111 Places in Seattle That You Must Not Miss

Harriet Baskas is an author and journalist who has produced radio documentaries on everything from early cowgirls to offbeat museums and written eight books about unusual attractions, hidden museum treasures, and airports around the world. She served as the general manager of three community radio stations in the Pacific Northwest and now reports on travel and the arts for a variety of national outlets and for her blog, StuckatTheAirport.com. Cortney Kelley, having lived in the PNW for all but four years of her life, is most at home in the dense treescape with the smell of salt water in the air. Primarily a portrait artist, she sensed that the exploration of Seattle couldn’t have come at a better time with COVID limitations in full swing, allowing for a deep dive into a city she adores. Nurturing her wanderlust, she is always dreaming and planning the next adventure, camera in tow.

• Acacia Memorial ParkGrand mausoleum with acres of stained glass | 10AerocarThis cute car could fly above traffic | 12Arctic Club HotelA Gold Rush club left this gem behind | 14Art at the AirportSEA’s museum-quality collection | 16The Arthur FossThe oldest wooden tugboat was a movie star | 18Bakke Coffee MuseumPerky shrine to machines that make coffee | 20Ballard LocksEngineering marvel, fish ladder, botanical garden | 22Ballyhoo Curiosity ShopHead here for taxidermy possum butts | 24Boeing FieldMeasure the history and wonder of flight | 26Boeing’s First FlightThe B&W Bluebill flew from here in 1916 | 28Capitol Hill Wishing TreeLeaves of wishes left by passersby | 30Center for Wooden BoatsRow, row, row a boat or go for a free Sunday sail | 32Chihuly’s Odd CollectionsColorful, curated, and quite kitschy | 34College Inn PubHoward haunts a historic basement pub | 36Colman PoolSwim in a saltwater pool with Puget Sound views | 38Connections MuseumThe history of hookups and hang-ups | 40Dialysis MuseumChronicling the kidney failure fight | 42Dino and DoraFremont’s adorable, adopted, ivy apatosauruses | 44Dunn GardensWhen the Olmsted Brothers went west | 46Duwamish Tribal LonghouseAn ancestral site of Seattle’s First People | 48Easy Street RecordsMusic, meals, cocktails, and more | 50The Edgewater HotelThe Beatles slept here, and so can you | 52Edith Macefield’s HouseSeattle’s famous holdout house | 54Elliott Bay Marina Dock SixFree boat ride to a hidden, million-dollar view | 56Emerald City Trapeze ArtsFly, get fit, join the circus for a little bit | 58Exclusion MemorialFirst Japanese Americans exiled to camps | 60Fair Isle BrewingCoffee shmoffee – drink the beer | 62FantagraphicsVisual storytelling at its finest | 64FareStart RestaurantHelp the community by eating great food | 66Fast Penny SpiritsAn amaro distillery in a shipyard | 68Filson Flagship StoreRugged gear made here, and a meat-vending machine | 70First Gas StationRoadside plaque honors a new way to fuel cars | 72Fishermen’s MemorialHonoring those lost at sea | 74Former Ford FactoryModel Ts moved along a multi-story assembly line | 76Geocaching HeadquartersMecca for modern treasure hunters | 78Georgetown Steam PlantEngineering marvel and electrical time machine | 80Georgetown Trailer Park MallA hip place to shop, snack, or get hitched | 82Gessner MansionA gambler’s haunted home | 84Giant Shoes Peep ShowFootwear to fit giants | 86Grand IllusionEclectic films reel out in a quirky space | 88Granite Curling ClubNot just shuffleboard on ice | 90Great WheelGreat spot for a spin or a proposal | 92Greenest Office BuildingSix floors of eco-goodness and sustainability | 94Green Lake Murder SiteEnjoy your picnic, but remember Sylvia | 96Greenwood Pencil BoxSupplies for creativity that support good causes | 98Grossology BathroomsLessons in the loos | 100Hat ‘n’ BootsA supersized howdy for visitors to Oxbow Park | 102Hawaii General StoreA welcoming spot to find aloha and