My future DIL should have a list, but she's traveling and not back until TH or FR am. I will try to check back and see if she has any suggestions not mentioned.

Oh so many years ago, we did the space needle and the tour around the sound. Since then, the underground city was open to the public. There's a Japanese garden and a number of other botanical gardens to visit.

Clipper to Victoria if you have time.

If you haven't done the Underground City Tour I remember it as being so interesting.

drove to Anacortes, took ferry to San Juan Island, for whale watching tour

The Pacific Science Center and the Chihuly Museum. The Fremont Troll. Underground Seattle.

I visited Kubota Garden at Christmastime one year and found it lovely. They did a great job creating four-season interest.

Chihuly Gardens at the Seattle Center, Seattle Arboretum (they have a fabulous winter garden, in addition to the other more traditional 'blooming' seasons). The Seattle Art Museum is top notch, the Burke Museum of Natural History in the University District; the Wing Luke Asian Museum is very interesting in the Chinatown/International District. Uwajimaya is really fun to shop - lots of non-food things of interest, too. If you're a bird watcher, Discovery Park is nice for an in city hike. The Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard are quite fascinating and it's a pretty spot. You can take a short ferry ride from downtown over to Bainbridge Island. It's a short walk to a really great little downtown, with wonderful shops (and restaurants). Seattle has a wonderful arts and entertainment scene, live theatre, dance, music, etc. if you're into any of that.

I'm sure I'll think of more and will add as I do. I found this list which has a few that I've already mentioned: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/free-things-to-do-in-seattle

I don't know when you last visited Seattle. The homeless situation is appalling and shocking. Also, I never used to feel unsafe most places in Seattle, but I don't go there much anymore so cannot speak to the safety in some of the areas I've posted. Not sure how you would find out, but you'll be able to assess in person.

eta: here is another list that has some more details of a few things I suggested and some other suggestions. I forgot about the Downtown Seattle Library - worth a visit. https://tourscanner.com/blog/fun-things-to-do-in-seattle/

@cawaps your post was not showing for me when I posted some of the same things that you did, or I wouldn't have repeated them!

We were 'killing' and afternoon while we waited for our jaunt to the cruiseship. We kept 'following our noses' as it were. Saw the sculpture garden, the space needle but later ended up in a cemetary to find the grave of Bruce Lee. Sometimes it's fun just to explore bouncing from one place to the next closest.....

We were there maybe 10 years ago for a wedding, and I will just repeat that Chihully gardens or exhibit or whatever it is called is definitely to be seen.

These are all great suggestions. Please keep them coming. I have done a few on this list like the gardens and needle.

I have noticed homeless population, looked up the cimecrime statistics, etc. It is a major concern. I visit the area for aabout a week every month. I'm here now. Most of the time I am out alone exploring the area. I have chunks of 3 or 4 hours per day. I like to do the major touristy things when dh is with us . k of 3

Sometimes my cellphone repeats letters and words when I try to delete something. It only happens on Houzz. It drives me nuts but that is the reason for all the typos.... I think it is a Houzz glitch, not a cellphone issue.

Boeing factory

@cmm1964 Boeingfactory is one I haven't thought of and one my kid would be very interested in! Love that idea. I am going to see if we can do that this week or maybe even today. I am also going to explore the University campus on this trip.

Museum of Flight

I spent several months with my ex husband in his home in Seattle. His home was in Queen Anne and it was just close enought to Freemont to walk to.

I loved that area! Freemont was such a great spot.

Among the things not already mentioned, I liked shopping in the Ballard 'hood. We also visited the fisheries/locks. And definitely take a ferry, short or long... so many choices

I want to add that if you can time a visit to Chihuly at dusk ( may be possible with short days right now), it is really spectacular when it’s lit. I know the winter hours are shorter tho

I've from the area and last stayed downtown in October, near south Lake Union. We also have an office near Pioneer Square, where the homeless situation is more apparent. I noticed the hours have been shortened throughout the downtown core.

Ballard, Fremont, the locks, MoPOP, Gasworks, Frye, Wing Luke, Underground and a large number of other museums. If someone likes cars, there is the LeMay Auto Museum in Tacoma. We had a reunion at the Museum of Flight, it was great, and among the best.

