So you want to visit Seattle with your large family…but then you read on TripAdvisor that the “Emerald City” was the ranked Most Expensive summer destination for US cities in 2015? Here’s the good and bad news: it IS expensive but, if you’re determined to go, you can still have a wonderful time without spending too much money.
On the other hand, perhaps you’re the large family whose been saving large amounts of vacation money and doesn’t want to feel any limits? Either way, here are my top suggestions.
Tip 1: Accommodation: This is really tough because Seattle is all about young professionals and most definitely does not cater to large families. If money is no object, I would use airbnb.com to find a nice place that will fit your entire group. The cheapest hotel stay that actually fits my family is Staybridge Suites in Fremont.
Our room was under $300 (yes, that’s a lot but for Seattle it’s a deal!), many nights offer a free light supper, a hot breakfast is also free, there’s a pool, it’s not far from many attractions, and we were able to squeeze our family of nine into a two bedroom suite with kitchen fairly comfortably. Note: kitchen! So you could handle meals via local grocery stores and avoid pricey restaurants. Additional note: I am not talking about Whole Foods; it’s more expensive than the restaurants. 🙂
View Seattle Hotels for Big Families
Fun idea: if you love the idea of the staying on one of the many islands near Seattle, our family of nine also stayed at a former Lighthouse Keeper’s quarters on Vashon Island for a Seattle-reasonable price. It’s RIGHT on the beach and beautiful.What to do: The most obvious tourist attraction is the Space Needle.
If money is no object, I admit that it’s a fabulous experience to eat at the restaurant at its top and you will bypass long elevator waits. For a family of nine where seven are children, it will cost you more than $300 for brunch, the cheapest meal. The food, service, and views make it worthwhile if it’s in your budget. If not, the elevator lines and fees still might be worth it for the city views. Parking can be a hassle around Seattle Center, where the Space Needle and a plethora of museums are located, so if you’re determined to eat here, it might be worth your while to pay the $20 for valet parking right in front.
Tip 2: Around the Space Needle is a science museum, a children’s museum, a museum of glass, and others. Each one will cost you, large family! Tip 3: Or you can walk around and sight-see, play on the giant playground and listen to the live music for free.
Tip 4: Other free ideas that are worthwhile: the Fremont Troll, a giant stone statue located under a bridge in Fremont, not far from your Staybridge Suites hotel. 🙂 He’s big and satisfying, able to be climbed on by your children and holding a to-scale VW bug.
Tip 5: In the downtown area is the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is an attractive green space with, you guessed it, giant sculptures to look at.
Tip 6: Pike Place Market is a Seattle must-do as it is so full of color, life, variety, and quirkiness. It IS crowded, so using your standard large-family crowd control system is a good idea. But it feels safe and fun. Eating here can be expensive but if you treat it as a snacking, exploring expedition, it won’t be so bad.
Wandering past all the fresh produce stands, there are ALWAYS vendors offering free samples of really delicious fruit. We always like to stop at the seafood place where fishmongers fling patrons’ purchases back and forth to each other (always with deadly accuracy).
Tip 7: Not too far from there is a stand that sells apple chips, a delicious, healthy, and not-too-expensive snack. A little further you’ll want to buy a bag of freshly made donuts at the Daily Dozen because…they are so fresh. And so hot, you’ll have to wait a few minutes before trying. Beecher’s cheese is an expensive place to eat but your kids can observe the cheese-making process through the glass, which is always fun. And you can buy a huge and beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers for $10. What a deal!
Tip 8: There are floors and floors of all sorts of shops from a specialty wind-up toy place to a tiny Mexican grocery. It can be a lot of fun just to explore and window-shop. Tip 9: Disgusting but perhaps a necessary part of your Pike Place experience, is the gum wall in (on?) Post Alley.
Tip 10: Whale watching is an obvious tourist attraction in this area. Again, it’s not cheap! You will be driving for a while to your dock, you’ll have a great boat ride, and you MAY see some whales if your experience is anything like ours.
If you want a cheaper boat-riding option, without the whale guarantee, take a ferry ride from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island. If you walk on, you’ll pay between $4-7 pp but only one way; returns are free. Also if you walk on, it’s almost guaranteed that you won’t have to wait long for a ride. Ferries depart around every hour and you’ll have a beautiful and satisfying 35-minute ride. The boats have bathrooms, a dining area, lots of window seating, and observation decks.
Tip 11: Once on Bainbridge Island, you’ll have an easy walk to the Island’s quaint downtown area, complete with cute but expensive shops and restaurants. For free, you can visit the art museum, which has a lot to offer for its size.
Tip 12: A cheap meal would be the 2 for $20 large, 2-topping pizzas at That’s-a-Some-Pizza. If money is no object, there are lots of great choices, such as the Streamliner Diner (fabulous sandwiches!) or even the local grocery store, Town&Country. I strongly recommend splurging on some pricey but world-class delicious ice cream at Mora Iced Creamery.
Tip 13: Also within walking distance of the ferry and downtown is Waterfront Park, a fun way to get near the water or run on the grass or at the small playground.
Tip 14: Seattle is known for its substantial Boeing operations. Though it’s always a little discouraging to pay what is essentially the cost of a membership to visit a museum once with a large family, if you can time it well, the Museum of Flight is free first Thursdays from 5-8 PM.
It is an exciting way to learn about the history of flight. There are several large planes, like a retired Air Force One, that you can go inside, which was a thrill for my children. There is a restaurant on site ($$) OR…you’re not too far from Seattle’s IKEA (Tip 15) where you can buy a hot dog and frozen yogurt each for a family of nine for under $20. 🙂 Beware the ever-tempting cinnamon rolls…
Tip 16: Be sure to visit freeMuseumday to view all the available free museum options.
Tip 17: Another cheap-to-free option for getting a flavor of the Seattle area is to hike. There are too many great options to ever list. I’d recommend driving to the Cascades – less than half an hour from the city (let’s assume in low traffic) gets you to a different and beautiful world of hikes of varying distances and difficulties. A four-mile (and pretty steep) hike up Rattlesnake Ridge offers you marvelous views. Snoqualmie Falls has, you guessed it, gorgeous falls views and is less strenuous.
Tip 18: Want to stay in the city for sightseeing? The Center for Wooden Boats is always free, as is the Ballard Locks – a fun, close-up look at how locks work, nearly always with a boat or two coming through.
Also, at certain times of the year, you can watch the salmon runs through windows below sea level. You might even spot a seal enjoying the salmon run in a different way!
Tip 19: If in Ballard, the Hi-Life restaurant is highly recommended for good food. It’s in a former firehouse and has great breakfast food with “RMS” (real maple syrup) and a $5-6 kids’ ‘Blunch’ menu full of fun choices.
Tip 20: The Woodland Park Zoo is a lovely, and very green, place to view animals. If you have a zoo membership in your hometown, you can check this zoo page for reciprocity.
Tip 21: Friendly parking advice for large family vehicles: Most parking garages in Seattle will not accommodate a full-size van! It’s safe to assume that none will. If parking is a major source of frustration, you could check out luxe.com. You can use this app to drop your vehicle off anywhere downtown and have it returned to you when you wish…and the prices are not much more than you’d be paying at those miniscule garages anyway.
