Step outside and you are already there. Pike Place Market surrounds the Inn on all sides, really, and it rewards wandering without agenda. Follow the crowd down to the lower levels where the light goes dim and the stalls get strange and interesting. Then, when you want sky and scale, take the ferry from Coleman Dock, just minutes away on foot. The thirty-five minute crossing across Puget Sound earns you a view of the city from the water that no overlook can quite match, the skyline receding, the mountains appearing, the whole geography of the place suddenly legible. If you want that skyline closer and composed, Kerry Park on Queen Anne is worth the short drive up the hill. Go in the early evening, when the city begins to glow.
Within 25 miles · ranked by scenic score
12 Places Worth Seeing
Seattle, WA
Pike Place Market
One of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States, established in 1907 on Seattle's downtown waterfront. The market spans nine acres and houses over 200 year-round vendors, including fishmongers, flower sellers, and craftspeople. The iconic clock and neon sign at the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue are among the most recognized landmarks in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle, WA
Seattle-Bainbridge Island Ferry
The 35-minute Washington State Ferries crossing between Seattle's Coleman Dock and Bainbridge Island offers moving panoramic views of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains. The 202-foot Jumbo Mark II class ferries carry over 2,500 passengers and 202 vehicles. The route is one of the busiest ferry crossings in the United States.
Seattle, WA
Chihuly Garden and Glass
An exhibition at Seattle Center showcasing the glass artwork of Tacoma-born artist Dale Chihuly in interior galleries and an outdoor garden. The Glasshouse, a 40-foot-tall steel-and-glass structure, houses a 100-foot-long suspended sculpture. The outdoor garden displays integrate glass sculptures with native Pacific Northwest plantings.
Seattle, WA
Kerry Park
A small hilltop park on Queen Anne Hill offering an iconic panoramic view of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier, and Elliott Bay. The park is one of the most photographed viewpoints in the city. A sculpture called "Changing Form" by Doris Totten Chase occupies the west end of the park.
Seattle, WA
Gas Works Park
A 19.1-acre public park on the north shore of Lake Union built on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant. The preserved industrial machinery creates a distinctive backdrop against the Seattle skyline. The hilltop sundial provides an elevated 360-degree viewpoint.
Seattle, WA
Discovery Park
Seattle's largest public park encompasses 534 acres of forests, meadows, sea cliffs, and beaches on the Magnolia peninsula. The West Point Lighthouse, built in 1881, sits at the park's western tip on Puget Sound. The park offers views of both the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges.
Seattle, WA
Seward Park
A 300-acre park on a peninsula jutting into Lake Washington containing one of the last remaining old-growth forests within Seattle city limits. The 2.4-mile loop trail around the peninsula offers views of Mount Rainier, Mercer Island, and the Cascade Range. The interior forest contains Douglas fir trees estimated to be over 250 years old.
Bainbridge Island, WA
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
A memorial on the waterfront near the Eagledale ferry dock marking the site where 227 Japanese Americans were the first in the nation to be forcibly removed during World War II. The memorial features a 276-foot-long cedar-lined story wall along the shoreline with views across Rich Passage. The site is located within Pritchard Park on the island's western shore.
Bainbridge Island, WA
Bloedel Reserve
A 150-acre public garden and forest reserve on the north end of Bainbridge Island featuring a reflection pool, Japanese garden, moss garden, and second-growth forest. The estate was formerly the private home of timber baron Prentice Bloedel and his wife Virginia. Visitor numbers are limited by timed entry to preserve the tranquil atmosphere.
Bremerton, WA
Manette Bridge
A 1,636-foot concrete bridge connecting downtown Bremerton to the Manette neighborhood across the Port Washington Narrows. The current bridge, completed in 2011, features distinctive arched design elements and a wide pedestrian walkway. The bridge offers views of the Bremerton waterfront, the Olympic Mountains, and naval vessels in the shipyard.
Bremerton, WA
Bremerton Boardwalk
A one-mile waterfront boardwalk along Sinclair Inlet connecting the Bremerton ferry terminal to several waterfront parks and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard viewing area. The boardwalk passes the decommissioned destroyer USS Turner Joy, a museum ship. Views across the inlet include the Olympic Mountains rising above Bremerton's downtown skyline.
Tacoma, WA
Point Defiance Park
A 760-acre urban park at the tip of a peninsula extending into Puget Sound, featuring old-growth forest, formal gardens, and waterfront trails. Five Mile Drive loops through the park past coastal bluffs with views of the Narrows, Vashon Island, and the Olympic Mountains. Owen Beach provides shoreline access with views of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
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