I do recommend a ferry trip somewhere on a decent day, and Bainbridge is great (my cousin lives there). Although food related, there are also a number of wineries near Woodinville (Chateau St. Michelle is the original big one). Later in the spring, the tulip fields will bloom in the Skagit. La Conner is another nice coastal village that can be a lunch stop on the tulip field visit.

The Gum Wall 😉

Gum wall??? Is it an art display of sorts?

Lol. I googled. I guess it is an art displaydisplay. I think I will check it out lol. Boeing is closed. So are the gardens. I have all day tomorrow. Yikes!

One area we really !liked that I have not seen mentioned is the West Seattle area. Less busy, but a great view of the Seattle waterfront from across Elliott Bay and some fun restaurants

A friend was there last month, and she said the Asian art museum was spectacular (and not too big, which made it manageable for her).

If you have all day and haven't been to Bainbridge, I'd suggest that. The weather is supposed to be nice and you get fab views of Seattle and Mt Rainier on the ferry ride.
I came back to add that another fun experience (that seems like it's food related, but not much eating is involved) is the Theo Chocolate Factory Tour. https://theochocolate.com/factory-tours

I've lived in Seattle 22 years so if you have any specific suggestions, I can help!

I agree with what cawaps suggested! If you see the Fremont Troll, it's right next to Downtown Fremont, a very charming neighborhood. If you like vintage stuff, be sure to check out the Antique Mall there.

Other great museums worth checking out: Seattle Art Museum (downtown), MOHAI (near downtown, with a great view of Lake Union), Fry Art Museum (just east of downtown), and Henry Art Gallery (on the UW campus).

If you'd like a boat ride, take a ferry to Bainbridge Island and explore their charming little downtown.

Finally: we love our parks! Seward Park is a 300 acre old growth peninsula jutting into lake washington. To walk the perimeter, it's 5k, with a huge flat path. Or you can hike through the middle and enjoy what feels like a proper (but easy) forest hike. On a clear day, you get a perfect view of Mt Rainier. This is my neighborhood, stop by and say hi! :)

Up north, Greenlake is lovely. Busier than Seward Park, which means lots of people watching if you want that. A 5k walking path all around this small lake. There's a cluster of cafes and small restaurants at the north end if you want to take a break.

Ballard: The Ballard Locks is a beautiful park, and at certain times of day you can watch as boats transition from the canal to the ocean. There's a "fish ladder" for salmon, with an under water chamber where you can watch them go by during spawning season (september). Downtown Ballard is just two blocks away, and charming as heck. TONS of quaint restaurants, shops, bars, etc.

Yes on the Clipper to Victoria for a day trip. I did it years ago; it was so much fun.

I fell in love with Victoria. :)

You guys are awesome with all these suggestions!. Thank you!

Do any of you have any non touristy ideas for things to do in the Tukwilla, Kent, Renton area? @User are you familiar with these areas? Are there any artsy coffee shops? I know there is a big shopping area n Tukwilla. I'm not interested in that.

My daughter lives in Seattle…Ballard is super cute but I would say more for the younger crowd….but still worth the visit…they are actually looking for a home in that area right now! Our favorite trip was out to the Chateau St Michelle winery in Woodinville so beautiful! Peacocks everywhere too! It was a lovely visit….Mark Ryan Winery is very nice too!

See the Chihuly garden glass art exhibit… right next to the space needle….It is gorgeous! Yes touristy but really worth the time! Night or day you will enjoy it. We fell so In love with his work that we invested in a piece of his glass.

Not MCM but those areas south of Seattle wouldn’t be my first choice for artsy, but check out the cafe/ coffee shop at Boon Boona Coffee. Also, Kubota Gardens is down there someplace. All those towns run together in my mind, so not exactly sure which one. Des Moines is on the water, so maybe something to check. Salty’s is a good seafood restaurant at Redondo/Des Moines.

@ilikefriday Tukwila and Renton are south of Seattle. In my opinion, they're not very nice or interesting. Mostly chain stores and restaurants, kind of like any boring suburb in america. I don't know anything about Kent, but nobody I know goes there for fun.

