Expect to wait in a long line, especially if you don’t arrive early. I stopped in with my cousin, Madison, her friend Katy, and my Aunt Marcy when they visited me one time. The original Starbucks is where everyone wants to go when visiting Seattle. You might have heard about this quaint little coffee store that started here back in 1971. Pike Place Market is Seattle’s original farmers market, containing more than 80 (!) restaurants, dozens of farmers, crafts vendors, and more than 200 owner-operated shops. Okay, so Pike Place Market is hands-down the most touristy place in Seattle, but you HAVE to experience it. I have no idea how I was able to move around at all looking back at these photos – ha! Warning – some of these photos contain a VERY pregnant me. The answer is yes! I can spend hours telling my friends about how to spend a long weekend in Seattle with kids, and today I decided to share my recommendations with you. Even more specifically, I often get asked whether it’s a good trip for families with kids. Now that we’re back in Texas and close to family and friends, I bet I get asked on a monthly basis about where I recommend friends should visit if they’re having a quick getaway to Seattle.

I mean, seriously! Look at the snow-capped Mount Rainer, the water, and the skyline. Who could blame them? Seattle is (in my opinion) the most beautiful city in the USA. Although we were far from friends and family, we had a steady stream of visitors the entire four years we were there. Seattle will always have a special place in our hearts because it’s where we first “made it on our own” as a married couple and where our son, Foster, was born. We lived in Seattle for four years before settling back home in Austin.

Land of nod u village