Seattle Center

Home to the Space Needle, Key Arena, Experience Music Project, Children’s Museum, Pacific Science Center, an amusement park, and hundreds of annual festivals, the Seattle Center delivers education, entertainment, and thrills to locals and tourists alike. This hub is a stomping ground I frequent at least once per week. With so many attractions to tease the senses, I easily return with renewed interest and leave wanting more.

The focal point of it all, the Space Needle, was constructed in 1962 for the Century 21 Exposition of World’s Fair. This iconic Seattle landmark stands at over 520 feet tall and is not for the faint of heart. The elevators hurdle you upward at 10 mph, which may not be lightening speed, but if unprepared can leave your stomach on ground level. The views from the top are stunning, with views stretching from the Olympic Mountains to the Cascade Range. With over one million visitors annually, the Space Needle is the Pacific Northwest’s number one attraction.

In a more recent addition to the Seattle Center, the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum opened in 2000 and 2004 respectively. This unique structure designed by Frank Gehry has been described as everything from an eye-sore to thought provoking. With colors and shapes resembling anything but a building, this structure beckons you within. The EMP hosts an astonishing collection of music memorabilia and an incredible sound lab to truly test your musical skills; while the SFM contains an assortment of science fiction movie/TV set items (think scripts and costumes).

Traveling with children? Between the Pacific Science Center, Children’s Museum, and Amusement Park, your children will be begging you to go to sleep at the end of the day.

Whatever may bring you to the Seattle Center, give yourself plenty of time and expect that you will be returning to this Seattle Mecca soon.