10 Things to Do in Seattle in March

If you think of a modern, coastal city with a cool, cloudy atmosphere that has been admired countless times in popular culture, then Seattle fits that description. So it's no surprise to learn that there are thousands of things to see or do in Seattle if you visit during the month of March.

In an effort to ensure you get the most out of your visit, I invite you to read this compilation of festivals and activities I've put together for you.

The temperate climate of the northwestern United States makes it an ideal place for the North Pole's marine species to roam freely in what would be much warmer water for them. For this reason, March is a perfect month to participate in one of the orca watching excursions, as the water temperatures between late winter and early spring are ideal conditions for this marine animal. As well as other whales and sea creatures.

Some of these Seattle boat tours offer a guarantee that if you don't see a killer whale along the way, you'll get a free tour on a different day. This is strong evidence that there is a good chance you will encounter several groups of these cetaceans in the waters of Puget Sound.

Some of the tours usually take you to the shores of Port Townsend to skirt the expanse of Whidbey Island. Other tours with a longer duration also usually offer you a trip to the San Juan Islands where you could even get off to tour their harbors for an hour.

Traveller Tip

I advise you to wear sunscreen, knowing that water is a reflective surface for UV radiation.

Details of interest

• Prices: prices vary depending on the duration of the tour and the company chosen, note that none will offer packages below 80 euros per person.
• Conditions: this is an activity in which children must be accompanied by a representative.

The Seattle Opera House and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras are internationally respected institutions when it comes to classical music. Mainly due to the fact that they are the most influential orchestras in the classical music circuit of the Pacific Northwest in the American continent.

In turn, the month of March is a privileged time of the year to enjoy them, since this month marks the transition from the winter concert season to the beginning of the spring cycle. It is therefore a good idea to attend some of the concerts that will surely be held during the weekends of March.

Another relevant detail of the musical culture of Seattle is the fact that Grunge is a musical genre that was born in the streets of Seattle in the 90s. That's why there are lots of clues in cafes and cultural establishments about how that musical revolution was experienced in this very progressive community.

The Museum of Pop Culture, also known as MoPOP, is another corner that you cannot miss if you are interested in understanding the musical nature of this area. This is because there you will find a lot of exhibits dedicated to the preservation of POP culture, which is a once in a lifetime experience if you enjoy this aesthetic and these rhythms on a regular basis.

It wouldn't hurt to make sure you check if the Seattle City Pass offers you any discounts for Philharmonic performances or museum tickets, as this tourist pass is one of the best investments you can make if you are looking to cut costs in your tourist budget.

The largest coffee chain in the world, Starbucks, was born in Seattle in the early 1970s. This happened on March 31, 1971 and for this reason every year special activities are held in the city's branches, including the first of all which is located right in the Pike Place Market. Discounts are some of them, but there are also live music performances or an educational workshop or two. Every year they change and it all depends on the Starbucks branch chosen.

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery is another of the establishments that you cannot miss on your tour of the city when it comes to coffee, as it consists of an authentic processing center for whole coffee beans, where they are roasted at different temperatures to reach very different varieties in terms of flavor and texture of the beverage.

Actually, something you have to keep in mind is that the whole city is known for the breadth of its coffee culture. So participating in one of the best gastronomic tours in Seattle is a highly recommended activity to understand the scope that coffee as a beverage has had in the identity of this city and in the creation of its gastronomic businesses.

The Moisture Festival is an event that runs from the beginning of March to the beginning of April. According to experts, it is one of the largest festivals in the world when it comes to comedy and entertainment with performing arts.

As for the programming of the events, you should know that they are weekend functions and sometimes there is one or another activity that occurs on a Thursday. These are comedy acts in which each performer has a 5 to 15 minute set and there is almost always a musical band accompanying the act with live music.

Burlesque, juggling, ventriloquist acts and a host of other circus related talent. These are just some of the sessions you might encounter on a festival night. Keep in mind that this is an evening activity, so you might want to supplement your morning and afternoon with a tour on one of Seattle's tour buses.

Details of interest

• Location: usually held at Hale's Ales Palladium, but there are always chances that the venue will be changed each year, as such adjustments are a common occurrence at this event. Checking on the event's official website is an excellent idea.
• Price: tickets are usually priced between 10 to 30 euros, depending on the day of the week and the number of acts scheduled for that date.
• Duration: it is a night festival that almost always lasts about 2 or 3 hours, from the entrance of the spectators to the hall until the final applause.

Speaking of festivals, another recommendation I have to make, if you visit Seattle in March, is to check out the Taste Washington Festival. This event consists of a gastronomic festival that takes place during the 4 weeks of March in which wine and the gourmet foods that accompany it are the true protagonists.

It is organized by the Washington State Wine Commission, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the development of the wine industry in this region. This region has such favorable conditions for the production of luxury wines as the Napa Valley, in California.

The offer of first class artisanal products such as cured cheeses and sausages are other very important elements of the gastronomic offer of this festival. All this while there are workshops and discussions with real experts in the American wine scene.

You should consider that although there are no age limitations for admission to the venue, it is really an adult entertainment alternative that can be classified within the plans to see or do in Seattle during the night in March.

Details of interest

• Pricing: the festival is subdivided into several events with very different purposes, ranging from private dinners with chefs to crowded seminars with experts. So the prices for each activity can range from about 85 euros per person to about 180 or even 200.
• Duration: everything is adjusted to the chosen activity, but attending the main exhibition that functions as a kind of luxury market with simultaneous activities can take about 3 or 4 hours of your day.

Another distinctive aspect of Seattle's identity is the unchanging tradition of participating in all kinds of community markets to support the consumption and production of local food products. These types of spaces are called Farmers Markets in the United States and in Seattle you will find a few of them in most of the city's neighborhoods.

