Food & Drink

5 Free Seattle Experiences to Discover Now

Under-the-radar spots to visit in Seattle

By The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation March 18, 2015

waarboretum

This post is sponsored.

Sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned local, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Seattle. In addition to famous sights like the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, Seattle offers some lesser-known but equally fun — and best of all, free — experiences to enjoy.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center
Located across from Seattle Center, this free and unique attraction invites visitors to discover innovative solutions that the foundation and others are applying to improve lives in Seattle and around the world. Enjoy interactive and hands-on exhibits that will leave you feeling hopeful and inspired!
Tues. – Sat., 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
440 5th Ave. N., Seattle, WA
For additional information on summer hours and special programs, please visit:
www.gatesvc.org

Frye Art Museum
This free museum in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood displays a permanent collection of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century European paintings, as well as exhibitions of works by internationally renowned and emerging artists.
Tues – Sun., 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
704 Terry Ave., Seattle, WA  
www.fryemuseum.org 

Washington Park Arboretum
Take a free tour of the beautiful 230-acre public park, located on the shores of Lake Washington, which features an always-changing collection of plants found nowhere else in the world.
Open daily, dawn to dusk.
2300 Arboretum Dr. E., Seattle, WA

Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington
Built in the 1920s, this Gothic-style library houses terra-cotta statues, hand-painted globes and one of the world’s biggest books.
University of Washington Main Campus, Seattle, WA
www.lib.washington.edu/suzzallo

Ballard Locks
No list of things to do in Seattle is complete without a visit to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard, where kayaks, tugboats, yachts and more pass between the Puget Sound and Ship Canal; and in certain months, migrating salmon join them via the fish ladder.
Open daily, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
3015 NW 54th St., Seattle, WA
www.seattle.gov/tour/locks.htm

 

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