get a lei | 104Hot Tub BoatsRub-a-dub-dub, tour the lake in a tub | 106Howe Street StairsSeattle’s longest staircase is quite a workout | 108International FountainSeattle Center’s water feature has its own DJ | 110Ivar’s Salmon HouseSpot the oosiks | 112Jimi Hendrix GravesiteThe rock icon’s final resting place | 114J. P. Patches StatueCelebrating Seattle’s favorite clowns | 116KEXP Gathering SpaceWatch radio, drink coffee, see a show, buy records | 118Kirke ParkResurrected, but not as planned | 120Klondike Gold Rush ParkSeattle struck gold with miners heading north | 122KOBO at HigoAn homage to what came before | 124Kubota GardenA life, a home, and a garden built and rebuilt | 126Kurt Cobain BenchesUnofficial memorial to grunge music icon | 128Lake View CemeteryBruce and Brandon Lee’s final resting place | 130Last Resort Fire DepartmentWhere to get fired up in Pioneer Square | 132Lawless ForgeHammer out a souvenir or a relationship | 134Maury Island UFO MuralArtwork tells the story of an odd encounter | 136Metsker MapsLargest retail map shop in the US | 138NW African American MuseumCelebrating African American culture in the PNW | 140Off the Rez CaféModern spin on Native American cuisine | 142Oriental MartJames Beard Award winner with a side of sass | 144Pacific Fishermen ShipyardBounty of Ballard’s history in salvaged signs | 146Panama Hotel & Tea HouseUnclaimed baggage tells a tragic story | 148Paramount Theater LibraryArchive of Seattle’s entertainment history | 150Patent TreeLots of winning ideas | 152Pilling’s PondEverything at this pond is just ducky | 154The Pinball MuseumPlay through the decades | 156Rage IndustryYou’re encouraged to bust stuff up | 158REI Flagship StorePrep for adventure and spot a time capsule | 160Retired Air Raid TowerA Cold War relic in the heart of Phinney Park | 162Rubber Chicken MuseumAll the wacky stuff at Archie McPhee | 164Scarecrow VideoBe kind and rewind in the 21st century | 166Schmitz Preserve ParkOld growth in the city | 168Seattle Asian Art MuseumHeads of divine bodies and a weeping Buddha | 170Seattle Chocolate FactoryWhere tasting chocolate is an experience | 172Seattle MeowtropolitanSip a catpuccino and adopt your new best friend | 174The Seattle RoomA deep dive into local history | 176Sicks’ Stadium SiteHomebase to local baseball history | 178Silent Reading PartyMum’s the word at Hotel Sorrento | 180Sky View ObservatoryLocals prefer these sky-high views | 182Smith TowerSeattle’s first skyscraper | 184SoDo Track ArtWorld’s longest curated mural corridor | 186South Willow Street EndShoreline access for the rest of us | 188Space Needle SecretsFresh views up top, retro souvenirs below | 190Spice BridgeTastes of the world | 192The State HotelPike Place Market on the walls | 194Statue of Liberty PlazaA little Lady Liberty watches over Alki Beach | 196Streissguth GardenLush hillside with a fairytale story | 198Suzzallo LibraryHogwarts or the University of Washington? | 200Ted Bundy’s DormitoryA serial killer slept in McMahon Hall | 202Two Big BlondesOldest, largest, plus-size resale store | 204Unicorn & NarwhalColorful and conjoined carnival-themed bars | 206Volunteer Park ConservatoryHorticultural Heaven | 208Waterfall Garden ParkPocket park marks the birthplace of UPS | 210Wedgwood RockGiant geological souvenir and local landmark | 212West Boston Staircase19 scary steps | 214West Seattle Bridge SagaA busted bridge, a replacement, and a murder | 216The WildroseOne of the last lesbian bars | 218Wing Luke MuseumThe Asian Pacific American experience | 220Wonderful WhirligigsArtistic energy transforms electric substation | 222Woodland Park ZooGorillas and why zoos now have natural settings | 224Woody Guthrie’s LegacyA fascist-killing guitar at MoPOP | 226World Flight MonumentThe first round-the-world flight started here | 228Ye Olde Curiosity ShopCentury-old shrine to the world’s oddest wonders | 230