Winter in Seattle can be rainy but Seattle is beautifully dressed with christmas lighting and holiday spirits in winter. I’ve made the list for holiday attractions in Seattle today and hope everyone has happy holidays!
1. Holiday Carousel in Downtown Seattle
The whirling tradition of the holiday carousel returns in Westlake Park! Hurry and get on the carousel!
- Nov.25, 2016 – Jan. 2, 2017
- Sunday – Thursday: 11am – 8pm
- Friday and Saturday: 11am – 9pm
- For more information: https://www.downtownseattle.com/holidays/
2. Snowflake Lane in Bellevue
We can’t talk about holidays in Seattle without snowflake lane in Bellevue!!! and this is definitely my FAVORITE holiday tradition!
When I was living with my host family about 5 years ago, my host dad took me to the snowflake lane for the first time. Ever since then, this had become my holiday tradition 🙂 The performance brightens the holiday spirits even more. The holiday music, toy soldier drummers, glittering lights, characters from fairy tales, dance all accompanied by snow falling!
Snowflake Lane ends on the December 24th, so hurry up!
- Snowflake Lane: At the Bellevue Collection, Nov.25- Dec.24 nightly at 7pm
- Celebration Lane: At the Bellevue Collection, Dec. 26 – Dec. 31, nightly at 7pm
- For more information: http://snowflakelane.com/
3. Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth is the Bavarian theme town in Washington State.
From Thankgiving through New Years Leavenworth dresses with millions of christmas lights and lighting ceremonies!
Getting to Leavenworth from Seattle might be hectic. It takes about 3-4 hours by car and the road would most likely get icy to Leavenworth. If you plan to stay over a night in Leavenworth, the accommodations, especially during weekends, get more expensive and packed with reservations. So what I did was to take a day trip with the local excursions called Sound Excursion. It basically includes, round-trip bus transportation from Seattle or Bellevue to Leavenworth, 5 hours of free time, some snacks and a staff to guide.
We really enjoyed the trip and the service since there was no need to drive for 6 hours (back and forth), wait for a parking spot and pay for a lodge. 5 hours in Leavenworth was enough for us to explore the town, grab a bite (the famous hot dog), shop and most importantly watch the tree lighting! If you’re someone like me, try a local excursions that provide a bus ride to Leavenworth!
Although the Christmas lighting ceremonies on the first three weekends of the month every Saturday and Sunday at 4:30pm, I believe the lights will stay on till New Years (or till January).
4. Holiday Ride The Ducks of Seattle
Tours will depart nightly starting at 5pm from Westlake Park, near the Holiday Carousel, at the 4th Avenue and Pine Street.
I’m not sure if the Holiday Ducks has been happening this winter… I went on about two years ago. This holiday version is a bit different from the regular ducks tour. The duck is surrounded by christmas lighting and decorations. The holiday ducks does not go to water but only stays on land, so the tour time is shorter and the ticket is cheaper.
For more information: http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/
I never tire of looking at your beautiful photos by the Pike Place Market. It looks so festive in the winter.
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I will be arranging to go to visit Washington this year when it warms up to visit some friends of mine. Your story/photos made me want to go.
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Oh wow!!! I’m so honored to hear that! Washington will be very beautiful when it gets warmer, especially mid-late March when cherry blossoms start blooming.
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Good morning Jamie, when do the cherry blossom start blooming there? I know when I visited Washington years ago the cherry blossoms are blooming so pretty.
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Sorry about my late reply! The cherry blossom start blooming around the mid March. The full blossom is around the end of March although it depends on weather.
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Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful piece about Seattle and the surrounding areas. Your pictures are fantastic! They have a really good friend who lives in that area and with your help, you help me see what it looks like where she lives. I will share this on TotallyInspiredMind.com.
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Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed my post! Hope you had happy holidays and new year 🙂
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