15 Inexpensive and Free Things to do in Seattle
Seattle, Washington is a popular west-coast destination because of the popular landmarks, beautiful outdoor scenery, and more! There are so many amazing things to do in Seattle and most of them are FREE! I’m going to share my favorite inexpensive and free things to do in Seattle to help save you money on your next trip to this beautiful city!
First, a little about Seattle, Washington…
Seattle is a metropolitan city surrounded by water and is known for being the largest city in Washington & the entire Pacific Northwest! While it isn’t the capital of Washington, it is home to over 4 million residents, making it the 15th largest city in the USA.
Seattle is nicknamed the Emerald City because it’s incredibly lush and green! This makes it a great escape for nature lovers, with Mt Rainer off in the distance!
Seattle has a rainy reputation, but in all actuality, it only rains 150 days of the year! That leaves plenty of days for sunny springs and summers.
Inexpensive and Free Things to Do in Seattle
Pike Place Market
Website: Pike Place Market
Address: 85 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101
Ahh, it wouldn’t be a visit to Seattle without checking out Pike Place Market! This is a favorite for tourists and locals alike as it has so much to offer. I would plan to spend about 90 minutes here to give yourself time to walk around and stop at various vendors for snacks. This market is most known for the original Starbucks!
You can also see the “fish throwing” that happens when the fisherman throw their freshly caught fish from truck to truck.
Check out this guide on the 9 Best Food Vendors at Pike Place Market! My favorite food vendors include:
- Ellenos Greek Yogurt – my favorite
- Beecher’s – the best mac n cheese
- Prioshky Prioshky – super long line
- Daily Dozen Donuts – best bag of donuts
Snap a pic at the Gum Wall
Website: Seattle Gum Wall
Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
Right near Pike Place Market, you’ll find the infamous Gum Wall. You know its worth seeing when it has its very own Wikipedia page dedicated to the gum wall.
Located on Post Alley, this gum wall makes for a great insta picture! The wall itself is over 15 tall and 50 feet long, with some areas inches thick filled of gum!
A little backstory on the Gum Wall: people began putting gum on the wall and sticking coins to the gum after comedy shows at the Market Theatre. The Pike Place Market Preservation Authority tried to clean up the wall, but was unsuccessful, and eventually deemed it a tourist attraction in 1999!
Starbucks Reserve Roaster and Tasting Room
Website: Starbucks Reserve
Address: 1124 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Visit one of two Starbucks Reserve Roaster locations in the world (the other is in NYC). Since Starbucks was founded in Seattle, it’s a place you definitely shouldn’t skip.
The tasting room is complimentary with beverages available for purchase (even alcoholic versions too). There was a line outside just to enter the building so be mindful of a potential wait (1+ hour).
Note: They offered paid tours to see behind the scenes as well!
Kerry Park
Website: Kerry Park
Address: 211 W Highland Dr., Seattle, WA 98119
If you’re looking for the absolute best view of the city, you’re in luck! Not only does Kerry Park offer an amazing skyline view of Seattle, but you can also see Mt Rainer in the background!
Make the 10 minute drive out to Kerry Park for a picturesque opportunity and enjoy one of my favorite free things to do in Seattle, Washington!
University of Washington’s Campus
Website: UW Campus
Address: 1400 NW Campus Parkway, Seattle, WA 98195
Located on the outskirts of Seattle, you’ll find the University of Washington’s campus. This beautiful college makes for a great activity to walk around and explore.
This Self Guided Walking Tour of University of Washington will show you the indigenous landmarks and features!
This campus also has their own Botanical Garden, which is worth exploring! I’ve linked the Self Guided Walking Tour of the Botanical Gardens which features 3 different trail maps and history of the gardens!
Ballard Locks
Website: Ballard Locks
Address: 3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107
About 20 minutes from the city – salmon swimming & jumping up ladder (June – Sept), seals, and the boats being raised. This is the busiest locks in the nation, linking the Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington. You can watch as boats navigate through the locks.
In the summer, you can enjoy concerts, picnics, and weddings!
The locks is also home to the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden — a beautiful park-like setting and a great escape from the city.
Washington Park Arboretum
Website: Washington Park Arboretum
Address: 2300 Arboretum Dr E, Seattle, WA 98112
This is one of the best FREE things to do in Seattle. It’s open from dawn to 8PM, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy this outdoor arboretum.
