Seattle Southside is much more than just a bedroom community in Seattle or a halfway point between Seattle and Tacoma. It is a vibrant and thriving community with a unique history and bright future. Whether you're staying there for a day or staying for a weekend, there are so many romantic things to do and places to eat and drink in Seattle's Southside that you'll wish you stayed longer.
Cedarbrook Lodge
Every amazing adventure begins with a wonderful and comfortable home base. Cedarbrook Inn It is all that and more. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. They even offered a free airport shuttle and provided delicious food inside the terminal so you could return your car early if you were flying in or pick it up later if you were on your way in.
However, staying at Cedarbrook goes beyond comfort; It's an experience in itself. The hotel is an urban oasis, set in an 18-acre cedar grove garden with artwork adorning the walls. There is a spa, gym, and hot tub as you would expect to find at one of the top-rated hotels in the Pacific Northwest. They also have a unique feature they call Living Rooms, where you can relax in a common area with complimentary snacks, including local gourmet Snoqualmie ice cream.
We met a local couple who routinely went to Cedarbrook for their staycations during one of our stays. I do not believe there is a greater compliment to a property than the patronage of local and educated consumers who choose to enjoy the Cedarbrook experience of pure entertainment. Remember Cedarbrook Lodge if you're looking for an escape from your everyday life, an escape from the stresses of travel, or a home base for exploring Seattle's south side.
Seattle Chocolate
I will be honest with you. I never thought of Seattle as a chocolate city. This seems to be intended for more tropical locations. However, the same can be said for coffee, and we all know how that goes… haha!
Seattle Chocolate They are always delicious, earth-friendly, women-owned and ethically sourced. They're also a work of art. Local artists make all their packaging, and they are so beautiful to eat. Even cooler, their packaging is derived from eucalyptus, so they're biodegradable too! You can book a factory tour where you can see the magic happen and taste it too. While you're there, check out their flagship store's unique offerings and special discounts on “imperfect” chocolates.
Highline Heritage Museum
Highline Heritage Museum It tells the stories of the people who immigrated to this region and their contributions to the local culture. Which begs the question, what is the High Line in the first place? The Highline is the geographic region located in southwestern King County, Washington, defined by Seattle to the north, 252nd Street to the south, Puget Sound to the west, and I-5 to the east. The Highline Community is not a governmental entity but a school district, known locally as “401” or the Highline School District, which covers White Center, Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, part of Des Moines and part of unincorporated King County. .
The museum contains hundreds of thousands of 3D objects, photographs, slides, films and documents. It helps define this vibrant community and highlights its stories under the shadow of its more famous neighbors. If you're planning a visit, be aware that hours and availability are limited. Fortunately, they have an extensive collection online to help tell these stories and preserve this history.
Aviation Museum
The Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world! It's huge and worth a visit. In fact, more than half a million people tour the museum each year to see their extensive collection of drones, Boeing history, NASA artifacts, and more.
The standard tour with huge exhibits and informational signage is great. However, you can take your tour to the next level by participating in a weekend family workshop, virtual reality experience, or flight simulator. If you plan ahead, you can even book a lecture tour in person.
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden
We've talked about the community spirit of Seattle's Southside, however Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden He puts those ideals into practice. Instead of allowing the beautiful gardens to be plowed while SeaTac Airport's runway was expanded, they were actually moved to a forever home that became the Botanical Garden.
Elda Behm's Paradise Garden was one of the gardens moved from the shadows of SeaTac. It plays on the concepts of shade, sunlight and water with flowing streams and a still pond surrounded by shade-loving plants. Another garden that was saved is the Seki Japanese Garden. It is a traditional Japanese pond-and-mountain-style garden that features a 1,500-square-foot pond with a waterfall and a red maple tree that is over 100 years old. It is believed to be the largest relocation of a Japanese garden ever attempted in the United States. There are also seasonal gardens containing irises, roses, fuchsias and daylilies.