The ones located in Ballard, right on the main avenue of the same name, are very famous among the local population and among tourists who have already had the opportunity to visit them. The National Nordic Museum is located in this neighborhood , which is another excellent opportunity to learn about the ancestral origins of the community that founded this area of the city.

Freemont is another neighborhood that has its own Farmers Market during the week ends and visiting it is a good idea if you feel comfortable in places with a bohemian and modern identity. Walking the waterfront along the canal that bears the same name is another alternative plan to enjoy the area to the fullest, and the Aurora Bridge is a rather peculiar site worthy of a photo shoot with your companions.

All these plans revolving around the Farmers Markets in the city's residential neighborhoods are part of the best things to see or do in Seattle during the spring. For the March weather makes for a more favorable experience than on a cold winter day.

The University of Washington campus is an area of the city that in itself is worth visiting to admire its architectural and scenic beauty. However, March stands out as an even more appropriate time to include it in your tourist itinerary due to the fact that the arrival of spring brings with it the Cherry Blossom Tree's blooming.

So beautiful is the scenery of several streets lined with pink flowering trees that this is an activity that attracts thousands of tourists looking for a photographic moment worthy of posting on social media. Keep in mind that this is not something that is going to take up a large chunk of your day, as the campus is accessible from downtown and touring all the interesting facilities usually takes about 3 to 4 hours at most.

So it is a recommended plan if you are looking for ideas to see or do in Seattle during a 4-day trip, especially if it happens at the end of March. Since this is the time when these curious trees begin to bloom in their beautiful pink tones.

March marks the beginning of what locals define as the most pleasant time of the year, as winters are quite aggressive and summers usually have extreme temperatures that are suffocating for a population that is accustomed to a cloudy and cold environment.

Within this context it is logical and predictable that you reserve a day of your trip to enjoy an extensive and demanding walk through the historical and cultural heart of the city. The downtown peninsula, specifically the Uptown, Denny Triangle, Cascade, South Lake and Belltown neighborhoods, are areas you can tour in a single day.

There you will encounter the city's main attractions, touristically speaking. The Space Needle, the Center for Wooden Boats dock, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters and the Paramount Theater are some of these must-see sites on this sightseeing tour.

One thing that can make a difference in the convenience of this early spring itinerary is booking some of the Seattle tours offered online. This by the fact that they cut down on distances by taking you on buses or in minibuses that can extend the perimeter of your sightseeing tour.

Details of interest:

• Prices: it depends on the conditions of the tour and the route you have planned. You can find excellent alternatives that pick you up at the hotel and take you to the cruise terminal of the city for 97 euros approximately, while there are others with rates close to 74 euros that pick you up and drop you off at a central point of the city.
• Duration: on average all these tours last about 3 to 4 hours maximum. If you decide to opt for a walking tour, you could take up to 10 hours of your day.

On the northeastern tip of the peninsula stretches for a couple of acres, the Washington Park Arboretum. It is a park that belongs to the botanical garden complex of the University of Washington and is an excellent spot in the city to enjoy an afternoon of nature between the beginning of spring that defines the last days of March.

This space has a Japanese garden that stands out among the rest of the flora for the great diversity of plants from that Asian archipelago. This is the only point of the park with a paid access, since the rest of the facilities are completely free for both locals and tourists.

Clearly, this is a plan that falls within the activities to do and see in Seattle with children by the fact that it puts within your reach hundreds of trails to be traveled by infants loaded with lots of energy. There are ponds worthy of a fairy tale and this also makes it a good place to live a fantasy in the imagination of the little ones of the house.

Seattle is a very privileged spot within the United States if you consider that it is quite close to areas of gigantic natural beauty. Three national parks are in a perimeter of less than 100 km away and therefore organizing a guided tour to some of them is an excellent plan to say goodbye to your visit in this beautiful city.

In fact, March is an ideal time in the year to visit the national parks near Seattle due to the fact that it is still cold enough to admire the winter beauty of the season. And at the same time the temperatures are moderate enough that it is not uncomfortable to be exposed to the elements on a hiking trail or on a boat.

Tours to Mount Rainier from Seattle are one of these convenient alternatives, as they include various benefits such as the entrance fee to the national park and transportation in a modern and comfortable minibus. They also usually include a local guide who explains the importance of this natural area and takes you to the most favorable trails for your hike.

There are boat rides that take you to the coast of the Olympic Peninsula to get a close-up view of the majesty of Olympic National Park. It is well known for the state of preservation of its forests and for the peculiar beauty of the thousands of beaches that extend inland from the bay to the Pacific Ocean.

Details of interest

• Prices: depend on the package chosen, but in the case of the excursion to Mount Rainer you can find convenient rates around 150 euros per adult and about 130 euros for children under 12 years old.
• Duration: this is an extensive activity if you take into consideration how long it takes to get to and from the city to the chosen national parks. On average it can last 10 to 12 hours.
• Conditions: almost all excursions have a pick-up point in a central and accessible location in the city. It is therefore advisable that you do not expect to be picked up at the hotel, as this would seriously limit your available options.

Seattle is a fairly touristy city, that's a fact. However, the month of March is an ideal time to visit, as it is a time when the winter cold bids farewell to welcome the moderate warmth of spring.

All this without having to deal with hoards of tourists, as most of them will arrive with the peak of summer and March is not a time that is really important for domestic tourism within the United States.

The temperatures you will encounter in Seattle in March are much more favorable than the cold days of winter, as highs often climb to 14 degrees Celsius, but keep in mind that lows can drop to as low as 4 on the coldest nights of the month.

So it is a real priority that you bring coats and don't take for granted that there is a good chance of a rainy afternoon despite an extremely sunny morning.