Why 2025 is the Year to Visit Seattle
There’s never been a better time to head (pacific north) west
Seattle has mostly flown under the radar compared to larger cities in the United States, but the secret of its charm seems to be getting out. In fact, Seattle was a top Labor Day destination last year (in your face, Florida). If you’ve found yourself being swayed the by photos in your social feed of sumptuous seafood, glittering lakes and seaplanes, and Mt. Rainier looming over our skyline, then here’s your final push: 2025 is actually the perfect time to come see what all the hullabaloo is about, thanks to city-wide investments and exciting new openings.
Here’s six reasons why Seattle should be on your visit list in 2025:
1.The New Waterfront Is Finished, and Lovely: Investment in the Seattle Waterfront has made visiting the heart of the city as equally effortless and picturesque. The end of 2024 saw the completion of the Overlook Walk, which links the bustling Pike Place Market to the waterfront, making it simple to walk from local shops to scenic views of Elliott Bay, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains. The expanded Waterfront Park also provides accessible spaces for people-watching and snacking among curated landscaping, and a promenade that doesn’t rival the Chelsea High-line, but the vibes gets kinda close. A big fire-pit on Pier 62 also offers ongoing socials and pop-up events overlooking the Puget Sound, schedule here.
2. It’s Easier to Get Around Now (Mostly): Infrastructure upgrades, such as the Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge, have improved connectivity between the city’s downtown and ferries, making island-hopping a breeze. There’s also been major improvement to bike lanes in tourist spots like Pike and Pine, making the city easier than ever to navigate by rented bike. You’ll also find over 100 blue and neon vested Downtown Ambassadors wandering around to provide hospitality and navigation help, in addition to safety and clean up (they rock). It’s worth noting I-5 — the interstate/freeway for the airport, Mt. Rainier and trails — will be seeing major lane reductions in 2025, which will impact traffic out of the city. Luckily, the Link train can easily be caught at the airport and take you to Downtown and beyond, so a tourist can avoid this snarl when going into/out of the city.
3. There’s More Art Everywhere: Public art in the city has gotten a glow-up; the redesigned Pier 58 includes a visually striking playground and art installations, making for a family-friendly destination on Elliott Bay — and by visually striking, I mean a massive jellyfish play sculpture, of course. I don’t think I can resist climbing it when it’s completed in the spring. There will also be new art from Qwalsius-Shaun Peterson of the Puyallup Tribe nearby, and that’s in addition to the sculptures you can already see along the water in the Olympic Sculpture Park. Thirty new murals have also cropped up all through Downtown, making the city even more vibrant. The Keith Haring exhibit at MoPop (the Museum of Pop Culture) will also finish its run in March 2025, so don’t miss it!
4. The New Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion: Aquarium lovers, rejoice! The newly opened pavilion now makes the Aquarium worth the price of admission. The expansion includes high-tech additions, immersive mangrove exhibits and a half million gallon tank to host sharks, rays, coral species, and many more new oceanic friends. Check out the discounted City Pass if you intend to hit up this and a bunch of other icons like the Space Needle, MoPop, Chihuly etc.
5. The Food Scene Will Continue to Pop. Locals tend to be hard on our food scene, and while it can tend towards pricey, even critics have to admit there are several exciting spots worth the visit this year. Global contemporary fare at Atoma recently made the best restaurant list by Esquire and the New York Times, and Pan-pacific gem Familyfriend made NYT’s top 50 Restaurants in America (no doubt in part to the mind blowing smash burger), and Renee Erickson, a James Beard Foundation Award-winner and arguably one of Seattle’s most prolific restauranteurs (and founder of my favorite oyster bar), will be opening three new restaurants in 2025.
6. Next Year Visting Seattle Will Be More Expensive. In 2026 the World Cup is coming to Seattle, so traveling this year means you’ll avoid the higher prices next summer; the city estimates there will be more people coming into the city for fixtures than there are residents living in Seattle! Similarly, if the spike in tourism to Sicily following The White Lotus is any indicator, the popularity of The Last of Us — which is to be released in spring of 2025 — may also increase tourism early 2026. The new season will highlight Seattle destinations like Lumen Field, the Aquarium and Paramount Theatre and more (although they filmed in nearby Canada, hiss boo). We’ll lock up the Clickers for ya.
Tempted to pay us a visit? If you enjoyed this, check out my article on iconic things to see in Seattle — everything from an underground city tour to hot tub boats. Maps and guides to the city can also be found here.
Hope to see you around!