Copperleaf Restaurant
The restaurant portion of this piece starts the same way we start things to do in Seattle Southside – at Dine on the property at Cedarbrook LodgeCopperleaf Restaurant. It is a farm-to-table restaurant serving products from local farmers, fishermen and artisans. They even use ingredients from the gardens at Cedarbrook Lodge. It's so fresh, local, fun and delicious that you might want to come here even if you're not staying at the hostel.
They are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even special events like wine tastings and spirits classes. Guests can order room service, dine in the fireplace-side restaurant, or eat outside on the garden terrace. Copperleaf's incredible dining experience is part of the reason why staying at Cedarbrook Lodge is more than just a room for the night; It's the cornerstone of a real weekend getaway.
Patty Ignist
Patty's Eggnest is a regional chain in Seattle known for serving breakfast all day. As you know, you can't eat breakfast all day long if you don't start in the morning. It's a small kitchen that serves up eggs any way you like them as well as piles of fluffy pancakes. Their commitment to quality is the reason they have been in business since 1999 and winning Seattle Best Breakfast Award And the National Golden Egg Award.
Spice Bridge International Food Hall
Spice Bridge International Food HallWhere immigrants, new and old, prepare their dishes for the entire community. This business incubator helps women of color, immigrants, and refugees start and grow thriving businesses in South King County. It serves not only as a bridge to welcome these people into the community, but as a place where they can showcase something special from their background, and everyone benefits from the exchange.
As much as I loved the backstory and intent, I loved the food even more. The aromas and flavors delighted my senses and there was plenty of choice and variety. I felt like I could taste the world in an afternoon if I could just keep eating. There's no shame in coming back to Spice Bridge International Food Hall again and again so you can try everything, or at least try.
The invention of wine and mead
I love honey. I love wine. And I doubly love honey wine, also known as mead. So, it's no surprise that I loved the visit The invention of wine and mead. Innovation means using skill to achieve something or create something. Amanda and Cosmo are used in a sentence, a way to make an unusual drink.
However, more than just morale, I love the spirit of the people of Washington. They're a little weird, a little wacky, and totally perfect. Conrivance has a Steampunk-themed tasting room that is somehow a perfect metaphor for bees. I mean, their famous Steampunk bee is pretty cool. But the way the bees swarm together with a relatively low-tech base and create hives with perfect geometry captures the essence of Steampunk for me. If nothing else, they were fun people to spend an afternoon with whether you were taking a tour, enjoying a tasting, or just picking up a bottle of mead for later.
Deck
One of my favorite things in Washington State is fresh local apple juice. And one of my new favorite places to get local cider is Quarterdeck at Des Moines Marina. They also serve wine and coffee, but you have to try Washington State cider at least once in your life.
The building is very simple, just a repurposed shipping container, but the views of Des Moines Harbor are amazing. This port is the only commercial port between Seattle and Tacoma, with a little bit of everything from a small fleet of sailboats to dive charters. For me, what I really enjoyed was that it faces west towards Puget Sound so I can watch the sun set over the water. It's a beautiful place and they even host you Farmers market With live music and food trucks on Saturday afternoons and select Wednesday evenings during the summer.
Anthony
If you're looking for the perfect date night, consider starting your evening with drinks (cider!) at the Quarterdeck and then stroll hand-in-hand at sunset across the harbor to Anthony's on the waterfront. Trust me, this works. You may not even need that bottle of syrup you picked up earlier, haha!
Anthony started out as a seafood wholesale business in Seattle, so they know about fresh, local fish. Fresh, local and cooked seafood to perfection. My only advice is not to get so focused on the waterfront views that you forget to look over your shoulder and see Mount Rainier towering on the horizon.
Wrapping up things to do and places to eat in Seattle Southside
Seattle Southside is more than just a Seattle suburb or a SeaTac stop. It is a community in itself with its own history, culture, vitality and spirit. Activities, accommodations, drinks and delights offer visitors plenty to see, do, eat and enjoy whether they are staying the night or a weekend.
Hello! We are Jane and Ed Coleman also known as Coleman Concierge. In short, we are a 10th generation couple from Huntsville sharing our stories of amazing adventures through transformative and experiential activity-based travel.
