Seattle Travel Deals
Throughout the year you can find great Seattle travel deals. This exciting cosmopolitan city by the sparkling waters of the Puget Sound
offers an abundance of opportunities for cultural and ethnic experiences. Whether you are looking for the best deals on hotels, restaurants, tours or air-hotel packages there is always something to fit any budget. With both a major port that hosts cruises and its international airport Sea-Tac servicing most of North America, Europe and Asia it is often offered as a desirable vacation destination by travel companies. If you enjoy the romance of railroad travel you can even reach Seattle by train from many U.S. cities.
Read more
Seattle Culture and Great Seattle Travel Deals
Whether you want to visit the Seattle Art Museum which is watched over by a giant sculpture of a man hammering or the Asian Museum guarded by two large camel sculptures you will find an abundance of art both historical and modern to explore. Check for the days when these museums are free to make your money go further when visiting. Special visiting exhibits will always be a separate cost but they may have hours and days that are discounted.
You can visit Pioneer square to see galleries featuring many emerging artists as well as famous artists for free. While there you may want to take the low cost underground tour to visit the original Seattle that still exists beneath the streets. Pioneer square is full of interesting shops, antique stores, and book stores and walking distance to China town and a large Japanese market.
Seattle is known for its music scene. Many great musicians got their start here. It is not unusual for famous people to stop and jam at a local pub or club when touring the area. From jazz to rock, industrial to country, the city that gave birth to the grunge offers choices for every taste in music. Visit the local clubs that feature the type of music you enjoy or take in an evening of a type of music you may not have heard before. For the price of the entry and a drink you can often get a phenomenal concert equal to many high priced tickets. Clubs, book stores and coffee houses feature live music, poetry readings and slam competitions that cost no more than your drink, and can offer a full evening of entertainment. Since the northwest is home to many famous writers you may find an evening with one of those authors featured at a local book store.
If you love live theater, ballet, opera, the symphony or other concerts, check at the ticket booth at Pikes Place Market for last minute tickets and you can often find tickets to these events for half price or less when they are not sold out. Some of the best deals are matinees or shows during the week. You will find many Seattle venues featured there. You can also get newspapers listing the musical and theater events in the city there. They will be happy to suggest places to go and events to see. Purchase a GO Seattle Card from their website before your visit and you can get discounts to over 35 major attractions, Seattle tickets and Seattle tours at up to a 45% savings.
Planning Your Seattle Vacation Package
When planning your Seattle vacation package you will want to look ahead for the best prices on airplane and hotels. You can sign up online to get notifications of discount package deals from many different sites. Seattle lodging includes everything from the lowest priced hostels, modest priced motels and four and five star hotels. Be sure if you do get a car in your package that the place you are staying has free parking.
Visiting Seattle does not require a car. Buses are free in downtown Seattle. The bus can be a great way to get acquainted with Seattle. Pick up a bus schedule and plan your routes for a round trip tour of the city if you don’t feel you can afford one of the professional Seattle tours.
Another way to enjoy Seattle is by taking a ferry across the sound and back as a walk on passenger. That way you also get to enjoy a Seattle ferry ride. The Washington State Ferries are a popular icon for visitors and locals. Taking the ferry at night gives you a beautiful view of Seattle lights. This is especially exciting at Christmas time when all the buildings and boats are decorated with colorful lights.
From downtown you can take the monorail to Seattle Center where you will find a whole day or more worth of entertainment including the space needle Seattle is famous for. Seattle center features a variety of restaurants, a wonderful children’s museum and a tourist center for more information. The center house often has cultural events and ballroom dancing on weekends. The Seattle Ballet, Opera and Symphony perform at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. Get discount tickets in advance at one of the ticket locations. One is located at Pike Place Market. The Intiman theater, one of Washington’s oldest and largest theater arts institutions is also located there and has ongoing live plays.
A butterfly house, science museum, art gallery, the Music Experience Museum, science fiction museum and Key Arena are all found here. This is also the location of major annual events such as Folk Life Festival on Memorial Day weekend and Bumbershoot Festival on Labor Day weekend. These events attract thousands of visitors for their top name draw concerts, food vendors and performers. If you enjoy people watching this is when many drummers, dancers, costumed characters, craftsmen and artists gather to play and perform. Washington has a great love for festivals and it is rare to find a month without one.
