Day trips/activities in Seattle for myself and my elderly mother?

July 28, 2013 1:16 PM

We're going to be in Seattle from August 3rd to 10th for the Seattle Opera production of the Ring Cycle. What might you suggest for daytime activities?

We've found a nice place to stay through Airbnb and we have our tickets and passports in hand. We'll be driving down and so will have a car while we're in the city. The operas start at 6:00 p.m., Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We have only one completely free day (Thursday) as we're attending the all-day Wagner symposium on Tuesday.

My mother is musically inclined, obviously, and artsy. She's still very British decades after emigrating to Canada. At 80, she doesn't have major health issues and her mobility, after a double hip replacement, is very good. She could manage a walk through a park, or an art exhibition, easily. Any thoughts? (The option of actually doing nothing during the day but reading and napping is also on the table, but I thought I should make an effort). Many thanks.

posted by jokeefe to Travel & Transportation around Seattle, WA (7 answers total)

I see two really notable artsy things around Seattle:The Olympic Scupture Garden is beautiful and offers a great view of what makes our city unique. The new Chihuly Museum is gorgeous as well.
posted by R a c h e l at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Kubota Gardens in Renton (about a 30 minute drive south of downtown) is breathtakingly lovely and well worth the trip. If you drive down Rainier Avenue to get there you will pass through some sketchy neighborhoods, but also the fantastic bright spot of Columbia City. It would be a great place to get some food and turn a trip to Kubota into a nice half-day outing... Brunch at Geraldine's or lunch at Tutta Bella, maybe some window shopping in the compact business district... Dessert from the Bakery, which is the best in the city, no joke.

That is the very loveliest time of year to be in Seattle. Enjoy the trip!
posted by Sublimity at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Seconding Kubota. If you'll have a car, take a trip down to Tacoma and go to the Glass Museum. It's really amazing and one of my favorite places.

The Arboretum is also a perennially popular destination for tourists, and there's a reason -- it's spectacular.
posted by emcat8 at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2013

Response by poster: These all sound good so far, thanks!
posted by jokeefe at 9:28 PM on July 28, 2013

Response by poster: Oh, a quick thought-- are there any good day trips we could take to a small town or someplace rural and charming? Would a ferry ride to one of the islands (Bainbridge, perhaps) be doable in a day, and not too tiring?
posted by jokeefe at 9:33 PM on July 28, 2013

Bainbridge is totally doable as a day trip. The ferry trip is only half an hour and they run from early morning until late evening. Gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline as you are departing also.
posted by andrewesque at 9:35 AM on August 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: So we went, we had a fantastic time, the place through AirBnB was ace, etc. We did not do anything during the day other than read, drink tea, and go for short walks through the neighbourhood; the Ring Cycle in itself was such an overwhelming experience that we didn't really need anything else. Thanks for the suggestions, however, and if we end up visiting Seattle again we'll definitely check them out.
posted by jokeefe at 8:22 PM on August 19, 2013