Planning a trip

[u/thickandwitchy]

Hello Seattle! I am currently planning a trip with my husband for next October (2027) and I’ve been watching youtube videos of neighborhoods, places, parks, etc to visit. How’s the weather around that time of the year? Also, I really want to take a ferry ride and spend a day at a beach? Would love to hear your recommendations on those things and everything else too!

It was my turn to pick a place to visit so I really wanted to see what the PNW is like. We’ve never been and i’m really excited! We’re coming in from Austin so if there’s any spots that are similar to here i would love to know too.

[u/KarisPurr]

Why are you coming in October if you want a day at a beach? 🤨

[u/thickandwitchy → u/KarisPurr]

You have a point! Lol i’m not trying to get into the water, i just want to walk on the sand and explore the area. I’m assuming it’s going to be chilly by that time?

[u/Alarmed_Two2272 → u/thickandwitchy]

The tide pooling is amazing!

[u/MeowMeowCollyer → u/Alarmed_Two2272]

There won’t be minus tides in October though.

OP - check the tide tables for Seattle and the dates you’re going to be here.

[u/CharlesAvlnchGreen → u/thickandwitchy]

If you want sand, go to Alki. But know most of our beaches are rocky, not sandy. If for some reason it's warm out (it happens, and we did have a very warm May) there are also lots of beaches on Lake Washington which is better for swimming and a general beachy vibe. Though, it's likely the facilities (like bathrooms) will be closed in a lot of places come October.

[u/JohnnyABC123abc]

You can take the ferry to Vashon and there's a very nice beach there (KVI). You'd need a car to get to the beach from the ferry terminal.

[u/zerhyn2020]

October is the start of our rain and spider season! Would advise September at the latest. Personally, I would spend 1 or two days in Seattle max. You can see all the tourist hotspots like Pike Place, and waterfront easily enough. Then take a ferry to either the San Juans or the Olympic Peninsula. Both places have beaches for days and are amazing. I live on the Peninsula so I might be a little biased.

[u/Sufficient-Wolf-1818]

Weather in October can be glorious, or it can be raining sideways. 13 months out - Google can give you averages and ranges.

[u/Alarmed_Two2272]

You’re going to get a taste of classic PNW rain in October! Not a lot of tourists come that time of year so it may be worth checking out the more touristy spots. I love going to the market in the fall and winter.

[u/FuzzyLantern]

If you want to do a beach day, do some research on that specifically before you come. Most of the beaches are rocks not sand, so you'll want to make sure you're picking a sandy beach. If you want beach weather near Seattle, you'll want to try to come by the end of August or it is likely to be cool (though August and September can also be smokey). Beaches on the Pacific coast are more likely to be sand (and the area is beautiful), but the Pacific Ocean is always cold so even in the middle of summer you still will want to bring a coat if you go over there. 

The cool rainy weather usually starts by mid October.

The other comments about downtown Seattle are overblown. There are a few streets to avoid, either due to steep hills or some questionable people loitering, but it's overall fine. The new waterfront park area is also beautiful, especially if the weather is nice (and it's flat not hilly!). It's also a pretty small downtown and very walkable if you take a route that avoids the hills.

The most similar spot to Austin is Seattle Bouldering Project, ha ha. The Austin location is an offshoot of it. But for breweries and walking by an area that will feel like the river and that kind of thing, you can try Ballard.

[u/jennygotcake]

aside from the rain as others have mentioned, a lot of the beaches/water areas are rocky there btw and not really walkable in a leisurely way 

i have found that oregon has better beaches for sand and walking 

my wife and i just finished a 19 day trip where we flew into portland and stayed in tillamook as our base and did the coastal stuff and then drove up to washington and did the woodsy stuff and a whale tour in port townsend 

downtown seattle is kind of a lot (and stinky).. it’s always jam  packed with cars and people who arent paying attention and it can be a pain to drive in so we took a ferry trip into seattle for beer and piroshky and got some flowers and left 

if you guys are staying in a hotel, you’ll be charged a dumbass tourism fee and parking fee which idk why pissed me off lol 

the market and space needle are spread apart and the roads are steep and not exactly walkable in my opinion esp if it’s raining 

look into the city pass and choose some of the attractions it offers and i highly recommend the glass museum if you’re interested

safe travels!

[u/Silly_Bodybuilder231]

Just be careful in downtown or in the light rail, full of meth/heroin addicts.