Seattle is one of the best cities in the Pacific Northwest for a family weekend trip: walkable, food-obsessed, and packed with kid-friendly experiences that don’t feel like you’re sacrificing anything as an adult.
Big cities have been getting a bad rap lately. People talk about drug use, unhoused populations, smells, and safety concerns, especially when it comes to traveling with kids. I understand the hesitation. But I have to respectfully disagree. One of our go-to cities with our kid is Seattle, and I’m not talking the outskirts. I’m talking downtown Seattle proper. Between the walkability, public transportation, food scene, and sheer number of things to do, it’s an easy win for a family weekend away.
Where to stay
Let’s start with hotels. We have status with IHG and Hyatt, so those are usually our go-tos, but we’ve stayed all over downtown.
I’m a huge fan of Hotel Monaco. It’s centrally located and full of thoughtful touches for families. There’s an evening reception with adult and kid-friendly drinks, a hidden pinball arcade in the basement, and a cookies and milk reception before bed. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. They also have a fun tradition where you can share a “secret password” at check-in and receive a prize or award, which feels pretty cool whether you’re travelling with a little one or not.
We’ve also recently stayed at The Thompson, which again has an amazing location. They offer welcome champagne on arrival, the rooms are stylish and very comfortable, and the onsite restaurant serves a great breakfast.
How to get around
When you arrive in Seattle, you can hop directly on the light rail from the airport. The ride into the city takes about 30 minutes and is actually a really pleasant way to take in the scenery. If you’re staying downtown, most hotels are just a block or two from a station.
Our son is still booster-seat sized, so this is a huge win for us because we don’t have to travel with a booster or worry about car seats. Once you’re downtown, you can get just about everywhere you need to go by walking, bus, or light rail. This is also a huge win because parking downtown can be tough and hotel parking costs are generally $40+ per night.
If your kids are older, it’s also fun to rent bikes or electric scooters along the waterfront and explore that way.
Where to eat
Without question, kids or no kids, we almost always eat at three places:
VONS 1000 Spirits
Vons is our go-to for dinner. They make their own pizza dough and pasta in-house, everything is excellent, and their kids menu is actually good (not sad beige food). They also offer fun drinks for kids with things like melting cotton candy or light-up ice cubes, and they’re famous for their $6.99 martinis for adults all day, every day. The atmosphere is lively and loud enough that a wiggly kid never feels out of place, but the food is still genuinely great. A few favorites: pork confit fries, Tellicherry chicken & gouda pasta, Saigon steak banh mi, and the bacon, apple, and blue cheese pizza.
Piroshky Piroshky
Located in Pike Place Market, this spot is perfect for a casual bite. Grab a Russian hand pie and keep wandering the market. My favorite is the beef and cheese, no matter the time of day. Around $8 and super filling, it’s hard to beat. Pike Place has over 80 food options total, from stalls to sit-down restaurants. We like to go hungry and share items from multiple spots. It’s the easiest way to try more things and get your kid to sample new foods too.
Chinatown–International District
This entire area gets its own mention. There are so many great restaurants and dim sum spots, plus Uwajimaya, an incredible Asian market with food stalls inside. I could easily spend an hour just wandering the aisles looking at things I’ve never seen before. My son always loves picking out a fun candy or snack here.
If you love a city with a serious food scene, you might also enjoy how we took our five-year-old to a Michelin star restaurant in Paris — and yes, it went well.
Things to do
Obviously, I recommend Pike Place Market. Between the food, shops, fish throwing, and endless things to look at, it’s great for all ages. Pike Place also recently added a beautiful pedestrian walkway down to the waterfront, with a small playground partway down. We got stuck there for over an hour on our last trip. Don’t skip it, it’s more fun than it looks.
Once you reach the waterfront, there’s plenty to explore. I absolutely recommend a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel. The views are beautiful and the ride is longer than you’d expect. The surrounding building also houses restaurants and arcades, which makes it an easy stop.
The waterfront is also home to the Seattle Aquarium. Full honesty: it’s not my favorite aquarium. It feels a bit overpriced for what it offers, and you can get through it fairly quickly. If you’re big aquarium people, it’s still worth visiting, but it’s probably more of a one-and-done experience.
Seattle Center is another place we always love. It’s one of those spots where you can easily spend half a day without feeling rushed. There are casual restaurants, coffee shops, lots of open space, and a great playground for burning off energy. The Seattle Children’s Museum is perfect for younger kids with hands-on exhibits, while MoPOP is great for older kids and adults who enjoy music, movies, or pop culture. And of course, there’s the Space Needle. Even if you don’t go up, seeing it up close still feels like a classic Seattle moment.
Things I haven’t personally done yet but consistently hear great things about include taking a ferry ride and visiting the Woodland Park Zoo.
There is so much more to eat, see, and do in Seattle with kids than I could ever fit into one post. This will probably end up being a part one, with a future part two. And definitely an adults-only version as well.
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Becca Marsh is a certified travel advisor affiliated with Fora Travel and the voice behind Wanders & Wink, based in Grants Pass, Oregon. A lifelong traveler who has explored every U.S. state and dozens of countries from the street food stalls of Vietnam to the Michelin-starred restaurants of Paris, she specializes in food-forward family travel that actually delivers on the fantasy. She takes her own family on at least six trips a year (research, she calls it…) and brings that firsthand experience to every itinerary she builds for her clients. She believes great travel is accessible to everyone and will always tell you exactly where to go and what to order.
Wow, I love your hotel suggestions for families. Very cool.