Vacation in Seattle, WA

Hello everybody,
My name is Stephanie and was banded on January 5. I am from North Dakota. I am planning a vacation with two friends for in August. We are flying into Seattle and the flying out of Portland. Going to be spending 3-4 days in each city. My question to you is what are some good attractions in Seattle to go see.  We are planning on going to the fish market and probably take a ferry to Canada.  Any help would be appreciated. Also what is the weather like during the middle of August.
Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,

Seattle is beautiful by mid-August, the weather is actually pretty predictably sunny and it is getting warm.  You chose a beautiful time to visit. 

Sounds like you're already planning on visiting the Market and going on a ferry, both cool things to do for the touristy stuff.  If you're gonna be downtown, you might want to ride up the space needle and have lunch, although it's been awhile for me and idk, the prices might be pretty high now.  And you can always ride the mono-rail to Westlake for shopping.

The prettiest thing you could see is actually outside of Seattle, but if you have the time to take a day trip, I'd leave very early in the morning and drive up to Paridise Park on Mount Rainier.  It is a gorgeous, with beautiful hiking trails and fresh alpine meadows.  It's important to leave VERY early in the morning and get up on the mountain early, because it gets really crowded later in the day and it's not nearly as enjoyable when it's so packed.

Another thought, you could take a shorter ferry ride across to Bremerton or Winslow just for the experience and then fly up to Canada.  If you can get in one of the prop planes, the flight is just beautiful, they fly so low that you can see everything and the view of the San Juans and the coastline is just gorgeous.  There are also ferries in Canada of course, a fun one is the one over to Victoria, which is another nice day trip from Vancouver.

Good Luck to you in your adventures - I hope you enjoy the area.  I've lived here all of my life, traveled all over, and I'm telling you that some of the most welcome sights I've ever seen are as I fly up the Seattle skyline at night or over the Snoqualmie Valley and up I-90 on the way home from someplace else.  I used to think I'd like to live in so many different places, then I actually visited some of them and found there really is no place like home!

amy

PS, DH hails from Portland, and he tells me you might want to check out the river walk area down there - it's usually a fun place to be in the summer, also they have a pretty good transit system in the "Max", and don't forgot to check out a place called Lloyd Center for shopping!!!!

While you're at Seattle Center (that's where the Space Needle is), consider a ride on "the ducks". We did that when we first moved to this area 7 years ago, and I still smile every time I think about it. That tour includes seeing the house boats on the lake, too (think movie Sleepless in Seattle).

If you want another something with a difference - perfect on a really hot day when you want to get away from the heat for a bit - is the Underground Tour.

Kerry Park is a great place for the famous view and photography.

August is good - you'll actually get to see some blue sky, too  :-)

   The others have given you some great ideas! If you are adventurous, try Parasailing on the Seattle Waterfront! The views are spectacular!
     Iif you are in Seattle area August 14-15, please plan to attend the OH Event! It will be a great time, and you will gets lots of good info too. Check it out on the events page, and watch for additions to the schedule.
    I will add that going to Canada would be great, however it will be very travel-time consuming, and may be too much if you only have 3-4 days for both Seattle and Canada. Remember, as of June 1, you must have a passport to come back into the US.
   Have fun planning your trip!

Hello! And welcome to the Pacific NW!! I lived for a year in Bismarck, and I loved the time I was there - and the people in ND are great! After just a year in ND I feel like a part of the 'family' - and as family oriented as ND is, I am sure we know people in common!!

I am sure you will enjoy your visit to the Seattle/Portland areas. Everyone has mentioned some great things to do, and it will just depend on what your interests are. A few other ideas include the Boeing Museum, Woodland Park Zoo, the entire waterfront of Seattle (including the Aquarium), and I give an additional vote for the underground tour of Seattle - it is fun and hilarious, definitely worth the time (I always take out-of-state family and friends on that tour).

If you are driving down to Portland, another possibility would be to include a trip to Mount Saint Helens in your agenda. You could easily include time there in a long day drive from Seattle south… it is about a 3-hour drive to Portland from Seattle, and the detour to the Volcanic Monument is worth the time you would add to the trip.

Another thing I will add – our weather in August is usually the best part of the summer, but one thing that is very different from ND is that even while it can be hot during the day, our nights cool down! We have been known to go from the upper 90’s to the upper 60’s on the same day! So while you should be able to get by with shorts, etc… during the day, jeans and a sweatshirt, with even a light jacket should be included in your wardrobe. And while we might have a reputation for rain, Portland actually gets more rain than we do. Don’t forget to pack to include that as a potential in both cities. But both Seattle and Portland are beautiful to visit – even in the rain!

I know you and your friend will enjoy yourselves a great deal. Let us know if you have any more questions!

Thank you to everybody for all the great suggestions. I am really looking forward to the trip. We got the airline tickets and the motel rooms book just yesterday. Still have to find a rental car, but that can wait for a while since we won't be coming until August.
Steph