7 Seattle Experiences Under $20 That Don’t Feel Cheap

Seattle can get expensive fast, especially once you start stacking attraction tickets, parking fees, restaurant stops, and other vacation costs. But some of the city’s most memorable experiences do not require an admission ticket at all, while a few normally paid attractions open their doors for free if you time your visit right.

You can watch fish fly at Pike Place Market, take in one of Seattle’s classic skyline views, wander through a former gasification plant turned city park, watch boats and migrating salmon at the Ballard Locks, or spend a couple of hours around Green Lake without paying to get in. Museums and the Volunteer Park Conservatory also offer recurring free-admission days.

These seven Seattle stops prove you do not have to spend much to see some of the places that give the city its character. A little planning can stretch a sightseeing budget surprisingly far.

Pike Place Market

The market is free to enter, and it is definitely worth two hours of your time. Opened in 1907, this nine-acre public market in downtown Seattle stretches across several levels near the waterfront, with everything from heavily visited landmarks to working farm and craft stalls. The fish toss at Pike Place Fish Market is as impressive as you would expect it to be.

The real treasure can be found further inside: the piroshky at Piroshky Piroshky, colorful seasonal bouquets from local flower farmers, and merchants selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Kerry Park

We’ve all seen the picture. The Space Needle in front, downtown Seattle behind it, and, on clear days, Mount Rainier in the distance. That’s the classic view from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill. It’s a small city park with a railing, Doris Totten Chase’s bronze sculpture Changing Form, and one of Seattle’s best-known skyline viewpoints.

There is no admission fee. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and sunset is especially popular as the city lights come on. If you want fewer people, an earlier visit is a better bet. The park is small, but the view earns the stop every time.

First Thursday at the Seattle Art Museum

On the first Thursday of the month, admission to the Seattle Art Museum downtown and the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is free. The downtown museum is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day, while the Seattle Asian Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. First Thursday programming downtown can include docent tours, live music, art-making activities, artist talks, and other rotating events. At other times, general adult admission to the downtown Seattle Art Museum is currently $29.99.

The collection alone makes the visit worth the trip. SAM’s holdings span African, Native American, European, Asian, American, modern and contemporary art, among other areas. The extended downtown hours and rotating programming can make First Thursday feel more like a cultural event than a standard museum visit.

Gas Works Park

Gas Works Park occupies roughly 20 acres on the north shore of Lake Union. Its defining landmark is the preserved machinery from the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, which operated from 1906 to 1956. The city began acquiring the site in 1962, and landscape architect Richard Haag designed the park around many of the industrial remnants rather than clearing them away.

The former boiler house was converted into a picnic shelter, while the original pump house and exhauster-compressor building became the Play Barn. Entrance to the park is free. From Kite Hill, you get broad views across Lake Union toward the Space Needle and downtown Seattle.

Gas Works Park is a strange, specific place that doesn’t really exist anywhere else, and it costs nothing to spend an afternoon there.

Volunteer Park and the Conservatory

Volunteer Park is a 48-acre park on Capitol Hill, and the conservatory is worth your time. The Victorian-style glasshouse opened in 1912 and contains five display houses: Bromeliad, Palm, Fern, Seasonal, and Cactus. Adult admission is $6, and admission is free on the first Thursday of each month.

The park’s historic water tower is more than 75 feet tall, with 107 stairs leading to an observation deck. When the tower is open, the deck offers a 360-degree view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is also on the grounds and offers free admission on the first Thursday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the right day, you can visit the conservatory and the museum without paying admission, and add the water-tower viewpoint if it is open.

Ballard Locks

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks connect the freshwater Lake Washington Ship Canal system, including Lake Union and Lake Washington, with the tidal waters of Puget Sound. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the project in 1917, and the locks formally opened on July 4 of that year. By vessel traffic, they are the busiest navigation lock in the nation. Watching boats move through from the observation areas is hypnotic as vessels rise or fall with the water level.

The fish ladder on the south side of the complex gives visitors a chance to see migrating salmon. The Corps lists the best viewing periods as July for sockeye, the last two weeks of August for Chinook, and the last two weeks of September for coho. Above the fish ladder is Salmon Waves, a stainless-steel installation by local artist Paul Sorey, installed in 2001. Admission to the locks and grounds is free, including the fish ladder and Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden; the visitor center is also free when open.

Green Lake Loop

Green Lake Park is in North Seattle and has a 2.8-mile paved inner loop around its namesake lake. The trail is one of the city’s busiest car-free recreation paths and is used by walkers, runners, skaters, and cyclists.

The park has two lifeguarded swimming areas in season, a wading pool, and boating access. The privately operated Green Lake Boathouse also rents rowboats, kayaks, pedal boats, paddleboards, and water bikes from spring into early fall, weather permitting. Walking or running the loop itself is free. Green Lake is very much a neighborhood park, so if you want to see a slice of everyday Seattle life, this is a better bet than another ticketed attraction. Expect joggers, cyclists, strollers, and dog walkers sharing the path.