Seattle · Self-guided audio walk

Pike Place and the New Waterfront

Fish throwers, a new walkway down to the bay, and Elliott Bay views from market to sculpture park.

6Stops
2.5 kmDistance
40+ minTime

Photo by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons

This walk follows Seattle's remade central waterfront from the Seattle Art Museum to the Olympic Sculpture Park. It starts on First Avenue, climbs into Pike Place Market, then drops down the new Overlook Walk to the bay. You'll pass the aquarium's Ocean Pavilion, linger at Pier 62, and finish among outdoor sculptures where an oil terminal once sat. Give it about two hours, with time to stop along the way.

Hear it on the street

Get the turn-by-turn audio guide in the app. The narration plays itself as you reach each stop, hands-free and offline.

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Stop by stop

The route

Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.

Must see

Photo by Chris Light on Wikimedia Commons

Seattle Art Museum

0:00

The downtown art museum, fronted by the 48 foot Hammering Man whose steel arm swings all day.

You're standing in front of the Seattle Art Museum on First Avenue, and the giant black figure swinging its arm above the entrance is Hammering Man. Jonathan Borofsky made the sculpture, and it rises 48 feet on a single steel leg, its hammer arm moving about four times a minute. The piece arrived with some drama. During the first installation in 1991, a lift strap snapped and the figure fell, so it was shipped back to the foundry in Connecticut and returned a year later.

The city owns the sculpture, and it honors working people, a plain tribute in a city built on sawmills, shipyards, and longshore work. The museum behind it opened in 1991 in a building designed by Robert Venturi. You don't need to go inside for this walk, though the collection is strong. When you're ready, turn your back on the bay and head north up First Avenue.

Pike Place Market is four blocks away.

Open in Google Maps

≈6 min walk to the next stop

Must see

Photo by Daniel Schwen on Wikimedia Commons

Pike Place Market

0:00

A century old public market of fish throwers, farm stalls, and the bronze pig named Rachel.

You've reached Pike Place Market, and on a busy morning this corner of Pike Street feels like the whole city stopped to shop. The market opened on August 17, 1907, after the city council set aside the street so farmers could sell directly to shoppers and skip the middlemen. It has run ever since, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public farmers markets in the country. Under the clock sign, look for Rachel, the 550 pound bronze piggy bank installed in 1986.

Coins dropped into her fund the market's social services, and her snout is polished bright by all the hands. Around the corner, fishmongers in orange rubber overalls throw whole salmon across the counter, a routine that started as a prank and became the market's signature. Watch for the sign warning of low flying fish. The first Starbucks opened nearby in 1971, and the MarketFront expansion in 2017 added a new deck of shops and stalls facing the water.

When you've had your fill, find the western edge of the market. Overlook Walk begins there and carries you down to the bay.

Open in Google Maps

≈2 min walk to the next stop

Local pick

Photo by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons

Overlook Walk

0:00

The new elevated park that ramps from the market down to Elliott Bay, built where the old viaduct stood.

You're on Overlook Walk, the elevated park that opened in late 2024 and finally joined downtown to the waterfront without a single street crossing. The path under your feet replaced part of the old Alaskan Way Viaduct, the double deck freeway that walled off the bay for more than sixty years. That structure came down in 2019, and this rambling set of ramps, stairs, and terraces took its place, dropping about a hundred feet from the market to the promenade below. If you take the stairs, you'll descend roughly 130 steps in eight flights.

There's a slide too, and an elevator by the aquarium entrance if your knees prefer that. Pause at the first overlook and look south for the Great Wheel, and for Mount Rainier beyond it on a clear day. The plantings around you are native species, and the benches are placed for exactly this view of Elliott Bay. Keep descending.

The walkway hands you straight to the Ocean Pavilion, the glass building rising beside the route.

Open in Google Maps

≈1 min walk to the next stop

Free preview ends here · stops 4 to 6 continue in the app

Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion

The aquarium's tropical wing, with a coral reef canyon, sharks, rays, and a free rooftop park.

in app

Waterfront Park at Pier 62

A rebuilt public pier with orange seating, food trucks, a turf field, and a floating dock over the bay.

in app

Olympic Sculpture Park

A free nine acre sculpture park on a former oil site, ending at a beach on Elliott Bay.

in app

Good to know

Before you go

When do the fish throwers work at Pike Place Market?

Fish throwing goes on all day at the Pike Place Fish stall, and the market is liveliest from mid-morning to early afternoon. The market is open seven days a week and closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

SourcePike Place Market

Is the Overlook Walk free to walk?

Yes, the Overlook Walk is a free elevated park that ramps from the market down to the waterfront. The aquarium's rooftop park and outdoor plaza are also free without a ticket.

SourceSeattle Aquarium

Is the Seattle Aquarium worth the admission?

The Ocean Pavilion's coral reef canyon, sharks, and rays are the new draw, and one ticket covers Pier 59, Pier 60, and the pavilion. Go early or late to dodge the midday crowds.

SourceSeattle Aquarium

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Provenance · last verified August 19, 2026

Built from the Wayside route itself: the stops, their order, and the walk between them.

Photo by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Chris Light on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Daniel Schwen on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Ntowle98 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Kingofthedead on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo by Joe Mabel on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo by Lalit Gupta on Unsplash

Photo by Jrozwado on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0