Seattle Scavenger Hunt

48 finds from the market's bronze pig to the troll under the bridge, all free to see.

Seattle Scavenger Hunt

TeamMeet at (place and time)

  1. Stay with your team on public sidewalks, piers, paths and plazas.
  2. Cross only at marked crossings, with the signal.
  3. Buy nothing, take nothing and climb nothing.
  4. Photograph nobody outside your team without asking.
  1. A lower level of the market reached by stairsThe market is built down a steep slope. Write one thing sold on a lower floor.
  2. The aquarium on the waterfrontThe Seattle Aquarium is on Piers 59 and 60. Score it from the promenade.
  3. A brick wall covered in chewing gumThe Gum Wall is on Post Alley below the market. Look, do not add.
  4. A giant steel sculpture in a park by the waterThe Olympic Sculpture Park is free and open to all. Name the color of the biggest piece.
  5. Fishmongers throwing a fishThe fish market at Pike Street and Pike Place is known for it. Wait and watch; no buying needed.
  6. The Ferris wheel on the pierThe Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57 is 175 feet tall and opened in 2012. Count its gondolas on one side.
  7. Snow-topped mountains across the waterThe Olympic Mountains show on clear days, west across the bay.
  8. Stalls of cut flowers in bucketsCount the colors in one stall.
  9. A seagull on a pilingWatch only. Keep food away from gulls.
  10. The big neon Public Market sign and clockPike Place Market opened on August 17, 1907. Stand at the foot of Pike Street to see it.

Next step Turn it into a photo hunt

How it works

A troll, a rocket, a gum wall and the Needle: this Seattle scavenger hunt holds 48 finds in four walkable areas, each seen from a sidewalk, a pier or a park.

Read the full guide

Start at the market

Pike Place and the waterfront opens first: the pig, the gum wall and the Great Wheel sit a short walk apart. Choose Seattle Center or Fremont and Lake Union in the menu for another afternoon, then press Print this list.

Proof on paper

Most finds ask for a count, a color or a name, so teams prove a find by writing. The note under each is the judging rule.

Tips
  • Mountain finds need a clear day. On a gray one, cross them off before you print.

Questions and answers

Can you do a free scavenger hunt in Seattle?

Yes. Every find here is seen from public ground: the market's lanes, the waterfront promenade, Seattle Center's lawns and the Fremont streets. Nothing needs a ticket, a ride or a purchase.

Which Seattle area is best for kids?

Seattle Center: the fountain, the Needle and the monorail are close together on open ground. Fremont's troll is a close second. Keep an adult in every team.

What if it rains?

Pick Pike Place: much of the market is under cover, and the gum wall and the fish throwing need no sunshine. Mountain finds wait for a clear day.

More tools

Browse Word Games

All 48 finds

Pike Place and the waterfront 12

  • A brick wall covered in chewing gum The Gum Wall is on Post Alley below the market. Look, do not add.
  • A bronze pig at the market entrance Rachel, a piggy bank for the market's foundation, has stood here since 1986. Write her name.
  • A giant steel sculpture in a park by the water The Olympic Sculpture Park is free and open to all. Name the color of the biggest piece.
  • A green-and-white state ferry crossing Elliott Bay They leave from Colman Dock. Write which way it is heading.
  • A lower level of the market reached by stairs The market is built down a steep slope. Write one thing sold on a lower floor.
  • A seagull on a piling Watch only. Keep food away from gulls.
  • The aquarium on the waterfront The Seattle Aquarium is on Piers 59 and 60. Score it from the promenade.
  • The big neon Public Market sign and clock Pike Place Market opened on August 17, 1907. Stand at the foot of Pike Street to see it.
  • The Ferris wheel on the pier The Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57 is 175 feet tall and opened in 2012. Count its gondolas on one side.
  • Fishmongers throwing a fish The fish market at Pike Street and Pike Place is known for it. Wait and watch; no buying needed.
  • Snow-topped mountains across the water The Olympic Mountains show on clear days, west across the bay.
  • Stalls of cut flowers in buckets Count the colors in one stall.
Show all 48 finds (36 more)

