Culture, nature and an excursion into the underground – Attractions in Seattle
Attention, low-flying fish: Pike Place Market
Located in the heart of the city centre, Pike Place Market is one of Seattle’s top attractions and is often referred to as the “soul of the city”. Merchants of all kinds have been selling their goods here for more than 100 years, with numerous restaurants, cafes and bars. If you’re looking for good food in Seattle, this is the right place for you. We strongly recommend taking a food tour with tastings, where you can learn all kinds of interesting facts. One tradition of the fish traders is to throw the fish that has been ordered over the stall to a colleague for him to pack it. This joke has become a popular show over the years, so it’s not uncommon to see a fish flying through the air towards the people standing nearby.
Sticky art: the Gum Wall
“Are you still chewing or already sticking?” This might be the theme of this sticky Seattle attraction on the edge of Pike Place Market: The Gum Wall. It consists of gum originally stuck to its exterior facade by visitors to a theatre while they were waiting outside. This sticky art has now become a cult with coins, initials, peace signs and marriage proposals. The wall was once freed, under protest, from over a tonne of gum. But the bricks exposed after 130 hours of work didn’t stay visible for long. The Gum Wall is now more colourful than ever and a popular spot for selfies.
Seattle’s landmark: the Space Needle
The Space Needle is the landmark of the Seattle skyline and is unlike any other building in the city. This must-see attraction is a 184-metre tall observation tower in the Lower Queen Anne district, built for the 1962 World’s Fair and the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River. From the 160-metre-high observation deck and the tower’s rotating restaurant you have a stunning 360° view of other attractions in the Seattle Center, as well as Mount Rainier, Elliott Bay and the surrounding islands.
Glass art amid greenery: Chihuly Garden
Dale Chihuly is one of the most famous glass artists in the world and comes from Tacoma at the southern end of Puget Sound. His works are often set in parks or gardens, such as here at the Chihuly Garden and Glass in the Seattle Center. Since 2012, people have been able to admire Chihuly’s glass art here for the first time in a garden designed specifically for and with him. The ultimate highlight: the glass house with a glass sculpture over 30 metres long. Other works of his are on display in various galleries. Even the bar is decorated with artwork, so when enjoying a cocktail after your visit, you won’t miss a thing – quite the opposite.
From Gehry to grunge: Museum of Pop Culture
The Museum of Pop Culture, or MoPOP for short, is already an eye-catcher from the outside; the building was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry after all. The facade of curved metal surfaces is said to evoke a melted guitar. Inside you’ll find an extensive collection of instruments, songs, letters, movies, games and exhibitions covering grunge, hip-hop, LGBTQIA+ fiction and sci-fi, as well as Jimi Hendrix, alongside Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, one of the most famous personalities from the city of Seattle. The museum is located next to the Space Needle in the Seattle Center.
The main thing is to be colourful – the art of Henry Ward
The works of Seattle’s most famous artist, “Henry” Ward, are almost everywhere: he has already painted 500 murals on the facades of his hometown, and the number is constantly rising. These are often funny animals, sometimes surreal landscapes, sometimes a loving homage to Seattle in front of the Space Needle in the form of a coffee-drinking “Sasquatch”, as Bigfoot is called in the region. “You can’t unsee me,” announces one of his characters; “You can’t forget me,” a nod to Henry’s difficult past: the artist struggled for a long time with addiction and hallucinations. Today, he can dedicate himself fully to his mission of making Seattle’s everyday life more fun and colourful with his images.
Scenic district with a green oasis: Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill is one of Seattle’s most popular neighbourhoods. Not only is this a great place to shop and go out, you can also relax in the beautiful Volunteer Park. The park has something for everyone to explore: the Conservatory, the Dahlia Garden, koi ponds, sculptures and an amphitheatre where free concerts and theatre performances are held in the summer. There are also picnic tables and plenty of space for outdoor activities of all kinds. The observation deck of the water tower offers great views over parts of Capitol Hill, Lake Union – and of course the Space Needle.
An underground tour
There are many guided city tours, but the Beneath-The-Streets tour around Pioneer Square leaves the streets of Seattle behind and descends into the underworld. More specifically, into underground walkways that were once normal streets before the city burned down in 1889. It tells the story of the city’s origins as an indigenous settlement of the Coast Salish People, through the period of the Klondike Gold Rush and into the modern era. This enables you to experience the story of Pioneer Square and Seattle in a different way.
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