The park I mentioned (Seward Park) and Kubota gardens is in the south end of Seattle, so it's a very short drive from the Tukwila/Renton area.

If you're near a light rail station, you can take that into many cool neighborhoods. The "main" neighborhood next to me is Columbia City, where there are several great coffee shops, restaurants and breweries. For coffee there I'd recommend Olympia Coffee Roasters for a very "Seattle" kind of place, or Coffeeholic if you like Vietnamese style.

Or you can continue north to Beacon Hill, the International District (our "China Town"), or Downtown Seattle.

Ballard is super cute but I would say more for the younger crowd. I disagree. But it does get a little more trendy and crowded at night, so I'd recommend going for lunch or an early dinner. Their downtown is a historic district that's really pretty. Upgraded but very well preserved. There are lots of boutique shops you could hit up after lunch.

@Olychick

I decided to check out the coffee shop you suggested. It is a nice spot and a good way to kill a couple of hours. I was startled by both the number of homeless people in the area and the HUGE, muscular men coming out of some shop called The Ruff House??? Lol. There are a few cute shops in the area. Thanks for the recommendation. I will visit this place again sometime soon.

@User

South of Seattle is not exactly artsy or exciting but I was hopeful that you might know of a hidden pocket 😊. Plus the area is riddled with crime. That includes Kent.... I am not surprised you have never visited. But, this is where I find myself today.... Lol. My kid has an activity that brings us to this part of the country. I find myself twiddling my thumbs while he is doing his thing, looking for activities. In the past week I have discovered making wire wrapped rings. The rocks I filled my luggage with overloaded my weight allowance for my checked luggage but omg am I glad I discovered this hobby. It's perfect for these trips!

Sometimes trips to Seattle and further are perfect but on other days I need to stick closer by. It just depends on what is going on. Today was just a coffee shop day.

@Jj JJ
A month! Already a week every month is a lot.

@ilikefriday I've been thinking about my post yesterday and I felt like it came across kind of snobbish. The thing is, I wouldn't exactly call them hidden gems, but I can tell you where in Renton/Tukwila is nicer (if you're really bored, need to stay close by, and are ok with chains).

Southcenter Mall is a very nice mall (large and relatively new-ish), and it has a movie theater. Two restaurants worth checking out in that mall are Din Tai Fung (Taiwanese dumplings that are so good that many of their locations have a line out the door during peak hours). And Kizuki Ramen. Both are relatively small chains, and extremely good.

There's one corner of that mall that's kind of tucked away that has a bunch of Asian stores that are interesting. There's a Pilipino bakery next to the the supermarket, and a Jollibee (a fast food restaurant that's insanely popular in the Philippines. I've never been, but if you're there with your kid they might be interested). There's a Japanese dollar store that I friggin's love (Daiso), and a Uniqlo. (All chains, but maybe ones that you don't get in your city?)

Also, there's a nice strip mall in Renton near Boeing field called The Landing. Think Target, World Market, Ulta type stores. But the opposite end to the big box stores has a newer outdoor mall layout that feels a little bit more walkable and "village" like, if that makes any sense. One of our favorite local donut chains is there -- Top Pot Donuts. Good coffee there too. If you're super bored and just looking to kill time, this area feels nice and safe. (It also has a movie theater.)

Also, the recommendations for Boeing Museum -- totally worth it, but maybe bring your kid? It's not the kind of museum I'd go to on my own, it's more like an interesting family activity.

@User

I have no problem with snobbish when it comes to safety. There is no part of the mall I am interested in. There is so much crime surrounding that area I am simply a wimp and want nothing to do with it. Just last year at one of the nearby restaurants the owner was walking his employee to her car, because of the crime. Once he got to his car he was shot 11 times. Thank goodness he survived. Here is a link to the article. And let's not talk about the recent shootings inside the mall...

https://www.yahoo.com/video/miracle-korean-bbq-restaurant-owner-181107322.html

We do visit the area so often, I like having a good list of places to go that feel relatively safe enough to spend a few hours while I am waiting for my kid to do his thing. Some days I have several hours and others it's just a couple.

I go to both of those malls all the time. During daylight hours, I don't feel unsafe at all (and I'm kind of a ninny when it comes to those kinds of things). Downtown Seattle is actually less safe.

