Catch captivating views of Emerald City from the Space Needle

When in Seattle, there’s no question that the iconic Space Needle is a spot you shouldn’t miss out on.

Built in 1962, the Space Needle is 605 feet tall and was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River at the time.

Tickets to the Space Needle cost $19-$29, depending on the time of day you visit. I went ahead and purchased a CityPASS (total tourist thing to do – I know) where I was able to get admission to five attractions for a total of $75. (That’s the price you get if you buy it earlier. Otherwise, it’s $79.) I’d recommend grabbing a CityPass if you’ll be in Seattle for two days or so. It’s a great deal and a CityPASS ticket gets you two admissions to the Space Needle: once in the day and once in the evening. Why wouldn’t you want to see a vast 360-degree view of Seattle from 520 feet up both while the sun is up and when city lights are twinkling at night? 🙂

To be honest, sometimes I have reservations about tourist attractions because I’ve found so many other gems in my own city – as well as others I’ve visited – that aren’t as heavily marketed as other sights and activities.

At the same time, places are touristy for a reason, and I really felt like the Space Needle would be a good place to spend some time.

And guess what? It totally was, and I wouldn’t mind spending money to see it again.

My favorite view from the observation deck was that of Lake Union.

If you come on a clear day, you could be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier – shown in the distance in the left photo above. Locals say that’s a real treat because it’s not visible for the majority of the year.

Apart from the ridiculously captivating views of Emerald City from the observation deck, there are some information boards posted at the bottom floor that tell the history of the Space Needle, how long it took to build, etc. At the top, there’s a cool interactive exhibit that tells you how many visitors have been to the Space Needle since it was built. There had been about 59.7 million when I was there.

About 20 feet below the observation deck, there’s also a revolving restaurant – the second in the world – where you can enjoy a meal and stunning panoramic views at the same time.

In addition to all of that, probably what’s most mind blowing is all the work that went into building this masterpiece. It was built to withstand lightning and 200mph winds. You can read more fun facts about it here.