Space Needle panoramic views, a ride on a monorail, and watching a salmon run were part of a full day in Seattle.

Our family did a trip to the Pacific Northwest seeing Seattle, Portland, North Cascades National Park, the Columbia Gorge, and sites in between. This is what we did on our vacation, hope it helps you in planning your trip to this amazing area!

MONORAIL

We went to Westlake Center in downtown Seattle and followed signs for the Monorail station. Then we purchased tickets at the station. They currently only take credit cards or the Seattle area ORCA transit card.

After getting our tickets we waited a short time for the monorail to pull into the station.

It is on an elevated track, so you are above street level as you glide through the city.

You zoom by buildings then you begin to come to the grounds of the Space Needle. What was cool was passing through the Frank O. Gehry-designed MoPOP building right before coming to the Seattle Space Needle station.

At the station, where you can also get a ticket.

Short History of the Monorail

Built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair to provide a crucial link between the fairgrounds and the downtown.

Construction began in April of 1961 by Alweg Rapid Transit Systems, who received the bid when it offered to underwrite the entire cost of construction.

The Monorail opened to the public on March 24, 1962, nearly one month before the start of the World’s Fair.

At a cost of $3.5 million, the trains carried more than eight million guests during the six months of the fair, easily paying for the cost of construction.

Today trains carry approximately two million passengers every year.

Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8:30 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday-Sunday

Tickets: $3.25 (ages 19-94); $1.50 (ages 6-18); $1.50 For Reduced Rate (Seniors 65+, disabled with Medicare cards, US military with IDs; Children 5 and Under Ride Free.

Address: 4th Ave, Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

AT THE SPACE NEEDLE

After leaving the station we headed to the ticket office and then to the line to ride an elevator to the top. The Space Needle is 60 feet tall and has 360-degree views.

Waiting in Line

Along the line, there is information about the World’s Fair in which the Space Needle took center stage.

Andrew could turn on a small TV and watch what was on in 1962.

As you walk along you can look into the gift shop below. You can see a Lego version of the Space Needle with its orange top.

Then finally we made it to the glass elevator. It was full so hard to see out.

On Observation Level

At the top, we first went outside to take in the views.

It was a clear day so I could look north and see Mount Baker.

Across Puget Sound were the Olympic Mountains.

Then I took a shot of the Seattle Skyline with Mount Rainer behind it.

Docked in the bay was a large cruise ship.

Look for a nearby building that had metal spiders on it.

Inside you can sit on Skyriser glass benches surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass.

Looking down through the glass floor you can see the metal beams that make up the structure.

You can also see the nearby MoPOP building with its strange melted-like features.

Andrew thought The Loupe was strange with the revolving floor.

After checking it all out we head back down to the bottom level where you can buy a ton of souvenirs with a Seattle or Space Needle theme and more.

FOOD OPTIONS

Atmos Cafe

Located on the upper observation level, Atmos Café features an espresso bar, beer & wine, and local treats from artisans including Pinkabella Cupcakes and Whidbey Island Ice Cream.

It is open during normal building hours throughout the day and night.

ATMOS WINE BAR

Located on the upper observation level, Atmos Wine Bar offers beer and wine, soft drinks, coffee, and grab-and-go snacks.

It is open during normal building hours throughout the day and night.

The Loupe Lounge

This has limited hours and is an adult mixology venue with a revolving glass floor. Check the website for more information.

SPACE NEEDLE HISTORY

In 1959, Seattle hotel executive Edward E. Carlson, who was a chief organizer of the 1962 World’s Fair, traveled to Stuttgart Germany, where he was inspired by a broadcast tower featuring a restaurant.

He doodled an idea of a dominant central structure for the fair on a napkin in a hotel café convinced that such a tower could make a permanent centerpiece for the fair and an enduring symbol for Seattle. He called it a “Space Needle.”

The basic Space Needle tower was completed in December 1961, eight months after it began.

In keeping with the 21st-century theme of the World’s Fair, the final coats of paint were dubbed ‘Astronaut White’ for the legs, ‘Orbital Olive’ for the core of the structure, ‘Re-entry Red’ for the Halo and ‘Galaxy Gold’ for the sunburst and pagoda roof.

The Space Needle’s chief engineer, John Minasian, had also designed rocket gantries for NASA.

On April 21, 1962, the Space Needle officially opened on the first day of the World’s Fair. During the expo the tower hosted an estimated 2.65 million visitors. They included world celebrities including Elvis Presley, the Shah and Empress of Iran, Prince Philip of Great Britain, Bobby Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, and many others.

Renovated in 2017, the Space Needle now has a large and unique observation tower.

Hours: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Sunday-Friday; 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday

Tickets: $35-$39 (ages 13-64); $30-$33 (ages 65+); $26-$29 (ages 5-12) Combo tickets with the Chihuly Gardena and Glass are also available on the website. You can either pre-purchase the ticket on the website or buy it at Space Needle. We were there on weekdays we bought ours at the Space Needle.

Address: 400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109

BALLARD (Hiram M. Chittenden) LOCKS

Next, we took the D line and then Bus 44 to Ballard Locks. This is where you can watch boats go through the locks and during salmon spawning see salmon go up the fish ladders.

The locks connect Puget Sound to Lake Union.

We first checked out the Ballard Locks Visitor Center and Museum

Andrew could use a control panel on an interactive display to guide the boat through the locks.

You can learn about the difficulties salmon face as they go upstream to spawn on the Game of Life. As you played a light would light up if you go eaten by a bear or couldn’t make it up the ladder.

A whiteboard let us that sockeye, 41,225, and chinook, 1,577, have made it through.

Then we head to the locks. You can walk across them when they are close but have to wait until they are open to close again.

Lined up were quite a few pleasure boats.

Out in the water we even caught sight of a seal, There are horns to try to keep them out, they can eat a lot of salmon.

On the other side of the locks, you can view the salmon in the water. My son enjoyed this.

Walking back, we noticed the huge number of fish in the waterway.

Then we headed back to the bus stop and then to the D Line where we took this back to downtown Seattle.

Museum Hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Daily

Admission: Free

Address: 3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107

LUNCH STOP: Lockspot Café

Fish ‘n’ chips venue in a rustic tavern.

Hours: 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.

Address: 3005 NW Locks Pl, Seattle, WA 98107

MORE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ADVENTURES

Seeing Snoqualmie Falls

Gazing at the 270-foot cascading waterfall is the highlight of going to Snoqualmie Falls just outside of Seattle, Washington. Along with seeing the falls.

A Day at Pike Place Market and Taking a Ferry

Today we explored Seattle’s Pike Place Market where you see the famous fish throwing and took a ferry ride across Puget Sound.

Explore Underground Seattle and More

On our first day in Seattle, we went below the city at Underground Seattle, learned about the gold rush, and went to the top of Seattle’s first skyscraper.