Things to do in Seattle (other than Miss Fisher Con)

This year, we’re spending con in Seattle, Washington, also known as the Emerald City! Our con sessions and activities will begin at noon on Thursday, July 24, as we head over to the Seattle Art Museum and ending late afternoon on Saturday with a separately ticketed event that evening.

If you’re going to be in town either before or after con, though, we’ve compiled a list of delightful options for you to consider adding to your itinerary!

Photo source: Tokuro Yamashiro (Flickr)

Places to See

Seattle Center
The Seattle Center is a gathering place for the community, offering more than 30 entertainment options on its 74-acre campus. It was created for the 1962 World’s Fair, and contains multiple museums, a food hall, art installations, and more. It’s only about a mile and a half from the con hotel, so you can walk it or take a ride on the Seattle Center Monorail.

Space Needle
Once you’ve found your way to the Seattle Center, you can check out the panoramic views from this 605-foot-tall icon. Take the elevator to the observation deck to see out over the city and Elliot Bay to the mountains beyond both. Tickets and bundles with other attractions are available on their website.

Chihuly Garden and Glass
The indoor and outdoor exhibits at this art museum at the Seattle Center showcase the art of Seattle local Dale Chihuly, a world-renowned glassblower.

Museum of Pop Culture
At this Seattle Center museum—designed by Frank Gehry—you’ll find exhibits on science fiction and music that define the American experience. From hip-hop to the campy-but-classic movie Mars Attacks!, its exhibits provide a fascinating glimpse of where we came from.

Pacific Science Center
Round out your Seattle Center excursion with some science! This family-friendly museum began at the 1962 World’s Fair, and has been going strong ever since. With entertaining and educational exhibits and activities, including a planetarium and an IMAX theater, this place is sure to excite the science nerd in all of us.

Museum of Flight
The largest independent nonprofit air and space museum in the world, with over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, tens of thousands of artifacts, millions of rare photographs, dozens of exhibits and experiences and a world-class library, the museum and its people bring mankind's incredible history of flight to life.

The Waterfront
Another area that shouldn’t be missed is Seattle’s waterfront, which has undergone a transformation in recent years. It now features landscaped pedestrian and bike promenades, parks, and playgrounds, along with many attractions, including all of the ones we’ve highlighted below.

Seattle Aquarium
This love letter to all the oceans of the world opened a new wing last year, the tropical Ocean Pavilion, to join the two piers of ocean denizens it already had. Its main admission gate is located at Pier 59.

Seattle Great Wheel
Get comfortable in this attraction’s air-conditioned gondolas and get a new perspective on the city and its surroundings from the Great Wheel at the Waterfront, located at Pier 57.

Miner’s Landing
When you’re ready for a meal, this section of the Waterfront offers various restaurants and souvenir stands. You can also get tickets for Wings over Washington, a virtual experience that will transport you to Washington’s Mount Rainier, San Juan Islands, and more.

Pier 62
Wander over to Pier 62 for delightful city and bay views and free arts and cultural programming and fitness classes. The new Pioneer Square Habitat Beach is a manmade beach that is helping to reestablish natural shoreline characteristics and enhance the salmon corridor.

Pike Place Market
Last but certainly not least, the famous Pike Place Market—Seattle’s original farmer’s market—is nearby, offering many eclectic stalls of food, art, and more for your shopping pleasure.

Above, the Space Needle; below, Chihuly Garden and Glass

Above, Museum of Flight; below, the Waterfront

Above, the Aquarium; below, the Great Wheel

Places to Eat Close to the Lotte

Next to the Lotte is the Columbia Center which includes an indoor food pod to suite every diet. A few amazing places are just 5–10 minutes by car from the con hotel, or if you’re a walker, 20–25 minute stroll.

Above, Pike Place Market; below, Red Bowls Restaurant

Above, Shuckers; below Biscuit Bitch

Oriental Mart
Situated inside Pike Place Market, this Filipino restaurant inside a grocery store received a James Beard America’s Classics award in 2020.

Honest Biscuits
Southern-style biscuits and sandwiches with classic and inventive toppings, also inside Pike Place Market. (Gluten free and vegan options available.)

Red Bowls Restaurant
This ultra-casual Asian fusion spot serves its Japanese and Korean seafood and meat selections in signature red bowls. Order at the counter.

The Boat
The minimalist Vietnamese menu of this place features fried chicken with broth, rice, or dry egg noodles and pandan and banana waffles. A fantastic choice for brunch.

Lark
This James Beard Award-winning restaurant has been in business for more than 20 years. Its Pacific Northwest cuisine with Asian flair has hearty servings, whether on its a la carte selections or its four-course tasting menu.

Shuckers
One of the city's oldest oyster bars, Shuckers is situated inside a former 1930s haberdashery with original oak paneling. Diners shouldn't overlook the outstanding menu of seafood dishes like seafood chowder, halibut fish and chips, and seasonal specials, either.

Karoo Cafe
This South African cafe serves coffee by day and cocktails by night, inside the supposedly haunted Butterworth Building. Its location was Seattle’s first funeral parlor, and its decor reflects its regional roots.

Polar Bar
This elegant watering hole is situated at the Arctic Club Hotel a short walking distance from the Lotte. It’s a treasured Seattle gathering spot with the ambiance of the Emerald City’s Gold Rush. Reservations recommended.

Biscuit Bitch
A Seattle institution, this coffeehouse offers Southern-inspired fare in a cozy setting. Its Pike Place Market location also offers delivery, “Trailer Park to Table,” if you need your breakfast before you’re ready to head out.

Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar
Another James Beard America’s Classic award winner, this Pike Place Market joint was named for the legendary Seattle newspaper columnist who was once its co-owner. Expect long lines, and a small, no-frills space, along with your feast of raw or broiled oysters.

Places to eat farther afield

Seattle has too many restaurant options to list here, but these are a couple of our favorites.

Dick's Drive-In
This well-loved local brand offers burgers and shakes at locations around Seattle. Its charitable fundraising makes Dick’s a genuine part of the community.

Cafe Flora
This lovely vegetarian spot focuses on organic and sustainable growing methods and outstanding food.

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