Looking for a few of Seattle's non-tourist attractions

[jenlion]

Day trips:
Deception Pass is awesome
Port Townsend if you're into that kinda town (I'm not, but a lot of people are!)
Leavenworth is a long day trip... mmm, beer.... or make it an overnight and do the Cascade Loop
Olympic Peninsula has a TON to see, but also done with a night or two stopping over. The beaches... the rainforests....
Scenic Beach State Park along the hood canal is a nice day-trip... we take the Bremerton ferry, drive to the park, hang out, whach people dig up clams and stuff, tons of oyster shells around, then drive up and take the Bainbridge ferry back.
Chuckanut drive is nice... not as spectacular IMO, but still nice, and you can poke around Bellingham

Parks:
Discovery Park
Kerry Park for classic Seattle photos

Restaurants:
Our visitors have enjoyed feeding the seagulls at Ivars on the waterfront.

I'll second the wineries and the brewery!!

[happytrvlr]

seattlenextyear and allforcats - thank you for your tips!

[happytrvlr]

Jenlion - thanks also for your ideas. Deception Pass sounds interesting... I went to the beaches in Olympia when I lived in Seattle. It was sooo windy that my friends and I (and our dogs) almost blew away! ha,ha. I went to Leavenworth on a past trip and really enjoyed the quaint little village.

I have so much to think about thanks to all of these great suggestions!

[sean98125]

Day trips (We're going to Cannon Beach for a few days and from what I've seen, it looks amazing.)

Deception Pass/Mt Erie/Fort Casey
Big Four/Ice Cave (Mt. Loop Highway outside of Granite Falls)
Lake Wenatchee State Park
Go on some hikes


- walking tours

Port Townsend
Bellingham
Volunteer Park and nearby neighborhood
Alki seawall
Do the Burke-Gilman trail in sections

- parks

Seward Park
Discovery Park
Woodland Park
Carkeek Park
Magnuson Park

- boat rides (other than the Ferry)

Rent a canoe from the boat house behind Husky Stadium
Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union

- train rides (I believe the Renton dinner train is no longer running)

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad
There's a train in Chehalis or Centralia - forget the name of it
The steam train from Vancouver BC to Whistler along Howe Sound
Snoqualmie Valley Railroad Museum

- Public rooftop viewing for photographs (other than the Space Needle)

Bell Street Pier

[nikdahl]

You haven't been to the Ballard Locks? Get over there! While you're in Ballard, there is a great little Thai place on Ballard Ave called Thaiku. Also a very fun Scandinavian restaurant/lounge on 24th called Copper Gate. The BEST sandwiches in town are at Paseo (two locations, one on Fremont Ave, the other across from Ray's Boathouse in Ballard). and the best burgers in Seattle (possibly in the state) are at Lunchbox Laboratory on 15th in Ballard.

Try the monorail out, it's short but fun. Also the light rail is up and running from Westlake to Tukwila.

I can second the canoes behind Husky Stadium. Very fun to paddle under the 520 floating bridge. Just make sure it's a nice day.

One of my favorite parks is a small little park on Queen Anne called Bhy Kracke. It has beautiful views of the city. Gasworks Park is fun of course. And on a nice night, if you can stand the crowds, having a bonfire on the beach at Golden Gardens in Ballard is good.

[coops32]

Go see the Ballard Locks! The locks are fun & I love the Museum of Flight - to me one of the best things to see in Seattle. The giant Hat N Boots are nearby in Oxbow Park with some great quirky artsy shops and restaurants in Georgetown. There is also a free boat ride on Lake Union.

Have fun!