If a major city can be called cozy, Seattle in the fall accomplishes this with gusto. If you’re thinking of spending a week or weekend in the city during this season, we’ve compiled a list of nine things to do in Seattle in the fall that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And because staying in the heart of the city is half of the fun, check out this place to stay in Seattle that will give you that vacation feeling without giving you that I’m-staying-in-a-stranger’s-bed feeling. Look out, Seattle – we’re about to get our fall on.
Attend a Seahawks game
Perhaps the biggest signifier of fall in America? The start of football season. Seattle is infamous for its reputation as the “12th man” on the field at any time due to the extreme and powerful nature of Seahawk fans, and witnessing not just the spectacle of an NFL game but this fan phenomenon is truly a one-of-a-kind fall activity in Seattle.
Go on a Market Ghost Stories Tour
You’ve heard of Pike Place Market (and may have even seen the infamous fish-throwing there), but now explore the darker side of the tourist hotspot with a Market Ghost Stories Tour hosted by Seattle’s longest-running improv theater. Take a 75-minute tour through the spooky side of the market after dark, winding through dim arcades and back alleys. There’s no flying fish here – but maybe a flying ghost or two.
Discover Seattle’s breweries on a Seattle Brewery Tour
What is it about fall that makes us want to cozy up by a fire and drink an ice…cold…beer? If you’re looking for things to do in Seattle in the fall, going on a brewery tour should be at the top of your list. Why? Well, Seattle is home to countless incredible breweries (hello, it’s like, the hub of the Pacific Northwest). On a brewery tour, you and your friends can visit three local breweries and indulge in multiple tastings at each. And don’t worry, everyone can participate – transportation to and from every brewery is included!
Shop at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall
Open every weekend year-round, the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall is a perfect (albeit quirky) way to spend a crisp fall Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The Trailer Park Mall is a gathering of vintage trailers that house permanent shops specializing in upcycled and locally-sourced handmade products.
Feel festive at Skagit Valley
Though Skagit Valley is predominantly known for its yearly Tulip Festival, Skagit Valley becomes a great fall destination as the farmers of Skagit Valley open their barns and lifestyles to the public for a one-of-a-kind immersive weekend. Such fall activities include corn and hay mazes, pumpkin patches, animal exhibits, farm tours, and more.
Drink with the penguins at Brew at the Zoo
If you’re going to enjoy fall in Seattle, what better way to enjoy it than by surrounding yourself with fascinating and/or adorable animals while sampling brews from more than 60 different breweries? Wind your way through the penguin exhibit and Jaguar Cove while sipping on your beverages, mingling with friends while all the while supporting conservation.
Savor Seattle Restaurant Week – Oct. 21 – Nov. 8
Seattle is positively bursting with incredible cuisine and has cemented itself as one of the top cities in the U.S. in terms of quality and quantity of restaurants. Seattle Restaurant Week is the opportunity for those of us who usually can only frequent the local burger joint to sample some of the more high-end cuisine for a reasonable price. And with over 165 restaurants serving three courses for only $33, you may even be able to enjoy more than one night out for a top-notch date in fall in Seattle.
Browse the Elliott Bay Book Company
Like Meg Ryan wishing she could send Tom Hanks a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, fall has that delightful ability to bring out our cozy, nostalgic sides. And what could be more cozy that browsing a bookstore in Capitol Hill during fall in Seattle, sipping a coffee and browsing through this local company that is home to over 150,000 books? Grab yourself a new book and picture yourself as the winning star of a romantic comedy.
Take in the spectacle of the Great Pumpkin Beer Fest – Oct. 5-6
Even if you’re only in Seattle in the fall for one weekend, make the weekend memorable by partaking in the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival at the Seattle Center, a gathering of brewers who serve up over 80 kinds of pumpkin beers for two days that would make even the pumpkin-spice fans abandon their lattes. Perhaps the biggest spectacle of all is the traditional tapping of the pumpkin, which is a hundreds of pounds pumpkin that is scooped, scorched, filled with pumpkin beer, and then tapped for everyone to enjoy.
