10 Awesome Seattle Dates Under $20

1. Play a round of mini golf at Flatstick Pub. This fun indoor mini golf pub only costs $7/person and is a great place for a night of fun. 

2 .Watch the sunset and roast s'mores at Golden Gardens. This is hands down one of the best waterfront parks in Seattle. They have fire pits, so bring a picnic bag with some wood, matches, and all the fixings for your perfect s'more. 

3. Get your karaoke on at Rock Box. Because who doesn't want to belt out to Celine Dion with their BAE? Full price at Rock Box is $7/hour, but during happy hour you can get the amazing price of $4/hour. 

4. Volunteer together. Seattle is a tightknit community, which means there are a ton of places to get involved and give back! This is a great way to grow closer and get to know new people as well. Some of our favorite nonprofits include Treehouse, EarthCorps, and Solid Ground. 

Volunteering at Pike Place Market Food Bank

5. Rent pedal boats at Greenlake. Green Lake is a beautiful place to get out on the calm water for some 1-on-1 time. Pedal boats are $20/hour and are perfect for a leisurely jaunt out on the lake!

6. Grab some ice cream at Molly Moons in Queen Anne and head down to Kerry Park to soak up the views. Just a few blocks away from the best views in Seattle is some of the best ice cream! Check what time the sun is setting and go grab a bench, enjoy your waffle cone, and watch the sun go down.

7. Take advantage of Seattle's awesome music scene and see some live music at Conor Byrne. This bar in Ballard hosts amazing local talent for a very low cover charge! You can't go wrong with any of the artists, they are always great! 

8. Take a hike - There are tons of great hikes of varying difficulty to do around the city (WTA.org is a great resource). You don't even need to leave the city for Discovery Park. A hike to the lighthouse on the water is a perfect date for an afternoon! 

9. Play some games! Seattle has so many fun places to go if you like arcade games (we will 100% destroy on any skee ball set-up in our presence). Full Tilt Ice Cream Parlor, Kings Hardware, Unicorn and Shorty's are our favorite picks in the city! 

Skee ball at the Unicorn

10. Go place some bets at Emerald Downs. There aren't many people who don't enjoy the thrill of placing a bet at the races! Head over and see if you can win big. You can bet for as low as $2 a race!

What are some of your favorite cheap date spots? We would love to hear about them! 

Occidental Park: Games, Food Trucks, and Art

This urban park has gotten a serious facelift in the last year and we keep finding ourselves going back for more.

This "park" is located in the heart of Pioneer Square and even though there isn't much grass to be found it has a lot to offer us city folks. Year round bright green and blue tables and chairs sit out for people to enjoy the mild Seattle weather. Peppered in between all the seating are a ton of fun games for groups to play and often in the summer time musicians come here to play for the people enjoying the space. 

Food

Occidental Park is home to our favorite city thing: Food Trucks. There is a happy little pod that sets up shop here Monday through Friday. We recommend Wednesdays when Nosh and El Cabrito Oaxaca are in attendance. (Read more about Seattle's best food trucks here)

Grand Central Bakery always has a line out the door and for good reason. Their flagship location is located inside Grand Central Arcade on the west side of Occidental Park. They bake fresh bread daily and their specials are always unique and delicious, with their permanent menu full of tried and true options.

Look for the ivy entrance to Grand Central Bakery

Swannies is a sports bar located on the west side of Occidental right next to the Comedy Underground. This is a great place to grab some greasy burgers and fries and cheer on the Sounders with friends. 

The London Plane is a hot new spot in the neighborhood. Find it right across the street on the south end of Occidental Park. This place has great baked goods and coffee. Stop in for a croissant and latte and take a sea salt chocolate chip cookie for later! 

Games

Occidental has gained a reputation as a great park to take friends or kids for some fun and games. This is because with the improvements last year they brought in a ton of actual games for people to play free of charge, out in the open. Most of them are oversized which adds to the fun (Think giant chess, checkers, and connect four). There are also a couple foosball tables, bocce ball courts, and cornhole boards around the park. 

Art 

Occidental is full of wonderful art, especially native art. The totem poles and wood carvings tell stories from a culture rich in history. Our favorite is Tsonoqua, "a mythological giantess and 'nightmare bringer' invoked by exasperated North Coast mothers to frighten their children into obedience." You can also find Sun and Raven telling the story of the raven's theft of the moon and Man Riding on Tail of Whale. The other large sculpture is the Seattle Fallen Firefighters Memorial by Hai Ying Wu. The life size firefighters pay tribute to generations of Seattle heroes. 

Welcome to Occidental Park!

Find Occidental Park here: 117 S Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104

There is also a tourism booth located in the southeast corner of the park. If you have questions head over here to learn more about the area, rent bocce balls, etc. 

Insider tip: If you have some time, make sure to walk the block over to check out the Waterfall Garden Park! It's one of Pioneers best secret spots. 

