Offbeat Things to Do in Seattle

Nearly everyone who visits Seattle takes a trip up the Space Needle, but if you travel to a different drumbeat the city has plenty to keep you occupied and entertained away from the tourist crowds. From tours and recreation to shopping and dining, you’re sure to find something interesting.

Seattle Sub Tour
The Seattle Sub Tour is also known as a subculture safari that will take you to places like Kurt Cobain’s house, Bruce Lee’s burial ground and the Wah Mee massacre in Chinatown, while exploring the diverse and little known history of some of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods and cultures. The tour is a narrated 90 minute bus ride.

Seattle Bug Safari
Scorpions, centipedes, spiders and more creepy crawlies await you at the Seattle Bug Safari, an indoor zoo devoted to all manner of live insects. Located near the Pike Place Market, it’s open most days, depending on the season.

Archie McPhee
Located in the Wallingford neighborhood, the Archie McPhee store boasts that they carry the “weirdest collection of toys and candy that you’ve ever seen.” I think they’re right. Devil duckies, bacon air freshener and clocks that run backward just barely begin to describe the madness that is for sale here. Open every day of the week.

Sunday Ice Cream Cruise
Take a cruise in a nifty little boat and eat ice cream while looking out for the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle with the Sunday Ice Cream Cruise that leaves from South Lake Union every Sunday, year round. The 45 to 50 minute tour has a very retro feeling.

Disc Golf
Play a little disc golf to work off some of those ice cream calories in Mineral Springs Park in north Seattle. Disc golf is a cross between frisbee and golf and the park is the only course in the Seattle Parks and Recreation system.

Bizzarro Italian Cafe
Fine Italian food in a totally funky atmosphere describes Bizzarro Italian Cafe, a cool eatery that has been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives show. Bicycles hang from the ceiling, among many other things, and it looks like a flea market exploded inside.

Market Ghost Tour
Who doesn’t love a ghost tour? And the Pike Place Market is old enough to have plenty of spooky stories. The tour takes place at night after the market closes.

Gargoyle Statuary
Need a concrete gargoyle for your hallway or garden? Gargoyle Statuary carries a full line of gargoyles and gothic statues in concrete and resin. This store is a little creepy and a lot of fun to browse and is open every day of the week.

Seattle Museum of the Mysteries
If you believe in Bigfoot and UFO’s, then the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries is a must-see. They have exhibits on all sorts of legends and ghosts and also lead a ghost tour of Capitol Hill. Admission is cheap, but hours vary, so call ahead.

Fremont Troll
The Fremont Troll is well known to residents and many visitors, but makes the list because he’s a giant troll living under a bridge and you can climb all over him if you dare. He’s located at the intersection of North 36th Street and Troll Avenue North in Fremont, and he really is under the bridge.