Seattle is especially know for amazing seafood (especially salmon) and asian cuisine. A few recommendations for food while you are visiting -include Din Tai Fung, Japonessa, Noi Thai, The Walrus & The Carpenter, Ivar's Fish & Chips, Tilikum Place Cafe, Portage Bay Cafe (for brunch). At Pike Place Market you'll find some iconic Seattle favorites such as Piroshky Piroshky, Elleno's Yogurt, Beecher's Cheese, and Rachel's Ginger Beer to name a few.

There are lots of fun neighborhoods to explore while visiting Seattle and each has their own unique vibe! Downtown you'll find Pike Place Market (a classic), Seattle Center (with the Space Needle), and the Seattle Library which is a stunning building. Fremont is a great neighborhood to explore with Fremont Brewing, Gasworks Park (which has a beautiful view of the skyline), the Sunday market, and a popular troll under the bridge. Capitol Hill is a fun, young neighborhood with lots of places to go out for nightlife or drinks with spots such as Oddfellows, Elliot Bay Book Company, Rhein Haus, and Stoup Brewing. Ballard is a neighborhood with lots of character and nice restaurants/bars to choose from with a great Sunday market, cute shopping, and Golden Gardens a popular sandy beach park. We love walking around the Greenlake area which has a lovely path along the lake and nice spots to hang out for the day.

During the summer, it's great to get outside in Seattle! You could rent a kayak and paddle around Lake Union in the middle of downtown, boat on Lake Washington, or visit one of the beaches in the city such as Alki Beach or Golden Gardens.

In the greater Seattle to Cle Elum area, there are lots of wonderful hikes and things to do en route! Below are a few recommendations for closer outdoor activities you might be able to squeeze in while en route from Seattle to Cle Elum, or within an hour-ish drive.

Snoqualmie Falls is a great, quick stop while en route from Seattle to Cle Elum. It's a huge waterfall with a lodge on the cliff! There is easy parking, viewing deck, and ADA-accessible ramps. More information here.

Gold Creek Pond is another super easy stop on your drive! Just a few minutes off of the highway, easy to park, and only a few minutes walk in to a beautiful view of the mountains over the pond. You can optionally walk around the pond which is a 1 mile loop. More information here.

Also, you could stop and make this a lunch picnic! We'd recommend picking up some food at Laconia Market, a super cute market on Snoqualmie Pass, and driving a few minutes over to the pond for lunch with a view.

Franklin Falls is a quick 2 mile out-and-back scenic hike to a waterfall! With only a ~15 minute detour, it is an easy hike to do along the drive. More information here.

Rattlesnake Ledge is a classic Seattle-area hike! It is a short, but steep, trail to sweeping views coming in at about 5 miles round trip. We love hopping in the lake afterwards to cool off! More information here.

If you have the time for a longer visit to Washington State or the greater Pacific Northwest, we'd suggest exploring some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the country! We've included some of our favorite places below that you could tack on to your trip.

Photos can barely capture how beautiful the mountains in the North Cascades are! You'll want to plan to stay a night around this general area as it is a few hours drive. The two best hikes I've ever done in Washington are here: Heather Maple Pass Loop & Chain Lakes Loop.

For a shorter distance hike, I'd recommend Blue Lake. And the view of Diablo Lake from the road is stunning and not to be missed!

A must-see in Washington is the iconic Mount Rainier! The massive active volcano is a stunning part of the local landscape. This year, they have introduced a reservation system so you will need to make sure to snag a pass in advance for the day/time you want to visit. A few amazing hikes here are Skyline Loop , Naches Peak Loop, or the longer Burroughs Mountain Loop Trail. In late July, you'll likely also see lots of wildflowers!

Olympic National Park has stunning variety of landscapes including the Pacific coast and the largest temperate rainforest in the US! A few favorites in the park include: Hurricane Hill (short hike with sweeping views), Hall of Mosses trail through the rainforest, Sol Duc hot springs, Lake Crescent and the Lake Crescent Lodge, and Ruby beach.

The San Juan Islands are a bit further out, but a beautiful summer location! You'll drive from Seattle to Anacortes and then take a ferry to one of the nearby islands. The most popular area would be Friday Harbor on San Juan Island which has a charming downtown, whale watching tours, kayaking, sailing, and beaches.