Downtown and Pioneer Square 12

  • A carved wooden pole with animal faces Pioneer Square has several. Write the top animal you see.
  • A cobbled park with tall trees and pavement games Occidental Park, 0.6 acres, in Pioneer Square. Tick it from any side.
  • A giant black figure moving a hammer Hammering Man, by Jonathan Borofsky, outside the art museum on First Avenue. Count how often it strikes in a minute.
  • A hanging flower basket on a lamppost Count the baskets on one block.
  • A library made of glass in a diamond net The Central Library is 11 stories of glass and steel. Tick it from Fourth Avenue.
  • A mural in an alley Write its main color and the alley's nearest street.
  • A stadium roof seen from Pioneer Square Look south. Count how many you can see.
  • A street with a steep hill to the water Walk down one; write its name.
  • A white tower with a pointed top in Pioneer Square Smith Tower, completed in 1914, was the tallest on the West Coast until the Space Needle rose in 1962.
  • An iron-and-glass pergola in a triangle plaza Pioneer Square's pergola stands at First Avenue and Yesler Way. Write what color it is painted.
  • The gold rush museum run by the National Park Service Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, in Pioneer Square. Entry is free; the sign outside counts.
  • Purple glass squares in the sidewalk They once let daylight into rooms under the street, the Seattle Underground. Write the street.

Seattle Center 12

  • A bench shaped like something other than a bench Write what it looks like.
  • A bus that runs on wires overhead Seattle runs trolleybuses. Write its route number.
  • A children's play area with a Space Needle view Adults without a child stay outside the fence.
  • A dome fountain that sprays in time to music The International Fountain, from the 1962 fair. Stay back if you do not want to get wet.
  • A glass sculpture seen through a garden fence Look from outside the glass garden beside the Needle. Name a color.
  • A lawn big enough for a festival Seattle Center hosts many. Stand in the middle and wave to your team.
  • A wavy building covered in shiny colored metal The Museum of Pop Culture. Name two colors on its skin.
  • An arena with a sloped glass roof Seattle Center's arena. Tick it from the lawn.
  • The monorail gliding overhead It runs 0.9 miles between Seattle Center and Westlake Center. Tick it while it moves.
  • The monorail passing through that wavy building Wait under the track until a train goes through.
  • The Needle, the city and a mountain in one view Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill frames the skyline with Mount Rainier behind on clear days. A steep walk up.
  • The Space Needle from directly below It is 605 feet high and was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Look straight up from its base.

Fremont and Lake Union 12

  • A bridge that opens for boats The Fremont Bridge lifts for tall masts. Wait for an opening for extra glory.
  • A houseboat on the water People live in them. Tick it from the shore path.
  • A kayak or paddleboard on the canal Count them from the bridge.
  • A kite flying on the hill at Gas Works Park The mound is a favorite spot. Name its color.
  • A rocket standing upright on a building corner The Fremont Rocket was bought for the neighborhood for $750 in the 1990s.
  • A seaplane landing on Lake Union Write the color of its tail.
  • A signpost pointing to faraway places Write the farthest place it names.
  • A sundial set into the ground Gas Works Park's hill has one. Stand on it and read the time.
  • A troll under a bridge, holding a car The Fremont Troll sits under the Aurora Bridge. Count its fingers on the car.
  • The downtown skyline across Lake Union Best from the top of the hill at Gas Works Park.
  • Old rusty towers of a gas plant in a park Gas Works Park, 19.1 acres, on Lake Union's north shore. Tick them from the lawn outside the fence.
  • Six people and a dog waiting for a train that never comes Waiting for the Interurban, 1978, near the Fremont Bridge. People often dress them up; write what they wear today.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in Seattle, sorted by area, all scored from sidewalks, parks, piers and the market's public lanes with nothing bought and no ticket. Nothing was copied from another list. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by Pike_Place_Market, Gum_Wall, Rachel_(Gerber), Pike_Place_Fish_Market, Seattle_Great_Wheel, Seattle_Aquarium, Colman_Dock, Olympic_Sculpture_Park, Hammering_Man, Seattle_Central_Library, Smith_Tower, Pioneer_Square,_Seattle, Occidental_Park, Klondike_Gold_Rush_National_Historical_Park, Seattle_Underground, Space_Needle, Seattle_Center, International_Fountain, Museum_of_Pop_Culture, Seattle_Center_Monorail, Kerry_Park_(Seattle), Fremont_Troll, Fremont_Rocket, Waiting_for_the_Interurban and Gas_Works_Park. Licence: own work