Seattle Things to See

Boating If you're staying anywhere near downtown, the ferries hardly seem like "getting out" since they leave from a pier at the south end of the waterfront, an easy and interesting walk from downtown.
Take a Washington State Ferry, +1 206 464-6400 to Bremerton and back. Almost 2 hours on the water, in a place as scenic as the Aegean Sea, with walk-on passengers costing a little under $6 round trip.
Or, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island (30 minutes one way). Get off on the other side, walk about 1/2 mile into town for lunch or dinner, and walk back to ferry to come home.

Driving
Just getting out and driving around the area with no destination in mind can be a great experience, as the Seattle area, like most of the Pacific Northwest, is very scenic. If you'd like more specific destinations, try some of these:
The Mountains to Sound Greenway, Mountains to Sound Greenway via I-90 is the quickest "escape" from the city into the nearby Cascade mountains. Snoqualmie Pass is just an hour away, offering great views, summer hiking and winter skiing.
Two mountain passes, Snoqualmie Pass (follow I-90 east) and Stevens Pass (take I-405 to Highway 522 east, then take Highway 2 east) provide fantastic views. Of the two, Stevens is arguably the more scenic.
Snoqualmie Falls, (Snoqualmie, east of Seattle on I-90). The falls are scenic, and if you want to stay longer than it takes to just gawk, the Salish Lodge is pricey but incredibly romantic, with in-room Sanijet spa baths and fireplaces. The lodge offers two restaurants with views overlooking the falls. Trivia tidbit: Snoqualmie Falls is nearly 300 feet in height, compared to Niagara's 180 feet.
Grove of the Patriarchs, in the Ohanapecosh River valley in the southeast part of Mount Rainier National Park, takes you on the short hiking trail through groves of thousand year-old cedars.
North Bend (also out I-90) is the town where parts of the 1990 David Lynch TV series Twin Peaks were filmed. West of North Bend on SR 202 near the town of Snoqualmie there are displays of historic railroad cars, locomotives and other railroad equipment located at the Northwest Railway Museum. Train rides are offered April - October, as well as a "Santa Train" in late November and early December, plus several other special events offered during the year.
Roslyn is also out I-90 (not far past Snoqualmie Pass) and is where the TV series Northern Exposure was filmed. It holds many festivals including The Manly Man Festival, Pioneer Days, and Moose Days -- the latter is an annual Northern Exposure gathering held in late July. Might be worth a stop if you're out that way, or if you're a fan of the show, but it's a very small, quiet town without much to do most days. However, there is a great small museum in the downtown core right next to the Oasis Cafe. It is worth a browse as it profiles the city's coal mining past. Roslyn is worth the stop if you have the time!
The Cascade Loop consists of a two-day minimum round trip over Stevens Pass and the North Cross-state Highway (US 2 and SR 20). It's a long drive, and SR20 is closed usually from November to April/May, but you'll see the most spectacular scenery in the state, visit towns made to look like the old west and a Bavarian Village, see the Columbia River and apple orchards on the east and deep rain-forest on the west side.
The Olympic Peninsula features beaches on the Pacific Ocean, Cape Flattery (the extreme northwestern point of the contiguous U.S.), and the only temperate rain forests in the lower 48 states: the well-known and easily accessible Hoh Rainforest, the Quinalt Rainforest and the Queets Rainforest. Other notable scenic areas on the Olympic Peninsula are Crescent Lake and Hurricane Ridge. You can take the Kingston ferry over from Edmonds and follow Highway 104 west until it meets up with Highway 101 (head north), or head south on I-5 to Olympia and catch Highway 101 West there. Doing the complete loop is a nearly day-long drive, and you could easily spend several days there, but you'll see a lot of fantastic scenery even if you never stop the car.
Mount Rainier National Park 2.5 hours south and east from Seattle
Mount St. Helens 2.5 hours south from Seattle
Vancouver, British Columbia is just 140 miles north of Seattle on I5. Vancouver will host the 2010 Olympics.

Skiing/snowboarding
Snoqualmie Pass - Summit and Alpental resorts on hour east on Interstate 90.
Stevens Pass - Resort about two hours East of Seattle on highway 2
Crystal Mountain Mount Rainier
Mount Baker North, near Bellingham.
Mission Ridge East of Steven's Pass, near Wenatchee.
Whistler - North America's top rated ski resort, about a four hour drive north of Seattle past Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway.