You could easily spend a few hours here walking around and looking at the University of Washington’s football stadium (Husky Stadium), Union Bay and more. Otherwise, just make a quick stop here to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Seattle Japanese Garden
Cost: $8 per person
Website: Seattle Japanese Garden
Address: 1075 Lake Washington Boulevard East, Seattle, WA, 98112
Right next to the Washington Park Arboretum, you’ll find a beautiful Seattle Japanese Garden. Tickets are $8 per person – I recommend purchasing in advance if you plan to visit on the weekend or on a holiday.
While this isn’t a completely free activity, it is relatively inexpensive and worth the entry fee!
Discovery Park + West Point Lighthouse
Website: Discovery Park & West Point Lighthouse
Address: 3801 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle WA 91899
Twenty minutes outside of Seattle, you’ll find Discovery Park! It’s another free thing to do in Seattle, which makes it a must for me!
If you park near the visitor’s center, it will take about an hour to hike to the lighthouse (each way). This lighthouse isn’t like your cliche red and white striped tall building, which makes it unique and worth visiting!
Ferry to Bainbridge Island
Cost: $9 per person
Bainbridge Island is right off the coast of Seattle and just a quick ferry trip away! The ferry itself takes 35 minutes one-way, but you’ll get an amazing view of the city as you journey to the island. You can bring a car on the ferry, or walk on for just $9.
When you arrive on Bainbridge Island, you can walk roughly 10 minutes into town and enjoy shopping & eateries. We enjoyed Pegasus Coffee (which is picture perfect) and Fletcher Wine Bar (with a rooftop).
Before you head back to Seattle, take a walk along the shore and enjoy the slow pace of the island life.
Gas Works Park
Website: Gas Works Park
Address: 2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103
The most commonly asked question is “Why is it called Gas Works Park” – let me tell you! This park is located on the site of the former Seattle gas light company, Gasification, plant. Contains remnants of the one and only coal Gasification plant.
The park will give you views of both Lake Union and the skyline as it sits just north of the city. It’s truly the perfect place to relax when the weather is nice outside.
Spend Time on Lake Union
Website: Lake Union
Address: 860 Terry Ave., N, Seattle, WA 98109
Lake Union is about 15 minutes from the city and offers amazing views of the skyline and Gas Works Park. There are so many activities you can enjoy out on this lake.
- Rent a Boat: Electric Boat Company – It was an hour long boat ride experience and we personally loved it! You can watch the planes land over the lake
- Rent a Kayak: Lots of people enjoy renting a Kayak to see Lake Union
- Rent a Hot Tub Boat
Golden Gardens Park
Website: Golden Gardens Park
Address: 8498 Seaview Pl. NW, Seattle, WA 98117
Seattle sunsets are one for the books! Be sure to check out Golden Gardens Park (about 20 minutes outside of the city) for a fantastic view of the sunset at the end of the day.
Visit Filming Locations for “Sleepless in Seattle”
Website: Best Movie Filming Locations in the USA
Address: Reference Below
The iconic movie “Sleepless in Seattle” was filmed right here in the city, and you can still explore some of the filming locations today!
Most of the places listed above can be found in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle – for context, I’ve also provided them below:
- Pike Place Market (85 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101)
- Gas Works Park (2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103)
- Alki Beach (1702 Alki Avenue, Seattle, WA 98116)
- Famous Floating Home (2640 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109)
- Space Needle (400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109)
Related Post: Best Movie Filming Locations in the USA
There you have it – my favorite inexpensive or free things to do in Seattle, Washington! There are truly so many great parks and outdoor activities waiting to be explored, which makes this such an affordable city to visit!
Be sure to share any additional free things to do in Seattle down in the comments below.
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Unfortunately I was only in Seattle on a few hour layover, but I did arrange for a city tour so I made it to Pike Market and the Space Needle. I would love to go back to explore more, especially some of the parks. I loved it the short time I spent there.
We have visited Seattle several times and plan to head back many more. So it was good to check out the free things to do in Seattle. A visit to Kerry Park will definitely be on our plans to get that great view of the city. And a trip out to the Ballard Locks looks like a worthwhile day trip. I love that you have added so many outdoor spots to enjoy. Perfect to take a break from the city sights.
There are some brilliant suggestions on here. I love sleepless in seattle, and would love to visit some of these locations. I’d be most inclined to kayak on lake unison and go to Kerry Park to look over that amazing skyline.
I haven’t been to the US for a while now and Seattle is a place I’d still like to visit one day. I’m kinda the grunge generation, if you know what I mean 😉 It’s always great to have a list of free things to do when travelling to compensate for all those inevitable expenses when travelling.
Seattle is definitely a fun city to visit. We saw the long line at Starbucks and decided to pass. Nice to know there is a tour that you can sign up for instead.