Family Weekend in Seattle: Plus tips for a smooth trip with kids

With the current weather, now is the perfect time to explore city life in Seattle. My family just had a fantastic trip to this beautiful city and are excited to share our experience along with some tips for a smooth trip with kids for a fun family weekend in Seattle.

Where to stay?

We stayed at the Hilton Seattle, in a room with a city view. This hotel is located near famous places like Pike Place Market, Space Needle, and more. It’s convenient for families with small children to avoid long distance drives.

The hotel room itself was cute, clean, and comfortable. What we loved the most about this hotel is that the staff is very friendly and made us feel very welcomed. My biggest tip when booking a hotel for your family: request a quiet room that is far from the elevator.

What to eat?

This is the exact question we had during our weekend in Seattle because there are so many options nearby. Fortunately, almost every place we chose to eat was amazing. Note these down as you’re planning your trip to Seattle—they are so worth the try:

• Redtrees Restaurant + Bar (located within the Hilton Seattle hotel)
  We had the crab cakes as an appetizer, rib eye steak, grilled pacific salmon, and a pepperoni pizza. They were absolutely amazing. The crab cakes were our daughter’s favorite. Their drinks are very good too—definitely a must-try if you stay at the Hilton Seattle.

• Noi Thai Cuisine is another must-try. It opens late. The food is outstanding. The service was quick and sweet.
• Grab a couple mochi donuts at the Mochinut store. They are so delicious.
• Pho Bac is a good place if you crave this Vietnamese noodle soup. The restaurant exterior may look a bit old, but the food itself is very good.
• Cafe Opla is a good spot for breakfast, located near Pike Place Market.

There are so many more restaurants that we didn’t get a chance to try during this trip, but the above are some of the places that we would recommend.

Family activities in Seattle:

Traveling with kids means you find places that not only the kiddos will love, but that you as parents will actually enjoy. Check out the places below:

• Space Needle
  Take in the city view, day or night, from the sky level. Keep in mind that the lines are long, but so worth it. If you plan to visit the Space Needle, set aside about 2-3 hours total.
• Woodland Park Zoo
  Walking around this zoo is like walking in the middle of the jungle. It’s so green and beautiful here.
• Seattle Aquarium
  Exploring sea life is always the best activity for kids. After that, you can walk to the Seattle Great Wheel and hop on it. This line can be long too, so make sure you plan enough time.
• Burke Museum
  Celebrate the life that came before you. There are so many cool things to learn about here. My daughter was mostly excited about the dinosaurs.
• Washington Park Arboretum
  This park is a natural green spot near the city center—a perfect spot for photos.

Tip: when you go enjoy these activities, or any other activities in Seattle, make sure you bring a stroller. There is a lot of walking from parking lots to the destinations, so bring the stroller to keep little one(s) happy and save you the energy.

As a family who came from a desert suburb in Arizona, Seattle is one of our top choices to change the atmosphere—and it did not disappoint. The one thing we regret about this trip is that we didn’t stay longer. There is so much to do in this city. If you just want to plan a family trip for the weekend, hopefully our recommendations and tips help.

About the Author

Vannie Tran

Vannie Tran blogs about family travel, home decor, and everything in between. Born in Vietnam, she now lives in Arizona with her husband, Bach, and young daughter, Misa.

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