I love the Pacific Northwest, especially the city of Seattle. This beautiful green city located along the Puget Sound is the home of grunge music, Seattle coffee, Microsoft, and Amazon, but it also offers some fantastic family activities.
We definitely recommend visiting Seattle for a family vacation at least once. I lived there for an internship many years ago and was eager to return with my family. We visited during summer vacation and loved our trip – there are just so many things to do and see in the area.
Below are all of our posts specific to Seattle travel. Click through to the individual posts to learn about each topic.
Visiting the Seattle Space Needle
Visiting Funko HQ in Everett, WA
Review of Hotel FIVE – A Staypineapple Seattle Hotel
Visiting Seattle Center With Kids
All About the Seattle CityPASS
Seattle 4 Day Itinerary With Kids
Family Road Trips From Seattle
Things to do in Seattle With Kids
Disclosure: We received two complimentary CityPASS passes for our trip. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, and a purchase/click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no additional cost to you.
Seattle Travel Tips and Reviews
Visiting the Seattle Space Needle
The Seattle Space Needle is the most recognized icon of the Seattle skyline, so it’s no surprise that guests immediately want to visit when they arrive. If you visit one attraction in Seattle, I’d definitely recommend the Space Needle.
Because Seattle can often be overcast and cloudy, I’d recommend planning your trip to the Space Needle on a day of your vacation when the weather seems the clearest. That way, you’ll be able to see more of the Seattle landscape.
I generally recommend visiting in the morning, but it can be really beautiful at night as well. Some tickets offer admission at both times, and you may consider doing that.
Visiting Funko HQ in Everett, WA
Have you heard of Funko Pops? These collectibles are extremely popular and in all sorts of characters including Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, tv shows, cartoons, and more.
Collectors of Funko Pops will definitely want to visit Funko HQ, the headquarters of the company. Located north of Seattle in Everett Washington, Funko HQ offers a gift shop with all sorts of Funko Pops including make-your-own Pops and exclusives only available there. There are also huge Funko statues located throughout the store.
This post includes everything you need to know about visiting Funko HQ.
Review of Hotel FIVE – A Staypineapple Seattle Hotel
Wondering where to stay for your Seattle vacation? During our family vacation, we decided to stay at the Hotel FIVE – A Staypineapple Hotel. I hadn’t heard of the Staypineapple chain, but read some great reviews of this hotel and decided to book it.
The Hotel FIVE – A Staypineapple Hotel is in a great location, within walking distance of both the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. It’s a fun, boutique hotel, that offers a great happy hour, fun amenities, and so much more. Read our full review of the Hotel FIVE on our website.
Visiting Seattle Center With Kids
Seattle Center, the cultural center of the city, is where you’ll find the Space Needle. In addition, Seattle Center is home to several museums, including the Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP), Chihuly Garden and Glass, and the Pacific Science Center (which is currently going through a “renewal”).
Seattle Center offers parking, although it’s also very walkable from many nearby hotels and attractions. I’d recommend walking if possible. There’s also the monorail, which goes between Westlake Center station and the Seattle Center station.
The Armory, a large building in Seattle Center, has a food court with lots of different options. We enjoyed lunch there one day. There were lots of great choices – especially for the kids.
All About the Seattle CityPASS
If you are planning to visit many of the popular Seattle attractions, you can often save money by purchasing a Seattle CityPASS. Purchase one pass and you’ll be able to enter many attractions. If you are already planning on visiting these locations, the CityPASS can be a nice savings. The attractions currently include (subject to change):
- Space Needle
- Seattle Aquarium
And three of the following (you can choose):
- Woodland Park Zoo
- Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
You don’t need to choose which three of those four attractions that you’ll visit until you are there, but you’ll want to book the CityPASS tickets in advance. Some attractions may require admission reservations and have other restrictions, so review that information before you go.
Click here to purchase your CityPASS tickets.
Seattle 4 Day Itinerary With Kids
If you are planning a family vacation to Seattle, you may be wondering what the optimal amount of time for your visit is. Although any amount of time will be wonderful, we recommend a four-day itinerary.
You can start planning your trip with our sample four-day itinerary. It includes what attractions you should include on your agenda, and when to visit. While you can certainly make modifications to this sample agenda, it’s a good starting point for your planning.
Family Road Trips From Seattle
While Seattle offers enough attractions to fill your Seattle vacation, there are some wonderful road trips that you may consider taking. These trips include museums, national parks, outdoor attractions, and much more.
Read about some of the nearby attractions in our post. You may consider doing a day trip, or you may want to stay at a hotel for a night or two. If you do decide to take a road trip from Seattle, you may want to increase your trip by a day or two.
Things to do in Seattle With Kids
Finally, this things to do in Seattle post includes our attraction recommendations, tips for visiting, hotel recommendations, and more. It’s probably best to start with this post, and then read the other posts as they apply to your trip.
