Seattle Instagram Spots - 11 Best Photo Places & Experiences
If you're looking for the perfect Instagram-worthy spots in Seattle, look no further!
From stunning views of the city skyline to colorful street art, I've rounded up 10 of the best locations to capture that perfect shot. Get ready to up your Instagram game with these gorgeous gems!
As a pacific northwest local, I am always trying to find the best photo spots to share with you. I am literally always saying how living in the PNW is a 10/10 one of the most beautiful places on earth. There is simply no shortage of photography spots and opportunities.
This year I met up with my parents, on my moms birthday weekend to spend some time with them in seattle. We spent 5 days in the city and took tons of photos at all of the best Seattle Instagram spots the city has to offer.
My parents had flown in from California, and had never been to Seattle before. This meant we had to do it all! But in reality we did as much as we possibly could, especially with my kids who are 1 and 12.
This also meant that everything we did was kid friendly too. So if you are bringing your family along, these spots are totally family friendly and fun!
Let's dive in!
11 Seattle Instagram Spots
1. Pike Place Market
Address: 85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Pike place market is such a special farmers market! Its busy, and fun with lots to explore and see. This was the very first thing we did upon arrival. If you are heading to seattle I highly recommend stopping at Pike Place market first.
You will be drawn in by the beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetable stands all around. It can get pretty busy, so be sure to arrive early to get those Instagram photos. Pike place market is basically a must-stop for your next Instagram photos.
The lineup of flowers inside of pike place market is a sight to be seen. The fresh flowers smell intoxicating and look beautiful all in a row. Pick up a bouquet to take with you and style it as an accessory for your photos.
Pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables to munch on later. These colorful stands make beautiful backdrops to your photos. We grabbed some fresh fruit smoothies from these markets for the kids and they were totally delicious.
2. Kitchen & Market
The shops all around Pike Place Market are all photography gems. You will find just about every spot to be aesthetically pleasing and great for a photo. I loved the Kitchen & Market shop set up. Perfect for an Instagram shopping photo! on top of being such a pretty little grocery it's perfect for grabbing some snacks for the journey.
I picked up lots of the seattle chocolates from this little grocery store. They had so many flavors I have not tried before. The Seattle chocolates are actually my personal favorite chocolate bars. I always try to keep a bar or two at home for emergencies. But I was so thrilled to see so many flavors. If you haven’t t tried these chocolates yet, stop by the Kitchen & Market shop and definitely give them a go!
3. Gum Wall
Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle
The gum wall is definitely an awesome spot to grab that instagram photo at! The entire post alley is filled with the chewed up colorful gummy background! Its fun to look at, but don't touch it! 😉
It gave me a bit of an "ick" vibe but it was still pretty unique while offering some background texture and interest making it a great spot to snap a photo! The gum wall is located down post alley way, near the selfie museum.
4. Pier 57 Historic Carousel
This carousel was so dreamy! My kids absolutely loved riding this carousel so it was a no brainer! Bonus points for being absolutely beautiful!
This ride actually went pretty fast too! I ended up sharing a horse with baby Emma since it was just too fast for her to sit alone on. But she has a great time, and Kaiden my 12 year old had a good time too. This is definitely a family friendly stop that's totally IG worthy!
The colors and lights make the carousel a Instagram photo spot, especially with your kids. There are also lots of restaurants, shops and other entertainments on the pier which make it a fun family spot to get out of the rain for a bit.
5. Seattle Ferris Wheel At Pier 57
The ferris wheel makes a great photo spot both inside and outside of the ride. On the inside of the ferris wheel you get a pretty cool view of the city from above the water. Honestly, you could get pretty creative with the photos from inside of the ferris wheel. Since there were 6 of us inside of one cart, we were a bit crammed, but if we weren’t all so squished into one ride we probably could have gotten some really cool shots. We all wanted to hang out together though, so we opted in to be squished!! 😉
You can also get some cool shots of the ferris wheel from the outside at Pike Place Market. Get your zoom lense out!
I have to say that I did love that the ferris wheel was heated, which made it a really comfortable and enjoyable ride! I highly recommend. It was also a good break for the kids, offering them the opportunity to have a moment to decompress and take a moment to relax.
6. The Space Needle
The space Needle has been on my bucket list ever since I heard Owl City's song "Hello Seattle" back in 2009. I honestly don't know why it's taken me so long to visit this particular spot but its definitely bucket list worthy. the photos you can capture here seem endless and it's such a fun and highly unique experience.
The Space Needle offers a full panoramic view of the city from high above. You can really see it all. There’s just so many photo opportunities you can play around with.
You can also make a reservation and have some wine and appetizers here too. Dinner at the top of the space needle would make a great idea for a date night and Instagram photo, of course! Especially when all of the city lights come on. So dreamy!
7. Chihuly Garden and Glass
If you only do one thing in seattle, do this!! The glass gardens were absolutely spectacular and absolutely breathtaking! I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. Everything was stunning and beautiful. Even Emma, my 1 year old was saying "Wow! Woooowww!!" The entire time. She truly enjoyed it too!
You can definitely get some pretty unique instagram photos at the Chihuly Garden and Glass. We spent a couple hours here exploring the gardens and grounds. There is also a cute gift shop and a cafe you can check out. They serve drinks and small bites which is a nice way to complete the experience.
8.Volunteer Park Conservatory
If you know me, you might know I have a bit of a thing for botanical gardens. They draw me in like a bug to the light. Glittery and sparkly things have a similar effect. Haha!! All joking aside, this garden was stunning! It was lush, beautiful and the collection of plants were out of this world. Literally some of these plants I swear came from mars 😉
To say the least, the collection was beautiful. Botanical gardens are usually fantastic spots for photos and the Seattle Volunteer Park Conservatory was nothing short of spectacular.
