A Guide to Seattle Southside

Throughout the years, Curtis and I have taken a few trips to downtown Seattle, but the area surrounding Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma) Airport, known as the Seattle Southside, has been a mystery to us until now.

When Seattle Southside invited us down for a weekend, I couldn’t say no. I was curious to know what they had to offer and explore another part of Seattle. It didn’t disappoint and was a fun weekend for the books!

What to Do

Visit Redondo Beach

You can rent kayaks or paddleboards and explore this beautiful beachfront. There are plenty of sea life in these waters, including otters, seals, and birds. It’s a nice relaxing activity that I would love to come back down to do in the summer.

Explore the Museum of Flight

Boeing has done an outstanding job of capturing the history of flight in the Museum of Flight.
The Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world!
Upon entry we first headed to the Great Gallery, which is a stunning space. A wide variety of aircraft are displayed all around and above you. We spent a good hour in here alone, even partaking in a flight simulator. That was so much fun! There are over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, along with tours of Space Shuttles, flight simulators and a 3D Movie theatre!

The Apollo exhibit was really good too, it wasn’t overwhelming and easy to navigate. Also you can take some great Instagram worthy shots too. I had a very happy husband that day, who is fascinated by all things aviation. It was the highlight of the weekend for Curtis.

Find out how chocolate is made

Last but not least, you must go on the “Experience Chocolate” Tour at the Seattle Chocolate Company.

The tour starts with learning about how Seattle Chocolates came to be and what parts of the world the cacao comes from. You then get to go into the factory and see how the chocolate goes into the molds, goes through all the steps, and even how it gets wrapped by a machine. You then go back and get to try half a dozen samples of chocolate, this was our favourite part of the tour.

Their gift shop is outstanding too, terrific Seattle themed gifts, artisan chocolates, bulk chocolate bags and even wine to pair with chocolates! Wish I could have brought it all home with us.

Go Indoor Skydiving

iFly Seattle is located by the mall and we sadly didn’t do this, but Curtis wants to go back one day and try it out. Best part is jumping out of planes is not required.

What to Eat

Duke’s Seafood and Chowder House

Don’t let the location fool you – this is not at all mall food, and probably one of the best seafood restaurants I’ve been to in the PNW. I had the macadamia crusted halibut and Curtis enjoyed a small chowder. Duke’s has been around for 40+ years, winning best seafood restaurant in the area.

The crabcakes were packed wtih real crab meat, the brownie dessert was indulgent and I would have finished a bowl of their award winning chowder by myself.

Bahama Breeze

This was a delish dinner! We ate so many great Carribean dishes, shared The Rum Raid, 8 rum-filled elixirs from the Caribbean and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. Who would expect that from a restaurant located at the mall?

Where to Stay

Hotel Interurban

When we rolled up to the area’s tallest hotel, 185 guest rooms, event spaces, with a dog park, we quickly learnt that their local comic-con was taking place that same weekend. So many great costumes and people watching was happening during our stay. We enjoyed happy hour drinks and breakfast during our stay at their on-site restaurant.

The rooms were very large, they even have eames chairs in some rooms. And the most important detail, the beds were comfortable. I’m a picky person when it comes to a hotel mattress and spend most nights tossing and turning and in this case, I slept throughout the night. The bathroom lighting is also really amazing, I want a mirror like that at home. And a nice full length mirror for all those #ootd shots.

They are also proud owners of Hazel, the first hotel robot in Washington. Her full name is Hazelnut, which is the meaning of Tukwila. She helps deliver stuff to hotel guests, like toothbrushes, shaving cream, mouthwash, or a morning paper. It can also assist room service with delivering smaller items like coffee and sandwiches. Least to say, Hazel is pretty cool.

I hope this little roundup of our weekend and photos are helpful for any of your planning a trip to the area. Don’t forget to take an extra day to explore Seattle Southside!

Thank you for Seattle Southside Tourism for hosting us and to Hotel Interurban for giving us a place to rest our head. Also check out my other guide to Olympia, WA.