But yeah, if you feel unsafe, then you feel unsafe. I'm afraid at that point you may as well not do anything in that area. I'm honestly not snarking, but just mean that there are shootings happening just about anywhere, in any city. I remember being in Toronto when there was a mass shooting in their mall. Canada is very low on gun crime and this was in 2012, waaaaay before the pandemic sparked rising crime rates.

But I digress. That second mall I mentioned -- The Landing in Renton. It's by Boeing field, and caters to the well paid employees that live and work there. It's a very different area from other parts of Renton.

Or if you're willing to drive about 15 minutes, go to Bellevue Square Mall. Very posh and safe. It's a normal mall but a tiny bit more upscale (like, you're not going to find a Sears or JCP there). There's a great art museum right across the street and tons of restaurants. Just down the street from it is the verrry upscale Bravern Mall (think Barneys, etc).

Just down the street in the other direction is "Old Bellevue". More quaint with smaller, more local shops and restaurants and stuff. Very pretty. If you walk to the end of that street you get a great view of Lake Washington. And there's a really nice park that's just between that area and the mall.

Kubota garden is in south Seattle and not terribly far from Tukwila

I live on Bainbridge Island and we are much slower-paced than the city. We do have a small but interesting art museum near the ferry (https://www.biartmuseum.org/). You may want to visit the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial https://bijaema.org or Bloedel Reserve https://bloedelreserve.org/visit if time permits. Seabird is the newest fine dining restaurant and is getting great press locally and nationally (if you eat seafood). In addition to the cute little downtown core, there is another commercial area towards the southern end of the island in the Lynwood Center/Pleasant Beach neighborhood with wine bars and restaurants. I have been a bit of a recluse since Covid and don't frequent Seattle much so not much help there.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April https://tulipfestival.org/ is amazing. I was in Seattle on business. DH arranged for us to drive to Anacortes and take the ferry to the San Juan Islands. Neither of us knew a thing about a tulip festival. As we came over a hill on I-5, there was the valley laid out with gorgeous tulips. If you can find time or lengthen your stay, go!

Yes, it really looks like this for miles and miles

Last time I was in Seattle for my conference we went out to a place called Slim's Last Chance that was featured on DDD with Guy Fieri. We also did a tour called waterfalls and wineries that was really a lot of fun. This was June, so weather was nice.

I really can't believe how many awesome recommendations I have gotten on this post. All of you are really fabulous eeee. I meant to visit the Kubota Gardens today but ran out of time. My kid says tha gum wall isall ll the rage ononon social media. I hope that we have time to see it before we leave!

Sometimes my cellphone only reperepeatreperepeats instead of deletes on Houzz. Sorry for the typos. It only happens on this website. I have no idea why... The more I try to delete the more it repeats.

You had some unanswered questinos on Kent, if you are still around -- it sounds like you are getting ready to leave. The short answer is that it is very suburban or full of warehouses (it is a major logistics center), despite having 137K people and a hockey stadium. Most of my recommendations revolve around food, however. You could hang out in Kent Station, which is an outdoor mall (mostly chains, but a Daiso) + movie theater right next to the old town. There is a Dilettante Mocha cafe there. A few blocks over in downtown Kent there is a bakery (Sweet Themes), a bakery/cafe for breakfast (Wild Wheat) and a nice little sushi restaurant (Kaunta) with one guy and like 10 seats.

Thanks @Gooster. I have discovered Kent Station. In fact, it is a frequent stop because my kid likes Chipotle and I like Go Sushi for a quick bite. Neither of us is into movies but have you ever been to the Pho restaurant there? Do you know if it is any good? We plan on going back home tomorrow or Monday, depending on when we can get a flight. Maybe we will try Kaunta for dinner.

Sorry @ilikefriday for the delay. I've not been to the Pho restaurant (I'm in the area rarely) but the ethnic food is generally pretty good in the area due to the diverse population. I hope you have some safe travels.

No worries @Gooster. I read some reviews and will try the Pho restaurant next month. I am on a flight head home now but I am armed with a plan for my next visit. I will be mapping my days so they include some of these excursions. I really appreciate all the suggestions.