Rainy day · Seattle · United States
8 things to do in Seattle when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Unknown Photographer / US Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain
Quick answer
Start with Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and Seattle Aquarium. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 14–18 hours across 6 areas; 2 are free. January is usually the wettest month, with about 19 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 14–18 hours
- Areas
- Seattle Center, Downtown and Pike Place and Pioneer Square
Seattle on a rainy day
Gallery · Seattle Center
1.Chihuly Garden and Glass
Visit late in the day when the glasshouse and garden pieces are lit, or buy a combined ticket with the Space Needle.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Art
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Rainy day
Museum · Seattle Center
2.Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
Head to the Sound Lab early, before school groups arrive.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
- History
Aquarium · Downtown and Pike Place
3.Seattle Aquarium
Check the day's feeding and talk times at the entrance and plan around the otters.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · Downtown and Pike Place
4.Seattle Art Museum
It is two blocks from Pike Place, so it makes a good wet-afternoon follow-on to a market morning.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
Historic site · Pioneer Square
5.Pioneer Square and the Underground Tour
Do the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park museum first; it is free and gives useful context.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Tukwila
6.Museum of Flight
Allow at least half a day; the Aviation Pavilion across the footbridge holds the large airliners.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Park · Capitol Hill
7.Volunteer Park and Conservatory
Climb the stairs of the water tower for a free view over the city and the Cascades.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Views
- Rainy day
Gallery · First Hill
8.Frye Art Museum
A short walk uphill from downtown; pair it with lunch on Capitol Hill.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Center | Chihuly Garden and Glass and Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) | 1–1.5 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Downtown and Pike Place | Seattle Aquarium and Seattle Art Museum | 2 hours + 2 hours |
| Pioneer Square | Pioneer Square and the Underground Tour | 2 hours |
| Tukwila | Museum of Flight | Half a day |
| Capitol Hill | Volunteer Park and Conservatory | 1–2 hours |
| First Hill | Frye Art Museum | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 free, 3 mid-priced, 3 expensive. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Museum of Flight; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Seattle Center): Chihuly Garden and Glass → Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Downtown and Pike Place): Seattle Aquarium → Seattle Art Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Pioneer Square): Pioneer Square and the Underground Tour, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Tukwila): Museum of Flight, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Capitol Hill and First Hill): Volunteer Park and Conservatory → Frye Art Museum, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- January: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 19 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Grey and damp with short days; good for museums, coffee shops and low hotel rates.
- November: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 19 rainy days, quiet crowds. One of the wettest, darkest months; good hotel deals outside Thanksgiving.
- December: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 19 rainy days, quiet crowds. Short, damp days brightened by holiday lights and decorated Christmas boats on the lakes and sound.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown and Pike Place — Hotels, shopping and the market above the waterfront
- Capitol Hill — Bars, independent restaurants and the city's LGBTQ+ heart around Broadway and Pike/Pine
- Pioneer Square — Red-brick Romanesque Revival blocks, galleries and the Underground Tour
- Queen Anne and Seattle Center — Space Needle, theatres and the city's classic skyline viewpoint at Kerry Park
More of Seattle
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Seattle?
Chihuly Garden and Glass. A museum devoted to the work of Tacoma-born glass artist Dale Chihuly, with eight galleries, a glasshouse with a 30-metre suspended sculpture and a garden where glass forms mingle with plants beneath the Space Needle.
+Which of these are free in Seattle?
Volunteer Park and Conservatory and Frye Art Museum.