Other
Anacortes Kayak Tours- Not in Seattle, but an easy driving distance (60 minutes), and folks can be sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands with Anacortes Kayak Tours [172]. Unlike other kayak tours in the San Juans, this company does not require an expensive ferry ride.
Downtown
Packed between Elliott Bay, Pioneer Square, Belltown, and Capitol Hill, downtown Seattle unsuprisingly contains the city's business district and a number of large retailers. Also in downtown are the Central Library, the Paramount Theater, Pike Place Market, and several local and federal government administration buildings.

Get around
Pike Place Market - An enormous working public market and popular tourist draw. Much good food to be had. The selection of fresh flowers and vegetables is excellent. And yes, they really do throw the fish around. Look for big blond Johnny Hahn on his portable piano, or one of the other regular street musicians on a more conventional street instrument. Leave the more trafficked areas behind and go downstairs to explore the creepy, dusty corridors full of obscure little shops. The weird, cramped Parrot Store even further downstairs (on 1st Avenue) is worth the $0.50 admission if you like parrots.
Bay Pavilion on Pier 57, 1301 Alaskan Way (on the waterfront below Pike Place Market), +1-(206) 623.8600 (fax: +1-(206) 343.9173), . A "touristy" destination, with shops, restaurants, and a game arcade and carousel for kids. edit
Odyssey Maritime Marine Center, 2205 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, +1-206-374-4000 (info@ody.org, fax: +1-206-374-4002), . edit
Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way (on Pier 59 on the Waterfront), +1-206.386.4300, . edit
The Seattle Public Library's Central Library - a dramatic glass and steel structure at 1000 Fourth Avenue in the heart of downtown Seattle, designed by Rem Koolhaas, that opened in May 2004. This is not an average public library; it's worth a separate Wikipedia article. Seattle Public Library's neighborhood branches are good, too, but not tourist attractions.
Smith Tower Observation Deck, 506 2nd Avenue, . The Smith Tower (built in 1914) was Seattle's first skyscraper. Take the attendant-operated elevator to the observation deck on the 35th floor (and watch 33 office lobbies pass by through the translucent doors). From the observation deck, you'll find views of Elliot Bay, the mountains, the sports stadiums, downtown, Pioneer Square and other neighborhoods, and - yes - the Space Needle. The interior of the 35th floor contains the Chinese Room, with an ornate carved ceiling and a number of decorative flourishes imported from China in the early 20th century. Entry is $5-7.5. The observation deck isn't open every day, check the schedule beforehand, or stop by and see if they're open when you're in the neighborhood.
Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St., +1 206 654-3100 (boxoffice@seattleartmuseum.org), . Downtown Was closed for remodeling from January 5, 2006 to May 5, 2007. The expanded building offers 70 percent more gallery space, an expanded museum store, and a new restaurant. In anticipation of the expansion, over a thousand new pieces, with a total value over a billion dollars, were donated to the collection. SAM also runs the Olympic Sculpture Park on the Seattle waterfront, which opened on January 20, 2007. Suggested admission: $13 adults, $10 seniors (62 and over), $7 students with ID and youth 13–17, Children 12 and under free. Some special exhibitions charge an additional fee. Admission to the museum is free for everyone on the first Thursday of each month.. edit
Safeco Field, . Just south of Pioneer Square, Safeco Field, home to the Seattle Mariners, is one of the finest ballparks in the country. Right field bleacher seats enjoy a panoramic view of downtown and Elliott Bay, and the stadium offers anything from traditional ballbark dogs and macrobrews to fine gourmet fare and local beers. There couldn't be a better way to spend a summer evening in Seattle.
Qwest Field — professional football stadium to the south of downtown
Benaroya Hall, an aesthetically and acoustically beautiful new concert hall. Tours available.
5th Avenue Theatre, an old movie palace downtown, now used as a theatre.
Paramount Theatre, another old movie palace downtown, now used as a theatre.
Washington Convention and Trade Center, . Major convention centre, straddling the I-5 freeway on the east side of Downtown.