Seattle Dining Adventures
One of the best Seattle travel deals is Seattle restaurants which are rated from four stars to local street vendors that have been written about in Gourmet Magazine. They offer cuisine from ethnic cultures all over the world. As a result you can explore a wide variety of restaurants including Indian, Thai, Japanese, African, European, Middle Eastern, and more.
One of the trends you will find in Seattle is a blossoming of regional fare. Though seafood has long been on the menus of local restaurants because of Seattle’s location, now restaurants are being supplied by local growers. Some restaurants boast of their organic cuisine. Others actually serve local gathered fare from gardens and forests. You may find yourself dining on cattail shoots and stems, violets, miners lettuce and other delicacies you might never have imagined in your adventures in eating. You can find hand made pastas and vegetarian cuisine that ranks with the best.
An easy way to start sampling some of the multi cultural fare is to go to Pikes Place Market, which is a Seattle landmark. You will be greeted by a brass sculpture of a large pig. Be sure to rub its nose for luck. You will notice it is brightly shined from the many rubs it gets. Famous for its fish throwers at the fish market, its rows of fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables and products from all over Washington, and the world, the Market is a favorite stop and you will rub elbows with locals and tourists from all over. Along with views of the sound, you will find numerous shops and restaurants. Musicians and performers enhance the visit to the various shops on multiple levels. You often hear the music of a flute, guitar or violin from a different level and may find the musicians on a street or a landing.
Across from the market you will find more shops and restaurants with menus representing various countries. Some have balconies and terraces with views or interesting ambience. A favorite has a South American cuisine that serves imported bottled drinks. If you want to sample local brews you can visit a nearby pub and brewery that features seafood. From French style crepes to Cajun or hot dogs there is every type of food you can imagine. Athenian or Bolivian, full meal or a pastry, you could spend all your time eating in this one area and not finish in a month.
If you don’t find what you want at the market, walk down the hill to the waterfront. Fresh chowder in a bread bowl or a whole meal of clams, potatoes, corn, and other sea fare dumped out on a paper on the table can make for fun dining in addition to the very fine dining restaurants available. Just know that one trip to Seattle is like an international tour of foods, with some well kept secret recipes you won’t find anywhere else.
More on Pike Place Market Seattle
While at Pike Place Market, cross the street to visit Starbucks which maintains its original appearance from 1971 where it was moved from Western Ave. It is hard to believe the empire that is the largest coffee house chain in the world came from this humble beginning. Named for a ship’s mate in the tale “Moby Dick”, it is known for its mermaid logo. Washingtonians are known for their large coffee consumption and Seattle is no exception. The aroma of fresh roasted beans and fresh brewed coffee hangs over the city as a constant invitation to imbibe. It is easy to find great coffee drinks on almost every corner and it is quite acceptable to walk, coffee in hand as you peruse the views and the shop windows.
If you are looking for exotic treats or souvenirs, you can find imports from all over the world here. From teas, to incenses, to clothing you will find level after level of shops, many tucked into small corners that you have to look to find through the labyrinth layout. If there is something special you desire, ask at the tourist information booth, then arm yourself with a map. Start early in the day as the market closes earlier than the waterfront stores.You can allow a full day to explore this area and the waterfront and enjoy both a unique lunch and dinner before visitng other Seattle locations on your list of sites in Seattle to visit.
One of the shops many locals enjoy is the music shop where you can find and try out a variety of unusual instruments along with guitars, and drums. If you are interested in an instrument the clerks are happy to demonstrate them and show you how you can enjoy playing them. Drumming circles are popular in Seattle so you will find many instruments commonly used at these events in addition to drums. Cowbells, maracas, African thumb harps are just a few of what you will find. Drumming circles are an energetic event where everyone who wants to join plays or dances along to the drum beats. Ask where one is happening during your stay and you can enjoy a local treat. You might even want to take a drumming lesson.
Many local craftsmen and artists bring their creations to the market where you will find jewelry, photographs, paintings, pottery, leatherwork, dried floral arrangements, handmade hats and shawls, weavings, blown glass pieces, dough art and more. The sites, and fragrances of the market along with the feel of the old original wood floors from the early 1900’s make this a unique Seattle vacation experience.