Seattle Tourist Attractions: Things to Do in Seattle

Seattle is situated in the northwest pacific region of United States, to be more precise, at the isthmus of Lake Washington and Puget Sound on the US - Canada border. The city got its name after Chief Sealth, the leader of Duwamish and Squamish nomadic groups, who lived there, almost 4000 years ago.

Seattle is the major commercial, educational and cultural powerhouse of the western Washington region. It is a city with remarkable and fun things to do, for all age group.

Rock music, superb coffeehouses and rainy days combined with natural surroundings, you will find it all here. Get ready to unfold the traveling secrets, and the fun things to do here.

Seattle is surrounded by three water bodies - Lake Union, Lake Washington and Elliot Bay, along with the mountains like Olympic, Cascade and Mount Rainier. All these natural treasures come with rolling city life, world-class museums (e.g. Seattle Art Museum), classic theaters and numerous world cuisine restaurants.

Ballard is the place that works as a link between the freshwater of the Lake Union, Portage bay, Lake Washington, and Salmon bay with the salt water of the Puget Sound. Here it is fun to watch the passing sailboats, tugs, yachts, and barges of all sizes.

The amazing part is to watch the water shifting, which is done to ease off the movements of thousands of ships that pass through the Ballard locks. You can also see a clear glass fish ladder that has been prepared specially for the salmons to cross the freshwater and enter the sea water.

The whole Seattle city was elevated from the original ground level some time in the 19th century; and now there exists is a huge network of numerous underground passageways. The underground network is a bustling part of the city that lies below the present road structure of Seattle.

These underground structures surely take you back in history in numerous ways. From the 60s, the Seattle Underground Tours started to create a buzz among tourists. It is a must visit place for all history aficionados.

There is a large variety of various living things like species from African Savanna, tropical rain forest birds, elephants from Thailand, and from the northern trail of America. It exhibits many endangered animal and bird species, with various plants, shrubs and herbs. Visiting Woodland Park Zoo is definitely a cool thing to do on your next visit to Seattle.

Spread over a vast area of 9 acres, the place is alive with aromas, flavors and sights of fresh goods along with the sounds, cheers and quarrels of the craftsmen, farmers and artists. Watching all the hustle-bustle and being a part of it is actually fun.

There is a rotating 'Eye of the Needle', which has now been turned into a restaurant. When at the top, one can have a bird's-eye view of all the surrounding mountains, the Elliot bay and most of the surrounding islands.

Here one can experience the rich history of the city. In one section of this area, you will find an iron pergola and totem pole, built in the year 1909, which stand witness to the grandeur of those times.

Seattle is the homeland of grunge music, which is a popular form of rock music from the mid-80s. It is also the birth place of many contemporary rock bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Seattle also has the entombment of famous martial artist and actors Bruce Lee and his son Brandon Lee.

Another celebrity who belonged to and is buried in the city is the popular musician and songwriter, Jimi Hendrix. The city also houses The Boeing Company, and more than 2000 cruise ships including Harbor Cruise, Henry Art Gallery, Nordic Heritage Museum, Pacific Science Center and many more.

Best time to visit Seattle is from the months of mid-June to September, as it will be dry and sunny at this time. It may be crowded during these months, though most activities in the city are available through the year. The months of November to April will allow you to make the cheap fares and stays in the city, but will be raining on and off.