Updated September 27, 2017
Well hello, there! I didn’t mean to take such a long break from posting. But, we just got back from a week long vacation to Seattle and Vancouver with our kids! I’ve mentioned many times before that we travel with our kids quite a bit, so naturally, I had to put together this Seattle travel guide, along with a fun vlog that I made!
We spent 4 nights in Seattle, and kept ourselves extremely busy the entire time. I’ll just go through the high points, but make sure to watch the video!
Accommodations / Location
Not only was it us four on this trip, we were also joined by Greg’s parents, brothers, and their significant others. There was 10 of us total. We rented this amazing Airbnb in the Queen Anne neighborhood. The house was perfect for our group! Queen Anne is situated up a hill from the downtown area of Seattle. We were about a 20-minute walk from the Space Needle, and it is really easy to get around the city from. You can Uber or take public transportation.
Eating / Drinking
I have to say… the food isn’t that amazing in Seattle. Maybe it was because we didn’t find the best spots, or didn’t do enough research in advance. We weren’t that impressed. It wasn’t horrible, don’t get me wrong! I just think we’re super spoiled in Houston (we really do have one of the best cities for food, not making that up). The beverages and dessert in Seattle, however, were amazing! Seattle has so many great coffee shops, and the local beers on tap were awesome. Molly Moon’s ice cream is an absolute must! I would have to say that Mecca Cafe was our favorite restaurant during our time there. It’s such a dive, and super eclectic, and our server was amazing – he was hilarious and kept doing magic tricks for the girls.
Activities
We kept ourselves busy each day! There is so much to do in Seattle. I highly recommend grabbing a City Pass. You can visit 5-7 attractions for $79 (adults) / $59 (kids 4-12). I asked on Instagram for Seattle recommendations and someone mentioned the City Pass – this was an awesome suggestion! The City Pass includes the Space Needle, Aquarium, Argosy Harbor Tour, Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Zoo. After 3 attractions it pays for itself. We did 4 of these and found it was completely worth our money. One day we did the Chihuly Garden & Glass and the Space Needle, and another day we did the Harbor Cruise and the Aquarium. Some of the other family members in our group spent a day at Mount Rainier, and they absolutely loved the experience. We skipped it because we didn’t think the girls were old enough for hiking.
Space Needle
We went to get a boarding time slot, and while we waited, we visited the Chihuly Garden & Glass. The Space Needle is a must, as touristy as it may be. It’s about a 30-minute wait in line to board and then we spent about 30 minutes up top.
Chihuly Garden & Glass
I have loved Dale Chihuly’s work for many years, so this was a must for me. (Did you know he is the same glass artist for the amazing flower ceiling in the Bellagio in Las Vegas?) It was a quick visit – you can do the whole museum in about 30 minutes. Great with kids. It also kept them very engaged because there are tons of bright colors and so many different textures.
Argosy Harbor Cruise
This hour tour was a great way to see the city from the water. It was the perfect amount of time without the girls getting stir crazy. It wasn’t omgamazing but it was a great way to spend an hour, especially since it was included in our City Pass. I’m not sure I’d recommend it unless you get the pass.
Seattle Aquarium
After the harbor cruise, we headed to the Seattle Aquarium, which is a short walk away. It was a great place for the girls to burn off some energy after lunch (and let Caroline sleep in the stroller).
Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room
The original Starbucks on Pike St. isn’t really anything special. There’s a line out the door and it really doesn’t look any different than any other Starbucks. However, the Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room is an amazing visit perfect for any Starbucks or coffee lover. We visited on a rainy afternoon, and it was a great activity for less than great weather. Greg and I split a siphon tasting and the girls got a special chocolate milk.
Pike Place Market
We walked through the Pike Place market on our first day there. It was fun, but a bit hard to navigate a stroller through. I snagged a $10 bouquet… the flowers are absolutely stunning in the market! Also, you gotta laugh at this picture a little. All I wanted was a “cute” picture outside the market with my kids…. bahahaha.
Kerry Park
If you want an amazing view of the city, Kerry Park is the place to check out. It was only a 5-minute walk from our Airbnb, in the Queen Anne neighborhood. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier on our last night (apparently you can only see it 90 days out of the year)!
I think that about covers it! Our kids loved all of those activities and we seriously had a blast. We can’t wait to visit again! Did you enjoy my Seattle travel guide? What else would you add to it?
Nikki says
Such beautiful pictures and it looks like you guys covered a lot of ground in your time there! I loved following you through Insta Stories/Snapchat!
Meg O. says
Thank you so much! We had so much fun!!!