EarthCorps

Getting the gear ready for park restoration

We spend a lot of time eating, drinking, and exploring Seattle (hence this website).  It's no secret we love this city. It gives us so much when it comes to culture, activities, and good food. So what do you do when someone gives you a wonderful gift (did we mention the amazing food?), well you reciprocate!  We want to make sure we are always finding ways to give back in order to show our thanks. We have volunteered with the Pike Place Market Food Bank, and, most recently, we spent a day doing park restoration with EarthCorps. Park restoration in the middle of winter? Call us crazy, but the good folks over at this lovely organization are out there year-round doing park clean-up so we decided to join them and soak-up some of that fresh PNW air. I mean this is "Rain or Shine Guides," right?

EarthCorps' mission is to build a global community of leaders through local environmental service. The team leads park restoration events all over the city with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Tasks range from pulling invasive species, planting native trees and shrubs, and mulching.

EarthCorps lends a helping hand to some serious problems regarding the parks in the area. Turns out, a long time ago, English Ivy was planted in the parks around Seattle. It’s beautiful and grows fast, but unbeknownst to the people who planted it, it’s also invasive, covers the ground entirely, grows up trees, and eventually chokes them out. Seattle is a welcoming place and we don't like to choke out beautiful trees that give us clean air and lush landscapes. Trees are what puts the emerald in our emerald city, so English Ivy, you gots to go!

In 1993, Dwight Wilson, a Peace Corp volunteer, dreamed up the idea of Peace Corps for the earth (creatively naming this organization EarthCorps) and in 2003 EarthCorps declared war on the invasive weeds attacking our parks. With the help of over 175,000 volunteers, all Seattle parks have been put into restoration so that we can continue to enjoy them.

Take that you rotten old English Ivy!

What does a day volunteering for the earth look like? During our shift this year we worked in the Thornton Creek Watershed. The first two hours were spent ripping ivy out of the ground. It’s hard work, but supremely rewarding. After a break for lunch, we planted around 50 native shrubs and then mulched. All shifts are 10am – 2pm with a break for lunch. The EarthCorp team also spends time with the group educating about the parks, identifying native and invasive plants, and showing the proper way to use tools. We love that you leave there not only having worked hard to save a park, but educated as well.

English ivy growing up a tree

EarthCorps work in parks all around the city, so it’s easy to find an event near you, and they have a very easy online sign-up. Check out the calendar, and maybe we’ll be seeing you there!

Crabbing 101

We write about all the amazing places to eat in the city quite frequently, but what if you wanted to actually catch your dinner? What if you were looking for a real PNW experience that resulted in a delicious, well deserved meal? Well, we’ve got you covered. This post is dedicated to a favorite northwest activity…crabbing! How amazing is it that some of the World’s best crab is located right here in the Puget Sound just waiting to crawl into your trap and your dinner table. Here is our step by step guide.

Step 1: Get yourself a crabbing license. It’s illegal to catch crab without one if you are over the age of 15. You can get a day pass or one that is good for the year, and you can easily find them at most local sporting goods stores. Here is a complete list of locations. You also need to carry a catch card and record all of the Dungeness crab you catch (even if you catch zero, you are required to record and submit that). There is actually a $10 fine for not turning in your catch card!

Step 2: Gather your equipment. You will need a crabbing cage. There are many different types, but we prefer this one because it has four entrance doors and will trap the crab. You are also going to need a bait cage, which you fill with chicken parts (just buy cheap stuff!) to attract the crabs. You'll need a 75 ft. (or longer) rope tied to the cage and to a float so you can find your cage after you've dropped it. Buy them together here. Last you need to bring a measuring tape and a bucket to hold alllllll the crab you are about to catch. While this might sound intimidating, these items are not all that expensive.

Step. 3: Choose your spot! There are many different areas to crab around town. If you don’t have easy access to a boat, no worries! You can crab right off of a pier. We like Shilshole Bay Marina near Golden Gardens Park, Mukilteo Pier, and Redondo Pier in South Seattle. This article from the Seattle Times lists a bunch of places you can crab. Also, don’t forget to make sure the crabbing season is open. There are times through the year where it closes to allow scientist to count the population and for the crab’s molting season. The season is currently closed in Seattle, but it is open along the coast. Check this site to see which areas are open.

Step 4: Add the bait to your trap, toss it in, and wait! You can leave it for a few hours or overnight. This would be a good time to crack open a beer. When you are ready to check on your cage, pull it up. It should (hopefully) be filled with crab. However, don’t get too excited. Chances are you will only get to keep some of them. All females have to be thrown back to keep the population sustainable. You can also only keep crab that are over 6 ¼ inches. Throw back anything smaller. 

Photo Source

Step. 5: Take your crab home, crack, clean, and enjoy! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and bask in the glory you are sure to receive from your friends and family. Here is a great tutorial for how to clean and cook your crab.