Things To Do in Seattle, Rain or Shine

Summer is easily the most pleasant time to visit Seattle, but during the rainy months (October to April) the city doesn't shut its doors. In fact, starting October 1, hotels can be a real bargain--unlike the summer months, they're not often booked solid. So don't let the drizzle keep you away. IgoUgo members recommend these things to do in Seattle, umbrella, galoshes and all.

• Pike Place Market
  This nine-acre market is the original farmer's market: proposed in 1907 to connect farmers directly to the people by cutting out the price-boosting middlemen. (Revolutionary, in its time!) Today it's home to 200 commercial businesses, 190 craftsmen, and 100 farmers. Notable spots to hit inside the market include the Pike Place Fish Market, where, as stvchin witnessed, fish fly through the air, tossed between workers for weighing and wrapping. There’s also "Bubblegum Alley," filled with colorful 'art' where thousands have stuck their chewing gum. And of course, the original Starbucks. Stvchin notes, "It's a sensual experience, with plenty of colors and textures to keep you visually stimulated from all the food, produce, flowers, and art, plus wonderful aromas of food, fresh donuts, flowers, great dining, and bustling sounds of people." Don’t miss it--rain or shine.


• The Space Needle
  Sure, if it’s cloudy you might not have a crystal clear view of famous Mt. Rainer or Mt. Baker, but a trip up this space-age structure is still worth it. Callen60 notes that, if the skies clear, you can "get a great view of Seattle’s gorgeous physical setting, not just the city itself." While you're there, brush up on the Needle's historic world’s fair origin, spend time in the revolving restaurant, or imagine yourself as a Jetson--"the Jetsons could easily call this place home," says callen60.


• Bill Spiedel's Underground Tour
  Known for being fun, quirky, and humorous, this tour may be the best way to walk the city without worrying about the weather (after all, it's underground!). You’ll walk through a lower level of buildings that the city built over after a massive 1889 fire that destroyed downtown Seattle. Moatway notes, "the delight of the tour is the discussion of Seattle’s history. The guide staff seems to be made up of frustrated and in-between-jobs actors and they give a good, and comedic, performance."


• Experience Music Project (EMP)
  The view of the twisted metal Frank Gehry-designed building alone is worth checking out, but step inside to see a museum that's "a must of any rock 'n' roll fan," according to zeeterman.


• Seattle Art Museum (SAM)
  The "SAM" is an art museum in three parts: a downtown museum, Asian Art museum, and a sculpture garden. If it's raining, or if you're short on time, skip the sculptures and head to the main downtown museum. Says iktommy, "the collection is so vast, there is bound to be something of interest for everyone."


• Museum of Flight
  Seattle's Museum of Flight holds one of the largest air and space collections in the United States--something that will thrill plane- and spaceship-obsessed nine-year-olds on up. Sitting in plane cockpits, walking through the massive Concorde, and walking between rows of warplanes especially impressed snuggle26, who said, “I could be here all day. We spent like 5 hours here and did a lot of walking but it was so worth it.”

Posted by LonelyHighway (Kelly L. Phillips)

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