You will definitely have fun taking photos in this place and seeing all of the beautiful flora and fauna. One of the best parts about this spot was the *free parking! And the park with the playground. The kids definitely enjoyed this spot!
Located in the same park is a dahlia garden, a playground and the Seattle Asian art museum.
You could basically spend all afternoon in this park and see all that it has to offer. We packed lots of snacks for the kids to keep them happy and fueled the entire time.
The park is honestly so lovely and beautiful. You can definitely get a ton of pretty photos here.
9. West Point Lighthouse
The West Point Light, which is also known as the Discovery Park Lighthouse is a beautiful Seattle Instagram spot to check out. It's a great park and lighthouse to grab some beautiful photos at while in the area. It's also great for getting in some exercise and enjoying the day. The park is massive and there’s quite a bit to see and explore while you are here. You could totally spend hours walking around and enjoying the beach and surroundings.
10. Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a large inlet of the Pacific Ocean, located in the northwestern part of the United States, surrounding the city of Seattle. There are so many beautiful beaches around Puget Sound where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery, go for a swim, or participate in various outdoor activities. You can also grab great Instagram photos along the beaches and piers.
Popular Seattle Beaches
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Alki Beach: Located in West Seattle, Alki Beach is a long strip of sandy beach that offers stunning views of the Seattle skyline and the Olympic Mountains.
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Golden Gardens Park: Situated in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Golden Gardens Park features a sandy beach, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a boat launch.
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Discovery Park Beach: This is one of the largest parks in Seattle, located in the Magnolia neighborhood. The park includes a beach, trails, a lighthouse, and a variety of wildlife.
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Carkeek Park Beach: This park is located in the northwestern part of Seattle and features a sandy beach, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a salmon hatchery.
11. Starbucks Reserve Roastery
If you love coffee, and even if you dont, you should still check out the Starbucks Reserve Roastery! Let me explain.
not only is it a pretty unique coffee experience located in Seattle, this starbucks was massive, beautiful and it smelled so good! Making it a perfect spot for that Instagram photo!
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a pretty nice coffee shop and happens to be the largest Starbucks location in the world, covering 30,000 square feet.
The roastery features a giant copper cask that holds over 1,000 pounds of coffee beans and is used to roast the coffee on site. It honestly smells so good inside! You have to order a cup of coffee or hot chocolate for inside and then get one to go. My kids enjoyed the hot chocolate. Emma has actually just recently discovered chocolate and she's obsessed. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
If you aren’t into coffee, The roastery has a nice bakery, which serves freshly baked bread, pizzas, and pastries made in-house. We ordered a couple of things to try out and it did not disappoint.
In addition to the bakery and coffee, the roastery has a dedicated Arriviamo Bar, which serves coffee-inspired cocktails and spirits. I was honestly amazed! You could literally hang out there all day long.
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery has become a pretty popular tourist attraction in Seattle and has basically inspired similar locations in other cities around the world, including New York, Tokyo, and Shanghai. So if you are in the seattle area, its definitely worth a spot. You'll be sure to capture some nice pics here.
Just to recap, Seattle is a clean city filled with beautiful spots all around perfect for taking photos. The city is a true gem and filled with so much beauty!
Seattle Instagram Spots
- Pike Place Market
- Kitchen & Market
- Gum Wall
- PIER 57 HISTORIC CAROUSEL
- SEATTLE FERRIS WHEEL AT PIER 57
- VOLUNTEER PARK CONSERVATORY
- WEST POINT LIGHTHOUSE
- PUGET SOUND
- STARBUCKS RESERVE ROASTERY
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Museum of Pop Culture
- Pioneer Square street art
- Kerry Park
- Waterfall Garden
Some additional photo spots in Seattle you can checkout
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Kerry Park: This park offers one of the best views of the Seattle skyline with the Space Needle in the foreground and Mount Rainier in the background. It’s a popular spot for photographers and tourists alike.
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Gas Works Park: This former gas plant turned park offers unique views of the Seattle skyline and the Lake Union waterfront. The park also features a large rusty metal structure that makes for an interesting photo subject.
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Seattle Center: The Seattle Center is a 74-acre park that is home to the iconic Space Needle, as well as several other attractions such as the Museum of Pop Culture and the Pacific Science Center. It’s a great place to capture the city’s modern architecture.
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Pioneer Square: This historic district is known for its brick buildings and cobblestone streets. It’s a great place to capture the city’s past and present architecture.
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Alki Beach: Located in West Seattle, Alki Beach is a great place to capture the city’s skyline from across the water, as well as to take photos of the beach and the sunset.
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Ballard Locks: The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, also known as the Ballard Locks, are a series of locks that connect Puget Sound to Lake Union. The locks, boats, and fish ladders offer unique photo opportunities.
AirB&B
We got a super cute AirB&B home in Des Moines right on the beach of Puget Sound. It really made it feel like a vacation and we all enjoyed the home. Personally, I loved having a full kitchen to prep breakfasts, snacks and dinners in. With a toddler and picky eaters, it can be a little challenging to go out to eat for every meal so this was the perfect solution! All in all, it was a perfect location. Just far enough outside of the hustle and bustle of the city to feel like a vacation, but close enough to access all of the amenities and activities.
What To Wear In Seattle?
Seattle, is known for its mild and rainy climate, with temperatures ranging from the mid-40s to the mid-60s so the best thing to wear are layers & keep a waterproof jacket on hand like a cute puffer. Of course, you want a cute outfit to wear for all of you photos.
Be sure to check out the thefoodforthoughtshow boutique & grab some cute new outfits to wear on your trip, or any day really! 😉
MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE FOREVER DOLLED UP BOUTIQUE FOR THE BEST NEW STYLES! CHECK IT OUT HERE
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