This April we celebrated Alex’s 30th birthday and in lieu of a big party, he requested that I plan a surprise trip. I narrowed down the cities and decided Seattle would be the perfect destination for a birthday trip. We had a blast and are already talking about planning another trip to the Seattle area. I have outlined all our recommendations in this Seattle Travel Guide. Enjoy! xoxo

The Charter Hotel: We are loyal Hilton members and the Curio Collection hotels never disappoint. The Charter Hotel was clean, spacious, and conveniently located downtown. We booked a king bed corner room with a city view and loved the oversized windows and extra space to tuck away clothes and luggage.

Pikes Place Market: Our hotel was just a block away from Pikes Places Market, so we often found ourselves walking through on our way to other places. I wish we had planned to stay longer than five days so I could buy some of the gorgeous tulips that were in bloom, but we did buy some delicious local jelly to bring home.

Mariners Game: We are not real big baseball fans, but the Texas Rangers happened to be in town so we thought it might be fun to go to a game. The Mariners have specials on specific games and our tickets were super cheap, probably because the Rangers are horrible. While the Rangers lost, we enjoyed the atmosphere and seeing someone else’s stadium.

Space Needle: The Space Needle is such a cliche but I would still recommend it for anyone’s visit to Seattle. We bought tickets for the first time slot and the whole visit only took about half an hour. It is impossible to determine when you might have a rain-free day, but I would try to plan for a clear day since the observation deck is outside.

Chihuly Garden and Glass: When you buy your Space Needle ticket, you can bundle and save a little to visit the Chihuly Garden next door. This was also a quick museum to walk through early in the morning. Most glass pieces are inside with a handful outside in a small garden. We were blown away by the glass sculptures and loved that the museum had a photographer walking around to take your photo, which was included with admission.

Museum of Pop Culture: The MoPOP is also located next to the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden, so it makes sense to do all three at one time. I was most excited about the Nirvana exhibit and spent more time than the average person reading everything. We also really enjoyed the Pearl Jam exhibit, Jimi Hendrix exhibit, and Guitar Gallery. We kind of skipped over the horror film and hip-hop exhibits.

Great Wheel: After lunch on the pier we stopped over at the Great Wheel for a ride. There was a short line and we were able to hop on and off within half an hour. It was cool to see a different perspective of Seattle and the water, we also lucked out with a very clear day and could see relatively far.

Dimitriou’s JazzAlley: Alex has been talking about finding a local jazz bar for years, but we have not found one in Dallas. I saw that there were a few in Seattle and that Kenny G was in town at JazzAlley, so obviously I had to buy tickets. We had the best time! JazzAlley is very intimate without a bad seat in the house. Dinner is offered but we went to the late show and just enjoyed after-dinner cocktails. Kenny G was fantastic, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed his show! He is from Seattle, so when he is in between tours he likes to come back to JazzAlley, 10/10 would recommend.

Bainbridge Island Ferry: The ferry ride to Bainbridge Island is an easy and punctual 25-minute scenic cruise. Once on Brainbridge, we were able to walk to the main road in town for coffee and breakfast. The island is quaint and beautiful, and we both agreed that we should go back and spend more time enjoying all that Bainbridge has to offer.

Snoqualmie Falls: We rented a car and drove a little over half an hour outside the city to hike Snoqualmie Falls. There are two observation decks to view the falls, the upper deck is easily accessible, and the lower deck is down a mile trail. Just over from the lower deck is a small trail that leads to the river and was the perfect spot for a picnic. The hike down to the lower deck was easy, but coming back uphill had our whole group a little winded. We did notice a parking lot near the lower deck that would be recommended for someone unable or not up for a mile uphill.

Lowell’s (Pikes Place Market): This was our first stop in Seattle since Pikes Place Market was so close to our hotel. We enjoyed a quick, easy, and delicious lunch with a great view. We can highly recommend the salmon Caesar salad and tuna melt.

Ivar’s Acres of Clams: Ivar’s has a huge dining room with large windows and a spacious patio I wish we could have taken advantage of. The clam chowder was amazing as was the fish and chips with fresh haddock.

Bateau: We celebrated Alex’s birthday at Bateau and, wow, it did not disappoint these Texas beef lovers. We started with the steak tartare, which was amazing, then our waiter walked us through all the daily specialty cuts of beef. We both had dry-aged steaks with bone marrow butter and a side of asparagus, topped with beef fat béarnaise, and roasted mushrooms. Highly recommend Bateau to anyone in the Seattle area!

Blackbird Bakery: We walked to Blackbird from the Bainbridge Island ferry for coffee and breakfast. It is a cute small shop on the main road in town. We enjoyed a variety of seasonal scones and muffins, all of which were delicious and quickly devoured.

2 Doors Down Burger Bar: This was not our original dinner plan, but it was close to our friend’s Airbnb and a burger sounded good. We were all surprised with how good all the burgers were for a small dive in the capitol hill area. You cannot go wrong with the classic, or green chili burger and a side of cheese curds.

The London Plane: I am a sucker for a traditional English breakfast, but this was such a good brunch! We had a reservation for our large group and I am glad we did, I would recommend a reservation for any size group since it is not a large place.

Fiasco Pizza: We ended up in the Fremont area and stumbled upon Fiasco Pizza. Our large group split a few appetizers and the pizza four-pack, everything was delicious and our service was excellent.

Le Panier: Before leaving town we grabbed coffee and pastries from Le Panier. I would try one of everything, it is that good, but I can personally recommend the pain au chocolat, á la framboise, champignons, and normandie.

The Barrel Thief: While in Scotland last fall, Alex joined the Single Malt Whisky Society. They have a handful of bars in the U.S. that serve their specially whiskies, so when I saw Seattle had one we had to stop in. We enjoyed a charcuterie board as well and the staff was very attentive and friendly.

Fremont Brewing: We had great luck and the weather was beautiful in Seattle. We were on the search for a great patio, which is hard to find, and Fremont Brewing had the largest in town.

Screwdriver Bar: This underground bar is exactly what I imagined when I thought of the stereotypical Seattle bar. Great music, tables for groups, and literally underground.

Pike Brewing Company: This brewery was also near our hotel and Pikes Place Market, so we stopped in for lunch, The food menu had a nice variety and the dining area was larger than expected. We had friends join us here and there were many tables for large groups.

Old Stove Brewing: Just past the gum wall from Pike Brewing is Old Stove Brewing. We stopped along here because the weather was once again beautiful and they had a large patio on the water. If the weather is not so nice they have a large indoor area and offer a food menu as well.