Visitor Information

Lots of Great Info Here: http://www.visitseattle.org/

Map of Attractions and Restaurants: here

Weather and Walking- March temperatures range from 38-58 F. Plan for light rain most of your time here (and just be pleasantly surprised if that does not happen). Rain in Seattle is rarely a heavy downpour, so a rain jacket or umbrella should be plenty to allow you to explore the city. There are a few hills in downtown Seattle so bring comfortable walking shoes.

Getting around - For public transit, the transit option on Google maps does a fairly good job or try this trip planner. You may purchase tickets at light rail stations/on the bus or using this app. (Note it only allows you to purchase a day pass ($6.50) for the link light rail, so this is not the cheapest option for getting to/from the airport if you are only using it one way that day.) The monorail (not part of public transit) connects Westlake center to Seattle Center.

Music, Theater and other goings on around town: theStranger, Seattle Weekly

Other Lists of Attractions: Seattle Times, VisitSeattle, If visiting multiple attractions you might consider: CityPass ($79)

Waterfront Area:

• Pike Place Market - 1st Ave and Pike St - FREE, Farmers market and crafts generally only open 8am-4pm.
• Seattle Aquarium - Seattle Waterfront at Pier 59 - $25 adults, 9:30am-5pm daily
• Washington State Ferries - Seattle Waterfront at Pier 52 - Both Winslow and Bremerton have a few shops and restaurants within walking distance from the ferry terminal. $8.20 outbound from Seattle, no charge on return. Bainbridge Island (Winslow) (35 min one-way), Bremerton (60 mins one-way). Riding out and back at night for the view of the Seattle waterfront can also be fun.
• Seattle Great Wheel - Seattle Waterfront at Pier 57 - $14 adults, Hours vary in the range of 10am-12am.
• Olympic Sculpture Park - Lovely spot to walk near Myrtle Edwards Park, FREE, Sunrise-Sunset

Also Downtown:

• Seattle Art Museum - pay-what-you-can, $25 Special Exhibits, 10am-5pm W, F-Sun, 10am-9pm Thur, Closed M-Tues
• Pioneer Square - Art Galleries, Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park - FREE, 10am-5pm, Underground Tour - $20, 10am-6pm
• International District - Restaurants, Wing Luke Museum - $15 adults, 10am-5pm Tues-Sun, Closed Mon
• South Lake Union - Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) - $20 adults, 10am-5pm, Center For Wooden Boats - FREE, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun
• Living computer museum - FREE for SIGCSE attendees!, 10am-5pm W-Sun, Closed M-Tues.
  The Education Coordinator for the museum has explicitly invited us to view this exciting collection -- the world's largest collection of fully operational computers spanning five decades of innovation. Bring your badge and get in free!

Seattle Center - site of the 1962 World's Fair. Can be reached via the monorail from Westlake Center.

• Space Needle - $22 adults, ($36 when combined with Chihuly Garden and Glass), 10am-8:30pm
• Chihuly Garden and Glass - $22 adults ($36 when combined with Space needle), 11am-6pm Sun-Th, 11am-7pm Fri/Sat
• MoPOP Museum - Formerly known as EMP, $25 adults ($30 to include Star Trek Exhibit), 10am-5pm
• Pacific Science Center - IMAX, Butterfly house - $20, 10am-5pm M-F, 10am-6pm Sat-Sun
• Seattle Children’s Museum - $10.50, 10am-5pm M-F, 10am-6pm Sat-Sun

Further Afield:

• Woodland Park Zoo - $15 adult, 9:30am-4pm
• Hiram Chittenden Locks - Probably not many fish at fish ladder but fun to watch boats going in and out of the locks - FREE, Visitor Center 10am-4pm, Locks & Fish Ladder Viewing Room 7am-8:45pm
• Museum of Flight - $21 (if purchased on-line) adult, 10am-5pm

Outdoors:

• Parks: Myrtle Edwards Park, Discovery Park, Washington Park Arboretum
• Walks: Lake Union, Elliott Bay, Discovery Park
• Day Trips: Mt. Rainier (2 hours away by car), Olympic National Park, Mt. St. Helens (3 hours away by car)
• Hikes - Many, but not all, hikes are now under snow, check out recent trip reports
• Getting on the water: by ferry, by kayak or by wooden boat
• Runners - Try running along the waterfront, Myrtle Edwards Park, around Lake Union, the St. Patrick's Day Dash is Sun March 12 at Seattle Center

Questions? Drop a note to our Local Arrangements Chair, Ruth Anderson! (sigcse2017-local@cs.vt.edu)