Seattle is one of the great American cities. The city is a wonderful blend of culture, nature, and urban excitement. Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, with nearly four million people in the Seattle metropolitan area. Seattle has a beautiful skyline that sits between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington.
The music scene was initially built around jazz. More recently, Seattle was the launching point of grunge with epic bands including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. In addition to big name bands, Seattle has a thriving performing arts scene with the Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The city hosts the Seattle International Film Festival. Another major attraction is the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit.
Seattle is known as the “Emerald City”, which is a shout out to the forest areas in and around the city. The city has a variety of options for visiting lakes and parks. Seattle was ranked as the #4 healthiest city in America. Locals love jogging and biking along the trails. Kerry Park is a perfect spot for a picnic and a view.
Washington is home to about 300 breweries. Seattle regularly is listed in the top 5 for best cities in the country for beer. Seattle also has some of the country’s best distilleries. The wine scene is up and coming as well.
Seattle is home to some huge businesses. Amazon, Starbucks, and Nordstrom are all headquartered in Seattle. Seattle is embracing green energy companies.
While Seattle isn’t always initially thought of as a sports-driven city, two of the home town teams enjoy some of the biggest fan support in their respective leagues. The Seattle Seahawks (NFL football) and Seattle Sounders (MLS soccer) each play their home games at CenturyLink Field. The teams already had fanatic support from the city, but this grew as they each won championships. The Seahawks won the 2013 Super Bowl, and the Sounders won the 2016 MLS Cup.
Winter is the downtime for tourism. Seattle is a big enough city that there is always something to do, but if visiting in the winter, it will be cool and rainy.
The best time to visit Seattle is May to September, so late spring qualifies. Rates are a little cheaper in May than peak summer.
Summer is the peak time to visit. The weather is warm but mild with highs in the 70s. Summer is also the dry season. All around it is the best time of year to visit this great city.
Early fall is a great time in Seattle. It is even better if you can schedule your trip around a Seahawks home game. Weather gets much cooler and wetter by November.