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| *Travel Tips>>>Seattle Travel Tips |
Best family things to do in Seattle? |
Travel Info Hi, We'll be in Seattle for a 1/2 day before a cruise and for 1 1/2 days after our cruise. We'll have a 2, 10 &14 year old with us. There's so much to do! We're in the Queen Anne area precruise and Downtown postcruise. We have a rent-a-car reservation, but are thinking of cancelling it...limited time, want to take it easy, and expensive parking. Should we cancel the car rental? What are your recommended sights and in what order should we see them? Thanks! Travel Tips You've gotten some good comments so far - The aquarium just re-opened with some new exhibits. Just a pier or two over is the Discovery Maritime Museum - not a stuffy museum with a bunch of old stuff off boats, but more of a hands on museum showing Seattle's connection to the water - try on a survival suit, see how a container travels from the mid-west to a ship. Try a virtual kayak ride around Eliott Bay or a virtual "load the container ship" type game. Pacific Science center is great - they will have stuff to interest your teen and preteen, and a great play area for the 2 year old. If the weather is hot, a run in the international fountain at Seattle Center is fun too. One note on the underground tour - you will be going up and down stairs. Strollers probably won't work well for your 2 year old. And the last time I took the tour (it's been a while), there were lots of references to the young ladies of Seattle and innuendos about their chosen profession (they were prostitutes) - so you might want to consider if that's appropriate for your older kids. Pike Place Market is great. If your teen is interested in music the EMP is fantastic. Not much there to interest the 2 year old however. Seattle's zoo is an OK one if you are coming from an area lacking a good zoo. The Space Needle has a great view, but it's a pricey ride, so be prepared. And if it's cloudy or raining, don't bother. Another fun destination is the Ballard Locks and fish ladder - watch the boats go up and down the locks, see the fish swimming up the ladder. You can take the bus to here from downtown, but this one would be easier if you had a car. I'd focus on Pike Place Market, Pacific Science Center/EMP at Seattle Center, and the Aquarium and Discovery Maritime Museum. Have a great trip! Others You shouldn't Need to rent a car. There is quite a bit to do downtown that's family friendly, not to mention the buses are free within the downtown area. In the downtown area there is the Pike Place Market, the piers/waterfront which has the aquarium and pier 52 (from which you could walk on to the ferry and sightsee to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton). Also downtown there is The Seattle Art Museum, The underground tour, and the Pacific Science Center, Space Needle and EMP are only a short bus ride away. Have a good time! You really don't need a car to access a lot of the fun things to do in and around downtown. The first answerer gave you a lot of good suggestions (Pacific Science Center is great!) You could also take the bus to the Ballard Locks (take the 18 from anywhere along 1st Avenue downtown, get off at Market & Ballard and continue west on Market on foot... the Locks are maybe 1/2 mile down the road on your left and are definitely worth the trip.) Ride The Ducks!!! It's a land and water tour of Seattle. You ride around the city in a car-boat, and then go into Lake Washington to see the city from the water and learn fun things. The Woodland Park Zoo is really great, too! There is always a fair by the Space Needle with rides and games like a carnival. The Pacific Science Center is packed with kid-friendly exhibits and hands-on learning. You can venture by yourself or with a tour group. With kids, I suggest take it at your own pace. The Seattle Aquarium is currently under renovation, but most of the exhibits are still open if you want air-conditioned entertainment. I have always loved the Pacific Science Center, its right by the space needle. Queen Anne is like the gay bars and stuff, i dont know about family activiites there. I'd keep the car rental because things can be spread apart kind of far, but if youre up for walking, you can get anywhere. Pike Place Market is a must, and the waterfront. The Space Needle Go to the Hiram Chittendon Locks and watch the boats, watch the salmon climb the fish ladder, eat fish and chips from the Totem House! |
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