Summer in Seattle

Summer, glorious summer, is unfolding in that fresh-aired, nature-loving, coffee-buzzed gem of the Pacific Northwest: Seattle.

The city’s mild summer weather (average temperature is 75 F) is the siren’s call for residents to move everything and anything outdoors: café tables, theatrical performances, even movie screenings. But this outdoor exodus doesn’t mean there isn’t a whole lot going on indoors too. And with Seattle CityPASS, visitors enjoy the city’s top indoor sights — as well as stellar outdoor experiences — at significant savings.

Seattle CityPASS ticket booklets not only offer discounted admission to the Emerald City’s top six attractions, they allow pass holders to jump to the front of long entry lines. Using CityPASS, adults save $52.60 and kids (ages 4-12) save $32.45 over regular admission prices. The bargain-priced ticket booklet grants holders admission to the Seattle Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, an Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, the Pacific Science Center, the Woodland Park Zoo, and a choice between the inspirational Museum of Flight or the electric Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum. Seattle CityPASS costs $59 for adults (a value of $111.60) and $39 for kids (a value of $71.45).

With its 360 degrees of indoor and outdoor views, the Seattle Space Needle’s observation deck offers an excellent orientation for first-time visitors. Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the 605-foot structure is the perfect vantage point from which to get the lay of the city, not to mention the Puget Sound waterfront and the surrounding mountains. The elevator provides a thrill with a ride that zooms riders to the observation level in a mere 41 seconds. And the Needle’s splendid, revolving SkyCity restaurant serves fresh Northwest cuisine, fine wines and local microbrews.

A Seattle CityPASS Space Needle admission ticket provides a bonus of two trips to the top during a 24-hour period. This allows visitors to experience breathtaking daylight vistas, as well as romantic, twinkling lights at night.

You can get to the Space Needle by taking a short ride on the Seattle Center Monorail, which provides a quick, elevated view of downtown. Departing every 10-minutes from the Westlake Center Mall, it zooms through the Experience Music Project and stops at the front of the Space Needle. Round-trip fares are just $4 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1.50 for kids (5-12).

While at the Seattle Center, grab a cup of Seattle’s famous coffee and enjoy a little people-watching: Wi-Fi-connected bloggers, street performers, carousel riders and kids playing in the fountain.

Seattle CityPASS admission tickets to the Seattle Aquarium whisk visitors in to enjoy smile-inducing exhibits and tangible encounters with sea critters. The aquarium’s notable stops include a tropical coral reef filled with colorful fish and “Window on Washington Waters,” which features a massive tank filled with salmon, vibrant sea anemones and other native Washington marine life. Inside, scuba divers provide commentary on the undersea life from their mic’d scuba masks. There are playful, slippery sea otters and a large tide pool where visitors can touch coastal reef creatures native to the Pacific Northwest. Having your finger hugged by a sea urchin is a feeling you’ll never forget.

Not all the Seattle CityPASS bargains are indoors. One discount ticket gets travelers a one-hour, narrated cruise of Elliott Bay and the Seattle Harbor via Argosy Cruises. From the boat, passengers will enjoy stunning views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, while learning about the city’s historic waterfront.

Just a 20-minute drive from downtown, Golden Gardens Park is a great place for visitors to spend a free morning stretching their legs. The park offers strolls along a rugged coastline, hikes through forest trails, sunbathing on sandy beaches, fishing from a pier and a boat launch.

Another free delight is a spring or summertime jaunt through Washington Park Arboretum, where dynamic floral displays purge the spirit of rainy-day memories. Its 30 acres have a dynamic assortment of plants found nowhere else.

Downtown, the Seattle CityPASS ticket to the Pacific Science Center will propel visitors light years beyond lab coats and microscopes with dazzling displays about our physical universe. Rated among the country's “50 top-rated family attractions” by Zagat Survey, the Pacific Science Center explores space through its planetarium, and goes underground with its amusing naked mole rat colony. Little kids can play in the Just for Tots area, while everyone will enjoy mingling with hundreds of butterflies in the Tropical Butterfly House.

The Woodland Park Zoo ticket provides entry to an incredible world of animals, with 92-acres of lions, elephants, great apes, birds, reptiles and more. Today’s crowds are drawn to the brand-new penguin exhibit, where the waddling, tuxedoed inhabitants provide endless amusement. In addition, the Zoomazium section gives youngsters a climbing, crawling and sliding adventure.

Seattle CityPASS’ option ticket can be used for admission to one of two thrilling museums: The Museum of Flight or the electric Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum. Fans of flying machines will be enthralled at the Museum of Flight’s incredible array of planes and spacecraft. The collection of 85 aircraft includes the Concorde, the original Air Force One, a Blackbird spy plane and a flight simulator. It also features interviews with the adventurous men and women who flew them.

Others can unleash their inner rock star at the Experience Music Project (owner Paul Allen’s shrine to hometown hero Jimi Hendrix and to rock music’s wild and inspired history). Visitors can relish exhibits dedicated to the greatest stars in music, learn to play the guitar, even perform before a wild, screaming audience.

In the same building is the Science Fiction Museum, which serves as a tribute to the genre’s greatest authors and filmmakers — and their fans. The experience includes an audience with E.T. and a seat in Captain Kirk’s command chair.

Late nights can be spent reveling in some harmless, Emerald City quirkiness at the Fremont Outdoor Movies. With a suggested donation of $5, you can join the locals in a virtual carnival of movie fun that includes costumes, contests and games. It’s a “bring your own seat” event, with some attendees carrying in small boats, couches and race car-shaped beds.

Seattle CityPASS can be purchased online at citypass.com or at any of the CityPASS attractions. It is valid for nine consecutive days, beginning with the first day of use.