach you how to play just about anything.
*Take the Waterfront Free Shuttle to various Seattle locations-One of my favorite new services in Seattle. Jump on board. It’s free (Tips are welcomed) You can go to Pike Place, the Space Needle, Pioneer Square and more!
Seattle Waterfront
Located, you guess it, on the water, the Seattle Waterfront is the neighborhood on the far west of downtown. This is a heavy tourist destination, best explored on a weekdays and evenings.
West Seattle Water Taxi
Take a cheap scenic boat ride over to West Seattle and back. Currently leaving from Pier 52 (Check the website for confirmation)
Feed Seagulls at Ivar’s Fish Bar
If you plan on actually eating your own food, you might want to sit inside, Otherwise, enjoy breaking bread (or french fries) with our fine feathered friends. Find the tiny hidden clam under the statue of Ivar feeding the seagulls.
I am a huge fan of The Wings over Washington and Ferris Wheel but they are a bit spendy. If you want a ride that your kids can do multiple times without breaking the bank, consider a ride on the Antique Carousel at Miner’s Landing.
This tiny arcade at Miner’s Landing is a great way to kill some time and empty your change purse.
A trip to the Seattle Waterfront wouldn’t be complete without a visit to this house of oddities. Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe is one of the oldest businesses in Seattle!
Giant Gumball Machine
If you have any quarters left from your trip the arcade you can spend them at the Giant Gumball machine at Miner's Landing
Fish Fountain at Bell Street Pier
Splash around and cool off in the little fish -shaped wading pool tucked back behind Anthony's restaurants.
Fish Fountain at Bell Street Pier
Splash around and cool off in the little fish -shaped wading pool tucked back behind Anthony's restaurants.
Go forth, my frugal friends and explore!
Comments
Post a Comment