In 1997, a few million dollars went into the renovation of this 11-story building, transforming an old functional bell-switching facility into a luxurious boutique-style hotel. The 189 rooms, including 45 suites, have the feel of a fine English bed and breakfast. Despite the hotel's romantic feel, business travelers will also feel right at home because every room has a fax machine, two data ports and plenty of desk space. The hotel offers room service and has a fine dining restaurant, Sazerac, downstairs. Enjoy complimentary wine service in the evenings.

These vessels cruise Lake Union, Elliott Bay, Lake Washington and Greater Puget Sound. The Royal Argosy Fine Dining Cruises take individual and corporate passengers around Elliott Bay while serving gourmet meals. The Locks Cruise goes from salt water to freshwater through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Many tours offer mountain views. Call or check the website for current tour schedules, fares and departure points.

Located on the waterfront, next to the Omnidome, this aquarium features exotic fishes, sea mammals and other ocean life. See the sea lions, harbor seals, incredibly cute sea otters and even come face to face with a shark. New exhibits are added often along with, special events and outings.

Want the best view of Seattle's colourful and glittering skyline? Then take a ride on the Seattle Great Wheel, which is situated on the pier off Alaskan Way. The 15-minute ride inside its climate-controlled gondolas will take you to a maximum height of 175 feet (53 meters), where you can capture splendid views of downtown and the picture-perfect moments with your family on a camera. Each gondola has a maximum capacity for eight people, and the wheel is open for tourists 365 days of the year. Considered to be one of the tallest ferries wheels on the West Coast, the Seattle Great Wheel makes for a perfect family joy ride.

The Westin Seattle is your front door to the Pacific Northwest! An ideal urban retreat, this hotel is just steps away from the Washington State Convention Center, Pike Place Market PDAv, and Seattle's most enticing shops. The Westin Seattle is a non-smoking hotel and one of only two hotels in the city offering unobstructed views of Puget Sound, Lake Union, and the Seattle skyline. After a day of meetings and sightseeing, you can relax and unwind in the elegant Lobby Bar, featuring a full-service bar and flat-screen TVs. The hotel features a large, softly lit lobby and the largest ballroom in the Northwest. Also, you can enjoy upscale dining in the hotel.

Featuring pinball machines dating back 70 years to modern incarnations, Seattle Pinball Museum is all about this fun game! With the price of admission you can view all of the interesting pinball machines, and better yet, you can play pinball! Seattle Pinball Museum is an interesting hybrid of an arcade and museum, where you can learn about the machines by reading the plaques beside the games as well as play all of the machines. Try beating the high score of the vintage 1966 Loop the Loop machine or try mastering the 2011 Rolling Stones machine. If you pay a little more then the admission price you can get an all day pass.

This waterfront hotel, located in downtown Seattle along Elliott Bay, is a 5-minute walk to the Seattle Aquarium. The upscale hotel features and indoor/outdoor connecting pool and rooms with a refrigerator. The elegant rooms at Seattle Marriott Waterfront are equipped with a 42-inch flat-screen TV, coffee maker and a work desk. Every bathroom is spacious and many rooms have private balconies with bay and mountain views. Seattle Marriott Waterfront offers a 24-hour modern gym and a full-service business center. Concierge services are available to help arrange tours, reservations and other activities. Waterfront Marriott Seattle’s restaurant, Hook & Plow is open all day and serves American and regional dishes. The Bell Harbor International Conference Center is located across the street. Pike Place Market is a 7-minute walk from the Waterfront hotel. The Space Needle is less than a 5-minute drive away, and SeaTac International Airport is within 25 minutes' drive.

The ornate building of Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center was once a synagogue, as is revealed by its Romanesque windows and symbolic stone tablets. Today, it's a temple to the arts, named after African-American poet Langston Hughes. The center offers a varied roster of activities, workshops and classes in such skills as marimba, African dance and self-defense. The well-produced high school musicals and literary readings have extended the center's reach beyond the immediate neighborhood.

The Museum of Pop Culture is one of the most interesting stops in Seattle. Located at the Seattle Center, this museum takes you through music history by immersing you in nearly 80,000 artifacts including photos, sound archives, costumes and musical instruments from notable artists. Most exhibits are interactive, allowing visitors to literally play with them. Also here is the Science Fiction Museum & Hall, which honors the greatest minds in the genre.

Located at the Seattle Center, this hands-on museum features IMAX movies and laser shows, in addition to ever-changing exhibits that include displays on dinosaurs, whales, robots and much more. Previous exhibits have included a tropical butterfly house and an insect village. This is a fun and educational place to take children but adults will learn a lot and enjoy themselves as well. Check website for ticket prices; package deals are also available. Children under four are not admitted to planetarium shows. There is an on-site cafe as well.

Seattle Children's Museum is a fun museum for kids and, in fact, the whole family. Enter a world of imagination, where interactive displays allow children to learn in a creative and interesting ways. Visit and explore the wonder of a mountain forest, sail the seven seas to exotic lands and test your creativity at an Imagination Studio. Don't forget to check out their daily programs or listen to a story at their noon story time!

Built for the 1962 World's Fair, then turned into a privately owned city park, the Seattle Center is still Seattle's chief gathering place. Fountains, museums, theaters and amusement arcades punctuate sweeping lawns and tree-lined walkways. Three times a year, in May, July and September, people swarm the grounds for the Folklife, Bite of Seattle and Bumbershoot festivals. The grounds contain the Experience Music Project, the Space Needle, one end of the Monorail, the Seattle Children's Theater and the Pacific Science Center. All 87-acres of the Seattle Center is buzzing with activity and why not? More than 5,000 free performances are held in various cultural festivals to concerts all through the year especially summer. Every museum and theatre stage comes alive including the eight fountains. So be a part of the food, fun and partying!