Best Attractions in Seattle (2026)

Seattle's best-known sights fall into a few clusters, which makes planning simple. Downtown, Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum are a short walk apart, and the Seattle Aquarium sits below the market on the waterfront. North of downtown, Seattle Center gathers the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Museum of Pop Culture around one site, reached in a couple of minutes on the monorail from Westlake. Further out, Woodland Park Zoo, the Ballard Locks and The Museum of Flight each need a separate trip.

Several attractions use timed tickets, including the Space Needle and the Seattle Aquarium, so book popular slots such as sunset ahead. Combination tickets for the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass are sold for the same day, and Seattle CityPASS covers a number of the main sights. Visit Pike Place Market early in the morning, before 10am, when the stalls are being set up and the crowds are lighter. Free options include the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is open every day, and the Ballard Locks, where salmon use the fish ladder in summer. The Seattle Art Museum has free entry for everyone on First Thursdays and is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Weather matters in Seattle, so keep indoor sights such as MoPOP and the Museum of Flight for wet days and save the views for clear ones.

10 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Attraction

1. Space Needle

Observation towerSeattle Center

Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Space Needle at Seattle Center has an observation level at 520 feet and The Loupe, a revolving glass floor.

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Attraction

2. Pike Place Market

Historic public marketDowntown

Open since 1907, Pike Place Market is Seattle's historic public market, with produce and fish stalls, craft vendors, small shops and restaurants above Elliott Bay.

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3. Chihuly Garden and Glass

Glass art museumSeattle Center

Next to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass shows Dale Chihuly's studio glass in indoor galleries, a tall Glasshouse and a planted garden.

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Attraction

4. Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Music and pop culture museumSeattle Center

Housed in a Frank Gehry building at Seattle Center, MoPOP covers music, film, science fiction and games, with a large Jimi Hendrix collection.

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5. Seattle Art Museum

Art museumDowntown

The Seattle Art Museum's downtown building on First Avenue holds about 25,000 works, from Northwest Coast art and Asian ceramics to European painting.

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6. The Museum of Flight

Aviation and space museumBoeing Field

At the south end of Boeing Field, The Museum of Flight displays historic aircraft and spacecraft, including a Concorde, an Air Force One and the first Boeing 747.

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7. Seattle Aquarium

AquariumWaterfront

On the Elliott Bay waterfront, the Seattle Aquarium covers Pier 59, Pier 60 and the Ocean Pavilion, with sea otters, seals and a large tropical reef habitat.

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Attraction

8. Woodland Park Zoo

ZooPhinney Ridge

Founded in 1899, Woodland Park Zoo covers 92 acres in north Seattle and is known for naturalistic habitats such as the African Savanna and Tropical Rain Forest.

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9. Ballard Locks (Hiram M. Chittenden Locks)

Historic locks and fish ladderBallard

Opened in 1917 at the west end of Salmon Bay, the Ballard Locks lift boats between the lakes and Puget Sound and have a fish ladder used by migrating salmon.

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Attraction

10. Olympic Sculpture Park

Sculpture parkBelltown

Run by the Seattle Art Museum, the free Olympic Sculpture Park is a nine-acre waterfront park with large works by Alexander Calder, Richard Serra and others.

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